Smoking Bishop

Smoking Bishop
I discovered Smoking Bishop via Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. At the very end, a reformed Scrooge tells Bob Cratchit:

“A merry Christmas, Bob!” said Scrooge, with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. “A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you, for many a year! I’ll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob! Make up the fires, and buy another coal-scuttle before you dot another i, Bob Cratchit!”

Ingredients

• Six Seville oranges (a bitter-sweet orange available in Europe, often used for orange liqueurs like Cointreau) or four or five oranges (navel oranges work well) and one large grapefruit
• Whole cloves
• 1/4 pound of sugar
• One bottle of robust red wine
• One bottle of port
• Friends to share the Smoking Bishop with you.

Procedure

1. Bake the oranges in a moderate oven (350 F / 176 C or so) until much of the orange skin turns pale brown.
2. You don’t want the fruit to be cooked; you merely want to encourage the oil to emerge since it will add flavor and aroma to the Smoking Bishop. 
3. Turn the fruit at least once.When you can smell the oranges, or see or feel the orange oil on the rind of the fruit, they're probably browned enough. You don't want to smell something vaguely like burned toast.
4. Remove the oranges from the oven, and let them cool for a few minutes. Insert five or six whole cloves in the peel of each orange. 
5. Place the oranges in a warmed glass or porcelain baking dish, with a quarter pound of sugar, and a 750 ml. bottle of a robust red wine. (We are using a Spanish La Granja 360 Tempranillo Garnacha Cariñena blend from Trader Joe’s, but Gallo Hearty Burgundy or a similar basic hearty red would work quite well.)
6. Cover the dish, and leave it in a warm place for 24 hours. 
7. You might check it every few hours and stir the sugar gently to encourage it to dissolve.
8. Remove the fruit from the mixture, cut the citrus in half or quarters and squeeze them to remove the juice, adding it to the sugar and wine.
9. Pour the mixture into a saucepan (or crock pot) using a sieve and add a 750 ml bottle of port.
10. Heat the mixture gently, without allowing it to boil, and serve in warmed glasses or mugs.

Chicken Salad

This recipe by Elise Bauer for chicken salad came from Simply Recipes. I’ve made some minor changes. I’ve modified the recipe to suit my mom’s dietary requirements and preferences.

The aspect of this recipe that makes a huge difference is poaching the chicken. I used to roast my chicken for chicken salad, or pick the meat off a roasted chicken. Poaching makes the chicken really tender and moist.

And save the poaching liquid; it makes a great base for broth/stock, or it’s lovely for cooking rice.

Ingredients:

For the salad:
1 pound boneless, skinless (raw) chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cut into chunks
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red onion or “sweet onion” chopped red onion
1 whole apple, cored and chopped (Think Granny Smith or Pippin)
Chopped walnuts (1/3 to 1/2 cup, depending on your preferences)

Notes:

• The original recipe calls for 4 to 6 green olives, pitted and minced; I leave the olives out because my mom is not a fan. She is a fan of nuts, so I added walnuts. 
• The original recipe calls for adding shredded lettuce to the salad; lettuce is not something mom can have much of, so I leave it out.

For the dressing:

5 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Lemon curd
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Notes:

• The original recipe calls for plum preserves, or any sweet berry preserve or a lesser amount of honey. I don't have any; I do have some intensely lemony lemon curd, that was not as sweet as most. 

Process:

1. Poach the chicken: Put 2 quarts of salted water in a pot, and bring it to a boil. 
2. Add the cut chicken breast to the water, and return the water to a simmer. 
3. Cover the pot and turn off the heat
4. Let the chicken sit for 15 minutes at least while you prepare everything else. This is important. Salmonella is a bad thing.
5. While you wait for the chicken to finish cooking, mix the mayonnaise, lemon curd, and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Check the flavor; add salt and pepper, and additional lemon curd and/or lemon juice to taste. 
6. In a large bowl, mix the chopped celery, bell pepper, olives, red onion, and apple.
7. Add the dressing to the chopped vegetables. 
8. After at least 15 minutes, remove the chicken from the poaching water and dice it into smaller pieces as needed. 
9. Add the chicken to the dressing and vegetables, and mix, coating everything evenly. 
10. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Coleslaw

My father cooked. Not a lot, but he cooked. There were three things that he specialized in; amazing French toast, oatmeal cookies (using the original Quaker Oats recipe), and coleslaw.

