Uncle Phaedrus, Finder of Lost Recipes

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TODAY's CASES:

Quince Jelly
Orange Chiffon Cake
Fire and Ice Pickles
Fruit Drops
Canning Figs in Caramel Sauce

Quince Jelly

----- Original Message ----- From: Dick To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 6:40 PM Subject: jelly receipe Phaedrus, I am looking for a receipe for Quince jelly. Hope you can help. Thanks, Dick

Hello Dick,
See below.
Phaed

Quince Jelly 4 c. prepared juice (about 3 lb. fully ripe quinces) 1/4 c. strained lemon juice (2 lemons) 7 1/2 c. (3 1/4 lb.) sugar 1/2 bottle Certo fruit pectin First prepare juice. Remove cores and blossom and stem ends from about 3 pounds FULLY RIPE quinces. Do not peel.Grind.Add 4 1/2 cups water; bring to a boil and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Place in jelly bag; squeeze out juice. Measure 4 cups into a very large saucepan. Add lemon juice. To measured juice in saucepan, add the exact amount of sugar specified in the recipe. Mix well. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly At once stir in Certo. Then bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, skim off foam with metal spoon, and pour quickly into glasses. Cover at once with 1/8 inch hot paraffin. --------------------------------- Quince Jelly 4 quinces 4 qts. apples, sliced but not peeled 1 qt. cranberries Sugar Cover the fruit with water and boil until soft. Mash and drain. Proceed as with any fruit jelly using 3/4 cup sugar to 1 cup juice (hot).Stir until sugar is dissolved. Boil again until jelly stage is reached, skimming top from time to time. Pour into jelly glasses and seal.

Orange Chiffon Cake

----- Original Message ----- From: Terrye To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com Sent: Monday, September 22, 2008 8:47 AM Subject: Help! I am in a panic!I've had a recipe from the back of a Swansdown Cake Flour box for 30 years and I've lost it!It is a chiffon cake...orange, I think. As I recall, there were about a dozen eggs in it. Do you have it?I would be incredibly grateful. Terrye

Hi Terrye,
Here's the Swansdown Orange Chiffon Cake recipe, but it doesn't have a dozen eggs in it, only five.
Phaed

Fresh Orange Chiffon Cake 2 1/4 c. sifted Swansdown cake flour (spoon in lightly) 1 1/2 c. sugar 3 tsp. double-action baking powder 1 tsp. salt Measure these and sift together into mixing bowl. Make a "well" and add in order: 1/2 c. salad oil (Mazola or Wesson) 5 unbeaten egg yolks Grated rind of 2 oranges (about 2 tbsp.) Juice of 2 oranges plus water to make 3/4 c. Beat with spoon until SMOOTH. Measure into large mixing bowl: 1 c. egg whites (7 to 8) 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar Whip until whites form VERY STIFF peaks. Much stiffer than for angel food. Pour egg yolk mixture gradually over whipped egg whites - GENTLY folding with rubber scraper JUST until blended. DO NOT STIR!Pour at once into ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake in 325 degree oven for 65 minutes. Immediately turn pan upside down, placing tube part over neck of bottle. Let hang until cold. Loosen sides and tube with spatula. Turn out on plate. --ICING:-- 1 1/2 (3 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese 2 1/4 c. sifted confectioners' sugar Grated rind of 2 oranges (1 1/2 tbsp.) Cream the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add gradually sugar and beat well. Stir in orange rind. If too thick, add a few drops orange juice. Ice sides and top of cake. Serves 16. ------------------------------------------------ From: "Terrye" To: "Phaedrus" Subject: Re: Help! Date: Monday, September 22, 2008 9:26 PM THANK YOU! That's it! I'm impressed! Terrye

Fire & Ice Pickles

----- Original Message ----- From: julie To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2008 3:04 PM Subject: Lost Recipe Dear Phaedrus; I am in need of an old recipe from Southern Living magazine.I cannot remember the exact issue but I believe it to be maybe 1998, 1999 or 2000.It is for Fire and Ice pickles. My recipe is packed in a box which I cannot find right now. It has gone through 5 moves and will probably be the last box I look in. Please help! Julie

Hello Julie,
See below.
Phaed

Fire And Ice Pickles 1 gal. sliced dill pickles, drained 3 tbsp. hot sauce (Tabasco) 6 c. sugar 1 tsp. dry red pepper 6 cloves garlic Drain brine off of pickles and discard. Mix the ingredients well and stir into drained dill pickles. Mix well. Pack into a one gallon jar (the one the pickles came out of).Refrigerate. Shake once or twice for the first two days.

