COOKS CORNER : SMILE AND SAY CHEESECAKE, WITH HELP FROM OUR READERS.

Byline: Natalie Haughton

Here are a couple of recipes for Jean Wheeler of Reseda, who requested a cheesecake made with hoop cheese.

Gerry Lester sent her mother's recipe with this note. ``She (mom) was a wonderful Hungarian cook who once owned her own restaurant. Before she died she compiled many of her recipes in a booklet for the family. Many of us in the family have made this recipe, but for some reason, although it comes out good, it's not the way mother made it. She had that special touch.''

Helen Arglen noted that her recipe dates from the '30s and makes a great party dessert.

GRAHAM CRACKER CHEESE TORTE (Shared by Gerry Lester, Sherman Oaks)

CRUST:

1 pound graham crackers, processed in food processor into crumbs 

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter OR margarine, melted

CHEESE MIXTURE:

2 pounds pot cheese OR hoop cheese

6 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk 

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoons vanilla

For Crust, mix together crumbs and butter until well blended. Pat mixture on bottom and up sides of 9x13-inch baking dish, reserving some of crumb mixture for top of cake.

For Cheese Mixture, put cheese through a blender or food processor until fine or put through a strainer.

Add egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, sweetened condensed milk, flour and vanilla, mixing well.

Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into cheese mixture. Pour over graham cracker crust. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over top.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 1/2 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake 1/2 hour longer. Turn oven off and after 1/2 hour open oven jar and leave slightly ajar until cake is partially cool.

Refrigerate cake until serving. Cut into squares. Makes 1 cheesecake.

HOOP CHEESE CHEESECAKE (Shared by Helen Arglen, Granada Hills)

CRUST:

8 slices zwieback, crushed into crumbs

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

3 tablespoons sugar

FILLING:

1 pound hoop cheese

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese

4 egg yolks

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

4 egg whites, beaten stiff

For Crust, combine all crust ingredients; mix well.

Press crust mixture on sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, reserving 1 tablespoon for top.

For Filling, beat together all filling ingredients, except egg whites. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites until well mixed. Turn filling into crust.

Bake in preheated 325-degree oven 1 hour. After 1 hour, sprinkle top with reserved crust mixture.

Bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool before refrigerating until serving time. Makes 1 cheesecake.

No peek chicken

In response to Iris Marquez's request for a recipe called No Peekie Chicken cooked in a slow cooker, Sue Spradley sent along the recipe below. Although it doesn't use a crockery pot, it's a recipe that rates raves, noted Spradley, adding that she hopes it will be of some help.

SUPER CHICKEN (Shared by Sue Spradley, Sylmar)

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown OR white rice

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces EACH) cream of mushroom OR chicken soup 

2 soup cans water

1 package dry onion soup mix

1 1/2 pounds chicken pieces OR 4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes

Salt, pepper and paprika 

Spread uncooked rice in bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish and pour undiluted soup evenly over it. Add water and sprinkle with dry soup mix. Place chicken, skin side up, on rice. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper and paprika. Cover dish with foil.

Bake in preheated 325-degree oven 1 1/4 hours. Uncover and bake 1/2 hour longer or until done.

Pineapple macadamia fruitcake 

In response to Donna Fiorito's request for a pineapple macadamia fruitcake, two readers shared recipes. Julie Kwan of Sherman Oaks noted that the recipe she sent, from an old cookbook, sounds like it might1 be similar to what Fiorito is looking for. Karen Alexander-Dysart's recipe which is more of a bread than a fruitcake, is one that her family has been making for years. Bake and enjoy! And keep the recipes handy for the upcoming holiday season which will be upon us before you know it.

GOLDEN MACADAMIA BREAD (Shared by Julie Kwan, Sherman Oaks)

1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts

1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon butter

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1 can (8 1/4 ounces) crushed pineapple

1/4 cup milk

Chop macadamia nuts.

Butter a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan using 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup nuts, then with 1 tablespoon sugar. Cream remaining 1/2 cup butter, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, egg, vanilla and lemon peel together until fluffy.

Sift flour with baking powder, salt and baking soda. Blend into creamed mixture by hand, alternately with undrained pineapple and milk, mixing only until all of flour is moistened. Stir in remaining macadamia nuts. Turn into prepared pan.

Bake on lowest rack in preheated 350-degree oven 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or just until loaf tests done. Let stand in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Makes 1 large loaf.

From ``The Thatched Kitchen.''

PINEAPPLE MACADAMIA NUT BREAD (Shared by Karen Alexander-Dysart, Tehachapi)

2 cups flour

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) sweet butter, softened

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup drained and chopped pineapple

3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg into a bowl.

In another bowl, cream butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour mixture alternat1ely with milk. Stir in vanilla. Fold in pineapple and nuts.

Turn batter into a buttered and floured 7-cup loaf pan. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over batter.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 45 to 55 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan before removing. Makes 1 loaf.

Can you help?

If you have recipes that can help these readers, please send them along to us at the address below to share in a future column.

I've lost my recipe for fresh tomato spaghetti sauce that was published a year ago during the summer or fall. Does anyone have this recipe?

Monica Ripp

Reseda

If any baby boomers have any old favorite appetizer recipes that they remember from their growing up years, send them along to the Daily News Food Department to feature in a future column. Deadline for submissions is Oct. 14.

MEMO: Cook's Corner welcomes recipe requests from readers. While we cannot reply to them individually, we will answer those of general interest in this column. Also, if you can help another reader with a recipe request, write to Cook's Corner, Daily News Food Department, P.O. Box 4200, Woodland Hills, Calif. 91365-4200. Please be sure recipes specify exact package sizes, can and pan sizes and baking times and temperatures.

Recipes printed are from the source indicated and have not been tested by the Daily News Food Department unless noted.