I loved his coleslaw. There were two things that made his coleslaw different; one, he didn't overuse mayonnaise, and two, he added nuts. At first, it was slivered almonds, or pecans, but later, after he retired, he started using macadamia nuts. I can remember him standing over the cutting board with half a head of green cabbage, and shredding it with a knife. He didn't like to use the food processor. He'd add grated carrots, a little high quality mayo, salt and pepper to taste, and last of all, the nuts.

Some of my earliest memories are of my father chopping the cabbage for the coleslaw; I can remember him doing it when we lived in Indiana, where we lived until I was five, and I can remember him doing it some forty years or so later, when my parents were retired and living in coastal Maine. I always had a hard time waiting until dinner time to try the slaw, and Dad would often let me have a sample before (though it was always better after being chilled for a few hours). And it was something he'd make when we were camping, when I was small.

Dad's Coleslaw

Ingredients

• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Mayonnaise
• About 1/2 cup of chopped Nuts (slivered almonds, pecans, or crushed macadamia nuts, or a mixture of any 2)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Thinly slice the cabbage, horizontally, and then vertially, until you have approximately 4 cups (not packed) of sliced cabbage. (Using a mandoline helps in this case.)
2. Grate a carrot.
3. Add about 3 Tablespoons of Mayonaise for about 4 cups of cabbage; adjust to taste.
4. Add chopped nuts to about 4 cups of cabbage
5. Add pepper to taste.

The last time I had my Dad's coleslaw, he made the coleslaw in the morning, then we drove to the Keag Store (referred to as "the Gig") on Route 73 in South Thomaston, Maine, to pick up lobster rolls, (with the buns toasted in butter, first) to go with the the coleslaw.

My Dad died in 2005. They said I'd stop missing him. They were wrong.

Image Credit: Michael E. Cohen

Stuffing

Prepare one box of StoveTop Pepperidge Farm or Mrs. Cubisons or other stuffing mixture, according to the package instructions, using broth instead of water, or use about four cups of bread crumbs, corn bread crumbs, mazo meal . . . whatever you've got.

Add to the stuffing mixture:

Ingredients

• 1 Cup onion sauteed in olive oil
• 1 Cup Celery
• 1/4 teaspoon Garlic
• 3 teaspoons Sage
• 2 Teaspoons Fines Herbs
• 1 can sliced water chestnuts or 1/2 Cup chopped Chestnuts (boiled, peeled, chopped)
• Pepper to taste
• Cooked giblets, and neck meat, if desired.

Procedure

1. Fry a small patty of the stuffing to check for taste, and adjust accordingly.
2. Mix thoroughly, and stuff a clean, rinses, salted and seasoned (garlic, salt, pepper, etc.) bird, without packing too firmly.
3. The ingredients should be adjusted to taste; you might use other herbs (Thyme, Tarragon, Parsely, Rosemary).

Stuffing is something that you mess with, adjusting to individual taste, and the available ingredients. Other possible ingredients: dried soaked (to soften them) cranberries, apricots, raisins, apples. Green onions, parsley, more garlic, thyme, herbs de provence. More sage. If you use bread, let it dry a day or three (unless it's homemade corn bread or biscuits; one day only then) and make crumbs. Some people like to use milk instead of broth. Butter is really unhealthy, and makes the stuffing really good. Choose your poisons.

