September favorites: recipes from our readers, tested in Sunset's kitchen

Sunset, Sept, 2005 by Amy Traverso

Apple-Pecan Breakfast Buns

BETTY JEAN NICHOLS, EUGENE, OR

Betty Jean Nichols celebrates Oregon's apple season with these sticky buns filled with thin slices of fruit.

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour

MAKES: 12 servings

    2 cups all-purpose flour
  1/4 cup sugar
    1 tablespoon baking powder
  3/4 teaspoon salt
    2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
  1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter, chilled, plus 1/2 cup (1/4 lb.)
  3/4 cup milk
    2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    1 cup pecan halves
    2 Granny Smith apples (about 12 oz. total)
  1/3 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 375[degrees]. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon peel. Cut the 1/4 cup chilled butter into 1/4-inch pieces. With a pastry blender or your fingers, cut or rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Pour in milk all at once; stir just until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until cool, 10 to 15 minutes.

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2. Meanwhile, in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan over medium-low heat, melt remaining 1/2 cup butter. Stir in corn syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour mixture into the bottom of an 8- by 8-inch baking pan. Sprinkle pecans evenly over mixture. Peel and core apples and slice as thinly as possible.

3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead about 15 times, adding just enough flour to keep dough from sticking. With a floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12-inch square.

4. Distribute apple slices and raisins over dough, leaving a 1-inch border along top edge. Working from the bottom, roll up dough, squeezing as you go: pinch edge to seal. Cut roll crosswise into 9 slices. Lay slices flat over syrup and pecans in pan.

5. Bake until rolls are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Invert a platter over pan and, holding both tightly together, invert again. Lift off pan and let rolls cool about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Per serving: 354 cal., 46% (162 cal.) from fat; 3.7 g protein; 18 g fat (8 g sat.); 46 g carbo (18 g fiber); 402 mg sodium; 33 mg chol

Cucumber Salsa

MARIA SLAPE, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA

Maria Slape enjoys this Korean-inspired salsa on grilled pork, chicken, or beef. The juices also make a good marinade.

PREP TIME: About 15 minutes

MAKES: 5 cups salsa

  2 cucumbers (1 1/2 lb. total), peeled
  2 Roma tomatoes (8 oz. total), rinsed and cored
  1 red onion (6 oz.), peeled and chopped
  5 green onions, rinsed and thinly sliced (including green tops)
  3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
  3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
    About 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
    About 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Dice cucumbers and tomatoes into 1/4-inch cubes and combine in a bowl. Add red and green onions, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and black pepper and cayenne to taste. Mix well. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes.

Per 1/4 cup: 14 cal., 6.4% (0.9 cal.) from fat; 0.6 g protein; 0.1 g fat (0 g sat.); 3 g carbo (0.5 g fiber); 124 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

End-of-Summer Pasta

LEA BLACK, NORTH TUSTIN, CA

Lea Black created this recipe to satisfy a late-pregnancy craving for grilled chicken and pasta.

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour, plus about 45 minutes to marinate

MAKES: 6 servings

    1 cup olive oil
  1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
  1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
    3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
    6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned chicken breast halves, rinsed
    1 pound zucchini
    2 red bell peppers (12 oz. total)
    2 portabella mushroom caps (7 oz. total)
    1 red onion (12 oz.)
    1 package (1 lb.) dried penne pasta
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
      Salt and fresh-ground pepper
  1/2 cup slivered fresh basil leaves

1. In a bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, and garlic. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade for basting vegetables; pour remaining into a 1-gallon zip-lock plastic bag. Cut chicken lengthwise into 1-inch-wide strips and add to bag. Seal bag and turn to coat. Chill about 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, rinse zucchini, bell peppers, and mushroom caps. Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Stem and seed bell peppers; quarter lengthwise. Peel onion and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Brush vegetables with reserved marinade.

3. Cooking in batches if necessary, lay vegetables and chicken (discard marinade) on a barbecue grill over a solid bed of hot coals or high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning once, until vegetables are slightly charred and chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), 6 to 10 minutes total. Let cool a few minutes. Chop vegetables and chicken into 1-inch pieces.

4. Meanwhile, in a 6- to 8-quart pan over high heat, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add pasta, stir, and cook, uncovered, until barely tender to bite, 9 to 13 minutes. Drain.