Barm Brack

Barm Brack is a traditional bread eaten all year round, but particularly at Halloween, when a gold ring is baked in it. Whoever gets the ring will be married within a year.

1 pound flour
2 1/2 cups warm milk
1 pound raisins
4 ounces currants
2 ounces mixed chopped candied peel
3 ounces sugar
3/4 ounce yeast
2 ounces butter
1/2 level teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 level teaspoon salt

Sieve the flour, spices, and salt together and rub in the butter. Cream the yeast with one teaspoon of the sugar and one teaspoon of milk. Add the rest of the sugar to the flour mixture and blend well. Pour the warm milk and the beaten egg onto the yeast mixture and combine with the flour. Beat well. Fold in the fruit, chopped peel, and the ring, then cover with a cloth and leave it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. Turn out and halve.

Place the mixture into two seven inch tins. Cover again and leave to rise for about thirty minutes. Bake in a moderate to hot oven, 400 degrees, for about one hour. Test with a skewer before removing from oven. Glaze the top with syrup made from one tablespoon of sugar dissolved in two tablespoons of boiling water and return to a hot oven for about three minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

The Gatsby

2 ounces vodka
1 ounce Rose's lime juice
Soda water
Orange wedge

Pour vodka and lime juice over ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass. Fill glass with soda water. Serve with an orange wedge.

"21" Club Southside

2 ounces gin
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon confectioners sugar
Crushed ice
5 fresh mint leaves
Sprig of mint

Combine gin, lime juice, sugar, ice and fresh mint leaves in a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain into a chilled glass, over ice cubes. Garnish with mint.

Chicken Salad

4 whole chicken breasts, steamed, skinned, boned, and diced
1/2 cup water chestnuts, sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup seedless grapes
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon finely minced candied ginger
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
canned pineapple slices

Mix chicken, water chestnuts, pecans, grapes, celery and ginger. Blend mayonnaise, vinegar, soy sauce, onion and curry powder. Toss dressing with chicken mixture. Chill.

To serve, spoon onto pineapple slices.

Serves 6

Caesar Salad

1 1/2 cups garlic-flavored croutons
3/4 cup salad oil
2 small cloves garlic
1 large head iceberg lettuce
1 large head romaine
1/2 cup grated Parmesean cheese
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can (two ounces) anchovies, mashed
2 lemons
coddled egg

Mix croutons with 1/4 cup of the oil. Press garlic cloved and add to croutons and oil.

Tear greens into bite-size pieces and place in a wooden salad bowl. Add croutons and sprinkle with cheese. Blend remaining 1/2 cup oil with Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over greens, then toss until each leaf glistens. Add anchovies. Squeeze lemons and strain juice; add to salad and toss again. Add coddled egg at this time. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-5

Tenderloin Deluxe

1 beef tenderloin (two pounds)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped green onion
3/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Dash of freshly ground black pepper

Spread meat with all but about one teaspoon of the butter. Place on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast, uncovered, in a preheated 400 degree oven for twenty minutes.

While tenderloin roasts, cook onion in remaining butter in a small saucepan. Stir in sherry, soy sauce, mustard, and pepper. Heat and pour over meat. Roast 20-25 minutes longer, basting frequently. Serve remaining sauce with the meat.

Serves 4-6

Fish Chowder

2-3 pounds cleaned white fish
boiling water
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped potatoes
1 cup butter
3-4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper
light cream or half and half
1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Cover fish with boiling water and simmer until flesh falls away from the bones. Remove fish and set aside. Reserve liquid. Discard bones and skin.

Saute the chopped vegetables in half the butter until tender. While vegetables are cooking, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan and stir the flour to make a roux. Blend in reserved fish broth and the milk. Stir over low heat until thickened.

Mix the fish and vegetables into the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, stir in a little cream and the Worcestershire sauce.

Serves 4

Stuffed Mushroom Caps

24 fresh whole mushrooms
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 envelopes toasted onion dip mix
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
3 tablespoons sherry
1/2 pound cooked ground beef (optional)

Wash and drain mushrooms. Pluck out stems (reserve) leaving caps hollow. Dip caps in melted butter and place on a cookie sheet, hollow sides up. Chop stems and saute in a little butter. Add seasoned salt, onion dip mix, and bread crumbs. Toss lightly and moisten with sherry (add meat, if desired, at this point). Spoon stuffing into mushroom caps and bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for ten minutes.

Steak Tartare

2 pounds lean round steak
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup capers
1/2 cup minced onion
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground pepper
Worcestershire sauce
fresh parsley
capers for garnishing

Put meat through grinder only once (your butcher can do this for you). Mix eggs, one-half cup capers, the onion and seasonings with the freshly ground meat. Chill.

When you are ready to serve, mound the raw meat on a serving platter and garnish with fresh parsley and additional capers. Accompany with thinly sliced pumpernickel or Swedish rye bread.

Steak tartare can also be served as an entree; this recipe would yield about four servings.

Riveredge Sardine Canapes

1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 can (4 ounces) boneless sardines
1/2 teaspoon onion juice
Mayonnaise
12 toasted, buttered bread rounds
1/4 pound good cheddar cheese, cut into small square slices

Sprinkle lemon juice over sardines and mash. Stir in onion juice and bind with a little mayonnaise.

Pile mixture on toasted bread rounds. Top each canape with a small square of cheese and heat unter low broiler flame until cheese is melted. Serve at once.

Makes one dozen.