From LRS AKA "mom"

Lena R. Spangenberg's Pound Cake

Ingredients

1 pound (2 cups) room temperature butter
3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour1
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of ground mace
3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
10 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Procedure

1. Assemble ingredients 1 hour ahead of time. Everything should be room temperature.
2. Separate eggs.
3. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.
4. Preheat oven to 300 F.
5. Beat egg whites with 1/4/ teaspoon salt until whites stand in soft glossy points, but not until they're dry.
• Gradually add one and a half cups sugar, beating after each addition until blended.
• Sprinkle the cream of tartar on top of the whites, and using the mixer on the lowest speed (or a spatula), gently fold into the whites.
6. Put flour, soda, ground mace, and 1 1/2 cups sugar into large mixing bowl.
7. Put the egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon juice in a second bowl and set aside.
8. Transfer the beaten whites to another bowl and set aside.
9. In large mixing bowl, beat the butter until it's creamy.
10. Gradually add 1/2 cups sugar, blending it in to the butter.
11. Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and lemon juice, gradually, alternating with the dry ingredients.
12. If the batter is too stiff, add an additional tablespoon of lemon juice.
13. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, until thoroughly combined. You may need a larger bowl to do this.
14. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top with a spoon. Set the pan down hard on a table to remove air bubbles.
15. Bake approximately 1 1/2 hours, until done. The cake will shrink from the sides of the pan. Use a knife to test for doneness.
16. Remove from oven and let stand for about fifteen minutes.
17. Loosen sides with a spatula. Using pot holders to lift the hot pan, vigorously shake up and down to loosen cake, and then turn out on a rack.

Notes

The original recipe was in Woman's Day Magazine December, 1954. As published, the recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of ground mace.

Mom doesn't actually sift the flower, she "fluffs" it though. Mom usually makes one larger and one smaller cake form this recipe. The size depends on how well the whites are beaten. It really fills a bundt pan, rising above the rim.

The Very Best Maine Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 to 1/2 Cups blueberries, adjusted to taste
• 2 Cups flour
• 1 Cup sugar (may be slightly reduced depending on berries)
• 1/2 Cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 Tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Procedure

1. Grease muffin pans or use liners.
2. Beat butter, add sugar beat till creamy and fluffy.
3. Mix in eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.
4. Fold in half the flour, then half the milk. Stir gently.
5. Add the rest of the flour and milk alternately.
6. add the blueberries, folding them in gently. Don't over stir.
7. Pour into muffin tin cups.
8. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the sugar and nutmeg mixture.
9. Bake at 375 25-30 minutes until the muffins are golden brown.
10. Let the muffins cool about a half hour before removing.

These freeze really really well. If you're planning to freeze them, take them out of the oven one or two minutes before they're done. I like to substitute finely shredded fresh lemon zest, a generous teaspoon, for the nutmeg in the sugar topping.

Christmas Fruitcake Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons (1/2/ stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup diced red and green cherries
1/2 mixed diced candied pineapple
1/2 cup raisins
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons orange zest

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400º.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In a second bowl, mix together the egg, milk, and melted butter.
4. Add the egg/butter/milk mixture to the flour to make a lumpy batter (do not over mix).
5. Fold in the rest of the ingredients.
6. Spoon the batter into muffin cups or tins, filling each cup about two thirds full. I usually line the cups with paper muffin shells.
7. Bake at 400º until the muffins are plump, golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean; about 30 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Candied Fruitcake

Ingredients:

3 7 1/4 ounce packages of pitted dates
1 pound candied pineapple, red and green, and yellow
1 pound whole candied cherries, red and green
2 cups sifted all purpose flour *
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 pounds pecan halves (Taste them; they must be fresh)

*Mom says you can get by with "fluffing" the flour with a fork.

This makes roughly four loaves, depending on the sizes of the pans.

Procedure:

