Category Archives: baking

Margaret Carr’s Vintage recipes for Grapes- including Grape Filling, Grape Pie, Grape Whip

Grapes are a very tasty topic right now. Everyone enjoys eating grapes from the bunch, and a well-filled bowl on the table or sideboard doesn’t stay well-filled long in the average home.

While the so-called blue grapes are most common. red and white grapes are found for sale also. When choosing look for plump, firm fruit. If the grapes are for table, use, make certain they do not drop off the stems at the slightest touch. Avoid grapes that are mouldy and white and be on the lookout for fruit which has been injured by frost. The evidence of this is soft, flabby fruit.

The average homemaker buys the blue grapes for her jam and jelly making. The home economists of the Consumer Section Canada Department of Agriculture, have found that a combination of blue and white, or as they are usually called green grapes, make a delicious jelly with a lovely flavor and a rich, wine-red color.

Many homemakers never think of making grape desserts, but the home economists have tried several which they like very much. For instance, they suggest that grape juice may be used instead of lemon juice in Baked Lemon Sponge Pudding. That is the pudding which. when cooked, has custard on the bottom and cake on the top. Grape Juice Sherbet is also very good. It has a refreshing flavor and it is wonderful to serve after a large meal because it is so light and tart. Lemon Snow may be made into grape snow by merely substituting grape juice for the lemon juices. Many other colorful desserts can be made by merely substituting grape for any other juice suggested. For instance, it may be used instead of milk or cream as the liquid in butter icing for cakes; or in sauces for cake puddings. A few grapes may be tossed into any fruit salad or fruit cup to add color and flavor. Most important of all, though, is to keep the fruit bowl well filled with grapes in this season of  “grape plenty.”

GRAPE MIXTURE

Margaret Carr

Ingredients
  

  • 5 cups 1 quart grapes (preferably blue)
  • ½ Cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Dash of salt

Instructions
 

  • Wash grapes and separate skin and pulp.
  • Heat pulp to boiling point and boil gently for five minutes, rub through a sieve to remove seeds.
  • Combine pulp and skins and cook together five minutes longer.
  • Mix sugar, corn starch, and salt and blend smoothly with some of the grape mixture.
  • Stir into the rest of the grape mixture and cook until thick, stirring frequently.

Notes

If a family is fond of grapes, triple the number of grapes, cook, and store for several days in the refrigerator.
When making a dessert, take a third of the grapes and add the half-cup sugar, two tablespoons corn starch, and a dash of salt, as above.
 

Grape Pie

Margaret Carr

Instructions
 

  • Pour the grape mixture into an unbaked pie shell.
  • Cover with a lattice top of the pastry and bake in a hot oven (425 deg. F.) until pastry is golden brown.
  • Serve cold.

Grape Whip

Margaret Carr

Instructions
 

  • Chill the grape mixture and add two egg whites.
  • Beat until mixture holds a peak.
  • Pile lightly in individual sherbets and serve with custard sauce, using the egg yolks.

Notes

Serves six to eight.

Grape Roly-Poly

Margaret Carr

Instructions
 

  • Prepare a slightly sweetened baking powder biscuit dough using two cups of flour.
  • Roll out one-third inch thick.
  • Spread with the grape mixture and roll up like a jelly roll.
  • Cut into one-inch slices and bake on a greased baking sheet at 400 deg; F. for about 15 minutes, or leave whole and bake for 20 minutes.

Congo Squares

Are these Congo Squares or Blondies? I’ve seen this particular recipe called both. In some cases, a Congo Square has the addition of coconut but this particular recipe doesn’t. I can’t even find a history of why they are called a Congo Square or bar- one blogger thought it was because people saw them as exotic but even Rachel Ray has no clue as to the history.

Congo Squares

Course: after church coffee hour, Cookie, Dessert
Keyword: chocolate chips, cookie, cookies, cooky

Ingredients

  • cup butter
  • cups light brown sugar firmly packed
  • cups flour
  • tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 6 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1 cup chopped nuts

Instructions

  • Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together.
  • Melt butter in a large saucepan.
  • Stir in sugar.
  • Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes.
  • Add eggs to sugar mixture, beating well after each addition.
  • Add flour, chocolate, and nuts.
  • Spread into buttered 15"x10"x1" pan and bake in a 350° oven for 25-30 minutes.
  • Cool and cut into squares

Neapolitan Cheesecake

Neapolitan Cheesecake… new from Stella Mitsak of Youngstown, Ohio. One layer is chocolate, one vanilla on a butter crust.

So, TIL that there was never an Ann Pillsbury. She was a made-up face of the Pillsbury company- much like Betty Crocker was the made-up face of the company “named” after her.
There was a Stella Mitsak though. Her recipe was submitted to the Pillsbury Company and was printed in newspapers (January 1963)` and possibly in at least one of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Books (I’ll be honest, it’s late and I don’t feel like digging through my books).
I’ll admit I sometimes do wonder what happened to the people whose recipes I post- a quick Google (and FamilySearch) indicates that Stella lived until she was almost 84 (dying in 2002).

Neapolitan Cheese Cake

Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time4 hours
Course: after church coffee hour, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheesecake
Servings: 9
Author: Stella Mitsak adapted by Ann Pillsbury

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup pink candy after dinner mints crushed
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • ½ cup Butter

Filling

  • 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate morsels
  • cup sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 2 egg yolks slightly beaten
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 egg whites
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 cup whipping cream

Instructions

Crust

  • Combine 1 cup flour, ½ cup crushed pink candy after-dinner mints, 1 tsp vanilla in a mixing bowl.
  • Cut in ½ cup butter until fine.
  • Place in bottom of 8"x8"x2" or 9"x9"x2" pan.
  • Bake at 400° for 12-15 minutes.
  • Cool.

Chocolate Vanilla Filling

  • Melt 6-oz of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels or Chips over hot water, cool.
  • Combine ⅓ cup sugar, ¼ tsp salt, 1 envelope unflavored gelatin in 2-quart saucepan.
  • Add ¾ cup of milk and 2 slightly beaten egg yolks.
  • Cook, stirring constantly until mixture boils.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Blend in 8 oz package of cream cheese and 1 tsp of vanilla; beat until smooth.
  • Cool.
  • Beat two egg whites until mounds form.
  • Gradually add ¼ cup sugar; beat until stiff.
  • Fold in cheese mixture.
  • Beat 1 cup whipping cream until thick.
  • Fold into cheese mixture.
  • Divide mixture in half.
  • Fold melted chocolate into one half of mixture.
  • Spoon over baked crust.
  • Spoon vanilla filling over chocolate filling.
  • Cover with plastic wrap.
  • Chill at least two hours.
  • Sprinkle with crushed candy after dinner-mints before serving.

Sour Cream Coffee Bread

sour cream coffee cake

SOUR CREAM COFFEE BREAD

Course after church coffee hour

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter or margarine
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ pint sour cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp soda
  • Dash salt

Filling

  • ½ cup chopped. walnuts
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¾ tsp. salt

Instructions
 

  • Mix filling ingredients together in a small bowl
  • Cream butter and sugar, add. eggs, sour cream and vanilla.
  • Combine dry ingredients and add them to the butter mixture, blending lightly.
  • Pour half the batter into a lightly greased square pan and aprinkle with half the filling mixture.
  • Add remaining batter and sprinkle the remaining filling on top. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 40 minutes.

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

What I find most interesting about this version of the Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake recipie is how it differs from the current official version on the Hellmann’s website. The current version has less flour, less mayonnaise and adds 3 eggs.

CHOCOLATE MAYONNAlSE CAKE

Delicious cake that stays tender and moist to the last slice. And so easy to make. Whole-egg Hellmann’s replaces both eggs and shortening.
Cook Time3 minutes
Course: after church coffee hour, cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, chocolate cake

Ingredients

  • 3 cups un-sifted all-purpose flour
  • cups sugar
  • cup unsweetened cocoa
  • tsp baking powder
  • tsp baking soda
  • cups HELLMANN'S Real Mayonnaise
  • ½ cups water
  • teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

  • Grease 2 {9” x 1 ½”) layer pans; line bottom with waxed paper.
  • Sift together dry ingredients into large bowl.
  • Stir in Real Mayonnaise.
  • Gradually stir in water and vanilla until smooth and blended.
  • Pour into prepared pans. Bake in 350° F. (moderate) oven about 30 minutes or until cake tests done.
  • Cool completely.
  • Remove from pans.
  • Makes 2 layers.