by Krista | Dec 10, 2009 | Plucky Thursday
As Mums and I were chit-chatting the other day, we discovered that we were both craving the same cookie: thin, tender oatmeal sandwiched with sticky date filling.
It’s a cookie that harks back to my childhood in Canada when church and school potluck dessert tables always seemed to feature a bar version called “matrimonial cakes.” How I loved sinking my teeth into the chewy cookie, dense with oats and brown sugar, and discovering that little burst of sweet date filling. Mmm!
What I did not know was that these tasty little morsels were shortened not simply by butter, shortening or even oil, but by bacon grease!! Or, as Mums dubbed it: “pig butter.” 🙂
I admit I was skeptical but thought, heck, if I can eat rancid tomatoes in Russia or boiled pig trotter in Portugal, surely I can handle a little pig butter in my oatmeal cookie. Yipes!
So we hauled out an old Mennonite cookbook Mums has had for as long as I can remember, and thumbed through the spattered pages until we found her favorite recipe. We assembled oats, brown sugar and lovely plump dates.
And, yep, “pig butter.”
As we sifted, stirred and blended, Pa kept us fortified with snacks. 🙂
The batter came together beautifully and while it chilled in the fridge for a few hours we went for a drive to a nearby park, delighting in the sunshine while we stayed toasty warm inside the car.
Traditionally the cookies are cut into circles and sandwiched together, but Mums decided to cut a hole out of the top of each cookie so we could see the filling. I think it was a grand idea. 🙂
Today I popped in for tea and a visit with Mums and Pa, and she served our cookies with Parisian Hot Chocolate. (She sure knows how to cheer a daughters heart!) They tasted every bit as good as I remembered: moist, chewy with just the right bit of sweet. I guess those Mennonite ladies knew what they were doing when they thought bacon grease would be the perfect addition to cookies. 🙂
Date-Filled Oatmeal Cookies (From
The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes)
Cookie Ingredients:
1/2 cup bacon grease
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup boiling water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift, then measure flour, add salt, sift again.
- Cream bacon fat and butter together. Gradually add brown sugar and vanilla.
- Dissolve soda in boiling water and add to creamed mixture.
- Add flour mixture and rolled oats, stirring until well blended.
- Roll dough thin on lightly floured board and cut with floured 2″ cookie cutter. With half of the cookies, use small heart, star or tree shaped cookie cutter in center of circle and remove piece
- Place on greased cookie sheets and bake 20 minutes or until brown.
- Cool and spread whole circle with date filling (see below) and top with cut-out cookie so date filling shows through the hole.
Date Filling Ingredients:
2 cups chopped dates
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp lemon or orange zest
Directions:
- Combine in saucepan and cook over medium heat until mixture is thick and dates are tender.
- Cool, then use to fill cookies.
by Krista | Nov 26, 2009 | Plucky Thursday
For as long as I can remember, Nanaimo Bars have been a feature at every family holiday dessert table. The mere mention of the name can cause my overseas brothers to groan in jealous delight. 🙂
They come from my homeland of Canada and are devilish little morsels, chock full of butter and chocolate and more butter.
So on this most American of holidays, I wish my Yankee friends HAPPY THANKSGIVING and share a little treat from our Canadian Thanksgiving holidays.
Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo Bars
Bottom Layer:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa
1 large egg, beaten
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup shredded coconut
Middle Layer:
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vanilla pudding powder
2 cups powdered sugar
Topping:
4 ounces dark chocolate
1/4 cup butter
Directions:
Bottom Layer:
- Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler or heavy saucepan.
- Add egg & stir to cook & thicken.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in remaining ingredients& press firmly into an ungreased 9 x 9-inch pan.
Middle Layer:
- Cream all ingredients together; beat until light.
- Spread over bottom layer.
Topping:
- Melt chips & butter over low heat; cool.
- When cooled but still runny, spread over middle layer.
- Chill in refrigerator. Use a very sharp knife to cut into squares.
by Krista | Nov 19, 2009 | Plucky Thursday
Welcome to Plucky Thursday, the day where I attempt culinary feats that scare, daunt or otherwise befuddle me.
This week I faced the soufflé, that beautiful, airy dish whose very name causes me to inwardly tremble.
Naturally reticent to experiment before a crowd, I forced myself to make them not just for me, but for my entire Culinary Experimentation Group – a band of marvy friends who meet every Monday night to cook, imbibe and engage in lively conversation
I settled on Gluten-Free Spinach Goat Cheese Soufflés to accommodate the gluten-free diet of one of our members.
Arriving at Don’s house – the scene of our convivial evenings – on a particularly blustery night, I struggled through the buffeting winds, my arms loaded down with eggs, soft goat cheese and bags of spinach.
Greeting one and all I put on a brave face, calming myself with the familiar routines of chopping, steaming and grating. Finally the ingredients were assembled, hand-whipped egg whites folded in and I poured the mixture into twice-buttered ramekins and slid them into the oven.
I tried not to look for the first 15 minutes, and when the timer beeped I was appalled to discover the soufflés hadn’t risen a smidge! I paced to and fro in front of the oven, willing them to poof, PLEASE POOF!!! But they just sat there, in all their gooey, cheesy goodness, getting hotter but not bigger.
Mike and Darren hovered close by, ricing potatoes and stirring sticky lemon chicken.
“Just give it a little more time,” Darren suggested as we peered in through the glass door. We waited another five minutes. Nothing.
Mike urged me to do the “poofy dance”, sure that would do the trick. He obliged us with a demonstration which produced much hilarity but no poofing.
Another three minutes passed, then five, and then HUZZAH!!! Up they came! Golden brown and wondrously poofy!
Soufflés, you are my friend!
Gluten-Free Spinach Goat Cheese Soufflés
Ingredients:
Softened butter, to grease the ramekins
1 bag organic spinach, washed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp finely minced garlic
2 Tbsp sorghum flour
2 Tbsp potato starch
A pinch of Cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 cup milk
7 ounces soft goat’s cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan
4 large eggs, separated
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Brush 8 ramekins with softened butter. (using upward strokes on edges “helps” souffles rise properly)
- Set ramekins on a baking tray, chill 5-10 minutes, then repeat with another layer of butter.
- Steam spinach over boiling water until limp and bright green. Remove from heat, then wrap in clean towel and squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Season with salt and pepper, chop fine and set aside.
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan and add onion and garlic. Stir over medium heat for 5 minutes until soft.
- Add the flour, potato starch and Cayenne pepper and stir over low heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in milk. Simmer and stir for a few minutes until the mixture becomes thick.
- Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly.
- Add goat cheese, Parmesan, salt and pepper and stir to mix.
- Stir in the spinach and and egg yolks. Set aside.
- Beat the egg whites with an electric whisk (or by hand for a VERY long time!) until they hold firm peaks, then fold into the spinach and cheese mixture until just combined.
- Spoon into the prepared ramekins then tap them gently on counter to get rid of any large air pockets.
- Run the tip of a small knife around the edge of each one.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden brown on top.
- Serve immediately.
