So, Count, We Meet Again, Possibly

DEAR SOS: The Tail O’ the Cock, a restaurant that used to be on La Cienega Boulevard, made a wonderful Monte Cristo sandwich. It was out of this world! I would dearly love to get the recipe.

BEVERLEE J. BIGLOW

La Verne

DEAR BEVERLEE: We don’t have that recipe in our files, but we do have several for Monte Cristo sandwiches. This version, from the Blue Bayou restaurant at Disneyland, has been popular with readers in the past. I hope you like it. Maybe a reader has the recipe you want.

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Place mat from Williams-Sonoma stores.

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Monte Cristo Sandwich

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

BATTER

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups water

1 egg, beaten

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the water to the beaten egg and add to the flour mixture. Mix well.

ASSEMBLY

6 slices turkey, about 1/3 pound

12 slices white bread

6 slices Swiss cheese, about 1/3 pound

6 slices ham, about 1/3 pound

Batter

Oil, for deep frying

About 1/4 cup powdered sugar, for garnish

Place 1 slice of turkey on each of 6 slices of bread, then top the turkey with a slice of cheese and a slice of ham.

Top the sandwiches with the remaining slices of bread. Cut each sandwich into quarters, and use toothpicks to hold the quarters together.

Heat about 5 cups of oil in a deep skillet or a pan with tall sides to 350 degrees. Dip each sandwich quarter into the batter to coat, returning any excess batter, and fry in batches of 3 until golden brown, about 1 to 11/2 minutes a side.

Drain the sandwiches on paper towels, remove the toothpicks and sprinkle the sandwiches with powdered sugar. Repeat with the remaining quarters.

6 servings. Each serving: 529 calories; 730 mg sodium; 92 mg cholesterol; 24 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 1.43 grams fiber.

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First Lady Fudge

DEAR SOS: Do you have a copy of Mamie Eisenhower’s Million-Dollar Fudge?

TINA SLUTZKY

Brentwood

DEAR TINA: Yes. You can make up a batch to commemorate that big chocolate lover’s holiday: Presidents Day.

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Mamie’s Million-Dollar Fudge

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes plus 2 hours cooling

4 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons butter

Dash salt

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips

12 ounces sweet baking chocolate, broken into pieces

2 cups marshmallow cream

2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. Set aside.

Combine the sugar, butter, salt and milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine the semisweet and sweet chocolate, marshmallow cream and nuts in a mixing bowl.

Pour the sugar mixture over the chocolate and beat until the chocolate is melted. Turn into the baking pan.

Cool the fudge until firm, several hours. Cut the fudge into 1-inch squares and store in an airtight container.

117 pieces. Each piece: 84 calories; 13 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.39 gram fiber.