Baked Beans Wisconsin Style

3 cups cooked navy beans
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup sauteed onions (chopped or sliced)
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 slices bacon, crisply fried.
3/4 cup grated process sharp cheese

Mix beans, sour cream, tomato sauce, onions, sugar, salt, and pepper. Turn into a baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven. Top with bacon slices and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven and bake 20 minutes longer. Serve from the baking dish.

Eggs and Caviar

6 boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped green onions
Lemon juice
Salt
1 cup sour cream
6 ounces Beluga caviar

Combine all ingredients except sour cream and caviar. Mix well. Line a small bowl with plastic wrap. Pack mixture firmly into bowl and chill overnight.

When ready to serve, unmold onto serving platter and peel off plastic wrap. Frost evenly with sour cream and top with caviar. Serve with party rye rounds.

New York State Flat Apple Pie

Crust
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
2 cups flour
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Filling
11 or 12 New York State Apples (medium size)
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup New York State maple syrup
New York State Sharp cheese

To make the crust, cut butter and margarine into flour with knife and pastry blender until texture resembles cornmeal. Add ice water gradually, working in just enough to hold dough together. Roll out on lightly floured board or marble slab to one inch thickness. Place in refrigerator 20 minutes. Remove and roll out a flat sheet, 10 X 15 X 1/8 inch thick. Line a baking sheet, 10 X 15 inches, with the pastry.

To make the filling, pare, core, and cut each apple into 6 sections. Arrange in one layer on pastry. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven and sprinkle with maple syrup. Serve warm, with a generous slice of cheese.

Cabinet Pudding

5 whole eggs
1/4 cup sugar
additional 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2 cups whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
ladyfingers
fruit (raspberries, strawberries, et cetera)


Heat, in a double boiler, until about 85 degrees, five eggs. Beat at a medium speed for about seven minutes then beat in 1/4 cup of sugar until a mayonnaise consistency is reached. Beat in the additional 1/4 cup sugar, but do not overbeat. The eggs should stand in stiff peaks.

Dissolve, over hot water, 1 1/2 tablespoons gelatin and 1/4 cup cold water. Fold the gelatin mixture very gently into the egg mixture. Chill the mixture while you beat the two cups of whipping cream over a bowl of ice until stiff. Do not overbeat the cream. Let it have a glistening finish when you combine it with the egg mixture. Dribble onto it 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Chill this mixture until it is like heavy cream.

Line a mold with ladyfingers. Layer in turns: ladyfinger crumbs, fruit, the egg/cream mixture. Repeat layers until mold is filled, with a topping of ladyfingers. Refrigerate for 12 hours before unmolding.

Creamed Spinach

Prepare two cups of boiled spinach. Blend, rice, or chop it until it is a fine puree. Melt in a skillet which may be rubbed lightly with a clove of garlic. Add 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons butter. Cook for one minute, or, if preferred, until golden, one tablespoon or more very finely chopped onion. Set aside.


Stir in, until blended, two tablespoons of browned flour. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup hot cream and 1 teaspoon of sugar. When the sauce is smooth and hot, add the spinach. Stir and cook it for three minutes. Season it well with salt and pepper.


Serve garnished with slices of hard boiled egg.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

3 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
4 cups rice, cooked
1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of chicken soup
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Combine chicken, rice, soup, garlic powder, and one cup grated cheese. Mix well. Turn into a two quart casserole. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Serves six (or four, depending on appetites).

Bread Pudding

A very tasty way to use up slightly stale white bread.


8 tablespoons golden raisins
10 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing pudding basin
16 ounces white bread, sliced
1 1/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cup cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Soak raisins in very hot water for 10 minutes, and then drain. Butter the bread. I would leave the crusts on, personally, but this is a matter of personal preference. Arrange in a pudding basin or casserole dish at with sides of at least 2 to 3 inches of height. Bring the cream, milk, vanilla, and sugar to a simmer. Add milk mixture to the eggs. Pour the egg-milk mixture onto the bread, leaving to soak for a bit. Cover with aluminium foil and cook for approximately one hour after reducing heat to 350 degrees. As the hour draws to a close remove the covering and allow the top to crisp a bit. This is very nice with brandy sauce, should you happen to have some left over from your Christmas festivities.

Colcannon

For those who love the humble potato......


6 large all purpose potatoes
1/2 head of kale, chopped small
1 1/2 cups milk
5 scallions, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 tablespoon parsley
9 tablespoons butter, divided

Peel, boil, and mash potatoes. Boil the kale until tender. Over low heat, heat the milk with parsley, thyme, and scallions. Strain the kale, add to milk mixture, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add mashed potatoes and 5 tablespoons of butter. Place into a warmed serving dish and place remaining pats of butter on the center.

Salmon Kedgeree

This is very nice, even when reheated.

1 pound of salmon (poached and flaked)
1 box Uncle Ben's Wild Rice
3 hardboiled eggs
1 ounce butter
1/3 pint cream
pepper and salt to taste

Cook the rice and hardboil the eggs. Cut the eggs into smallish pieces. Heat the butter and cream, along with pepper and salt in a large saucepan until hot. Add the eggs, rice, and salmon to the butter and cream mixture, being careful not to bruise the eggs and salmon overmuch. Serve on a warmed plate with buttered whole wheat bread.

The Selkirk Grace

Some hae meat and canna eat,
and some wad eat that want it,
but we hae meat and we can eat,
and sae the Lord be thankit.