Author: Renee Shelton

Croccante: Italian Almond Candy Made into Tart Molds

Croccante: Italian Almond Candy Made into Tart Molds

Croquant is a French almond-caramelized sugar and lovely crispy confection that is eaten by itself or used in all sorts of sweet applications. Croquant is simply a mixture of almonds and sugar. I use chopped almonds for this, and this is different from the common 

A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband with Bettina’s Best Recipes (Apple Tapioca Recipe)

A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband with Bettina’s Best Recipes (Apple Tapioca Recipe)

A little charm of a book is found and it’s called “A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband with Bettina’s Best Recipes, written by Louise Bennett Weaver and Helen Cowles LeCron (illustrations by Elizabeth Coulbourne) and published in 1917 by A.L. Burt Company. This book 

Field’s Potato Flour Muffins

Field’s Potato Flour Muffins

This little recipe comes from “A Book of Unusual Recipes” from the Parent-Teacher’s Association of Oakton School in Evanston, Illinois. There is no publishing date but guesses are it was published in the early 20th century sometime. For those that are gluten-free, you finally have a old school pastry recipe that contains potato flour. These muffins are made with beaten egg whites.

 

Field's Potato Flour Muffins

Muffins made with potato flour and beaten egg whites.
RECIPE TAG: quick breads

Ingredients
  

  • 4 eggs separated
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup potato flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons ice cold water

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Sift potato flour and baking powder twice. Reserve.
  • Whisk egg yolks until smooth, and add salt and sugar, and beat again until light.
  • Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the potato flour and baking powder. Stir in the ice water last.
  • Spoon into paper lined cups and bake until browned and test done, checking around 15 minutes.

 

All-Fat Salt Pork Sweet Cake From 1906

All-Fat Salt Pork Sweet Cake From 1906

Another version of a pork cake using salt pork, this one coming from Baxter’s Practical Up-to-date Receipt Book for Bakers by Richard Baxter. This recipe calls for currants, “all-fat” salt pork chopped fine, and molasses. The salt pork is dissolved in boiling water before the 

Moonshine: The Dessert

Moonshine: The Dessert

Moonshine – you know, that clear, strong, distilled spirit with a high alcohol content generally made from backyard stills. Just reading the word conjures up images from prohibition times, backwoods stills, and cases of unlabeled bottles being carted around in beds of pick up trucks.