MACARONI AND CHEESE
[This dish is very life-sustaining. It is also cheap. If you can also serve some bacon with it and a green vegetable, you have a very well-balanced meal.]
INGREDIENTS
2 C elbow macaroni (more or less)--or whatever milk
1 t salt (more or less)
1 t dry mustard (more or less)
1/4 C flour (more or less)
1 lb. cheddar cheese (more or lessT (As you see, there is a lot of flexibility!)
DIRECTIONS
Boil water in a medium-sized sauce pan. Add macaroni and let cook just three minutes.
Drain and place in a round casserole dish.
Pour on milk until it just covers the macaroni.
Cover, and let it sit for several hours, or until most of the milk has been absorbed. Stir occasionally as you happen to be near by.
Grate cheese and toss in the flour and seasonings until the cheese bits are all coated.
When you are ready to bake the mixture, fold everything together.
Cover and bake in a moderate oven (350 F.) for an hour or so.
Uncover during the last few minutes so that the cheese topping is nicely browned.
ENGLISH TOFFEE
INGREDIENTS
1 whole lb. of butter (4 sticks)
2 C granulated sugar
1 12 oz. package of choclate chips
finely chopped walnuts (at least one cup)
DIRECTIONS
Melt the butter in a pot with a heavy bottom, copper if you have it. (This will help prevent scorching and discoloration of the butter.)
Stir in the sugar and keep stirring until the mixture reaches 300 degrees F. (Use a candy thermometer.)
Have a jelly-roll size pan handy, and pour in toffee mixture. Chill in fridge until cool.
Melt 1/2 pack of the chocolate chips and then pour over the chilled toffee, spreading it out until toffee is well covered.
Sprinkle on finely chopped nuts.
Chill candy again before flipping the sheet over and adding melted chocolate and nuts to the other side.
break into handy pieces and store in an air-tight tin.
Yum!
CARAMEL CORN
INGREDIENTS
2 C packed brown sugar (or 1 lb.)
1 C butter
1/2 C corn syrup, light
1 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
12 C popped popcorn (in a large bowl)
(optional: 1 or 2 cups raw Spanish peanuts)
DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 250 Degrees F.
Grease 2 jelly-roll pans (or equivalents).
Melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan.
Add brown sugar and corn syrup and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirrring constantly until bubbly around the edges.
Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, 2 more minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in baking soda until foamy and light colored. In a big bowl, pour over the popcorn and peanuts, mixing everything together as well as you can.
Spread the mixture out on the pans and bake for 15 minutes.
If you don't mind eating this in its gooey state, you can start munching right away. However, if you desire a "professional" kind of finish with separated kernals and nuts that are no long sticky, you can continue to bake for about 45 minutes more, stirring every fifteen minutes. Don't overbake, however.
Be sure to store in an air-tight canister--if you have any left, that is.
Dad: I usually skip the baking phase. I put in some white sugar, too. And: the microwave works as well as the stove to make the caramel mixture.
LEMON BUTTER
[Great for piling on toasted muffins, warming and serving with vanilla ice cream, or as a filling for a jellyroll; a dollop also enhances cooked carrots . . .]
INGREDIENTS
1 C lemon juice (takes about eight Meyer's lemons)
3 eggs, blended
3 C sugar (granulated white)
1/4 lb butter
DIRECTIONS
Melt butter gently in a heavy bottomed pan without allowing it to discolor.
Mix in sugar and then the slightly whipped eggs and the lemon juice.
Bring to a simmer and stir or whip faithfully until you like the consistency (about fifteen minutes for me).
Pour into jars and refrigerate for immediate use.
Or, you cam fill canning jars and seal with fresh lids, and then submerge and simmer in boiling water for about 15 minutes. This process will vacuum-seal the lemon butter for long-term pantry storage.
This recipe makes about four cups, and I often multiply everything by four and make a big batch when lemons are plentiful.
(You kids usually complain that I give too much away.)
