Auntie's Pear Ambrosia

It was Auntie Bucksnort's birthday a couple of days ago and we had a short email exchange. She left me a short recipe that I plan to try this weekend. She says:

I made up a great new drink a few weeks ago at your mom's. I mixed some of her Vanilla Vodka, some Pear Nectar and lots of Sparkling Water (and Ice, of course). Very yummy and you can cut the sweetness with more [sparkling] water. I suppose you could puree and strain Fresh or Canned Pears for it to. Don't know what to call it but it tastes like ambrosia and has quite a kick to it. And I suppose you could use regular vodka and just add some vanilla extract too.

Thank you so much, Auntie! Happy birthday!

Lentils

I was a little surprised when Ben asked for my lentil recipe, because I only remember making this dish once, long ago. It was delicious, but then we kind of forgot about lentils in the intervening years.

The recipe comes from Jeff Smith's first Frugal Gourmet cookbook. Here it is, sounding very simple and very, very good.

2 cups lentils

4 chicken bouillon cubes (we prefer Knorr's at the Zees--less salty than the other kinds)

Salt to taste

1 cup sautéed yellow onions

3 tbl. sesame oil.

Soak the lentils in a quart of cold water for 3 hours. Place the lentils and the water in a pot and simmer for about an hour, or until barely tender.

Add the bouillon cubes, salt, yellow onions, and sesame oil. Place all this in a greased baking casserole, and bake at 325˚ for about an hour. Serve as a side dish.

Boterkoek (Dutch Buttercake)

Tracking down "Dutch Cuisine" has proven difficult. For a people who eat very well, they have not contributed much to the larger food culture. The most distinct "Dutch food" that I've eaten has Indonesian origins, and as far as I can tell, the rest originated from my Oma (grandmother). The one and only Dutch cookbook that I've seen, The Netherlands Cookbook by Heleen A.M. Halverhout, was originally published in 1957. It's a tiny thing with a small number of meat-and-potatoes dishes and it rarely adventures beyond spicing with nutmeg and salt. The strongest flavoring is stubborn Dutch pride. When I saw that my mother was looking for my Oma's buttercake recipe, I looked in this cookbook. Here are the two versions:

--2 cups Flour
--1 cup Butter (REAL BUTTER!)
--1 cup Super-fine Sugar
--1 small Egg, beaten
--Pinch of Salt
--3 oz Candied Ginger, finely chopped (for version 1)
--2 cups Almond Paste (for version 2) (To make yourself, grind 2 cups Blanched Almonds, then mix in 1/4 cup Sugar, 1 Small Egg and the grated Peel of Half a Lemon. Grind once more.)

Version 1 (with Ginger): Knead flour, butter, sugar, half the beaten egg, salt and ginger into a smooth paste. Butter a pie pan of 1-inch deep and 8-inch diameter. Press the dough into it. Brush the rest of the egg on top of the dough and use the back of a knife to carve "decorations" into it. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit. While still hot, press down the middle of the cake with the back of a spoon. When firm to the touch, turn out on wire rack. The cake should be soft on the inside and hard on the outside.

Version 2 (with Almond Paste): Knead flour, butter, sugar, the beaten egg, and salt into a firm ball. Divide in half. Butter a pie pan of 1-inch deep and 8-inch diameter. Press half the dough into it. Spread almond paste on top. Press the other half of the dough on top of that. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown, about an hour. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

Favorite Restaurants

Mom asked me to add some New York restaurants to the "Favorite Restaurants" feature on this blog (along the right-hand side). I went a little overboard, though I can honestly say that about a third to a half of these restaurants are actually my favorites. What can I say? I like food!

Portuguese Sweet Bread

Although Ben has requested this recipe, I can't ever remember making it. I do recall that we used to buy fresh loaves from some past grocery store (which I also can't remember). I got this version from Cooks.com. This bread makes a wonderful breakfast toast.

