There's nothing as satisfying as fulfilling a request for a recipe that was a loved one's specialty. S.P.G. turned to our readers for help recreating a potato salad made by her Russian great-grandmother that she believed was called oliveyeah, but did not contain olives.

It turns out the salad is known as Salat Olivier in Russia, Salade a la Russe in the United States and other countries. Olivier was the French chef who created it for Russian Tsar Nicholas II. A recipe appears as early as the Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School Cook Book (1896). We received quite a few versions of the recipe, all of which have cooked potatoes and a dressing made with sour cream and mayonnaise. Most also call for beets -- find fresh ones for a real taste difference -- and are vegetarian, but cold cooked meats, salmon, shrimp or the like can be added. Shaun Johnson of Rice Lake, Wisc., for example, adds a pound of cubed and browned kielbasa.

``For the first time I am able to help one of your readers,'' said Ann Smith of Miami, whose recipe appears here. ``I wish I could remember where I got this, but I can't. I've had it 30 years and I only remember that I got the original out of a cookbook that belonged to a college roommate. It's a very flexible dish, and can be made with a variety of vegetables in various proportions (try cooked green beans or even limas along with or instead of the peas, although the root vegetables are essential), with or without one of the meats. Yum. I haven't made this in a long time, but now that I have the recipe out, I think I will. Not a diet dish, but once in a while, who cares?''

Karen Moore of Coral Gables recalls that she ``first encountered this dish at Clyde's Omelet Room on M Street in Georgetown in the 1970s. They made it with peas, carrots and potatoes diced to be the same size as the peas; it was served in a halved tomato as a side dish with their omelets.'' Her version of the salad is simpler -- potatoes, chicken, carrots, dill pickles, peas and eggs, with a dressing made simply of equal amounts mayonnaise and sour cream, with fresh ground pepper to taste.

Q: I need to find a great cherry pie for my aunt's 96th birthday. Any suggestions?

Sandy R. Langner

A: Here's the dilemma: You've missed the sadly short season for fresh sour cherries, which make a pie unlike the gluey results you get with canned pie filling. You can only find fresh Montmorency (bright red, clear juice) or Morello (deep red-purple) cherries in mid to late July and early August. They are extremely perishable, so most supermarkets don't carry them. Out of season, the best choice is frozen cherries, but these are hard to find, too.

The best and most practical substitute for fresh cherries I've found is the Oregon brand in a 14.5-ounce can, packed in water. The water pack definitely gives an unsullied flavor closer to fresh than sugar packs. Some supermarkets carry it, or you can ask the store manager to get it for you. I've also gotten the brand through Amazon.com.

The recipe I use is pretty basic, relying on quality ingredients, from the cookbook that taught me how to make pies, Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts (Clarkson N. Potter, 1985). To substitute canned cherries for the fresh in this or any recipe, you'll need one 14.5-oz can for every 2 cups fresh pitted cherries.

Q: I tried the 5-Minute Chocolate Coffee Cup cake from your column twice and found it was quite dense and heavy. Was baking powder omitted?

S. Wallman, Miami

A: There were no ingredients omitted, but yes, the ``cake'' is quite dense, and needs to be eaten while warm to be at its best. The recipe is for a lightning-quick, fun microwave treat, a chocolate fix. The trade-off for the five minutes of microwaving is that, like all baked goods prepared in the microwave, it will not compare in fluffiness to a homemade, oven-baked chocolate cake and will get tougher the longer it stands after cooking. We like it best just a minute or two out of the microwave, with vanilla ice cream melting on top.

SLEUTH'S CORNER

Q: I grew up in Miami and used to go to a restaurant on 119th and Seventh Avenue called the Barbecue Barn. It closed a few years ago and I am trying to find out how to make their Key lime pie. It was the absolute best I have ever had. Even after we moved from Miami we would make a trip just to go there to eat and pick up pies to bring back to family and friends.

Kathy Leadbetter

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