Applesauce Cake

Applesauce Cake 

Beat two cups sugar and ½ cup butter until fluffy.  Add one egg and beat until well blended.  Sift three cups flour, measure, and sift with two teaspoons soda, one teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cloves, and ½ teaspoon salt.  Combine two cups applesauce and ½ cup boiling water.  Add dry ingredients alternately with applesauce mixture, mixing well.  Add one teaspoon vanilla, ½ pound candied fruit, one cup chopped nuts, and one cup raisins.  Bake in 13" x 9" pan at 350F for 45 minutes, or in the tube pan one hour.  Pour hot glaze over cake.  CARAMEL GLAZE: Combine one cup sugar, ½ cup buttermilk, ½ teaspoon soda, one tablespoon corn syrup, ½ cup butter, and ½ teaspoon vanilla in medium-sized saucepan.  Bring to a boil over low heat and boil 10 minutes; stir occasionally.

Apple Custard Cake

Apple Custard Cake 

Cream one cup butter and one cup sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add two eggs and beat well.  Then add one teaspoon vanilla.  Sift together four cups flour, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar (or one teaspoon baking powder), and ¼ teaspoon salt.  Combine with creamed mixture.  Stir in one teaspoon soda, dissolved in two tablespoons buttermilk; mix well and turn stiff dough out on lightly floured board.  Roll to about ¼” in thickness, cut out thesize of a plate, and bake in a moderate oven about 15 minutes, or until brown.  Place these large teacakes on a cloth to cool.  Have ready a bowl of stewed dried apples, mashed sweetened, and spiced to suit taste and another bowl of boiled sweet potatoes, mashed while hot witha lump of butter added, a pinch of salt, and sugar and spices to suit taste.  Use the dried apples and sweet potatoes as filling between the layers, alternating as the cakes are stacked.  Over all pour plain boiled custard, made of three beaten eggs, ¼ cup sugar, two cups milk, and one teaspoon vanilla.

Pickled Apples

Pickled Apples 

Follow recipe for Pickled Peaches except substitute 10 pounds peeled, quartered, and cored small tart apples for peaches.  Add cloves to pickling syrup instead of studding fruit, then proceed as directed.  Yield:  10 pints.

Chestnut Jam

Chestnut Jam

4 pounds fresh unshelled chestnuts
3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup mild-flavored honey
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Cut an X on the flat side of each chestnut and roast the nuts on a baking sheet in a preheated 350 oven for 45 minutes, or until the shells have pulled back from the incisions and the flesh can be easily pierced with a skewer. Let the chestnuts cool until they can be handled. Remove the shell and the papery inner skin, trying to keep the nuts whole.  In a preserving pan combine the brown sugar and 1/2 cup water and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the sugar is melted. Add the honey and the vanilla bean and bring the mixture just to a boil. Add the chestnuts and simmer them for 15 minutes, or until they start to break up.  Remove the vanilla bean and with a slotted spoon transfer 1 cup of the chestnuts to a bowl. process the remaining mixture in a food processor until smooth and combine the puree with the whole chestnuts.  Spoon the jam into jars and seal the jars. Process the jars in a boiling water bath: 10 minutes for 1-pint jars, 15 minutes for 1-quart jars. Let cool completely before checking the seals and storing.  Makes 1 quart.

Whole Chestnuts in Vanilla Syrup

Whole Chestnuts in Vanilla Syrup

3 pounds fresh unshelled chestnuts
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup brandy

Cut an X on the flat side of each chestnut. In a jelly-roll pan roast the chestnuts in a preheated 375 oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the shells have cracked and the chestnuts are tender when
pierced with a knife. Let the chestnuts cool slightly and remove the shell and the papery inner skin.  In a large saucepan combine the brown sugar and 4 cups water and heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture back to a boil and add the peeled chestnuts and the vanilla bean. Bring the mixture back to a boil and let it cool. Let the chestnuts soak, covered, overnight.  Return the mixture to a boil and with slotted spoon transfer the chestnuts to warm jars. Divide the brandy evenly among the jars, add enough syrup to cover the chestnuts, and seal the jars. Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 50 minutes. Let the jars cool completely before checking the seals and storing.  Makes 2 quarts

Acorn Bread

Acorn Bread

2 cups acorn flour

2 cups cattail or white flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup maple syrup or sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons olive oil

Bake in pan for 30 minutes or until done at 400 degrees.  A far more simple form of acorn bread is to make a thick acorn porridge out of cold processed acorn flour. Take a large tablespoon of the porridge and drop it into cold water. This causes the porridge to contract. Take the lump out of the water and dry.

Pickled Lemons to Preserve Them

Pickled Lemons to Preserve Them

Slice the washed and dried lemons lengthwise, almost in quarters. You want the lemon to still be in one piece, but almost cut through. If you are using Eurekas, which often have little nubs on the ends, cut them off before you almost-quarter the lemons.  Using Kosher, pickling or pure sea salt, stuff the lemon. Pack it in well, and use about a tablespoon per lemon. Mush the lemon into a clean Mason jar; use quart jars. Repeat until you have the jar mostly full. Toss a little more salt on top.  Now you have several decisions to make. You can jam in some spices — I suggest a cinnamon stick, some peppercorns, a couple cloves and a bay leaf. And you can choose to cover the lemons with vinegar or lemon juice, or not. Some people just keep mushing the lemons down until their own juice covers them. The early British and Americans covered the lemons with vinegar. I cover them with lemon juice.  Seal the jars in a hot water bath (water at a simmer) for 10 minutes. Wait at least 3 weeks before eating.