Amish Recipes / back to basics!

I've talked about my love of Amish cookbooks and recipes. And I've posted many Amish recipes on the blog.
I've talked about my extensive collection of Amish and Mennonite cookbooks that I buy at the annual MCC Sale )Mennonite Central Conference) in Kansas.
We'll be attending the sale this year the weekend of April 10th. We look forward to it each year.
We get together with family and we all attend the sale. I like to buy cookbooks at the sale.

In keeping with my love for Amish cooking I've added more traditional Amish recipes here.
I've taken the liberty of adapting some of the ingredients and directions to make the recipes more current without compromising the original recipe.

At the end of this page I included a few pictures.

Cranberry Conserve:

4 C fresh cranberries
2 large seedless oranges
1 C roughly chopped raisins
2 C hot water
4 C sugar
1 C roughly chopped pecans

Cut oranges into wedges.
Grind cranberries and oranges in a food grinder or ( pulse in a food processor, a contemporary method)
Put the mixture in a stock pot.
Add the hot water and bring to a boil.
Cook until the fruit is soft.
Add sugar and raisins.
Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until the mixture begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and fold in pecans.
Por into canning jars and keep refrigerated.


Rhubarb Meringue Pie:

1 - 9" unbaked pie shell
3 C diced rhubarb
1 1/2 C sugar
3 TBS flour
1/4 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 eggs, separated

Pour rhubarb into pie shell.

In a small bowl:
sugar
flour
Whisk well
Add egg yolks and lemon juice.
Stir to mix well.
Pour over rhubarb.

Whip the egg whites into a meringue.
Cover the pie with the meringue.
Bake at 435 degrees for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes.


Sour Cream Raisin Pie:

1 C sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 C roughly chopped raisins
1/8 tsp salt
1 C sour cream
3 eggs, beaten
1 - 9" unbaked pie shell

Combine all ingredients and pour into the pie shell.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 30 minutes more.


Hazelnut Kisses:

2 C sugar
2 C finely chopped hazelnuts
6 egg whites
3 TBS flour

Lightly beat egg whites with a hand mixer.
Add sugar, hazelnuts and flour.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and scoop the batter with a small cookie scoop 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 7 - 8 minutes.



Walnut Rocks:

1 C butter
1 1/2 C brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp hot water
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 C flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 C  chopped raisins (I dust a bit of flour on the raisins to keep them from sticking together)
1 C chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with a hand mixer.
Add eggs and beat.
Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water.

In a separate bowl:
Sift together flour, salt and all of the spices.
Add half of this mixture to the butter mixture to create a dough.

Comine nuts and raisins with the other half of the butter mixture.
Add this to the dough and mix well.

Scoop the dough with a small cookie scoop and drop the cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment paper lined sheet pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes.


Butterscotch Cookies:

1/2 C Crisco
1 C sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 C whole milk
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda mixed into the milk.
1 - 12oz. bag of butterscotch chips.

Cream Crisco and sugar until creamy and the sugar is dissolved using either a hand mixer, in a large mixing bowl.
Add eggs and milk (with baking soda)
Mix well and add baking powder.
Fold in butterscotch chips by hand.
Using a small cookie scoop , drop the dough onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan 2 inches apart.
Bake at 400 degrees until the edges are light brown, about 8 - 12 minutes.


Applesauce Loaf Cake:

1 C brown sugar
1/4 C butter
1 C applesauce
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in a little water.
2 C flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves.
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 C raisins
a pinch of salt

In a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar.
Add spices
Add applesauce, flour and baking soda.
Add raisins.
Beat well.

Pour into a loaf pan buttered and floured well or use my Pan Release Mixture (equal parts of Crisco, flour and vegetable oil mixed well and applied with a pastry brush) This is my foolproof method to release anything I bake.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.


Pumpkin Loaf Bread:

3 C sugar
1 C vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
A 1 pound can of Pumpkin
3 1/2 C flour
2/3 C water
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg

In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, combine:
sugar
oil
eggs
Mix well
Add pumpkin
Add all of the dry ingredients
Add water and stir just until mixed well

Pour the batter into a well buttered and floured loaf pan (or use my Pan Release Mix).
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Serve slices spread with softened cream cheese.



Corn Pudding:

1 can of creamed corn
2 eggs, beaten
2 TBS flour
2 TBS sugar
1 C heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
Butter, softened for the casserole dish.

Heavily butter a casserole dish.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
Pour into the casserole dish.
Bake at 350 degrees fro 1 hour.

As I was researching and writing these recipes I was reminded that the Amish cook and bake without electricity. When it calls for mixing ingredients, they did it all by hand. I wanted to post a picture of what the Amish would have used as a hand mixer because our recipes refer to a hand mixer as an electric mixer. We still have our mother's "hand" mixers.

This is an example of the hand mixer
I still have from my grandmother.

This is an example of the mixing bowls we collect.
We have many different sizes.

We still have all of our family wooden spoons.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Vegetables, a poem by Ken Nesbitt

Mashed potatoes on the ceiling.

Green beans on the floor.

Stewed tomatoes in the corner.

Squash upon the door.

Pickled peppers in my pocket.

Spinach up my sleeves.

Mushrooms in my underpants with

leeks and lettuce leaves.

Okra, onions, artichokes,

asparagus and beets;

buried neatly underneath the

cushions of our seats.

All the rest I've hidden in my socks

and down my shirt.

I'm done with all my vegetables.

I'm ready for dessert!

--Kenn Nesbitt

Jam Tart

Simple and delicious.
This reminds me of a simple Amish Tart.
My favorite jam is Raspberry.
Adapted from a recipe on Food52.

12 TBS butter, softened
1/2 C sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 C flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 C your favorite jam
1/3 C sliced almonds

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment:
butter
sugar
Beat until creamy at least 4 minutes.
Scrape the bowl.
Add almond extract and mix for 30 seconds
Take out 1/2 C of the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

Press remaining dough into a 9" pie pan.
Chill for 15 minutes.
Spread jam over the crust.

Remove the dough from the freezer and crumble it over the jam.
Sprinkle the almonds over the crumble.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 50 minutes.
Remove and transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.


Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Gems / Baked in a Cast Iron Gem Pan. A part of American Culinary History

Gems / Baked in a Cast Iron Gem Pan. A part of American Culinary History:

I have a vast collection of cast iron cookware. I love cooking with cast iron. We cook outdoors with cast iron and I set up my fireplace to cook in it with cast iron too. I found a piece of cast iron bakeware at our local flea market and I had never seen it before. I bought it and started researching it. It turned out to be a Gem Pan. I was curious and continued my research and here's what I discovered.

Gem pans are heavy, muffin pan-like trays that are traditionally made from cast iron. Minimuffins, simple gem breads, and other small desserts can be baked in a gem pan. Most of these types of pans are designed to yield 12 to 24 muffins, though some specialized sizes may produce less.

A cast iron gem pan is considered the ideal tool to use when baking gems; it is also dubbed the proper pan for this use. Cast iron is the preferred medium for these types of pans. Modern gempans, however, can be made from other materials, such as heavy-gauge steel and metals treated with nonstick coating. Cups can range from deep to shallow, depending on the cook's needs.

The size of the cast iron gem pan makes it ideal to create bite-sized treats and mini breads. The most commonly used cup sizes measures 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) in diameter. The pans themselves typically measure 13.125 inches (33 cm) by 7.75 inches (19.5 cm). Small pastry puffs, cheesy popovers, chocolate brownies, savory mini quiches, and mini cornbread can all be made with the pan.

One of the most common uses for this baking pan is its namesake, the gem. A very simple form of bread, gems consist of very few ingredients. They can be used as meal accompaniments, desserts, or snacks, depending on the recipe preferred. Gems may also be referred to as gemcakes.

The term Gem comes from small cakes that resemble gems. There was a kitchen housewares company named Gem that sold a pan that was generically referred to as a Gem Pan.
A Gem can be referred to as a muffin but a muffin is not necessarily a Gem. They were first popularized in the 19th century and were always made with Whole Wheat Graham Flour and baked in heavy cast iron gem pans.

Nathaniel Waterman of Boston, Massachusetts is believed to be the first person to patent the design of the Gem Pan in 1859. It was also referred to as an Egg Pan. The cast iron pan featured cups, or wells, that were connected together to promote the conduction of heat through the iron.

The gems were made with Graham Flour. A type of whole wheat flour named after the American Presbyterian minister Reverend Sylvester Graham (1794 - 1851).
Graham despised the discarding of nutrients, bleaching flour and believed that using all of the grain, without adding chemicals in the milling of flour.

This is from a Newspaper in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1954.

Here are some examples of Gem  Recipes:

19th Century Graham Puffs:
1 C milk
1 TBS molasses
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Graham Flour to make a stiff dough.

Bake in the wells of a well buttered cast iron gem pan.
Heat the pan in a 375 degree oven.
Add butter to the wells.
Pour batter in each well and bake until light browned.

I love old recipes that don't give a baking time. They just knew when they were done based on experience. It's the way my mother in law baked. She never owned a measuring cup or measuring spoons.


Potato Flour Gems:

2 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
1/2 C potato flour
3 tsp baking powder
3 TBS ice water

In a small bowl, beat egg whites.
In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks
Add salt and sugar to the beaten yolks.
Fold in the egg whites.

In a small bowl, sift together flour and baking powder.
Beat the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
Add ice water.

Grease the wells of a cast iron gem pan with butter or crisco and fill the wells with batter.
Bake at 375 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.


1950's Graham Gems Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 C graham flour
1/4 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk well.

1 1/2 C buttermilk
1/4  vegetable oil
1 egg
Add to dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Grease the wells of a cast iron gem pan with melted Crisco or Butter.
Spoon batter into wells and bake for 15 minutes. The tops will be firm to the touch.

This recipe makes 18 gems.
Serve warm with butter.


As soon as I try some of the recipes I'll post photographs.

Buttered Rosemary and Sea Salt Rolls

I was fortunate to find a vintage Gem Pan but it was Rusty from not being used. According to the seller they didn't know what it was used for. It was in horrible condition. I cleaned it well and now it's Non Stick and I use it for a variety of things. I've even cooked Eggs in it, either Baked or on the Stove. It's a rare find and an incredible pan.
I also make Buttered Rosemary and Sea Salt Rolls in this pan.

Graham Flour

This is a vintage recipe card for Graham Gems.
In my research I discovered that when they referred to a "hot" oven
it would be the equivalent of 400 degrees today.
I also found that the milk was usually butter milk or what they referred to
as "sour" milk.



Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

• Nanna Moorehouse’s Ginger Gems
•  
• 2 oz of soft brown sugar
• 2 oz of butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons of golden syrup
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of plain white flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
• milk to mix (approximately ½ a cup)
• 1 oz of extra butter to grease

1. Preheat your oven and gem irons in a hot 220°C (430°F) oven
2. In a large bowl, cream the sugar, butter and golden syrup. 
3. Add the egg and beat in well.
4. Sift in the flour, baking and ground ginger and gently fold into the batter with enough milk to make a dropping consistency.
5. Remove the hot gem pan from the oven and put a dot of butter into each of the 12 compartments.
6. The butter should sizzle if the pan is ready. Brush the melted butter around the sides quickly.
7. Take a dessert spoon and drop batter evenly into each compartment until three-quarters to nearly full. Return the gem irons to the oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.
8. Eat immediately while still piping hot with lashings of butter.
9. Makes 12

Enjoy
Peace in the Kitchen!

a poem about pie!

Pie:
make it
bake it
box it
take it
share it
cut it
eat it
taste it
take the box home
clean it
store it
the next time
when I
think of
pie
I'll
read this poem
and realize....
I
should
make it
bake it
box it
take it
share it
cut it
eat it
taste it
!

New projects coming soon!

I'm researching two new categories. More to come soon!

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

St Patrick's Day Recipes / Authentic Irish Coffee , Irish Whole Wheat Soda Bread , Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur, Chocolate Mint Trifle, Irish Cocktail, Guinness Stout Bread

1945 – It is also said the original Irish Coffee was invented by Joe Jackson at the Ulster Hotel, which he purchased in 1945, located in Ballybofey, County Donegal. One of the specialties of the house was, and still is, is his Irish Coffee, which was made of strong black coffee, sugar, Irish whiskey, and then a layer of cream on top.

Joe, who was originally from Derry, was in the Merchant Navy during WWII. One night, in the north Atlantic, his ship was torpedoed by an enemy sub. To help him recover from hypothermia, Joe was given a traditional Navy remedy, a mixture of coffee and rum. Later, as he served on ships in the eastern Mediterranean, he tasted a number of drinks made from cream, sugar and various types of spirits.

In the early 1950s, a Scottish motoring magazine published an account of Joe Jackson’s Irish Coffee. The Jacksons maintain that the magazine described Joe’s drink a full year before the other Joe, Joe Sheridan, did his. A framed copy of the article used to hang in the Jackson’s Hotel lobby for many years until it disappeared during renovations.

 

---

Sources:

Foynes Flying Boat Museum

The man who brought Irish coffee to America, by Carl Nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, November 9, 2008

Irish Coffee ... The Rest of the Story, Ulster Heritage Magazine, by Barry R. McClaim.

Jackson Hotel, Ballybofey, County Donegal, Ireland

Who Really Invented Irish Coffee, The Evening Herald newspaper, July 3, 2011.

---

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Authentic Irish Coffee Recipe - Joe Sheridan's Recipe

The next time you’ve got chilly guests, follow Joe Sheridan’s example. Warm their spirits with a spirited beverage that has been a favorite since 1942: Irish coffee. 

Recipe Type: Beverage and Cocktails, Coffee
Yields: 1 serving
Prep time: 10 min

Ingredients:

Hot teaspoon
1 measure or shot (2 ounces) Irish whiskey
2 teaspoons brown sugar
5 to 6 ounces freshly-brewed strong black coffee
2 teaspoons heavy or whipping cream, lightly whipped*

* The cream should be "half whipped - not too stiff and not too liquid)

Preparation:

Place a teaspoon in a bowl with hot water to heat; let sit until ready to use.

Preheat a stemmed whiskey goblet (7-ounce coffee cup or goblet may be substituted) with boiling water so that it is good and hot. Pour out the hot water and discard.

Add the brown sugar in the bottom of the goblet. Fill with strong black coffee to within 1 inch of the top; stir gently until sugar is dissolved. Add the Irish Whiskey; stir again and then let sit until the mixture is still.

Using the hot teaspoon, place the spoon (back side up) in the goblet. Gently pour the prepared whipped cream over the back of the teaspoon (held just above the coffee’s surface). Gradually raise the spoon as you slowly pour in the cream. This will result in a layer of liquid cream that floats on top of the coffee. Do not stir the cream in the coffee.

Drinking the coffee through the layer of cream results in the rich, authentic flavor that the coffee’s drinkers originally enjoyed. Do not stir. Irish coffee is best enjoyed by sipping the coffee through the cream.

Makes 1 serving.


 

I love handmade bread. I don't make it often enough. My aunt had a great recipe for Stone Ground Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread (recipe to follow). It's one of my favorite bread recipes. Here's another good Soda Bread recipe. It's made in a Cast Iron Skillet, that adds to the goodness and the homemade factor!

4 C flour

3 TBS sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 C raisins ( I use 1 C golden and 1 C dark)

2 C buttermilk

1 large egg, beaten

Grease a 10" cast iron skillet generously with Crisco or any vegetable shortening

In a bowl, combine:

flour

sugar

baking soda

salt

Whisk gently to blend

Stir in raisins to coat well with the flour mixture

Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk and eggs.

Stir until a stiff dough is formed

Mix with floured hands at this stage

Remove the dough and mound it into the skillet to form a round loaf

Lightly moisten hands with water and smooth the top

With a serrated knife dipped in flour, score the top with an X - 1/2 " deep

Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees

Aunt Faye's  Stone Ground Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread.

Summer of 1974 , Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Note:

Stone Ground Whole Wheat flour is best. This makes 1 - 7" loaf. I often double or triple the recipe and make 2 - 3 loaves at a time.

1/2 C all purpose flour

2 1/4 C whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

3 TBS butter

1 1/3 C buttermilk

Mix both flours, salt and soda, sift thoroughly.

Cut in butter with fingers.

Make a well in the center of the flour, add buttermilk and stir until blended,

Dough should be dry enough to knead, but not too dry.

Knead the dough on a floured surface about 30 seconds.

Make a 6" - 7" ball and place on a baking sheet with a little cornmeal.

Cut an X in the top with a  floured serrated knife.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove, rub the top with butter and cool completely,

Most of the time, I don't wait to cool it. I slice it and serve it hot with butter.

Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur:

This recipe make about 5 cups.

1 3/4 C Irish Whiskey

1- 14 oz. Can of sweetened condensed milk

1 C - (1/2 pint) heavy cream

4 eggs

2 TBS chocolate syrup

2 tsp Medaglia D'Oro instant espresso coffee powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

In a blender:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Store tightly covered in the refrigerator up to 1 month.

Stir or shake before using.

Chocolate Mint Trifle:

This is an original recipe that I created for St. Patrick's Day in 1985.

It's one of my favorite Trifles. It is a Best of the Best Recipe.

Pudding:

1/2 C sugar

4 eggs

1 quart of half and half

2 squares of unsweetened chocolate

2 TBS Creme de Menthe

Cake:

1 box of Duncan Hines Chocolate Cake Mix

1/2 C chocolate syrup

Creme de Menthe

1 pint of heavy cream, whipped and sweetened with a bit of confectioner's sugar.

Chocolate shavings.

Pudding directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, eggs and beat with a hand mixer until creamy.

In a saucepan, scald the half and half.

Add squares of chocolate until melted and combined. 

Cool

Gradually add half and half mixture to the egg and sugar mixture.

Transfer to a double boiler and simmer until the pudding coats a spoon.

Add Creme de Menthe and continue to cook for just a few minutes.

Cake directions:

Follow the box directions, substituting Creme de Menthe for half of the water.

Bake in a buttered and floured Jelly Roll Pan, at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. (I use my Pan Release Mix), equal parts of Crisco, Vegetable Oil and Flour, mixed well and applied with a pastry brush. I always have a jar of it in the refrigerator).

Cut cake to line the bottom and sides of a straight sided glass Trifle Bowl. Sprinkle with Creme de Menthe, pour syrup over the cake. Add pudding into the center of the cake and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Top with  green whipped cream flavored with Creme de Menthe (fold in a bit of the liqueur to make it green) and garnish with chocolate shavings.

Irish Cocktail:

1 1/2 oz. Irish Whiskey
1/2 oz. Frangelico Liqueur
1/2 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur
Hot Strong Black Coffee

In a coffee mug:
Whiskey
Frangelico
Bailey's
Stir Well
Top with Coffee
Option: Top with Fresh Whipped Cream



Guinness Stout Bread:
3 C self rising flour
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C molasses
1/8 tsp salt
1 - 12 oz. bottle of Guinness
Butter for greasing the pan and brushing the top

Grease a 9"X5" loaf pan well, with butter
In a large bowl:
Flour
Salt
Sugar
Whisk Well

Slowly pour the beer into the flour mix.
Stir the beer and flour just to combine, don't over mix, but eliminate lumps.

Pour batter into the pan about, it should be about 2/3 full
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
A toothpick inserted in the center of the bread should come out clean.

Cool about 5 minutes in the pan.
Remove the bread and transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Slather the top with softened butter.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!