2 - 1/2 lb. flour
2 c. sugar
1 - 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 lb. butter, softened
5 large eggs
2 cups lukewarm milk
2 tbl. dry yeast

Beat eggs to lemon color. Add sugar, melted butter and yeast. Mix and add flour alternating with milk. When dough is stiff, knead until it has a satiny sheen. Cover and let rise until double in bulk. Knead again, let rise again, place in loaf pan (round is okay too). Do not let dough get chilled. Let rise again and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Volume Conversions

Approximate Liquid and Volume Measurements

1 teaspoon = 1/3 tablespoon = 5 ml
1 tablespoon = 1/2 fluid ounce = 3 teaspoons = 15 ml (15 cc)
2 tablespoons = 1 fluid ounce = 1/8 cup = 30 ml (30 cc)
1/4 cup = 2 fluid ounces = 4 tablespoons = 59 ml
1/3 cup = 2 2/3 fluid ounces = 5 tablespoons & 1 teaspoon = 79 ml
1/2 cup = 4 fluid ounces = 8 tablespoons = 118 ml
2/3 cup = 5 1/3 fluid ounces = 10 tablespoons & 2 teaspoons = 158 ml
3/4 cup = 6 fluid ounces = 12 tablespoons = 177 ml
7/8 cup = 7 fluid ounces = 14 tablespoons = 207 ml
1 cup = 8 fluid ounces = 1/2 pint = 16 tablespoons = 237 ml
2 cups = 16 fluid ounces = 1 pint = 32 tablespoons = 473 ml
4 cups = 32 fluid ounces = 1 quart = 2 pints = 946 ml
1 pint = 16 fluid ounces = 2 cups = 32 tablespoons = 1/2 quart = 473 ml
2 pints = 32 fluid ounces = 1.0 quart = 946 ml = 0.946 liters
8 pints = 1 gallon = 128 fluid ounces = 4 quarts = 3785 ml = 3.78 liters
1 quart = 32 fluid ounces = 2 pints = 946 ml = 0.946 liters
4 quarts = 1 gallon = 128 fluid ounces = 8 pints = 3785 ml = 3.78 liters
128 fluid ounces = 1 gallon = 3785 ml = 3.78 liters

1 Liter = 1000 ml = 1.057 Quarts = 1.76 Pints = 35.2 Fluid Ounces

1 pint, dry = 1.1636 pints, liquid
1 quart, dry = 1.1636 quarts, liquid
1 gallon, dry = 1.1636 gallons, liquid

Haitian Sweet Potato "Bread"

This is an old recipe from Auntie Bucksnort's recipe box. I thought that I'd copied it down incorrectly because, as you will see, there is no flour in it. I researched the recipe a bit online and found that it is usually called "bread" with quotes around the word and with a note that the original is called "pain patate."

I used this online recipe to help fill in the blanks, as Auntie's recipe card left rather a lot to the imagination!

2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked, mashed, and cooled

1 banana, peeled and mashed

4 tbl. soft butter

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup raisins

Mash the sweet potatoes and banana together. Add the soft butter, the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and spices and beat well. Stir in the milks and blend, then add the raisins and vanilla and stir well.

Pour the batter into a well-greased 2 quart loaf pan and bake at 350˚ for 55 minutes, until the center is firm and the top is golden.

Let the "bread" cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a plate. Slice and serve plain, or with whipped cream or a little rum poured over the top.

Weight Conversions

DRY or WEIGHT Measurements (Approximate)

1 ounce = 1/16 pound = 28.35 grams
2 ounces = 1/8 pound = 55 grams
3 ounces = 3/16 pound = 85 grams
4 ounces = 1/4 pound = 125 grams
8 ounces = 1/2 pound = 240 grams
12 ounces = 3/4 pound = 375 grams
16 ounces = 1 pound = 454 grams
32 ounces = 2 pounds = 907 grams
1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds/35.2 ounces = 1000 grams

lbs/2.2 = kilograms
kg x 2.2 = pounds
1 g = 0.00220462262 lb
1 lb = 453.59237 g
1000 mg = 1 g
1000 g = 1 kg

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

The beauty of this recipe is that you can make the batter up ahead of time, store it in a covered container in the refrigerator, then bake as many fresh muffins as you want for breakfast.

Even as I type those words I have to wonder if anyone, anywhere, bothers with this sort of thing any more. I've always preferred cooking for breakfast rather than for supper, so I've never minded baking up a batch of muffins or pancakes or waffles for breakfast. Now that I am retired I have just continued the custom, only in progressively smaller batches.

But I have to wonder--am I the only one in the world who is still baking??

3 cups 100% bran cereal

1 cup boiling water

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup raisins or chopped prunes

2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup of sugar or honey

2 - 1/2 cups flour

Mix the cereal with the boiling water in a large bowl. Let cool.

Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, and fruit. Beat well.

Stir together the baking soda, salt, sugar, and flour. Stir into cereal mixture only until all is blended.

Use immediately or refrigerate (tightly covered) for up to 2 weeks.

Bake in well greased muffin tins at 325˚ for 25 minutes or until done. Makes about 3 dozen large muffins.