LEMON SPONGE CUSTARD
[Fun, because this creates its own cake topping.. I usually double this recipe for company occasions. If you have a fancy heavy-duty mold, you can serve this pudding upsidedown with the shimmery soft part on top.]
INGREDIENTS
1/2 C sugar (If you desire a more meringue-like top instead of a spongy one, reserve half the sugar (1/4 C) and gradually beat it into the egg whites before you fold them into the rest of the mixture.)
1 1/2 T butter
2 t lemon rind
3 egg yolks
3 T all-purpose flour
1/2 C lemon juice
1 C milk
3 egg whites
(Thick cream or raspberry sauce for topping)
DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream sugar, butter and lemon rind.
Add the egg yolks and beat well.
Stir in flour alternately with juice and milk.
Whip egg whites until stiff but not dry; (this is when you can add the remaining 1/4 C sugar if you haven't already done so.)
Fold the meringue into the yolk mixture.
Bake in custard cups or a 7-inch overproof dish set in a pan filled with 1 inch of hot water. Takes about an hour for the large dish, less for the custard cups, in order for the custard to set. If you're using ramekins, it may take around 20 minutes.
Dad's notes: an easy way to make this is to combine the egg yolks, butter, milk, lemon juice and zest, and half the sugar altogether in the blender, then blend it up. When it's blended (butter mixed in), add the flour and blend a bit more. Then combine with meringue (egg whites beaten with sugar), and scoop into ramekins or whatever dish seems best. The most time-consuming part is probably zesting the lemons and separating the eggs.
NANA'S MOLASSES SUGAR COOKIES
[This recipe is from the grandmother of a college roommate of mine who used to come back from home visits loaded down with treats. If we could hold on to them, these cookies seemed to get better and better with time.]
INGREDIENTS
3/4 C butter or margarine
1 C granulated sugar
1/4 C molasses
1 egg
1/2 t salt
2C all-purpose flour
2 t baking soda
1/4 t cloves 1/2 t ginger
1 t cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
Melt butter.
Add sugar, egg and molasses.
Sift together dry ingredients and add to the first mixture.
Mix well.
Chill in fridge until firm. (Seems to take about an hour.)
Make one inch balls of dough (I find it helpful to use a melon-baller tool) and roll in granulated sugar before placing about two inches apart on cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for about ten minutes.
These cookies flatten out into neat circles as they bake, with a surface that cracks in an interesting manner. They look like traditional "ginger snaps". Store in tightly-covered tins.
POTS AU CREAM
[The super easy version . . .]
INGREDIENTS
1 C hot milk (can warm in microwave)
1 12 oz. package high-quality chocolate chips
2 eggs
DIRECTIONS
Whirl milk and chips in blender until smooth, adding eggs last.
(Make sure the chips are all melted before you add the eggs. If the milk wasn't hot enough, there may be lumps. If so, not to worry! Just warm the chocolate- milk mixture a little more before adding the eggs.)
Pour into demi-tasse cups and chill.
That's it!
OATMEAL COOKIES
(WITH "GLORIOUS" VARIATIONS)
INGREDIENTS
3/4 C butter or margarine
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 C water
1 t vanilla
3 C Oats, uncooked
1 C all-purpose flour
1 t salt
1/2 t soda
DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 350 dgrees.
Beat together shortening, sugars, egg, water and vanilla until creamy.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.
Add combined remaining ingredients, mixing well. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes about five dozen cookies.
Variations:
For "Glory" cookies, add: chopped apricots. chopped walnuts, coconut and
Be creative! You can add chocolate chips, pecans, white raisons etc.--whatever strikes your fancy or your cupboards have to offer.
GRANDMA TILLY'S LEMON PIE FILLING
INGREDIENTS
One already baked 8 inch pie shell
The grating and juice from one lemon
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
4 T cornstarch
1/4 lb. (same as 1/2 C) butter
Some boiling water
DIRECTIONS
Beat together the juice and gratings from the lemon, plus the sugar and the yolks from the two eggs. (You can start right out mixing these ingredients in the bowl from the double boiler.)
Dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold water; add it to the egg mixture.
Slowly add 1 1/1 C boiling water to the above mixture and stir it all on the top of double boiler, cooking it slowly until it is thick.
Stir in the 1/4 pound (1/2 cup) butter until melted.
Pour the lemon custard mixture into the cooked shell.
For the Meringue: beat the egg whites until stiff (but not dry). Drape on top of the custard.
Place the pie in a slow oven (about 300 degrees) until browned prettily, more or less 15 minutes.
GRAMMA TILLY'S PUMPKIN PIE
[This is the best-tasting pumkin pie filling I've ever known. I usually increase the amounts by 1/2 and use a ten-inch pie plate for company occasions.]
INGREDIENTS
One uncooked 8 inch pie shell
2 eggs
1/2 C sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves
1 C canned pumpkin puree (Buy the smallest size can)
1 1/2 C milk, or half and half, or canned milk (my preference)
DIRECTIONS
Beat together eggs and sugar.
Add remaining ingredients.
Pour into uncooked shell and bake about one hour in a moderate oven (350 degrees), or until custard is firm in center.
(If you have enlarged the recipe, you may need to increase the cooking time.)
Cool somewhat.
Garnish with whipped cream flavored with a little sugar and vanilla.
QUICHE LORRAINE
INGREDIENTS
one cooled baked pie shell
1/2 lb. bacon, sliced thick
1 C grated Gruyere (Swiss) cheese
Custard Mixture:
3 eggs, blended
1/4 t salt
pepper and nutmeg
1 1/2 C half and half, heated (or undiluted evaporated milk)
DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the bacon into 1 inch strips. Place in a pan of cold water and bring to a simmer for two minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Pat dry on paper towels. Now you can fry it to your pleasure (having leached out the excess salt).
Sprinkle the bacon pieces in the bottom of the cooled pie shell. Distribute the grated cheese on top.
Slowly add the hot cream to the egg mixture and seasonings.
Pour over the cheese and bacon.
Bake at 375 F, for 18 minutes, or until the custard barely shakes in the center and is slightly puffed.
Variations:
This is the classic Lorraine recipe, but there are lots of ways you can fix a quiche.
Instead of Swiss cheese, use 3/4 cup Parmesan; add 1/2 t tomato paste to the custard. Very good with strained shrimp.
Or, saute some thinly sliced onion and add to custard mixture. Instead of meat, used squeezed cooked spinach.
FRENCH PIE CRUST
INGREDIENTS
6 T butter.
2 T crisco or other shortening
1 1/4 C flour
3 to 5 T ice water
DIRECTIONS
Cut butter and crisco into the flour until they form chunks about the size of peas. I use a pastry blender, but two knives work well too.
Gradually add the cold water, blending with a fork.
Dough should hold together when formed into a ball, but not be sticky.
Knead just enough to form a firm patty. Chill between sheets of waxed paper or saran wrap for about 20 minutes. It really helps to "rest" the dough, and it also helps if it is chilled.
Roll out on a floured board, turning and reflouring the round of dough as needed. Fold in half, and transfer to pie plate.
Fit in plate, trim and make a pretty edging.
[For many fruit pies, you would put in the flavored apple slices or berries or whatever and then cover with a second circle of dough before trimming and completing the edges.]
If recipe calls for a cooked shell, the French chefs bake it "blind". That is, they don't just pop it in the oven as is, but put something heavy on top of it so that it bakes flat and doesn't bubble up. You can use foil plus rice, or beans. Bake in a hot oven (425 F.) for ten minutes; remove foil and weights, and then bake another 5 minutes.
You can also freeze the uncooked pie shells and bake them as needed.
CREVETTES (SHRIMP)
[This recipe was given to me to go with the basic white sauce and then to be served with crepes. I don't know why you couldn't vary the combinations--use a shellfish combination in the sauce and serve it over rice, for example.]