1. Prepare the pans by oiling them and lining them with brown paper cut to fit. Then oil the paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 275 F.
3. Chop the dates into three pieces or so. (It’s about 3 1/2 cups cut)
4. Chop the candied pineapple into about 1/3 of inch wide wedges (about 2 1/2 cups)
5. Put the chopped fruit in a large mixing bowl. Add the candied cherries, whole (about 2 cups).
6. Lightly spoon the flour into a measuring cup.
7. Add the salt and baking powder to the flour.
8. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the fruit.
9. Mix fruit and dry ingredients until all the fruit is well coated.
10. Using mixer, beat four eggs until frothy.
11. Gradually add one cup sugar to eggs, beat until well blended.
12. Add eggs and sugar to fruit mixture, mixing well.
13. Add two pounds (eight cups) of pecan halves.
14. Mix until nuts are evenly distributed and well coated with batter.
15. Pack into pans, pressing down with the back of a spoon. If necessary, rearrange pieces of fruit and nuts to fill up empty spaces. This should be a dense cake, without holes.
16. Bake one and a half hours at 275 F. When done, tops of cakes should look dry. If there is any doubt, leave cakes in oven longer, as a little extra baking does no harm. Watch for the edges of the cake to pull away from the pan; that’s a sign of doneness.
17. When cakes are done, remove from oven and place on cake racks.
18. Let stand about five minutes.
19. Turn out on racks, and carefully remove paper.
20. Cool cakes, and turn top side up.

Traditionally you would douse the cake with sherry, or bourbon, or brandy, and wrap the cake in several layers of cheescloth and put it in a container for at least two or three weeks. It isn't requires. You may use the same method to freshen a dry or over cooked cake.

Wrap cakes in plastic food wrap and then foil to freeze them; they freeze well. Thaw at room temperature.

After making the cake the first time, you may find you prefer more nuts or fruit, in which case you may need to add extra batter, using the instructions above. You can use half the eggs, sugar, etc. to make more batter if you don’t need quite so much.

From LRS; originally from Woman’s Day December, 1954.

Grad Student Chili

Ingredients:

2–3 Tablespoons Olive oil
1.5 to 2.0 pounds hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small can green chilies
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Beer
1/2 cup strong brewed black coffee
1 128 ounce (794 grams) can of crushed tomatoes
2 12 ounce cans of beans (424 grams per can)
5 Tablespoons Chili powder (to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (or crushed cumin seeds)
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
Salt and black pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.
2. Add the onion and garlic, saute briefly, then add the hamburger. Cook until the hamburger is lightly browned, stirring frequently.
3. Add the beer and the coffee. Cook for five minutes, stirring it once.
4. Add the canned tomatoes, with their juice, the beans, chili powder, cumin and oregano.
5. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook, partly covered, for half and hour, stirring it every ten minutes or so.
6. Taste the chili; season to taste, and cook a little longer, say, thirty minutes to an hour
7. The most important thing is to taste the chili, and adjust the seasonings accordingly.
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro, onions, and grated cheese. Serve with tortillias, grated cheese, cornbread, or over rice or baked potatoes.

Notes:

Trader Joe's frozen garlic is Just Fine. Omit the beer or chili as long as the same amount of liquid is used. Substitute broth (beef, chicken or vegetable. Use ground turkey, or tofu, if you'd rather. You can extend the chili, by adding another can of beans, or a can of corn. Chopped green pepper, celery and mushrooms are nice additions; saute them with the onions. The chili is better the next day, and freezes well. You can even freeze the cooled chili in Ziplock bags. Make sure the bags are tightly sealed, and don't over fill them.

To those who ask why this is "grad student chili" . . . I started making it as a grad student, and it's well suited for cooks on a budget since it's easily extendable and it uses ingredients that are fairly common. Plus it includes two staples of many grad students' diets— beer and coffee. I confess, I started using the beer because I had some and didn't drink beer, but it does add something.

Red Potatoes with Lemon, Parsley, and Olives

Ingredients:

2 pounds of red potatoes
1 lemon
3 tablespoons Olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh Parsley
Several cloves of Garlic
1/3 cup olives, pitted
Salt to taste
1 well-oiled 9 x 13 inch pan

Procedure:

1. Slice the potatoes, unpeeled. They should not be sliced too thinly.
2. Thinly slice the lemon, peel and all, being careful to discard the seeds.
3. Mince the garlic.
4. Chop the Parsley
5. Toss everything except the olives, with the olive oil, then spread evenly in the x 13 pan.
6. Bake at 425F for an hour, stirring everything two or three times.
7. Add the olives during the last five minutes of cooking.

Notes:

The recipe is from T. Carter who found it in Fine Cooking March, 2004 and posted it here and wrote:

The recipe called for oil-cured olives . . . The potatoes are supposed to crisp while the lemons caramelize.

