18 October 2020

 Blackberry Almond Cake (Fika)

85g butter -- melt and let cool.

Whisk together:

2 eggs

150g sugar

1tsp almond extract

Stir in melted butter.

Sift in 140g flour, mix until smooth & creamy.

Pour into 9" pan, scatter 100g-150g blackberries on top and bake at 400*F for 20-30 minutes.

Was *very* sweet. Cut sugar by half next time.

27 September 2020

 Never Fail Doughnuts (Gma Elaine)

3 eggs, well beaten

1c sugar (100g)

1/2tsp nutmeg

1/2c sour cream (120g)

3/4c* buttermilk (1 1/2T vinegar + 3/4c milk)

3 1/2c flour (525g)

1tsp soda

1tsp powder

1/2tsp salt

Mix in order given. Roll out and cut. Let rest 10 minutes. Fry

*If using doughnut dropper, use 1c buttermilk. (Mom says Gma only ever did drop doughnuts.)

They were too wet to roll, so we added 1/4c sour milk and used the dropper. Yielded 40 doughnuts.

11 October 2020

 Clayton's Swedish Pancakes (Clayton Folden, A Century of Recipes - Parshall ND Centennial)

2 eggs

2T sugar

1c sour cream (240g)

3/4c cold water

1tsp salt

1c flour (150g)

Whisk eggs. Whisk in sour cream, then water. Whisk in salt and flour. Let rest in fridge for about an hour (we didn't do this). Made (16) 6" crepes. Delicious with cherry sauce.

Mocha Madeleines

 Whisk together & set aside:

90g flour

45g cocoa powder 

3g espresso powder

1/4tsp salt

Melt 100g butter and set aside to cool.

Whip to ribbon stage:

3 eggs

100g vanilla sugar (or regular sugar, and add a bit of extract)

20mL dark rum

Fold flour mixture and butter into egg/sugar mixture. Bake 10-12 minutes at 375*F. 

8 September 2020

 Lilian Dickinson's Tomato Jam

6# tomatoes (from Jeff--Better Boy and/or Big Boy)

3# brown sugar

1# raisins

1 pint vinegar

2T ground cinnamon (Penzey's Ceylon)

1T ground cloves (Spice Hunter)

1T salt (pickling)

1 grated nutmeg

1/2tsp ground black pepper

Added raisins at 214*F. Went to 216*F total.

Yielded a smidge over 9 cups.

7 September 2020

 Shirley Sauce #1 (New Mexico)

5# 6oz Jeff tomatoes $5.38

6.2ox New Mexico peppers  $1.14

16.9oz Colvita red wine vinegar $3.99

1.5# Marv onions  $1.50

2T pickling salt (45g) $0.05

2c sugar $0.78

Seeded the tomatoes this time, yielded 4 pints plus about a cup. $2.85/pint

Shirley Sauce #2 (jalapeno)

2c sugar $0.78

2T pickling salt (45g) $0.05

16.9oz Colavita red wine vinegar $3.99

5.25# Jeff tomatoes $5.25

1.5# Marv onions $1.50

1.5oz New Mexico chiles  $0.28

4.3oz jalapeno peppers

Seeded this batch, too. It made in difference in the cooking time; we'll probably keep seeding. Yielded pints plus about a cup. 

6 September 2020

 Shirley Sauce

2c sugar (400g) $0.78

2T pickling salt (40g) $0.04

2c Holland House Red Wine Vinegar ($4.19)

1.5# Marv onions $1.50

5.25 Jeff tomatoes $5.25

6.2oz New Mexico peppers $1.14

Yielded 5 pints  $2.58/pint

3 September 2020

 Buffaloberry Jelly

9oz berries

1.5c water

Yielded 1.75c juice (which was weird and milky looking)

260g sugar (0.75c/cup juice)

Yielded (2) 4oz jars plus just over half a 4oz jar. I'm a bit afraid it's over-set.

