A Basket Brigade Christmas
Page 31
Spoon peaches into sterile jars and top with liquid to ½ inch from rim. Put one cinnamon stick into each jar. Wipe rims with clean dry cloth, and seal with lids and rings. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes to seal.
Clara’s Doughnuts
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar, divided
3 eggs
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cup milk
Oil for deep-fat frying
DIRECTIONS:
In large bowl, beat butter and 1 cup sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Turn dough onto heavily floured surface; pat dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2½-inch doughnut cutter. Heat oil to 375 degrees. (You can use a deep fryer or electric skillet, but Clara didn’t have either of those conveniences.)
Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. (Unfortunately, Clara didn’t have paper towels, either. She would have covered old newspapers with cloth napkins or tea towels to absorb the grease.)
Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon; roll warm doughnuts in mixture. Yield: about 2 dozen.
From Nancy Moser, Endless Melody:
I would like to share some family recipes that have been passed down generation to generation. My mother’s side of the family immigrated from Sweden in the 1800s, and my father’s side immigrated from England in the 1600s. On a side note, my mother has traced our family history and found two soldiers who fought in the Civil War: Solomon Young and William Chrystal. Solomon lost an arm, and William (who was in an Illinois regiment) was made lame.
Watermelon Rind Pickles
INGREDIENTS:
1 large watermelon
Brine:
7 cups sugar
2 cups vinegar
½ teaspoon oil of cloves
½ teaspoon oil of cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS:
Pare and discard hard dark green rind of watermelon and trim off soft pale pink of rind. Cut pieces of white rind about 1 inch square and ¼-to-⅓ inch thick—or whatever size pickles you prefer. Cover rind with hot water and boil until rind is tender and translucent. Drain well, discard water, and place rind in heat-resistant dish.
Bring brine ingredients to boil and pour over rind. Cover and let stand overnight. Repeat process for three successive days: drain off brine, bring to boil again, and pour over drained rind. On third day, pour into mason jars and seal while hot.
Swedish Lefse
These are like Swedish tortillas and were always served at Christmas during family celebrations. They are spread with butter and sugar, or jam, and rolled up. A modern take on serving them is to spread them with peanut butter.
Lefse would have been very easily shared with the soldiers on the train.
INGREDIENTS:
10 pounds potatoes
Salt
½ cup butter
¼ cup cream
4 cups flour
Butter and/or jam for spreading
Sugar for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS:
Boil potatoes. Mash and add salt to taste. Add butter and cream. Cool potatoes (an important step). Divide mashed potatoes into fourths, which makes about 4 cups mashed potatoes in each part. Add 1 cup flour and salt to taste for each part.
Roll out on heavily floured surface to ⅛-inch thick circles of 8-inch diameter. Put between two damp towels until cooked. Grill on stove until just browned. Keep them moist between towels until served. They should not be crispy, but even if they get a little bit crispy on grill, they will soften between towels. Spread with butter and sugar, or jam. Roll up. Serve cool. They freeze well.