The Herald Statesman from Yonkers, New York • 41

I SECTION Microwave Cooking 2 On the Label 2 Hunts Point 4 Country Cook 4 YK MV NR Gannett Suburban NewspapersWednesday, November 10, 1993 I NO TIME TO COOK 1 ,1 yr iT VV: I a A ft I- h- i -JW, -m 1 The recipe for perfect fall parties. l'N'Nv i vrf it i. A siD. i ---v -A: a.m Lot AngatwTlmM When brisk temperatures chase you inside on a fall weekend, a get-together with family and friends can be the perfect antidote to the November chill. What follows are simple party recipes that are naturals for casual indoor entertaining: endive stuffed with garlicky goat cheese, herbs and sun-dried toma- toes; a mushroomy pasta salad; asparagus, lima beans, leeks and fennel tossed in an all-green salad; a grilled vegetable sandwich; a fig upside-down cake, and, of course, brownies.

Much of the preparation for these recipes can be done a day ahead, and other party ideas require no cooking. Smoked fish trout, chub or sturgeon, for instance may be purchased at a market and simply arranged on a platter of greens with lemon slices and fresh dill If youre planning a cheese and seasonal fruit tray, let the cheeses stand at room temperature an hour or so before serving to enhance their flavor. This is an easy party appetizer. And the cheese filling for these appetizers may be prepared ahead of time if you keep it covered and refrigerated. Just before serving, sprinkle with pine nuts.

DEBORAH PORTERFIELD Neirfiboriyrecipo Either Feder of Suffern should he proud. Her recipe for Cheese rs appears on page 25 of Neiman Marcus family cookbook, Pigtails and Froglegs. Thats five pages ahead of Barbara Bushs recipe for bran muffins. The book, illustrated by Chuck Jones, contains a mix of child-fHendly recipes from across the country. Other local recipes include fried Dough Boys by Jo-Ann M.

Brown of Bronxville, Halloween cupcakes byltobin Nigro of White Plains, and the Best Chicken Salad by Bobbie Davis of New Rochelle. In the cookbook, Feder says she invented Cheesers as a low-calorie substitute far blintzes. Want to give them a try? Here's how: Flatten 8 slices of bread with a rolling pin or drinking glass. Add some sugar and cinnamon to an 8-ounce carton of cottage cheese. Spread the mixture over 4 slices of the bread.

Then top these with the other 4 slices. Cut the sandwiches into 4 pieces and dip them into a bowl of beaten eggs. Fry the fake blintzes in margarine until brown. The cookbook, available at local bookstores and Neiman Marcus, costs $19.95. Author royalties will benefit Childhelp U.S.A., Pediatric AIDS Foundation, St Jude Childrens Re-" search Hospital and the Special Thyme for Chang Thyme for Change in North Salem is a cozy shop where you can sip hot chocolate while trying to decide what you want.

Will you bring home a pound of roasted vegetables for Or maybe some black bean salad far $6.95 a pound? Or why not just go for broke and finish off all those free sweet samples at the coffee bar? The English-style shop tempts even those who arent hungry with an eclectic mix of crafts, toys and gift baskets. Thyme for Change is in the North Salem Center at the intersection of routes 124 and 116. The shop is open 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 8 a.m to 5 p.m.

Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, call 669-5059. Stockpiled In the freexer Mexican-food lovers on a lean budget will want to try Las Campanas bean and cheese burritos. We paid $2.99 for a bag of 10 burritos at Edwards Supermarket That averages out to about 30 cents aburrito: 1 The burritos contain no lard and aren't loaded with sodium. They do have cheese but at least it's real cheddar cheese as opposed to some strange cheese food.

Unadorned, the burritos taste bland. But that's a plus for those with different tastes. You can cover the burrito with hot or mild salsa. And if fats no concern, add a bit of avocado, sour cream or shredded cheese. Stick the burritos in the freezer and enjoy them one at a time.

Or wait and serve them all at once when youre the host of a last-minute fiesta. Deborah Porterfield it a ttaff writer for this newspaper. Send your time-saving cooking tips to her at Gannett Suburban Newspapers, 1 Gannett Drive, White Plains, N.Y. 10604. 3 heads Belgian endive 1 (6-ounce) package goat cheese cup half and half 2 cloves garlic, minced 10 sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed), minced 8 basil leaves, minced Salt, pepper Vt cup toasted pine nuts Carefiilly separate 24 endive leaves.

Set aside. Beat goat cheese and half and half together until smooth. Stir in garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Using pastry bag, pipe cheese mixture onto each endive leaf Garnish with remaining pine nuts.

Makes 24 appetizers. Eidi mvlns anMni ew WeWcrtw; WQfoaunvimschQlimrBt 4 proHin; mramWbr. Wide noodles are the base for this pasta salad. We serve it on a large platter over shredded napa cabbage. f-r iffli V' LoaAngal Thu photos Goat cheese complements fresh fig upside down caka Slice? fresfffigs and- brown sugar are covered with a rich pine nut-butter cake batter, then baked.

