Saturday, December 15, 2012

Five holiday recipes from your friendly neighborhood gas company

Earlier this week, I wrote about "Holiday Recipes," 1951 staplebound booklet from the Pittsburgh Group Companies of the Columbia Gas System. I asked which recipes you wanted me to share from the booklet, and here are your requests (plus one bonus recipe that I selected):

Apricot Nut Loaf
  • 3 cups flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup chopped nut meats
  • 1 cup finely-cut dried apricots
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup melted butter
Method:
1. Sift all dry ingredients together
2. Add beaten egg to milk and stir in dry ingredients — only enough to moisten
3. Have apricots washed and cut into long narrow strips with kitchen scissors
4. Add apricots and nut meatss to mixture; then add melted butter
5. Bake in loaf pan 1 hour at 350º F.

Norwegian Christmas Bread (aka Julekage)
  • 2 cups lukewarm milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup soft shortening
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon powdered cardamon
  • 2 cakes compressed yeast
  • 1 egg
  • 6½ cups flour, sifted
  • ½ cup chopped citron
  • 1 cup raisins
Method:
1. Mix together milk, sugar, shortening, salt, and cardamon.
2. Crumble yeast into mixture. Stir until yeast is dissolved.
3. Stir in unbeaten egg.
4. Beat flour and fruit into mixture until dough is not sticky.
5. Turn dough onto floured board, cover, and let stand 10 minutes to tighten up.
6. Knead lightly until smooth (this is a very soft dough).
7. Round up and place in greased bowl.
8. Cover; let rise in warm place until double in bulk, about 1½ hours.
9. Punch down dough; round up and set to rise again until not quite double in bulk, about 45 minutes.
10. Punch down dough. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.
11. Divide into two parts. Shape into two round loaves; place into 2 greased 9-inch pie pans.
12. Cover and let rise until double in bulk.
13. Bake at 350º F about 45 minutes.

Bohemian Kolatchen
(Alternately kolatschen, kolatsche, kolache or kolacky)

  • 1 cup margarine
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 yeast cake
  • ¼ cup warm milk
  • 1½ cups milk
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons grated lemon rind
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 egg whites, beaten
  • 6½-7 cups flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon filling for each Kolacky (mincemeat, cranberries, apricot halves)
Method:
1. Cream margarine; beat in egg yolks one at a time.
2. Dissolve yeast in warm milk; add to egg mixture.
3. Add milk, sugar, lemon rind, and salt.
4. Beat flour into liquid mixture until dough is not sticky.
5. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.
6. Shape in balls about 2 inches in diameter; place about 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet.
7. Flatten balls to about ¼ inch thick and fill centers with fruit filling. Push up sides to hold fruits.
8. When dough doubles in bulk, brush with egg white.
9. Bake at 375º F for 10 to 15 minutes.
10. Makes 3 dozen.

Christmas Broccoli

(Ready for it?)

Top bright green broccoli, cooking in small amount of water, with pimiento stars.

(Yep. That's it. Someone contributed that to "Holiday Recipes" and got it published. Your gas company, folks.)

Zimmetstern
  • 6 egg whites
  • 3½ cups confectioner's sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
  • 1 pound unblanched almonds, ground
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Method:
1. Beat egg whites very stiff.
2. Slowly add sugar and lemon rind. Reserve ⅓ cup of this mixture for top of cookies.
3. Add almonds and cinnamon.
4. Chill in Servel Gas Refrigerator.
5. Roll ¼-inch thick on surface covered with confectioner's sugar.
6. Cut with star-shaped cutter.
7. Top each star with some of the reserved egg white mixture.
8. Bake at 325º F for 10 to 12 minutes.
9. Makes about 4 dozen.

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