The thinner you slice the lemons, the happier you'll be. I've found a knife with a serated edge works best. Do try lemon varieties; they all taste slightly different. The recipe doesn't call for it, but when you add the olives, a sprinkle of salt and pepper won't go amiss.

Hot Cross Buns

Credit: CJorsch Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients:
3 3/4 to 4 cups all purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast or 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup dried currants or raisins

Procedure:

1. In large mixer bowl, thoroughly stir together 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the yeast, and the cinnamon.
2. In a saucepan, heat together milk, oil, sugar, and salt just till warm (115 to 120 F.). Add to dry mixture in mixer bowl; add eggs. Beat at low speed of electric mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes at high speed.
3. By hand, stir in currants and enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough. Cover and let rise till double, 1 to 1/2 hours.
4. 4. Stir dough down. Shape dough into 14 balls. Place on greased baking sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart. Cover and let rise till dough is nearly double, 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Bake in 375 oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly; pipe crosses through pastry tube or bag with using white icing or a powdered sugar glaze.

Notes:
My mother makes these at Easter, and sometimes, at Christmas. The recipe is originally from Better Homes and Gardens, March 1973. The original recipe suggests making 24 buns; I like them slightly larger, so I usually make 16 to 18. I tend to use a candy thermometer to check the temperature of the milk and oil solution, and I use a generous 1 and a half teaspoons of cinnamon. I also use more currants; the original called for 1/3 cup. It also called for brushing the buns with a beaten egg white before baking; I don't bother. I often use put the balls of dough into greased muffin tins.

These freeze quite well.

Shaker Lemon Pie

Ingredients:

2 large lemons (or 5–6 small ones)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon of vanilla
prepared pie crust for a double-crust pie

Procedure:

1. Slice the lemons cross-wise (to make circles), rind and all, as thinly as possible, removing seeds as they appear. It's more important that the slices are thin than that the slices are perfect circles.
2. Place the lemon slices in a bowl, alternating a layer of lemons with one of sugar. Mix the two. Let the sugar-and-lemons mixture stand in a refrigerator at least three hours, overnight if possible. Stir occasionally.
3. Line a pie pan with half the pastry.
4. Mix the four eggs and the vanilla with the lemons and sugar, then pour into the pie crust.
5. Cover and seal the pie with the remaining pastry. Make small vents in the top crust.
6. Cook the pie for fifteen minutes in a pre-heated oven at 450 F. then reduce the temperature to 375 F. and cook for about another 25–35 minutes, or until the blade of a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes:

Thinner-skinned, sweeter lemons, work best; I prefer Persian lemons, or Meyer's lemons. Limes can also be good. A serrated knife may work best for slicing the lemons thinly. The pie is even better served slightly warm.

The "authentic" Shaker pie doesn't use vanilla; I think it adds a nice touch, but I've also used vanilla sugar. I suspect that the Shakers favored this recipe because it doesn't waste any of the lemons; only the seeds are discarded.

Mac and Cheese with Ham

What "makes" this exceedingly simple recipe is the baked garlic that's stirred into the cheese sauce. Baking the garlic not only makes it soft, even creamy, it mellows the garlic scent and taste, making it milder and sweeter. It goes without saying that better ingredients make better food, and in this case that means good cheese, freshly grated. That said, I've found using canned evaporated milk rather than cream works fine, and you can get by with onions instead of shallots, though the shallots do make a difference. The original recipe is from Bon Appetit, October 2003 who attributes the recipe to The Federalist in the XV Beacon Hotel in Boston. It makes a very large quantity, so make sure you have a suitable container to mix the sauce and the cooked pasta. It freezes quite well; I like using ziplock bags which can be filled, flattened and frozen.