14 pound lasagna noodles 3 tablespoons oil Vi pound brown mushrooms, sliced pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced 14 pound sugar peas, cut into julienne strips 1 bunch green onions, diagonally sliced 1 cup Brazil nuts, toasted 14 cup oyster sauce 2 tablespoons lemon juice 14 -teaspoon sesame oil 14 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, crushed Salt 14 small head napa cabbage, shredded 14 cup cilantro leaves Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well and cut into quarters. Set aside. Heat oil in skillet and saute brown and shiitake mushrooms until tender. Stir into noodles along with peas, onions and nuts.

Combine oyster sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil and peppercorns. Pour over noodles tossing to coat evenly. Season to taste with salt Chill until serving time. To serve, make bed of cabbage on platter and top with noodles. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Makes 8 servings. Esch trying canflw about: MS cHertes 471 ms Kurw; I chaUQirat II sram grvin carbofiyWata; I sramt pratakv 1.71 aran Star. This is a delicately flavored salad in which various shades of green combine to make a pretty party dish. It can be assembled several hours before serving Please see FALL, 3B r- 'a, s) i J' i. v-.

JT 'e Vj Made with Italian bread rubbed with garlic and a fresh, very ripe tomato, the grilled vegetable sandwich can be cut into squares for easy serving. theres no catch to cooking fish its quick, easy MORSELS flounder and roughy, and tuna and swordfish. There are exceptions, but not many. Don't overcook. The Fast Lane describes menus for busy cooks, using a minimum of ingredients and allowing express checkout at the market Flour, sugar, salt pepper and oil or butter are presumed to be staple ingredients at home.

are ready to cook it. Fish of the same thickness and size can be used interchangeably in recipes. Snapper, grouper and sea bass can stand in for each other, as can sole and Fish Sandwiches Qannatt Naws Swvtca Learning to cook, for some people, is a challenging process of finding and using new information. We all come in at different points some through baking brownies, sane through grilling steaks. We get comfortable, we learn something new, we make mistakes, we figure it out, and we become cooks.

Even world-class chefk go through the process. If you doubt that, take a peak into Michel Richard's Home Cooking With a French Accent (William Morrow, $25). Richard is well-known in Los Angeles, where lie opened one of the city's best restaurants. Citrus, and has opened Citronelle restaurants in Santa Barbara, Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; and Philadelphia. Last year he was recognized as one of the country's best chefe in the James Beard restaurant awards.

So it's interesting when he writes: I cannot believe we FAST LANE chefk used to poach fish for 40 minutes and then leave it in the hot liquid overnight until it got cold Overcooking was an understatement for what we did to these poor creatures. In truth, fresh fish is not only one of the fastest fbods you can cook, it's also one of the easiest meals to prepare, requiring little but salt and pepper for flavoring. The most difficult part of cooking fish is obtaining one that's truly fresh (it won't smell the least bit fishy), then believing the 10-minute rule, which means you cook the fish 10 minutes for every inch of thickness. To make fish-buying easier, sniff. Sniffing the fish is the only way to tell if filets are fresh.

If it smells fishy, buy something else. Here are some other rules: Keep the fish cold. Get it home and into the refrigerator quickly. Leave it there until you minutes, or until the fish is nearly cooked through. As the fish cooks, combine mayonnaise, vine-gar, green onions, red onion and relish or capers.

Spread on toast, top with fish, then A lettuce, then top with more toast. Serves 4. Serve with curried coleslaw made with sh-redded cabbage, apple and mayonnaise that you I season with curry powder. If desired, add onion -or carrot to the slaw and top with chopped You can eat blintzes, learn how to make blintzes and even sing about blintzes at the Blintzerama on Sunday at the YM YWHA of Mid-Westchester. Myra Chanin, author, humorist and star of My First Jewish Cooking Video The Sumptuous Sabbath, will be there to talk about the wonders of blintzes and Jewish cooking.

Guests can also sample kosher Golden brand blintzes, watch a how-to video and tear an original blintz song. The Blintzerama is from 2 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $6 at the door. Advance tickets are $3.50 for members and seniors citizens, and $4.50 for general admission. The is at 999 Wilmot Road in New Rochelle.

For more information, call Sheila Stunner at 472-3300. Deborah Porterfield I 8 slices sqft bread or 4 rolls 1 pound, approximately, sole or roughy filets Olive oil or vegetable oil Salt and pepper 2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons good-quality wine vinegar 4 green onions, trimmed and minced cup minced red onion 2 tablespoons pickle relish or capers Romaine or other leaf lettuce (or mixed greens) Lightly toast bread or rolls. Set aside. Place fish on baking sheet Brush it on both sides with oil, then season with salt and pepper. Place in a 325 degree oven and bake for about 8 i Sole or roughy (substitute trout or catfish, if desired), mayonnaise, vinegar, green onions, ca--perr or pickle relish, bread or rolls, romaine tettuce (or other dark, leafy lettuce), cabbage, apple, curry powder, peanuts (optional).

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