Pink Squirrel (Orange-Banana Bread)

ORANGE BANANA BREAD

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
2 beaten eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F. Sift together flower and baking powder, set aside. Cream butter, gradually add sugar, grated lemon and orange rinds, and blend until smooth. Beat in eggs, mashed banana, and Grand Marnier. Add flour-baking powder mixture a little at a time, stirring thoroughly.

Yield: 1 loaf.

ORANGE-BRANDY FRUIT CUPS

Macerated fruit cocktails go well with banana bread and coffee; serve them instead of an after-dinner drink if you like, or as a dessert to be followed by Pink Squirrels.

Select fresh fruit in season, peel, remove seeds or cores, and chop into bite-size pieces. Place in large bowl and fill with orange juice to cover fruit. Add 1/2 cup brandy. Marinate, covered, 24 hours. To serve, drain fruit and place in sherbet glasses or punch cups.

Cinnamon Swirl Oat Loaf

1 Reply

Preparation time: 20 to 30 min.
Rising time: 2 hrs.
Oven temperature: 375°F
Baking time: 25 to 30 min.

Sour cream adds richness, flavor and texture to this bread flecked with the color of uncooked rolled oats and unprocessed bran flakes. A swirl of fragrant cinnamon flavors every slice.

For 2 loaves you will need:

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup water (105°F to 115°F)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup uncooked quick rolled oats
1/2 cup unprocessed bran flakes
4 to 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water; add sugar, salt and sour cream. Let stand 5 minutes until yeast begins to foam.

2. Add rolled oats, bran flakes and flour, 1 cup at a a time beating with wooden spoon to keep mixture smooth.

3. When dough is stiff, cover and let stand 15 minutes. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead 10 minutes until springy.

4. Turn dough into lightly buttered bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

5. Turn out onto lightly oiled surface and divide into two parts. Roll or pat out each part to make a rectangle about 12-by-8 inches. Sprinkle each rectangle with 1 tsp. of the cinnamon.

6. Roll each rectangle up, squeezing out air bubbles into shape loaves. Place in greased loaf pans.

7. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on rack.

Tips: Serve the bread with either honey or butter.

Beef and Barley Soup

1 Reply

5 slices bacon
1-pound beef chuck roast or steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large onions, shopped (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) condensed beef broth
2 cups water
1/4 cup regular barley
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
3 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium carrots, sliced (about 1 cup)
2 medium celery stalks, sliced
1 can (16 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 package (10 ounces) frozen green peas, broken apart
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces

Fry bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towel. Cook and stir beef pieces, onions and garlic in bacon fat in Dutch oven until beef is brown. Stir in broth, water, barley, paprika, salt, caraway seed and marjoram. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes, frozen peas and mushrooms (with liquid). Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Crumble bacon; sprinkle over soup. 8 servings.

Timing Tip: If you want to serve at different times, Beef and Barley Soup will hold covered over low heat up to 1 hour.

Nightmare (Vienna Toast Kebabs)

2 Replies

Vienna Toast Kebabs

2 cans (5-oz size) Vienna sausages (14 sausages)
28 cubes (i inch each) white bread
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
14 cherry tomatoes
Blue Cheese Dip (below)

Cut Vienna sausages in half, crosswise, and set aside.Brush bread cubes with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Prepare skewers: Spear one Vienna sausage half on wooden 8-inch cocktail skewer; spear cube of bread and press next to sausage; follow with second sausage half and bread cube.

Repeat on remaining skewers. Shortly before serving, preheat oven to broil. Place skewers on baking sheet and put under broiler; broil until bread is browned, turning once (about 2 minutes).

Remove from oven. Spear end of each skewer with cherry tomato. Serve with Blue Cheese Dip.

Yield: 14 kebabs

Blue Cheese Dip

1/4 pound blue cheese
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Crumble blue cheese and gently blend in sour cream and sherry; add in Worcestershire sauce. Serve in bowl surrounded by kebabs.

Stuffed Zucchini

Canadian Soul Kiss (Sole and Salmon Roulade with Green Sauce)

2 Replies

Sole and Salmon Roulade with Green Sauce
2-3 sole or flounder fillets
1/4 pound thinly sliced smoked salmon
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons capers
Green Sauce (see below)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut sole into thin strips, 3/4-inch wide and 4-5 inches long. Lay strips of smoked salmon on sole strips. Roll up and secure with wooden pick. Arrange on lightly oiled baking sheet; dot with butter and sprinkle with lemon juice. Bake 20 minutes. Remove, cool, and chill. Arrange on serving dish and sprinkle with pepper and capers. Serve with Green Sauce.
Yield: About 8-12 servings.

Green Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup finely minced parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chervil, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dry)
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dry)
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dry)

Combine ingredients and purée in blender or food processor. Serve cold. If using dried herbs, intensify green color of sauce by adding 1-2 drops green food coloring if desired.

Yield: About 1 1/2 cups sauce.

Red-Eyed Russian (Shrimp Duchesses)

2 Replies

Shrimp Duchesses

Duchesses are first cousins to Carolines, the tiny choux puff pastries that appear several times in this Collection (see Index). The difference is that the Duchesses are served cold and glazed with aspic rather than served with a cream sauce, and are usually sprinkled with chopped nuts. The Shrimp Duchesses below are typical.

