Mill Brook House Recipes

Rhubarb Pie

Many cooks and most restaurants add strawberries to their rhubarb pie, but I prefer mine straight.

Mix up a double pie crust, roll out half of it and line the bottom of a pie pan.  Roll out the top crust.

Cut up 6 cups worth of fresh rhubarb and mix with: 1/3 cup of flour, 1 beaten egg, and 1 cup of sugar.*  A dash of cinnamon is optional.

Pour this mixture into the pie pan and cover with the top crust, crimp the edges, pierce with a fork multiple times, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for an additional hour.

*This is a minimal amount of sugar and makes a somewhat tart pie.  (My mom used 1¼ cups of sugar for two cups of rhubarb!)  Vary the amount of sugar and the amount of rhubarb according to your taste and the amount of rhubarb you have on hand.

 

 

Favorite Soups for Cold Winter Nights

This delightful harvest soup will dress up a dinner party or warm up a cold winter night. It can be vegan if made with vegetable broth.

Butternut Squash Soup with Curry 

2 T olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

2 t curry powder

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks

2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

6-8 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup apple cider or orange juice

Sauté the onions in the olive oil until soft and add the curry powder. Add the squash, apples and stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the squash and apples are tender. Separate the solids from the stock and puree in a food processor.   Add the puree back into the pot with the stock and add the juice. (Orange juice will yield a very different flavor from the apple cider, but it’s good!) Heat the soup through, while adding salt and pepper to taste.

* * * * *

Light and hearty at the same time, this easy-to-make, low fat chowder is a great winter dish.

Easy Corn Chowder

2 slices bacon, chopped

1 T olive oil

2 large onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, pressed

2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock or a combination of both

16 oz. frozen corn

3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups milk

pinch of thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Chop the bacon and fry it out in a small frying pan. Heat the olive oil in an 8 qt. stock pot; fry the onions until golden; add the garlic and fry for 1 minute. Scoop the fried bacon bits out of the bacon grease with a slotted spoon and add them to the stock pot along with the potatoes. Toss the potatoes briefly, then add the corn and the stock. Add the thyme, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes). Add the milk and bring to a very low boil, adjust the seasonings, and serve.

Spicy Chinese Eggplant

To prepare:

Fry out ½ lb. ground pork or turkey.

Slice c. 1.5 lbs Japanese eggplant diagonally.

Crush 2 cloves garlic, mince 4 slices of ginger (c. 2 T), chop 1 scallion, and crumble 2 dried red chili peppers on top.  Set aside.

Mix together: 2T Chinese brown bean paste, 2T soy sauce, 2T sherry, 1T rice wine vinegar, and 1T sugar.

Mix 2t cornstarch with ¾ cups water; add 1t sesame oil.

To cook:

Put 2 T oil in a wok on high heat and add the garlic mixture; stir-fry for 30 sec.  Add the eggplant and stir-fry until each piece is coated with the oil.  Add ½ cup water and cover the eggplant.  Let it cook over medium heat, removing the cover every few minutes to stir the vegetables.  Continue until the eggplant is mushy.  (Add more water if the eggplant starts to stick to the wok.)  Remove the cover and turn up the heat to high, add the sauce mixture and let it cook for 1 minute; add the fried meat and stir until it is coated with the sauce.  Add the cornstarch mixture, stir to coat the eggplant and bring to a boil.  Remove from the stove and serve.

Favorite Christmas Recipes at Mill Brook House

This childhood favorite may derive from the Hudson River Valley, where my mother grew up. While acquaintances in both the Midwest and East Coast are invariably unfamiliar with it, our friends in Western Massachusetts nod knowingly when presented with a loaf. (Anyone with more information on the origins of this treat, please be in touch!) It is, in any case, a delicious and, when sliced, decorative alternative to the obligatory, often untouched, fruitcake.  Like many traditional European Christmas treats, Bishop’s Bread has no shortening, so it keeps well throughout the Christmas season.

Bishop’s Bread

Beat until frothy:

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs.

Sift and mix in:

1&1/2 cups flour

1&1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt.

Stir in:

4 oz. chocolate chips (c. 1/2 cup)

2 cups chopped walnuts

1 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup candied cherries

Pour batter into a well-greased loaf pan and bake at 325° for c. 50 minutes or until no batter sticks to a knife or other testing device. When the loaf has cooled completely, wrap it in foil. Slice it thin when ready to serve.

*  *  *  *  *

Incredibly thick and rich, this eggnog is a meal in itself.  We drink it for breakfast on Christmas morning while we open our presents.  Multiply the recipe by however many people you are serving.   

 Christmas Eggnog

1 egg, separated

1t sugar

1 cup milk

1/4 cup whipped cream

1/4 t rum flavoring (or as much real rum as you wish to consume)

nutmeg to taste 

Beat the egg whites, then whip the cream.  Set each aside.  Beat the egg yolks and the sugar until they are a light yellow.  Add the milk and rum flavoring and blend.  Fold in the beaten egg whites and whipped cream.  Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve.

* * * * *

The sweet taste of bananas contrasts deliciously with the tart cranberries.  I put them into the bread whole to intensify that delightful burst of sour. 

Banana-Cranberry Bread

½ cup sugar

5 T butter

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

3 ripe bananas

***

2 cups flour

2 t baking powder

½ t salt

***

1 cup walnuts

2 cups cranberries

Prepare a loaf pan.  Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer; add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Add the bananas by breaking off pieces and mixing until there are no lumps left. 

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the banana mixture, mixing by hand until just moist.  Stir in the walnuts and cranberries.

Bake at 350 for 70-90 minutes or until your tester comes out clean.

 

I have wonderful childhood memories of big frosted sugar cookies encrusted with non-pareils. This delicious low-sugar, low-fat recipe makes thin, crisp, wafer-like figures that can be frosted and decorated.  No matter how many fancy cookie recipes I make, these are always the favorites.

Crispy Cut-Out Cookies

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2/3-1 cup sugar*

2 eggs

2 T cream

2 t vanilla

3 cups flour

1/2 t soda

1/2 t BP

1/4 t salt

1 t nutmeg

Cream the butter and the sugar. *(Use less sugar, 2/3-3/4 cup, if you intend to frost the cookies, more, c. 1 cup, if you sprinkle colored sugars directly on the cookies instead of frosting them.) Beat in the eggs, cream and vanilla.

Sift the flour, soda, BP and nutmeg together. Add it to the butter mixture and mix on low.

Form the dough into a ball and chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or more. Roll it out to about 1/4 in thickness and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with colored sugar at this stage if you do not intend to frost the cookies. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Let them cool completely before applying frosting.

Frosting:

Sift 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix with 3/4 cup cream and 1 t vanilla. For colored frosting, divide frosting into separate bowls, depending on how many colors you want. Add 1-2 drops of the desired food color to each bowl. Spread the frosting on the cookies and sprinkle with non-pareils** or colored sugar.

Makes c. 5 dozen cookies.  

**To encrust the cookies with non-pareils as shown in the picture, you will need close to 1 pound.  Many grocery stores sell 13 oz. jars of non-pareils.  Otherwise, try to buy them in bulk at a bakery or specialty shop.

 

 

When your garden is out of control...

 

 
The tomato that ate Chicago
                                  

If you have too many tomatoes, damaged tomatoes, too many cucumber or oversized ones, these recipes will help!

Spaghetti Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes

Cut up 3-4 quarts fresh tomatoes* and simmer in a very large pot.   Meanwhile, cut up 2 onions, 1-2 sweet peppers (opt.) and sauté in 2T olive oil in a frying pan. Crush 2 cloves of garlic and add to the sauté along with 1T dried oregano and 2t marjoram. Add the sautéd mixture to the pot of tomatoes when the tomatoes have lost their shape and mix in 1 12-oz. can of tomato paste. Add 1 cup red wine (opt.). Cook until the sauce is thick (2-3 hours), stirring every 15-20 minutes. Add 1 cup of fresh basil leaves. Continue cooking until the leaves are wilted. (If you don’t have fresh basil, add 1T dried basil along with the oregano and marjoram.)

*You can blanche and peel the tomatoes if you wish, but I do not.

 

Remember Moby Pickle? 

Easy Gazpacho

Chop these vegetables and put as many as fit in your blender:

1 peeled cucumber*

c. 5 lbs of tomatoes**

1 sweet pepper, red or green

½-1 cup chopped onion

¼ cup fresh basil

hot peppers to taste (fresh or dried)

Blend the vegetables in several batches and pour into a large bowl. Add:

3T wine vinegar

3T lemon or lime juice

1T olive oil

Mix, chill, and serve.

*If you are using an oversized cucumber, slice it lengthways and cut away the seeds and any pithy, dry sections.

**Just cut away any hard or bad parts. No need to peel or get rid of the seeds.

 

This soup is a variation on the traditional sliced cucumbers with sour cream and dill. Cool and refreshing, it features the subtle flavors of dill and fresh mint.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

4 cups cucumber, peeled and chopped*

2 cups yogurt

½ cup sour cream

2 T fresh mint leaves

1 T honey

1t dried dill or 1T fresh dill

Salt and pepper to taste (or not)

Puree all the ingredients in the blender; then chill for at least 1 hour.  Serve cold and garnish with chopped chives if desired.

*Remove the cucumber seeds if your cucumber is overgrown and the seeds are hard.

 

 

Peaches and Cream Cake

This is what a peach crop should look like, but this year peaches failed, I'm told, all the way to Long Island.  I've, nevertheless, scraped together enough to make this delicious recipe, which I developed a few years ago.

Peaches and Cream Cake

4 large eggs, separated

3 T sugar

2 t vanilla (or 1.5 t vanilla and .5 t almond extract)

1 T water

pinch of salt

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup ground almonds

Grease and flour a 9” spring back cake pan.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until frothy. Add the water, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the flour, then the ground almonds. Don’t over mix. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the egg yolk mixture. Pour into the springback pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, blanche and peel 3-4 fresh peaches. Allow the cake to cool somewhat before removing it from the pan. When it has cooled completely, place it on a cake plate and spread the peaches on the top, including any juice that has accumulated. Whip one cup of whipping or heavy cream just until thick and spread it on top of the peaches. Serve immediately.

Peach tree at Pine Hill Orchards, Colrain

Nasturiums for lunch?

Nasturtiums are easy to grow, beautiful to look at and an exotic, colorful addition to your favorite salad!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                 From garden to salad....                                                                        

It's Blueberry Season!

Blueberries are finally ripe in our Western Massachusetts hilltowns as well as in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. They're still best in muffins, pie and pancakes. Here are three recipes.

Blueberry Pie

3 pints of fresh blueberries

1/2 cup of tapioca

1 T lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

dash of cinnamon

***

10 T butter

2 cups flour

1/2 t salt

5 T water

***

1-2 T butter

cinnamon sugar

Wash blueberries, picking out stems and spoiled or unripe berries. Mix with tapioca, lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Cut butter into flour until you have only very fine crumbs. Add water and mix until moist. Divide flour mixture into two equal amounts. Roll out bottom crust and place in pie pan; roll out 2nd crust and set aside. Add blueberry mixture to pie pan; dot with butter; place 2nd crust on top and trim and crimp edges. Prick the top crust repeatedly with a fork and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 450 for 10 min. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for c. 45 min.

# # # #

A wonderful tangy and juicy summer treat…

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

2.5 cups flour

2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/4-1/3 cup sugar

***

2 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

1 t vanilla

5 T butter

zest and juice from 1 lemon

1 pint blueberries

***

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Grease muffin tins for 12 muffins. Preheat oven to 350.

Mix dry ingredients together. Zest and juice the lemon, reserving 2 T of juice. Melt the butter. Beat the eggs by hand until uniform in color. Add yogurt, vanilla, melted butter, lemon zest and lemon juice to the eggs and beat slightly after each addition. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients. Mix just until dry ingredients are moist. Do not over-mix or muffins will be tough. Add blueberries and mix just until the berries are coated.

Spoon batter into the muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes, then remove them to a rack for further cooling.

Mix the reserved lemon juice and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Drizzle mixture over the cooling muffins.

# # # #

Yogurt makes this batter thick enough to hold the berries.

Vanilla Blueberry Pancakes

1 cup flour

½ t baking powder

½ t baking soda

¼ t salt

***

2 eggs

1 cup vanilla flavored yogurt

2 T canola oil

***

1 pint blueberries

Sift the dry ingredients together. Mix the wet ingredients well and add to the dry ingredients. Combine with as few strokes as possible. Wash, drain, and add the blueberries. Use ½ cup batter per pancake and fry on both sides in a non-stick pan coated with a small amount of canola oil. (Pancake batter surrounding even fresh berries takes longer to cook than batter without fruit, so be patient and cook on medium-low heat.) Serve with maple syrup and butter or sour cream.

 

 

Easter Cake!

Both sophisticated and childish, this cake is tasty, festive, and fun—and, for those who care about such things, gluten-free. 

Butter a 9” (24 cm) springform cake pan and set your oven to 350. Assemble:

5 eggs, separated

1/3 cup sugar

1 lemon, zested and juiced

250g (c. 1.5 cups) dry roasted hazelnuts that you have run through your food processor or 250g hazelnut flour, if available

1 cup of whipping cream

2 T rum or 1t run flavoring

1 T sugar

20-30 jelly beans, depending on their size

Beat the egg yolks for about 5 minutes, then gradually beat in the 1/3 cup sugar until the mixture is lemon-colored and creamy. Add in the lemon juice and zest, then fold in the ground hazelnuts. Beat the egg whites until they form firm peaks and fold into the nut mixture. Bake this mixture in your springform cake pan for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick, poked into the center, comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven, let it rest for about 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely.

In the meantime, beat the whipping cream until it holds it shape, adding the rum or rum flavoring and 1T sugar along the way. Spread the whipped cream on top of the cake and dot it with the jelly beans.