1 September 2020

 Shirley Sauce

5.25# Mom-tomatoes (mixed Early Girl & Lowe's Special)

1.5# Marv onions ($1.50)

3.4oz Patty peppers

2c sugar ($0.78)

16.9oz Bonvita red wine vinegar ($3.69)

2T pickling salt ($0.05)

tiny sprinkle of red pepper flakes

4 pints, plus 1.5c  ($1.27/pint)

23 August 2020

 Peaches in Syrup (USDA Complete Book of Home Canning)

6# peaches, peeled and sliced or halved (12, peeled and quartered)

5 1/4c water

2 1/4c sugar

 7 pints--six of them contain 7 quarters, one contains six.

22 August 2020

 Peaches in Syrup (Foolproof Preserving)

6# peaches, peeled & quartered (12)

4c sugar

6c water

4 quarts, they are not quite full. Could use 1-2 more quarters, I think.

Lemon Sauce (Minot Royal Fork)

For bread pudding

1/2 gal-------------1 gal

1 1/2qts---water---3qts
1/2qt------sugar----1qt
2T----margarine---1/4c

1/2c---corn starch---1c
10T---lemon juice---1 1/4c
3---------eggs---------6
2T----cold water---1/4c

Combine water, sugar, and margarine in a saucepan and heat to a simmer.

Combine lemon juice, eggs, and cold water. Whisk in cornstarch. Add to above simmering mixture. Stir well while cooking til desired consistency is reached. Remove from heat and hold in bain marie. Cover to prevent skin from forming.

To reheat: In steamer to 140*F
To store: In 2" pan in cooler, covered
Serving temperature: 140*F minimum

Frankie's Coconut Cream Pie (Bravetart)

No-Stress All-Butter Pastry Crust (halved):
4oz flour (115g)
1/4oz sugar (7g)
3/4tsp Diamond Kosher (Morton Kosher)
8oz cold butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2c cold water

Filling:
4oz light brown sugar (115g dark)
3.5oz sugar (100g)
1.5oz cornstarch (43g)
1/2tsp Diamond kosher salt (scant 1/2tsp Morton)
1/8tsp ground cardamom
5oz egg yolks from about 8 eggs (8 yolks gave us 5.1oz)
28oz unsweetened full-fat coconut milk)
4oz sweetened shredded coconut (100g)
2tsp vanilla

Marshmallow Meringue:

8oz egg whites from about 8 eggs
12oz sugar or roasted sugar (340g sugar from blind baking the crust)
1/2tsp Diamond Kosher (1/2tsp Morton)
1/4tsp cream of tarter


Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Toss butter cubes in flour mixture, then smash them flat. Stir in the water and knead until dough comes together. Roll out (chill first if needed) to about 10"x15". Book fold, then fold again top to bottom. Roll out to a 14" circle and line 9" pie plate. Wrap in plastic and chill at least two hours, or up to overnight.
Line with foil and fill with sugar, bake on lower middle rack of a 350*F oven until golden and fully set (about an hour). If bottom is too pale after removing foil, give it another 10 minutes or so. Cool.


Whisk together sugars, starch, salt, and cardamom in a 3-qt saucepan. Whisk in yolks and coconut milk. Heat over medium low until steaming, about 5 minutes. Increase heat a bit and cook until thick (about 5 minutes more), whisking constantly. Cook two minutes after it begins to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and coconut.
Scrape into crust and  cool until a skin forms (about 30 minutes). Continue with meringue, or wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to 24 hours.


Fill a 3-qt pot with about 1 1/2" water and place stand mixer bowl over pot. Heat over medium low, until barely simmering. Water should not touch bowl; use a trivet or crumpled foil if needed. Combine ingredients in bowl and place over steamy water. Stirring constantly, heat to 175*F, about 10 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer and whip on high until glossy, thick, and quadrupled in volume, about 5 minutes.

Spread meringue over custard and sprinkle with a little coconut. Set on a rack in a baking sheet and bake at 375*F (lower middle) until light tan all over with darker tips, 15-25 minutes. Cool for an hour, wrap in plastic and chill 2-4 hours, until 60*F.

~I don't especially like this crust--the butter makes it difficult to roll. It smears and sticks everywhere (and my kitchen was not even 60*F the first time I tried it!).

~Coconut Cream pie is not one of my favourites, generally speaking, but I really liked this one.

~This was my first taste of Swiss meringue, both eating and making. I love it! So much better than common French meringue.