Recipe Talk

December's Recipe: Dresdener Christ-Stollen

Original recipe of a professional baker in Dresden Germany. The dough represents the cradle, the fruit the baby and the powdered sugar the snow on the roof. It is never made except at Christmas time ... served in thin slices with coffee for breakfast.

Scald 2 tablespoons White Lily flour in 1/2 cup hot potato water. It will be lumpy.

Add 1 cup hot mashed potatoes, no salt.

Add 1 quart milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm.

Yeast mixture made by combining 3 packages yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, 2 teaspoons sugar.

Enough Bread flour to make a batter (you will need about 6 lbs. of flour in all for recipe).

Let this batter set two hours.

Cream:

2 lbs. butter

4 cups sugar

(Mixture of vegetable shortening and butter may
be used. . butter is better)

Add:

2 tablespoons salt (less if butter is used)

3/4 teaspoon each vanilla and almond flavoring

3 eggs

3 boxes raisins, washed in warm water and drained

(Raisins may be soaked in rum for good flavor)

1/4 lb. each candied orange, lemon and citron peel, cut in small pieces

1 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg
(cinnamon makes stollen dark, I use nutmeg)

Ground nuts or almonds may be added.

Make sure all ingredients are warm. Combine both mixtures, work in enough flour to knead well (best to let it rest occasionally so it won't take up too much flour and hard wheat flour is best); knead until dough shows bubbles and feels elastic.

Place in large container and let rise overnight or for several hours. Form into loaves, pulling raisins from top, folding them into dough. Place in individual bread pans.

Let rise again and bake at 350 for 45 minutes for small loaves, or 1 hour for larger loaves, turn out on rack, brush top while hot with melted butter and sift generous amount of powdered sugar on top while loaves are hot.

May be frozen or will keep several weeks in cool place. To keep top of loaves from becoming too hot, place foil over while baking.

This recipe can be found on page 61 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...

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November's Recipe: Oyster Rockefeller
A famous Creole dish from New Orleans ... a labor of love with its double sauce and all the mincing, but well worth the trouble.
3 dozen oysters on the half shell
4 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
4 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
3/4 pound butter
3/4 cup fine bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups water
4 teaspoons chopped crisp bacon
Salt, white pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except butter thoroughly. Melt butter in a sauce pan, adding first mixture and let cook five minutes. Arrange oyster shells on beds of rock salt (ice cream salt will serve) in tin pans (we used foil pans), allowing six oysters per person. Put one heaping tablespoon of the cooked dressing on each oyster and bake in 400 degree oven ten minutes. Remove from oven, put one tablespoon of following green sauce on each oyster ... return to oven for few moments and serve immediately.

Green Sauce:

2 cups cooked spinach
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 pound butter
4 drops absinthe (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vinegar
3/4 cup water
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour. Blend. Add remaining ingredients and cook for three minutes.

This recipe can be found on page 131 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...

October's Recipe: Pecan-Crunch Sweet Potato Pie
Blend together:
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed
2 tablespoons soft butter or margarine

Press gently onto bottom of a 9 inch unbaked pie shell, chilled. Mix and beat gently to blend:

2/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed
2 eggs, beaten frothy
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes or yams, strained
1 table spoon plain all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon each cloves cinnamon, salt
1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg and ginger
1 cup light cream

Pour into pie shell. Bake 55 to 60 minutes at 400 or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 8 servings.

This recipe can be found on page 183 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...

September's Recipe: Apple Relish
"Seems to be the perfect complement to any meat dish"
14 large apples, peeled and quartered 6 sweet peppers, 3 red, 3 green 2 hot peppers, not too large 6 onions
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon celery seed
112 teaspoon salt
4 whole cloves
1-2 pieces cinnamon bark, broken up 3 cups vinegar 1 cup water
Chop apples, peppers, onions as you would for mincemeat (not too fine). Add other ingredients ... Cook for ten minutes and pour into jars and seal.

We like the Winesap apples since they do not cook to pieces too quickly.

This recipe can be found on page 300 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...

August's Recipe: A Man's Salad

This recipe is for 6 to 8 people. Can also be made into a one-dish dinner.

1 large head lettuce - torn (leaf lettuce, bib lettuce - optional if fresh in season)
2 large tomatoes - in season only, omit otherwise
1 large bell pepper, chopped

Onions - green spring in season, 8 to 10; otherwise one large Italian or white Spanish (chopped)
Hearts only of celery - chopped
Radishes - 12 to 15 - sliced

Artichoke hearts, drained and torn (not cut with knife) I large can 1 large avocado -sliced
Approximately 1 half pound fresh spinach (only in season)
Blue cheese - 2 ½ inch wedge from head of blue cheese grated on top of all vegetables

Dressing:

Mix in screw-top jar:

Generous amount of vegetable oil.
Apply - 1/4 to 1/3 as much vinegar. Be generous with oil and a miser with vinegar.
Add: 6 or 7 generous dashes of Worcestershire sauce
3 or 4 dashes of Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt to taste Generous amount coarse ground black pepper Garlic salt to taste (optional)

Shake all ingredients together in jar and chill. Pour over salad 20 to 30 minutes before tossing. Keep salad in refrigerator. Use just enough dressing to coat all vegetables with liquid but have no liquid standing in bottom of bowl.

To make a One-Dish Meal:

Add to basic salad, shrimp, crumbled bacon, sliced hard-boiled eggs, cold chopped ham, cold white meat of chicken - use all or a combination. Serve with hot buttered garlic bread.

This recipe can be found on page 289 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...

July's Recipe: Ruby Fruit Punch

Combine:
1 bottle cranberry juice
1 can frozen lemonade, pink preferred
1 package red rasberry gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups pineapple juice

Dissolve gelatin in 1 cup boiling water and add 1 1/2 cups cold water

Serve cold with ice. This recipe can be found on page 26 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...

June's Recipe: Barbecued Lima Beans

Combine and boil 2 minutes:
1 cup dry lima beans
2 cups water

Remove from heat and let soak one hour or overnight. Boil gently until beans are tender. Drain and save liquid. Brown 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/4 teaspoon finely chopped garlic in 1/4 cup chopped salt pork.

Combine beans, onion mixture and seasonings:

2 1/4 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup condensed tomato soup
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 cup reserved bean liquid
Place mixture in baking pan. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

This recipe can be found on page 149 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...

May's Recipe: Lemon Chess Pie

Cream together:
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Add:
4 eggs, unbeaten, one at a time. Stir until well mixed, but do not beat.

Add:
1 scant table spoon white corn meal.
Juice of 2 lemons

Pour into unbaked pie shell (using rich pastry) and bake in slow oven at 325 degrees for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until there is a fairly hard crust on the top.

This recipe can be found on page 107 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...

April's Recipe: Chicken-Broccoli Casserole

4 chicken breast (8 pcs.)
3 packages broccoli, cooked
3/4 cup parmesan cheese

Sauce
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups chicken stock
6 tablespoons of flower
1 teaspoon salt
3 or 4 tablespoons sherry
1/2/ teaspoon pepper

Melt butter: add flour to make paste. Add stock slowly. Add sherry, salt, and pepper. Cook only until it begins to thicken. Place chicken and broccoli in casserole alternately. Add sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake 15 minutes at 425. Serves 8.

This recipe can be found on page 106 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...

March's Recipe: Mexican Casserole

2 lbs. ground meat (with little or no fat)
3 large onions chopped
Brown ground meat and onion together

2 small boxes Minute Rice (cooked) -6 cups
1 can chilli with beans
2 tablespoons of chili power
3/4 to 1 lb. of sharp cheese, grated
Mix all above ingredients in large mixing bowl reserving small amount of cheese. Put in large casserole; top with remaining cheese and crumble corn chips (1 small bag). Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350. Serves 10-12.

This recipe can be found on page 88 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...

February's Recipe: Peanut Butter Muffins

Sift together:
2 cups bread flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 or 1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon of salt

Work into this with fork:

3/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons melted butter

When mixture is like little peas, add and mix lightly.
1 egg beaten
1 scant cup milk

Bake in greased muffin pans or paper cups, filling only half full since dough rises quite high. Bake at 400 degrees about 20 minutes or until browned.

This recipe can be found on page 49 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...

January's Recipe: Texas Hot Cocoa Cake
"A favorite of everyone"
Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil:
1 stick butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 cup water

Stir in:
2 cups White Lily Self-Rising flour sifted with 2 cups sugar

Add and mix well:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 beaten eggs

Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 about 30 minutes or until done.

Remove from oven and cool in pan about 10 minutes, then top with the following frosting.

Frosting:

Melt: 2 sticks butter
Add:
2 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk

Add:
1 box confectioners' sugar
1 cup pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

This makes a soft icing.

This recipe can be found on page 208 of The Mary Starr Cookbook...