Tag: food

40 year old Fruitcake

Featured by GrannyDalgas, posted in Uncategorized

For at least 40 years, since I had my first babies and my sister Dolly came to visit us in Corvallis, I have been making fruitcakes for Christmas. The recipe has evolved over the years. Here is a rough description, in case someone might want to try it, or to just know what goes into the fruitcake.

10 cups Dried Fruit from previous season, or fill in with storebought dried fruit. Some years I have lots of dried cherries, or Italian plums. This year’s variety included

8 cups dried apricots

2 cups raisins

2 cups of chopped dates

You may chop the fruit into smaller pieces, particularly the dates, but I leave the apricots in pretty big pieces.

Soak the dried ftuit in 2 cups of dark rum overnight

The next day ( or the day after ) start the batter. Preheat the oven to 350. Use coconut oil to grease your loaf pans. I like to use small loaf pans for individual gifts, and a medium sized one for a family size loaf.

Cream together the following ingredients one at a time. Using a stand mixer is very helpful.

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup honey

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 cups unsweetened applesauce

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 T. Grated orange peel

1/2 cup orange or apple juice

Blend together the following dry ingredients

3 3/4 cups flour. You may use a mixture of all purpose and whole wheat, in whatever proportions you desire

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 – 4 teaspoons cinnamon

1 t. grated nutmeg

1 t. ginger

1 t. cardamom

1/2 t. cloves

Mix the dry ingredients and the wet together

Chop into large pieces about 4 cups of a variety of nuts. I vary according to what I have on hand. Choices can include almonds, pecans, walnuts , Brazil nuts, hazelnuts. Use a food processor to chop if you have one.

Mix the nuts , the soaked dried fruits and the batter together . You will need a large bowl.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pans, and flatten the tops with a rubber spatula. Fill to almost the top of the pan.

Bake in the center racks for about 45 minutes for the small loaves or about 1 hour and 15 minutes for the large loaves. Rotate midway through the baking. You may also want to cover the tops with tinfoil near the end of the baking to prevent the fruit from scorching. Check for done ness by seeing a golden brown risen loaf with some cracking on top. Cool in the pans for at least 10 minutes. After cooling , remove from pans to cool completely.

Wash pans, and replace the loaves back into the pans. Douse the loaves with between 2 T and 1/2 cup of dark rum. Cover the tray with plastic bags or other airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for a few days. Wrap in parchment paper and tinfoil for gift giving.

Voila!

Tofu

Featured by GrannyDalgas, posted in Books and Reading, Health and Happiness, In the Kitchen

I am trying to remember when I first tasted tofu, and why I love it so much. I probably tried it first after hearing about it from my sister Ruth, and likely Gary and I first bought at the First Alternative Coop in Corvallis, OR in ’76 or ’77 when I was pregnant with my firstborn. Soon, we were making our own tofu from the basic elements of soybeans, water and nigari , a type of sea-salt used as a coagulant for the soy milk. It seems to have gone through an era of unpopularity which perplexed me. Maybe that reputation is fading, as the need for we humans to eat a more plant based diet grows more and more evident. And the association of soy with good health is surely evidenced by its long historical consumption in Asia. It has been consumed for over 2,000 years in China and at least a thousand in Japan. Those of us who know the tender freshness of just pressed tofu know it as a homey, delicious taste. I liken the difference between store-bought and homemade, to the difference between store-bought and freshly made bread. The use of nigari brings the aroma of the ocean to my senses. The process of making tofu is described best in The Book of Tofu, by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi My sister Ruth recently posted a pic of her own return to tofu making and I am inspired ( as I am so often by her good example ) to bring out the basic equipment necessary and to spend the early morning hours of a snowy morning to practice one of the best of my cooking skills.