Ingredients:
1 head of garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
2 cups whole milk
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound ditalini or conchiglie or other "small" pasta
8 ounces quality ham, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350F. Cut top 1/4 inch off head of garlic to expose cloves. Place garlic, cut side up, on sheet of foil. Drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap garlic with foil to enclose tightly. Bake until skin is golden brown and cloves are tender, about 55 minutes. Cool (I tend to put them in the fridge). Squeeze cloves from their skin.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Whisk in milk, cream, thyme, lemon peel, and roasted garlic. Simmer over medium heat until reduced to 2 3/4 cups, about 30 minutes. You don't want the milk/cream to boil or overcook. Reduce heat to low. Gradually stir in cheeses.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Toss cheese sauce, pasta, ham, and parsley in large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

9 inch unbaked pie shell
1 Cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 Cups canned pumpkin (Not the stuff with spices; just pumpkin)*
1 2/3 Cups evaporated milk**

Procedure:

1. Blend sugar, spices and salt. 
2. Add eggs, pumpkin and milk. 
3. Mix well and pour into pie shell. 
4. Bake about 60 minutes at 350 F. or until the pie is "set." 
5. Check the pie after 40 minutes. Refrigerate when cool.

Notes:
* One and a half cups of canned pumpkin is one 15 oz. can or 425 grams. 
** One and two thirds cups of evaporated milk is one 12 ounce can or 354 ml.

As written, this makes a single pie. 
A smaller shell makes a thicker pie, but will take a bit longer to cook. 
Double for a large deep pie, or two pies. 
Adjust the spices to suit your taste; I favor a bit more ginger.

Scones

This is a rewrite of a scone recipe from "Stephanie" that Michael downloaded and printed back in 1998. My approach to scones is practical rather than fussy, so I don't, for instance, use a glass or cookie cutter to shape them. These freeze well; I suggest removing them from the oven just as soon as they are cooked through, cooling them, then freezing them. The recipe can be enhanced by adding dried fruit, lemon or orange zest—use your imagination. You can substitute milk for the cream, use a mixture, or in a pinch, use canned evaporated milk, as long as the quantity remains the same.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chilled butter
1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Procedure:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour with a pastry blender. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. If you wish to add raisins, or dried fruit, add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup now, and stir them in. In a small measuring cup combine the whipping cream (or a mixture of cream and milk), beaten egg and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients, and stir just until it's combined into a dough you can handle. You want to mix and handle the dough as little as possible since the more you handle it, the tougher the scones will be.

Remove the dough from the bowl; most of it should adhere into a single lump. Knead the dough gently on a lightly floured surface to mix in any odd crumbs or dry flour left in the bowl. Roll or pat out the dough into a rectangle that's about an inch to an inch and a half thick (depending on how many scones you wish to make). If you want to make the scones sparkle, lightly sprinkle a little granulated sugar over the rectangle. Cut the rectangle into six to twelve scones.

Transfer the scones to a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake 375 F. for about 15 minutes, or until the scones are lightly browned.

Peach or Fruit Cobbler

This is a recipe my mother gave me; she was given it by an unknown friend. I'll have to ask her who it was.

I generally make it with peaches, though I've used fresh berries, and even canned cherries. It's best with peaches. I use peaches I've frozen. I buy local fresh peaches (from California, sorry mom) at the Farmers' Market, let them ripen, dip them in boiling water just long enough to loosen the skin, peal them, slice them, and mix them with sugar and absorbic acid (to keep them from darkening), then freeze flat in gallon size ziploc freezer bags. Peach cobbler in January through March is a lovely treat, and the frozen peaches have a wonderful flavor.

Cobbler Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups Flour
• 3/4 Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 Cups Milk
• 1 Stick (1/2 cup) Butter, melted
• 6 cups fruit

For Syrup:

• 1 Cup Water
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Butter

Mix dry ingredients; stir in melted butter and milk until smooth. Spread batter on bottom of a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan. Add and arrange fruit (reserving any fruit juice).

Combine water (substitute any fruit juice you reserved for water), sugar (I adjust the sugar based on the sweetness/sugar of the fruit), 3 Tablespoons of butter, and boil (you want a thick syrup). Pour the syrup over the fruit. Bake at about 400 F. for about an hour; you want the batter to be cooked, the fruit to be slightly crisp on the edges, and cooked all the way through. It can take a lot of cooking, especially if you use a deep dish rather than a flat pan. Serve warm with ice cream, or a little heavy cream.

