Recipe Swap: Satisfying readers' requests and their sweet tooths

Some of the fun with this recipe column is when readers get involved and send in recipes and requests. It is always fun to see what readers will respond to and what they will want to see. Today we have a lot of reader participation, which makes it interesting to read. A couple of requests and a shared recipe wrap up this Recipe Swap column for this week.

Patti's 1880s Restaurant Sawdust Pie

Sylvia Graff of Gordonville requested a recipe for the sawdust pie commonly served at Patti's 1880s Restaurant in Kentucky. This is the recipe the restaurant cites as its own.

7 egg whites, unbeaten

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 cups pecans

1 1/2 cups coconut

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together and stir by hand. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake until glossy and set (about 25 to 30 minutes). Do not overbake. Serve warm with sliced bananas and whipped cream. Serves 8.

Source: Patti's 1880s Restaurant, Grand Rivers, Ky.

Diabetic Pecan Pie

Helen Coburn of Cape Girardeau would like a recipe for diabetic pecan pie, and I have included two here today. If you have a favorite diabetic recipe you can share, please send it in. I may include it in this column for other readers to enjoy.

Recipe No. 1

2 tablespoons butter

2 large eggs

1 cup light syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar substitute (such as Splenda)

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup pecan halves

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

1/2 tablespoon milk

Melt butter and put it to the side to cool down. Add in order, eggs, syrup, salt, sugar substitute, flour, vanilla extract and butter. Beat the mixture on slow speed until blended smoothly. Stir in pecans and make sure they are coated with mixture. Pour into pie shell. Brush crust rim with milk. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.

Recipe No. 2

1 unbaked pie shell

1 (1 g) packet plain gelatin

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons strong coffee or brewed espresso (prepared, not grounds)

24 pecan halves

Fruit sweetener:

1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate (thawed)

1/2 cup granular fructose (or diabetic sugar)

Make fruit sweetener: Mix together 1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate plus 1/2 cup granulated fructose.

Prepare pastry and place in 9-inch pie pan. In large bowl, combine fruit sweetener, gelatin and apple sauce. Beat with electric mixer. In small bowl, blend water and cornstarch until smooth. Add cornstarch to fruit sweetener mixture and blend. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and coffee. Pour mixture into pie shell. Decorate top with pecan halves. Bake 30-40 minutes (until custard is set) at 375 degrees. Cool slightly before cutting.

Sweet potato biscuits

Thelma Brothers of Cape Girardeau shared her recipe for sweet potato biscuits with me. They sound delicious and I can't wait to give them a try.

2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

3/4 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato

4 to 5 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut cold butter and shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, combine sweet potato and 4 tablespoons milk. Add to flour mixture and stir just until a soft dough forms and pulls away from sides of bowl. If needed, add remaining 1 tablespoon milk. On a lightly floured surface, gather dough into a ball and knead 3 times, just until smooth. With a floured rolling pin, roll dough into 3/4-inch-thick disc. With a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out biscuit rounds. Gently gather dough scraps and reroll; cut out more rounds. Arrange biscuits 2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush with melted butter. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until bottoms brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 biscuits.

I have a couple of recipe requests this week from Polly Graffner of Cape Girardeau. Polly is looking for a really good chow-chow recipe. With all of you that have huge recipe collections, I know someone has a good tried and true recipe for chow-chow. Please send it in and we can share it with Polly.

Her second request may be a little more challenging. She is looking for an "old time" candy recipe she had years ago, she thought maybe in the 1950s or '60s. This candy was a crunchy candy an she described it as a sponge-type candy that had dark syrup or molasses in it, and then baking soda was added to make it foam up. She could not remember the name, but is hoping someone can help her find the recipe. She would love to make it again, but with no recipe name, it is hard to search. Do you have an idea what this might be? Please let me know and we can start searching.

I am out of room so will wish you a wonderful week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.