INGREDIENTS
1 chopped shallots (about as much as a walnut)
1/2 C dry sherry or white wine
1 1/2 C shrimp grated Gruyere or Jarlsberg cheese for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Warm the wine in a fry pan, and add the shallots until they clarify and soften.
Take off the heat and toss in the shrimp.
Add this shrimp mixture to about 2/3 of the white sauce recipe, reserving the rest to use on top of the finished crepes.
If the white sauce is a little thin, just reduce the amount of sherry you add in.
When the rolled crepes are in their baking dish, pour remaining sauce over them, perhaps just in a ribbon down the center. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes at 300 degrees F.
[You can cover and freeze the dish of shrimp crepes at this point. When ready to serve it, let the dish thaw a
half day.]
POPOVERS (OR YORKSHIRE PUDDING)
[A long time ago Nana gave me some very heavy old- fashioned popover pans, black from use. These work wonderfully, but heavy-duty muffin tins should serve as well. Pre-heat oven and pans too, if you like.]
INGREDIENTS
1 C sifted flour
1/4 t salt
3 eggs
1 1/3 C milk
2 or 3 T melted butter
OR:
1/4 + salt
1 1/3 C sifted flour
3 or 4 T melted butter
4 eggs
2 C milk
DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Whirl flour, salt, eggs and milk in blender, adding drops of melted butter last.
Pour into very well greased tins.
Bake about 30 minutes at 400 degrees--until well popped!
Serve with roast beef and gravy. and homemade blackberry jelly.
Or slather on butter...
CREPES
[Check white sauce recipe and "Crevettes" (shrimp) for an elegant way to serve these crepes. The whole business can be prepared ahead of time and simply warmed up for a company affair. Be sure to have your filling ready before you start to cook the crepes.]
INGREDIENTS
2 eggs (U.S. large)
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 t salt
1 C flour--if possible, granulated ("Wondra")
2 T melted butter (add just before cooking)
DIRECTIONS
Put everything together (except the butter) in the blender, and blend until smooth. If you have used regular flour, it needs to rest a couple of hours (something to do with the gluten).
When you are ready to cook the crepes, add the melted butter and stir in.
Cooking the Crepes:
1. Turn heat on full under non-stick fry pan.
2. Brush on a tiny bit of butter.
3. Pour on a scant ladle full of batter; distribute evenly on bottom of pan.
4. When the liquid has lost its "raw" look, place a spoonful of sauce in center.
5. Slide the crepe to the side of the pan; flip over one side of the pancake, covering the spoon of sauce; then flip over the other side of the crepe.
6. Slide the whole business onto a buttered platter, trying to put flap joint underneath.
7. Start the whole process again for another crepe.
When your platter is full, place it in the oven for ten or 15 minutes at 325 F. to reheat. This all takes a lot less time than the description might make you think!
CHICKEN TORTILLA CASSEROLE
[This is a really delicious dish; great if you've been asked to bring something for a party. .]
INGREDIENTS
at least two double chicken breasts (more is fine)
package of 12 corn tortillas, cut into strips
1 can chicken soup concentrate
1 can mushroom soup concentrate
1 finely chopped onion
1 can green chili salsa
one C milk
black olives
1 lb. (or less) cheddar cheese, grated
DIRECTIONS
Either bake or simmer chicken meat until it is barely done. Remove from bones and cut into bite-size pieces.
Mix together the soups, milk, chili sauce and onion. If you've simmered the chicken, you can also add the cooking water.
Butter a large baking dish (12x5x2 or equivalent). Arrange strips of tortillas on it for a bottom crust. Pour on a layer of soup mixture, distributing olives as desired.
Add another layers of tortillas, then more soup etc. Top layers with grated cheese. Cover with foil.
Refrigerate for at least 24 hours. This is important! (I think the tortillas need to be able to absorb the liquid before the casserole is baked.)
Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours at about 350 degrees F.