Chocolate Pound Cake

When I was in my late teens, my mother gave my sister and I each a copy of a Hershey's Chocolate cook book. This recipe was in that book, though I've modified it a bit. It's one of the easiest cakes you could possibly make. You do need a good size mixing bowl, but other than that, it's very straight forward, and exceedingly unhealthy. It freezes very very well, and since it makes a larg bundt cake, you might want to freeze half.

I often add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate bits to the batter, just before pouring it into the Bundt pan. Alternatively, you may want to try soaking 1/2 to 3/4 cup dried cherries (in warm water, or, my personal favorite, Grand Marnier, or Kirsch), pouring off the excess liquid (saving the liquor for the cook) before you stir the cherries gently into the batter.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
5 eggs
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
2 cups unsifted all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla in a very large bowl for about five minutes, using a mixer at medium speed. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing them in thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Add this mixture, a little at a time, alternately with the coffee and buttermilk (or sour milk) to the creamed mixture, beating just until the mixture is thoroughly blended. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottoms of the bowl.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 12 cup Bundt pan or ten inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees F. for about an hour and twenty minutes, or until a tester or knife blade inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely; sprinkle with confectioners' sugar if you'd like.

Notes: You can sour milk by adding a Tablespoon of vinegar to the milk, and subtracting an equivalent amount of milk.

The cooking time can vary quite a bit, depending on altitude and weather. Test for doneness with a knife inserted gently into the center; it should be moist, but not gooey.

Chocolate Mousse

Serves 5–6

Ingredients:
8 Ounces semisweet chocolate
1/4 Cup strong coffee
3 Ounces (6 Tbls.) Butter
Six eggs, separated
1 Cup Whipping Cream

Procedure:

Melt the chocolate and coffee. Stir in the butter, and add the egg yolks, one at a time, stirring after each egg.

Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.

Beat the cream until it forms soft traces on the surface of the bowl.

Scrape the chocolate down the sides of the bowl containing the egg whites, to mix them. Caefully fold in the whipped cream.

Refrigerate.

LLS

Chocolate Mousse Pie

My mother, after years of diligent research, came up with what I think is not only the easiest Chocolate Mousse Pie recipe, it's the best. It is, however, incredibly rich, so you'll likely want to serve rather slender pieces. It's especially lovely if you garnish it with whipped cream, slivered almonds, and or fresh berries.

Ingredients:
Baked and cooled pastry (shortbread, chocolate or plain)
1 12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate morsels (like Ghirardelli)
2 1/2 c. cream, divided into 2 cups and 1/2 cup
1 t. vanilla
1 T. Rum, Bourbon, Grand Marnier, or Cointrieau, or Peach Schnapps or Raspberry Liquor (double or triple this according to taste)

Procedure:

1. Beat 2 cups cream till soft peaks form. Place in refrigerator to keep cool while you do the following:
2. Microwave chocolate and 1/2 cup cream about 1 1/2 minutes till melted, stirring twice.
3. Add liquor and vanilla, mix well.
4. Cool about 5 minutes. The chocolate needs to soft enough to blend.
5. Fold whipped cream into chocolate.
6. Pour into shell. Chill at least 2 hours.
7. Garnish with whipped cream and/or sliced almonds or grated chocolate.
8. Dip a warm knife in hot water before slicing.

Lena R. Spangenberg

Pie Pastry

This is the pastry recipe my mother used when I was growing up, and still uses today, as do I. When I was very small I would stand on a chair in the kitchen and watch while she rolled the pastry out and formed the pie shell. She usually gave me a small piece to make a pie or tart of my own with.

She always made it with margarine, but I suspect before I was born, it was made with butter.

It makes enough for two single crusts, or one double with a bit left over for the freezer.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2/3 cup margarine (1 stick plus 3 Tablespoons)
1 teaspoon salt
4-6 tablespoons cold water
Procedure:

Cut margarine into the flour and salt mixture until thoroughly mixed.
Add water until moist enough to make a soft dough.

Chill before rolling out.

Lena Spangenberg