Smidgen of Southern

Whether she's planning a major conference for a national company or a gourmet dinner party at home, Linda McHugh loves a special event.

She always has been meticulously organized and focused on making people happy.

"It's the extra special touches that make an attendee feel special, and I think that carries over into my cooking and entertaining, such as table favors, lots of candles, special desserts."

A gourmet meal for eight or more gives her a chance to flex her creative muscles. One recent menu featured stuffed zucchini, sweet potato and pumpkin puree in phyllo cups and standing rib roast with wine sauce and horseradish sauce garnish.

Another favorite: beef filet sautéed in olive oil and butter, topped with asparagus and blue cheese, served with scalloped potatoes with cheese and cream.

Linda grew up in Roselle with parents who threw crazy dinner parties. From the Northwest suburbs Linda and her husband, Bill, moved to Alabama and Texas before settling back in Wheaton. From each location Linda gleaned something about local food and entertaining styles.

In Alabama, "they work extremely hard, they spend a lot more time on average daily meals than you or I here in the North," says Linda. "They are less convenience oriented, and they do a lot more baking."

The pace is slower, and so is the food.

"I learned to take a lot more time cooking," she says.

In Dallas entertaining is very relaxed, usually built around outdoor barbecues with zesty flavors. There she learned about Hispanic foods.

"Eighteen years ago, when we moved down there, you didn't get much of that up here," she says.

Back home in the fast-paced Chicago suburbs Linda thinks big for dinner parties, farming out the appetizers to willing guests and handling the rest in well-planned steps.

Particularly for larger events Linda creates a chart outlining every minute detail from oven temperatures and timing of each dish to lighting the candles and opening the wine.

"It helps you be prepared better."

Each of today's recipes comes with a little story. The asparagus-leek chowder is from a friend in Michigan but taps into Linda's lifetime love of asparagus, which her family used to buy from a local farmer.

The beef tenderloin is a "never fail" that has been prepared at least two dozen times by Linda and her friends and neighbors. It is seasoned with sage and Dijon mustard, and a trio of peppercorns.

Linda's chocolate roulage, a frozen cake roll, was inspired by one she tasted at a tea room in Birmingham, Ala.

It reminds her that sometimes, when life looks darkest, things work out for the best. When she and Bill moved down South, she says, "I cried all the way down. But it was so wonderful. We were four hours from the coast and fresh seafood, and three hours from the hills of Tennessee.

"We had a great time."

Holiday Beef Tenderloin

1½ tablespoons green peppercorns

1½ tablespoons white peppercorns

1½ tablespoons black peppercorns

1 beef tenderloin (5-6 pounds), trimmed

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon dried whole sage

2 tablespoons butter, softened

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Roughly grind peppercorns; set aside.

Cut tenderloin lengthwise, butterfly style, to within ½ inch of the edge to leave a hinge. Open out flat. Place heavy-duty plastic wrap on meat; pound meat to flatten slightly. Remove wrap; spread meat with mustard. Sprinkle with sage and half the peppercorns.

Fold meat up and tie securely with heavy string at 3-inch intervals. Spread butter over outside and sprinkle with remaining peppercorns.

Place meat on rack in roasting pan; insert meat thermometer into thickest portion. Roast 35-40 minutes for medium rare. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Serves 10 to 12.

Nutrition values per serving: 590 calories, 44 g fat (18 g saturated), 1 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 45 g protein, 155 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium.

Asparagus-Lee Chowder

6 tablespoons butter

3 cups mushrooms, sliced

3 leeks, sliced

1 bunch asparagus, chopped in ½-inch pieces

3 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

2 chicken bouillon cubes

3 cups light cream

1 cup frozen corn

1 tablespoon chopped pimiento

Dash crushed saffron

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat; saute mushrooms, leeks and asparagus until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until combined.

Add bouillon and cream and continue cooking, stirring, until thick and bubbly, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in corn, pimiento and saffron. Heat through but do not boil.

Serves six.

Nutrition values per serving: 420 calories, 35 g fat (23 g saturated), 23 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 8 g protein, 110 mg cholesterol, 270 mg sodium.

Frozen Southern Chocolate Roulade

Cake

4 large eggs

½ cup water

1 package (18.2 ounces) devil's food cake mix

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

Filling

2 cups whipping cream

6 tablespoons Kahlua or similar dessert liqueur

Chocolate sauce for garnish

Raspberries for garnish

For the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two jellyroll pans with cooking spray; line with wax paper; coat with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat eggs at medium-high speed with electric mixer 5 minutes. Add water gradually, beating on low speed until just blended. Gradually add cake mix, beating at low speed just until moistened. Beat 2 more minutes at medium-high speed. Divide batter equally between the pans.

Bake each cake individually on middle rack of oven for 13 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.

Sift half the cocoa onto a cloth towel in a 10-by-15-inch rectangle; repeat with a second towel. When cakes are done, immediately loosen from sides of pan and turn out onto cocoa-prepared towel. Peel off waxed paper. Starting at narrow end, roll up each cake and towel together. Place seam side down on wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with second cake.

For the filling: Whip cream on medium-high with electric mixer until thickened (Cool Whip consistency). Gradually add liqueur and whip until well combined.

To assemble: Unroll cakes and remove towel. Reserve about ½ cup filling for garnish if desired. Spread each cake with half the remaining filling mixture, making sure the mixture goes to all edges. Re-roll cakes (without towel); place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour.

To serve: Garnish individual plates with chocolate sauce, add a slice of the roulage and garnish with whipped cream and raspberries.

Serves 16 (eight per cake).

Cook's note: Cakes will keep up to three months in freezer.

Nutrition values per serving: 280 calories, 18 g fat (8 g saturated), 28 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein, 95 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium.