Country Cherry Pudding

I found this recipe in a 1945 Calumet booklet – Favorite Recipes for Country Kitchens.  This makes a quick and easy dessert for lunch or supper.  As it bakes, the sauce becomes thick and cooks into the cake.  Cuts and serves nicely.

COUNTRY CHERRY PUDDING & SAUCE

• ½ cup plus 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 Tblsp. Canola oil
• ¾ cup frozen tart cherries, thawed and drained

Sauce:

• ½ cup water
• ½ cup cherry brandy or cherry juice
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tblsp. butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Grease a 9-inch baking pan

In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder salt and ¼ cup granulated sugar.  Add milk and canola oil to make a stiff dough.

Spread the dough in the bottom of the baking pan.  Dampening your fingertips with water will help spread the dough evenly.

Arrange the thawed/drained cherries on top of the dough.

In a small saucepan, combine the water, cherry brandy or juice, ¼ cup sugar and butter.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Pour boiling mixture over cherries.

Place in oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes @ 375 degrees F.  Cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm.

4 servings.

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Fluffy Gingerbread and Spicy Sauce

This recipe for gingerbread comes from a favorite old cookbook, Southern Sideboards, 1978. I have a note that I made it for the first time in September of 1985 and rated it “excellent”.  Then, I have another note from February 6, 2007 – “Revision made during a snow storm and during Rusty’s (my dog) recuperation from pancreatitis.  Had made potato soup for myself  for supper and thought I’d like some gingerbread that wasn’t too high fat-wise.  It was exactly what I was hoping for – had it warm with some whipped topping – excellent.”

The revised version substituted canola oil for butter and cut the recipe in half.  It also omitted a streusel-type topping.

FLUFFY GINGERBREAD

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp. molasses (Grandma’s)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Oil and flour an 8-inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar,  egg and molasses.  Whisk in the baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger.

Stir in the flour and then stir in the boiling water.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake @ 350 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

This time around, I decided to serve the gingerbread with a Spicy Sauce:

SPICY SAUCE WITH APPLE JUICE

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. cornstarch
• 1 cup cold apple juice*
• 2 Tblsp. butter

*I make stronger flavored apple juice by combining 6 tablespoons of apple juice concentrate with enough water to make one cup.

In a small pan, combine sugar and cornstarch.  Add cold apple juice and whisk until smooth.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.

Serve warm over warm gingerbread.

Makes about 1-1/2 cups of sauce.  Sauce can be reheated.

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Cranberry Apple Bread Pudding with Applejack Sauce

The recipe for this dessert is adapted from one in Susan Branch’s Christmas from the Heart of the Home cookbook.  I have all of her cookbooks and they are simply wonderful.  You can get an idea of her work on her great web page.   I made a few minor changes in my recipe, including using applejack for the sauce.  The original recipe called for whiskey, but brandy or rum would also be good.

CRANBERRY APPLE BREAD PUDDING WITH APPLEJACK SAUCE

• 6 cups of bread cubes (day-old firm bread – I use stale homemade bread)
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1-1/2 Tblsp. vanilla (that’s right – 1-1/2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1-1/2 cups tart apple, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Put bread cubes in a colander and pour over 2 cups hot tap water.  Let stand 5  minutes, then squeeze out excess moisture.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add the apples, cranberries and bread.  Stir lightly until blended.

Pour mixture into a buttered 9×9 baking dish.  Bake @ 325 degrees F for one hour and 20 minutes.

APPLEJACK SAUCE

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tblsp.  applejack
• 1 egg, beaten

In a small pan over medium low heat, melt the butter.  Add sugar and stir about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and slowly stir in applejack, continue heating and stirring for one minute.  Remove from heat, slowly add a small amount of sauce mixture to beaten eggs, add eggs to mixture over low heat, stirring until thickened.

Serve the bread pudding warm with warm applejack sauce.

This makes a nice, comforting wintertime dessert.

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Grandparents’ Day….and Hollandaise Sauce

My two youngest grandchildren, known here as Jellyfish (age 9) and Dolphin (age 5) have always been encouraged by their mother to remember me on Grandparents’ Day.  Yesterday I received a mug with their pictures to join 9 others in my collection.

As soon as they were able to draw, write or color, they have also given me something they made themselves.  This year, Jellyfish spent many hours printing and coloring detailed information sheets about dinosaurs.

Dolphin also drew a dinosaur and made a special card.

Both of them made up a booklet, “My Grandmother”, with lines to fill in with information on where I live, what I like and what we like to do together.  The page about my real name turned out fine with Jellyfish’s “Lillian” but a little odd with Dolphin’s “Owl”.

I like to have Sunday dinner at home, so as usual I fixed dinner for everybody.  Along with roast beef, mashed potatoes,carrots and homemade yeast rolls,  I steamed some asparaus and served it with this delicious Mock Hollandaise Sauce which is much friendlier fat and cholesterol-wise.

MOCK HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

• One 3 oz. package low-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)

• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• dash salt
• 1/4 cup melted low-fat margarine

Blend together by hand or in a food processor.  To warm, heat in microwave oven for about 30-45 seconds.

Yield:  One cup of sauce

I have a note in my recipe binder:  “From Southern Sideboards cookbook.  Made for Mother’s Day 1994 to serve with our homegrown asparagus.  Very rich and smooth – easy to heat up.”

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