To make the puffs: Melt 1/4 cup butter in 1/2 cup boiling water; add 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, all at once, and stir vigorously; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture forms a shiny ball; remove from heat. Beat in 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 eggs; beat thoroughly until smooth; beat in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Heat oven to 400 F. Grease baking sheet; drop dough onto sheet in heaping teaspoonfuls and shape into ovals; bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Carefully cut off top. Fill with puréed shrimp and glaze with Tarragon Aspic (below). Sprinkle with finely chopped walnuts and serve, cold, on decorative doilies, if desired.
Yield: About 24.

Puréed Shrimp: Purée 1 cup cooked shrimp in blender or food processor or pass through food mill; moisten with mayonnaise.

Tarragon Aspic: Pour 1 cup clam juice, 1/2 cup white wine, and 2 tablespoons tarragon in saucepan; bring to boil and cook 10 minutes over low heat. Sprinkle 1 envelope unflavored gelatin over 1/4 cup wine to soften; stir mixture into clam juice. Strain to eliminate tarragon leaves. Cool and chill. Spoon partially jelled aspic onto Duchesses; chill until aspic is thoroughly set. Garnish with chopped walnuts and fresh tarragon sprigs, if available.

Note: Using the basic recipe above, but eliminating the puréed shrimp, you can concoct a variety of imaginative Duchesses. For example: Fill chilled pastry puffs with canned chunky chicken sandwich spread or deviled ham, or with a red caviar and sour cream spread.

Filets de sole Normande (Fillets of sole Normandy style)

1 Reply

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
To serve: 4

You will need

Fish:
8 fillets sole
salt and pepper
2 level tablespoons chopped shallot or onion
2 sprigs parsley and 1/2 bay leaf
1/2 pint (U.S. 1 1/4 cups) dry white wine

Sauce:
1 1/2 oz. butter
1 1/2 oz. flour
2 egg yolks
1/4 pint (U.S. 5/8 cup) thick cream
few drops lemon juice

Garnish:
8 prawns (U.S. shrimps) or 4 crayfish, cooked
2 pints (U.S. 5 cups) mussels
2 truffles (optional)
8 button mushrooms
8 crescents of fried bread

One of the great classic dishes. Season the fillets, roll up, and arrange in buttered shallow ovenproof dish with the shallot or onion, herbs and wine. Cover with buttered greaseproof paper. Poach in a pre-heated moderate oven (375°F. or Gas Mark 5), until cooked about 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile wash mussels thoroughly, discard any that fail to shut tightly when tapped, and scrap off beards. Put into a large pan, cover, and shake over sharp heat until shells open, about 5 minutes. Remove mussels from shells; strain and retain liquor from pan. Wipe mushrooms and cook à blanc as described below. Strain and reserve liquor. Now make the rich sauce Normande. Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in flour and cook gently, stirring, for 2 minutes. Strain cooking liquor from fish into a measure, add mussel and mushroom liquor to make up to 3/4 pint (U.S. 3 7/8 cups). Add to roux, whisking with wire whisk until sauce is smooth and boiling; simmer 5 minutes. Meanwhile beat egg yolks and cream together, gradually stir in about one-third of the sauce, then return all to rest of sauces and heat gently without boiling, stirring all the time. Check seasoning and add a few drops of lemon juice. Arrange drained fish in clean hot dish with mussels and mushrooms. Coat with the sauce and garnish with the prawns (U.S. shrimps) or crayfish, pieces of truffle (if used), and crescents of fried bread.

Note The original classic recipe includes 8 poached oysters as well as the mussels.

To cook mushrooms à blanc:
Leave mushrooms whole and unpeeled.
In a small saucepan bring 4 tablespoons water, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 oz. butter to boil. Add mushrooms. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes, tossing the pan now and then.

Perfect Pizza Lunch

Batter-Fried Chicken

2 Replies

1/4 cup chopped celery
1 small onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (2 /12-3-lb) broiler-fryer, cut in serving pieces
Salad oil for frying

Batter
1 1/2 cups sifted^* all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoon salad oil

1. In large skillet, combine celery, onion, bay leaf, salt and 1 cup water. Add chicken pieces.

2. Bring to boiling; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Drain chicken pieces; pat dry with paper towels and let cool.

3. In deep-fat fryer or deep skillet, slowly heat oil (at least 2 inches deep) to 375F on deep-frying thermometer. Also, preheat oven to 300F.

4. Meanwhile make Batter: Sift flour with baking powder, salt, and pepper; set aside.

5. In medium bowl, with rotary beater, beat eggs, milk and oil until combined.

6. Add flour mixture gradually, beating until smooth.

7. Dip chicken pieces in batter, coating evently.

8. Deep fry a few pieces at a time, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown and tender; drain well on paper towels. Keep browned pieces warm in shallow pan in oven while rest of chicken cooks.

Makes 4 servings.

^*Sift before measuring.

Vintage Recipe Cards

Where Food Photography Comes To Die

Pink Squirrel (Orange-Banana Bread)

Cinnamon Swirl Oat Loaf

Beef and Barley Soup

Nightmare (Vienna Toast Kebabs)

Stuffed Zucchini

Canadian Soul Kiss (Sole and Salmon Roulade with Green Sauce)

Red-Eyed Russian (Shrimp Duchesses)

Filets de sole Normande (Fillets of sole Normandy style)

Perfect Pizza Lunch

Batter-Fried Chicken

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: