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2012

Steamed Veggies Water

From: Billie 
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2012 2:58 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Carrot water

Hello again.

I often steam vegetables in a food steamer. Most of the time I steam carrots.
I am looking for a recipe that I can use the carrot water from the steamer in.

Thank you.

Billie

Hello Billie,

This is not exactly my sort of question, but there are suggestions for using water from boiling or steaming vegetables here:

Recycle This!

Phaed

This is great, thank you!


Morrison's Cafeteria Creamed or Stewed Corn

-----Original Message----- 
From: Gary
Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2012 10:44 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Morrison's creamed corn

Phaedrus:
I notice on your site that you have access to various Morrison's Cafeteria
recipe manuals. Could you please provide the recipe for the creamed corn,
which was apparently a mixture of sweet corn and regular corn, served in
the 1990s?
Thanks,
Gary

Hello Gary,

The Morrison's Manual that I have has the below recipe for "stewed corn" rather than one for "creamed corn". Not a mixture of sweet & regular corn. Note that it is a cafeteria recipe, and therefore is for making a large amount of the dish. You will have to cut down the recipe for home use.

Comments:

This for using fresh corn. I've no idea how it would work with frozen or other corn.

I've no idea exactly what you could substitute for a commercial steam kettle, which cooks with steam. There are photos of steam kettles here:
Steam Kettles
Cornell University says: "The design of the steam kettle makes heating and cooking very efficient and fast. The typical kettle looks very familiar: a large container with a round or spherical bottom, reminiscent of the old cauldron. Kettles have a double wall or “jacket” covering the bottom and at least half the height of the sides, to provide space for steam to circulate, thereby heating the cooking surface. In principle, the steam kettle operates like the average kitchen double boiler."

"Clear-Gel" is a thickening agent derived from cornstarch. It's main use in this dish is merely to keep the final dish from being too watery. It is preferable to ordinary cornstarch as a thickener because it is relatively clear and does not form lumps as readily as cornstarch. It's main use is in canning jams and jellies.See:

SB Canning
Using Clear-Gel

In making a small quantity of this recipe at home, you could probably omit the Clear Gel altogether, or use cornstarch, or use another thickening agent. If you want to use Clear-Gel, you can get it here:

King Arthur Flour

Gary, there is nothing particularly special about this recipe, in my view. I have creamed corn recipes here:

Creamed Corn Recipes

If you use one of those with a little sugar and perhaps tweak it a bit by adding some bacon grease and finely ground bacon, you should end up with something fairly close to the Morrison's dish. Fresh corn, just cut off the cob, is always tastier, and butter is tastier than oleo(margarine). Using cream or half-and-half makes it richer and creamier than just milk.

Phaed

Stewed Corn

Ingredients:

Corn (1 crate) ---------- 60 ears
Oleo (margarine)(butter) - 1 lb
Bacon ends --------------- 1 lb
Milk --------------------- 1 lb (4 quarts)
Sugar -------------------- 2 ozs
Clear-Gel ---------------- 4 ozs

Cut corn off cob as usual. Place corn in steam kettle with oleo and add grease from bacon.
In preparing the bacon, be sure to cook until it is crisp brown -- just short of burning.
Adding the bacon to this dish is optional. If you do add it, be sure it is chopped
or ground as fine as possible. Add 3 quarts of milk. Add sugar. Cook until about half done.
Dissolve Clear-Gel in the remaining quart of milk. Add to above and cook until done.

In using Clear-Gel, the amount will vary from time to time depending on the
amount of natural starch in the corn.
===============================================================================
Phaed:

Could you please check with anyone you know with different versions of
Morrison's manual? I am sure it was actually creamed corn, not stewed
corn. You are right that there are a lot of creamed corn recipes which are
similar, but I am doing this as a favor for an aunt.

Thanks,
Gary

Hello Gary,

Per your request, I contacted one of my sources who has a Morrison's recipe book from 1991, which was the last version produced.

There is a "creamed corn" recipe in it, but it's not really basically different from the "stewed corn" recipe. In this one the corn is boiled rather than steamed.
This one uses powdered milk rather than fresh and a special "bacon stock" and "bacon base" rather than fresh bacon and bacon grease. it's pretty much the same other than that.

It does not use two kinds of corn, but it does use a mixture of whole and chopped frozen corn. (rather than fresh corn as in the other recipe). This may be what your aunt thinks was two kinds of corn.
It does use the Clear Jel like the other one. This recipe looks to me like it was developed from the stewed corn recipe as time progressed, aiming for convenience but with a similar taste.
It's simpler since it doesn't require a steam kettle or fresh corn or the cooking of bacon. However, it may not be any easier for home use than the other one. It may be difficult to find "bacon stock" and "bacon base". (I'd just use real bacon and real bacon grease.)

In researching Morrison's, I have found that sometimes, (but not frequently), one of the local Morrison's would sometimes change a recipe a little or even occasionally create their own dish. These recipes would not be in the manual, and only someone who worked in the kitchen of that particular Morrison's would know that recipe. This might be the case with the corn your aunt recalls.

Phaed

Morrison’s Cream Style Corn

Yield: 30 – 3 oz portions (1/2 cup)

5 lbs frozen whole kernel cut corn
7 oz powdered milk
1-3/4 quarts bacon stock
2 oz bacon base (raw)
2 oz sugar
8 oz margarine or butter
2 oz Clearjel
8 oz water
1 tsp white pepper

Thaw corn overnight in refrigerator. Place 3 lbs corn in food chopper and
cut medium, not fine. Mix with the 2 lbs whole kernel corn.

Mix powdered milk with bacon stock. Strain through china cap. Incorporate
bacon base into this mixture. Add corn, milk, butter and sugar.

Bring mixture to a boil and cook for five minutes. Dissolve Clearjel in
water and add while stirring. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes
stirring occasionally. Season with white pepper.

Source: Morrison’s Master Recipe Book, 1991.

ENJOY!

JAMES

Mashed Potato Brownies

From: Billie 
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2012 2:51 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Mashed potato brownies

First I have to tell you that I love your site.

For years I have been trying to find a chocolate brownie recipe that is made with instant mashed potatoes.
I made it when I was a kid (I am 33 years old) and I believe the recipe was on the back of an instant mashed potato box.
Obviously the main ingredient is the instant mashed potatoes, and that is all I can remember.

I did search your website and it was not listed.

I searched Google. The 'Double Chocolate Potato Brownie' recipe is not it.

Let me know if you can find it, sorry for the limited information.

Thanks.

Billie

Hi Billie,

You say that all you know about it is that it is made with instant mashed potatoes and that the “Double Chocolate Potato Brownie” recipe is not it. It seems to me that you must know something that eliminates the “Double Chocolate Potato Brownie” recipe from contention. What is that something? After all, the double chocolate potato brownies does call for instant mashed potatoes. Is it that your recipe didn’t contain two kinds of chocolate? What kind of chocolate was used in the recipe you want? Squares or chips or cocoa? It’s little things like this that help me find the right recipe.

In briefly checking, I have already found several brownie recipes that call for mashed potatoes or instant mashed potatoes. I need something more to identify the correct recipe. How would you know the correct recipe if you saw it? It’s probably not going to say “I got this off an instant mashed potatoes box” – people don’t usually say such things when they post a recipe on the web.

I found one in a newspaper scan from the 1980s, but before I go to the effort of typing it in, I want to be reasonably sure that it is the correct recipe.

Phaed

From: Billie 
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 11:55 AM
To: Phaedrus
Subject: Re: Mashed potato brownies

Phaed,

I believe the recipe I am looking for used cocoa. I also believe it had a fairly short ingredient list.
I believe it used milk. The brownies were in-between cakey and brownie like. I know that double chocolate
recipe is not it because it calls for chocolate chips (which could have been added by the author I guess),
it uses chocolate squares (that doesn't sound right), and the texture in the photo looks very dense.

Thank you for your effort!

Billie

Hello Billie,

I had mixed results. The only recipe that I can find with cocoa and instant mashed potatoes is on this site:

Meggie's Kitchen

All of the others had squares of unsweetened chocolate. None had milk. The first recipe below was printed in a 1980s newspaper.

Phaed

Fudgy Potato Brownies

2/3 cup Potato Buds Instant Mashed Potatoes (dry)
2/3 cup hot water
1/3 cup shortening
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350°. Grease square pan, 8x8x2 inches. Mix potatoes and
hot water in bowl;reserve. Heat shortening and chocolate over low heat,
stirring constantly, until melted. Stir chocolate mixture, sugar and eggs
into potatoes in bowl. Mix remaining ingredients;stir into chocolate mixture.
Pour into pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes; cool. Frost, if desired.
Cut into about 1 1/2-inch squares. Makes about 2 dozen brownies.
--------------------------------------
Chocolate Potato Brownies

4 sqs. unsweetened chocolate
3/4 c. margarine
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 c. mashed potatoes (can be leftovers or instant)
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Melt chocolate and margarine in saucepan. While mixture is cooling, cream sugar,
vanilla, salt, and eggs together. Add chocolate mixture and mix well.
Add potatoes, flour, and nuts. Beat until creamy. Pour into greased and floured
9 x 11 inch cake pan and bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes or until done.
Do not overbake, should be chewy. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
-----------------------------------
Potato Brownies

2/3 c. mashed potatoes (unseasoned)
1/3 c. margarine or shortening
2 sq. unsweetened chocolate, grated
(2 oz.)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease square pan 8 x 8 x 2 inches. Melt margarine and
chocolate over low heat. Add chocolate mixture to sugar, eggs and potatoes.
Stir in remaining ingredients and pour into prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes.
Cool. Frost if desired. Makes 2 dozen 1 1/2 inch squares.

Toronto's Apple Annie's Apple Pancakes

 
From: Gypsy
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2012 10:24 AM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Toronto's Apple Annie's Apple Pancake

Hi,

I've just discovered your Magic Pan recipes, for which I thank you!
I'm looking forward to making the cheese fritters & almond/mandarin salad.

Another restaurant I used to love was Apple Annie's, which seemed to close down shortly after
the Magic Pan moved into town. It was located in the Eaton Centre's food court (late 70s/early 80s),
and they had this amazing apple pancake, that was puffy and oozed with brown sugar, cinnamon & apples.

Is there any chance you could find this recipe?

Thank you so much!

Gypsy

Hi Gypsy,

I found a few mentions of Apple Annie’s in Toronto on message boards, but that’s all – no recipes.

There are “Apple Annie’s” apple pancake recipes on these sites, but they may not be the same. The second recipe is from another “Apple Annie’s” in Arizona. The first one is made with applesauce, but it is baked and may be very close to what you want.

Apple Pancakes

Fill Your Plate

Phaed



"However, a warm savory steam from the kitchen served to belie the apparently cheerless prospect before us. But when that smoking chowder came in, the mystery was delightfully explained. Oh, sweet friends! hearken to me. It was made of small juicy clams, scarcely bigger than hazel nuts, mixed with pounded ship biscuit, and salted pork cut up into little flakes; the whole enriched with butter, and plentifully seasoned with pepper and salt."
(Moby Dick)


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