BASIC WHITE SAUCE (SAUCE BECHAMEL)
[This is the sauce you start with when you'd like something wonderful to go with shrimp, turkey or tuna; add any flavorings you like and enjoy the infinite possibilities . . .]
INGREDIENTS
1/2 C butter
1/2 C flour
1/2 t salt (more or less)
1 quart warmed milk (4 c), half and half or evaporated milk
1/4 t white pepper
nutmeg
DIRECTIONS
Melt the butter carefully and add the flour. Stir in the flour (a wooden spoon is good) until it bubbles and is thoroughly cooked.
Take the pan off the heat and add about 2/3 of the steaming milk (I just put a pyrex measuring cup in the microwave in order to heat the milk), mixing in with a wire wisk.
Add in the remaining milk.
Return to the heat, whipping rapidly, cooking the mixture a minute or so more, until thick and smooth.
Add seasonings. (Curry? Cheese? Herbal bouquets?)
You can place the sauce over hot water until you are ready to serve it. When a skin forms, just stir it back in.
CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD
[This makes a fine company dish; it's really a whole meal, especially if you serve a good bread with it.]
INGREDIENTS
2 whole chicken breasts (or more), cooked
2 packages top-ramen noodles (minus flavoring)
1/4 C sesame seeds
1/4 C sunflower seeds
1/4 C slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 C finely sliced green onions, or other
1/4 C Chinese sugar peas, sliced lengthwise
1/2 head of Napa cabbage, sliced thin
(optional: can of mandarin orange slices)
Dressing:
1/2 C oil
1/4 C white wine vinegar
1/4 C sugar
1 T soy sauce
DIRECTIONS
You can simmer the chicken in water or bake it with the top ramen noodles. Then when it's cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-size pieces. I then like to put the shredded chicken right into the already-prepared dressing, and let it marinate there until the salad is to be served.
I toast all the nuts and seeds together on the toaster- oven tray with a tiny bit of butter.
When all the ingredients are ready, and you are ready to serve the salad, just toss everything together.
I don't know why you couldn't also add a drained can of mandarin oranges, just for fun.
SPAGHETTI SAUCE
[This is a recipe which has evolved for me. The measurements are only approximations; please feel free to adjust them according to taste or what the pantry has to offer. Since this sauce is a bit of a fuss to make, I like to make a BIG pot of it and then freeze part. It's great as a base for lasagna too. If you want to halve the recipe, just reduce the meat to one pound and the tomato sauces to small cans instead of large ones.]
INGREDIENTS
2 lb. ground chuck (it must be well flavored, and not too fatty, tho not too lean either; you must be able to render enough fat from it to fry
it and the vegetables at a high temperature.)
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
1 green pepper, chopped fine
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced fine
1 28 oz. can tomato sauce
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz. can of water
1 12 oz. can of tomato paste
1/4-1/3 C molasses
1/8 C red wine vinegar
1/4 t cummin
1/2 t chili powder
1 t oregano
1/2 t lemon pepper salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
PART I
1. Put a large heavy cast-iron fry pan over high heat, and allow it to get extremely hot. Add the ground beef and press it down in the pan to brown quickly.
2. Chop onion and add to meat, turning beef to brown all over, covering onion bits with released fat.
3. Add garlic squeezed through garlic press; stir in.
4. Turn heat down to medium-low; add chopped green pepper and mix in.
5. Turn heat to low and mix in sliced mushrooms. If the mix seems stiff and apt to burn, just add a little water or beef boullion. Let the whole business simmer for the moment.
PART II
6. Meanwhile, in a large stew pot, pour in the tomato products. (Incidentally, there is flexibility here;. sometimes you might want to used stewed tomatoes, or maybe you just have a few cans of tomato paste.) Add enough water or beef boullion to make a nice sauce, not too thick or too thin.
7. Add the meat mixture to the pot, stirring the whole affair thoroughly. Bring the contents of the pot to a simmer and adjust heat so that it can simmer away happily by itself for an hour or so.
PART III
8. Have fun with the seasonings. My suggestions are just one option. Don't forget the "sweet and sour" though, the molasses and vinegar; they give the sauce its "zip".
9. As the sauce simmers away, some rendered fat may come to the surface, depending on how fatty the meat was. Not to worry! Just skim it off with a spoon and discard.
PART IV
10. Serve with cooked spaghetti and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Yum!
Dad: for a simple version, brown the onions and ground beef, then add a jar of commercial spaghetti sauce. Add a bit of molasses and vinegar to taste.
BAKED CHICKEN
[This is a very life-sustaining dish with great opportunities for variation. It is dependent on the kind of very tender and fresh California chickens we have on the market. Farmed chickens must be cooked differently.]
INGREDIENTS
1 3 to four pound frying chicken
whole 1/4 C margarine
DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove chicken from packaging; take out giblets (which can be simmered for a gravy or for giving to the cats).
Open up chicken by cutting along the breast bone. Spread the chicken out flat in a baking pan with a raised rack. (The heat needs to circulate.)
Pat the chicken as dry as you can with paper towels.
Then rub it all over with seasoned margarine (you can melt it if you like).
Bake in the oven for about an hour, or until nicely browned.
SEASONINGS:
If you'd like to BBQ the chicken, add the BBQ sauce about fifteen minutes before the end of cooking; any sauce with sugar in it will tend to burn if you cook it too long.
Sometimes I just add an herbal bouquet to the melted margarine. Or a generous coating of lemon pepper is surprisingly good.
Or you can marinate the flat chicken in lemon juice for several hours before patting it dry, and then when it comes out of the oven, serve it with a coating of grated lemon rind.
Or you can flavor it: with a mix of orange rind, honey and a little vinegar.
LIFE-PRESERVER SOUP
[The variations possible on this basic soup recipe will depend on your pantry, your fridge and your imagination .]
INGREDIENTS
1 quart chicken bouillion
3 large onions
vegetable
about 1/2 can of evaporated milk
DIRECTIONS
Place the chicken stock in a large pot. Peel the onions and quarter. Add to stock and simmer over medium heat until soft.
Additions:
1. Carrot soup: peel six to 8 carrots, slice into coarse chunks and add to the above. Chop very fine a little finger-length of fresh ginger and add. Cook it all until soft. Blend with hand-held blender until smooth. Turn off heat and add milk to please: Consider adding a little ground white pepper.
2. Potato leek: add about three peeled and quartered potatoes to mix, plus the washed and sliced white portion of a bunch of leeks. When mix has simmered until soft, blend until smooth. You might need to add some some chicken stock. Add milk, and season with fresh nutmeg.
3. Asparagas: chop coarsely a bunch of aparagas, reserving the tender tips. Cook and blend as above. Chop tips and add after the rest of the soup is smooth, cooking only until tender but still retaining good color. Season as desired. Nutmeg is good.
4. Mushroom: wash mushrooms and add to the mix, reserving a few of the freshest. Prepare as above, adding at the end the reserved mushrooms, sliced thin. Season with lemon-pepper or whatever.
I'm sure you've got the idea!
Gann's Corn Bread
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup whole milk (I use 2%)
1/2 cup buttermilk (this turns out to be important)
2 cup fresh corn kernels or frozen, thawed
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Dust pan with cornmeal and shake out excess.
In large bowl, stir flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs, oil, milk, and buttermilk. Stir egg mixture and corn into flour mix, stirring just to combine.
Pour batter into pan. Bake 15 min at 350. Reduce to 325 and continue baking about 1 hour or until tester comes out clean. Let cool for 5 to 10 min before trying to remove from pan.
Dad's Candied Pecans
You all seem to like these; at least, they disappear quickly.
INGREDIENTS
1 bag of pecans, raw
2 C (or so) of brown sugar
1/2 C (or so) of white sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
1 T water
(there's a lot of flexibility in these measurements; it depends on just how candied you'd like the pecans to be.)
DIRECTIONS
Separate the yolks from the whites, for both eggs, putting the whites into a small mixing bowl. Save the yolks for some other recipe.
With a fork or a whisk, blend together the egg whites and the tablespoon of water.
Pour the raw pecans into a big mixing bowl.
Add the eggwhite / water mixture to the pecans in the bowl. With a spatula, blend until all the pecans are at least a bit wet.
Add the sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Blend with spatula until pecans are evenly coated.
Spread the coated pecans out on a couple of baking trays.
Bake in a low-temperature (220 F) oven for a couple of hourse. Every hour or so, use a spatula to move the pecans around, so they're reasonably evenly baked.
They'll turn crunchy as they cool.
Store in a covered container.
Gramma Clare's Cheesecake
Aunt Constance makes this, too.
INGREDIENTS
Crust:
1 C flour
1/4 C sugar
Grated rind of I lemon
1/2 C soft butter
1 egg yolk
Filling:
3 8-oz. packs of cream cheese
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
4 eggs
1 C sugar
DIRECTIONS
Use springform pan if possible; otherwise a 12-inch pie plate will do.
Crust:
Mix flour with sugar. Add lemon rind, butter, and egg yolk. Mix with hands till well blended. Take half of mixture and press onto bottom of pan. Bake at 400° 8 minutes or till golden. Cool. Butter sides of pan and place over base. Wrap aluminum foil over bottom of pan so butter won't drip onto oven floor and smoke up your kitchen. Press remaining dough onto sides of pan.
Filling:
Soften cheese in microwave if necessary. Blend cheese with vanilla and salt. Blend in eggs and sugar. Mix until smooth and pour into crust. Bake at 350° for about 60 minutes until firm in center.
Decorate with mixed fruit: sliced strawberries, sliced kiwi fruit, blueberries, raspberries, etc.
Dad's Chocolate-covered Candied Citrus Peel
This recipe takes some time, so I only make it once a year. That, and the face that limiting the supply of these candies tends to keep the demand high. I usually buy organic citrus fruit for the recipe, since we are eating their skins, after all.
INGREDIENTS
About half a dozen oranges
A couple of grapefruit
A few lemons
One or two limes
(Adjust ratios depending on what you like!)
4 C of white sugar
2 C of water
Chocolate for dipping the candied citrus peel (a bag of chocolate chips works well).
DIRECTIONS
Wash the outside of the citrus fruit well, in case they've been sprayed with something unpleasant en route from their tree to your kitchen.
Cut citrus fruit in half, from stem to stern (not crosswise!)
Juice the citrus halves. I usually create a "zombie" fruit-ade with the combined juice plus sugar, as a sort of bonus recipe.
Using a grapefruit spoon or equivalent, scrape the juiced innards and some of the white pith out of the citrus peel halves. You don't have to scrape all the pith off, but I try to get some it scraped away. If there's too much pith, the candied peel may taste bitter.
Slice the citrus peel halves into strips. I sometimes take a break here, and put the sliced peels in a plastic bag, finishing the recipe in another session.
Blanch the sliced citrus peel. That is: cover the sliced peels with cold water, bring that water to a boil, and then use a colander to strain them out. I usually do this process twice; it removes the bitterness that you get from raw citrus peel.
In a large heavy-bottom pan, bring sugar and water to a boil, and stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add the citrus peel to the sugar water. The sugar water should barely/almost cover the peel.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for around an hour.
With a slotted spoon, lift out the candied peel and let cool. I usually use a large plastic cutting board as the cooling area.
Toss the peels in white sugar. They should still be sticky, so the white sugar will cling to them.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave, and then dredge the peels in the melted chocolate.
Let the chocolate cool on the candied citrus, and you're done!
You can store these in air-tight container. Also: the fruity syrup that the citrus peel simmered in is itself pretty good. You might want to keep it and use it to make beverages/something. And: I usually reserve some peel un-dipped in chocolate, because some people (nameless, here) claim to actually prefer them that way.