Fruit Drops

----- Original Message ----- From: Leah To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com Sent: Friday, September 26, 2008 10:43 AM Subject: Cookie recipe request..they are called FRUIT DROPS My name is Leah and I am in search for old recipe for cookies called Fruit drops...my mother passed away I had the recipe but lost it and they are one of my very favorites and I get a lot of requests for them now my father loves them were his favorites when mom was living...they have walnuts, dates, raisins,brown sugar, either baking soda or baking powder mixed with warm water..brown sugar..spices cloves cinnamon cant remember the rest of spices and ingredients..please if you could help me I would be so grateful..I miss this recipe very much and makes me think of mom and I making tons of cookies at thanksgiving and Christmas time when we would give huge platters of cookies as gifts... thank u for ur time.. Sincerely and lover of ur site, Leah

Hello Leah,
Perhaps one of the below recipes is close.
Phaed

Fruit Nut Drops 3 c. sugar 2 c. butter 6 eggs 6 c. flour 2 tbsp. cocoa 2 tsp. each:cinnamon, nutmeg, mace 1 tsp. each:ginger, allspice 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 tbsp. strong coffee 2 1/2 lbs. candied fruit (combine red and green cherries and pineapple) 1 lb. box currants 1 lb. white raisins 1 lb. dark raisins 4 lbs. nutmeats (almonds, pecans, walnuts, Brazil) Cut fruits and nuts in small slivers. Dredge in a little of the flour. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat eggs until foamy and add to mixture blending well. Add flour, spices, cocoa, soda and add to mixture together with the coffee. Add the dredged fruit and nuts, mixing carefully and thoroughly (I use my hands).Drop by teaspoonful onto lightly oiled cookie sheet (I use non-stick and no oil).They will spread some. Bake at 325 degrees 12-18 minutes. They should not brown but become a rich biscuit color. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers with 1/2 apple or 1/2 orange to mellow. The longer they set, the better they get. ---------------------------------------- Fruit Drops 3 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 c. butter or margarine, softened 2 c. light brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 1/2 c. buttermilk 1 tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 c. walnuts, pecans, or other nuts, chopped 2 c. candied cherries, halved 2 c. pitted dates, cut up Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. In separate bowl combine butter, sugar, and eggs. Beat mixture until it is light and fluffy. Add to butter mixture buttermilk, vanilla, and flour mixture. Mix well; stir in chopped nuts, cherries, and dates. Drop batter by teaspoonful on lightly greased cookie sheet. Top each cookie with a nut half. Bake in 350 degree oven 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Makes 6 dozen. ---------------------------------------- Fruit Drops 3 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 c. butter or margarine, softened 2 c. light brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 1/2 c. buttermilk 1 tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 c. walnuts, pecans, or other nuts, chopped 2 c. candied cherries, halved 2 c. pitted dates, cut up Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. In separate bowl combine butter, sugar, and eggs. Beat mixture until it is light and fluffy. Add to butter mixture buttermilk, vanilla, and flour mixture. Mix well; stir in chopped nuts, cherries, and dates. Drop batter by teaspoonful on lightly greased cookie sheet. Top each cookie with a nut half. Bake in 350 degree oven 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Makes 6 dozen. ---------------------------------------- Fruit Drops 1 c. raisins 1/2 c. boiling water 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 c. shortening 1 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. nutmeg 1/8 tsp. allspice 1 c. brown sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 tsp. vanilla 2 c. flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 c. walnuts Add water to raisins, simmer 5 minutes. Cool and add soda. Cream shortening, salt, spices, and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and raisins. Add sifted ingredients and nuts. Chill 3 hours. Drop 1 teaspoon at a time on cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 300 degrees. While hot, top with red cherries.

Canned Figs in Caramel Sauce

---- Original Message ----- From: Katy To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com Sent: Friday, September 26, 2008 12:25 AM Subject: Recipe for canned figs in caramel sauce? Dear Uncle Phaedrus, A few months ago I bought a jar of canned figs in caramel sauce. Served over yoghurt, quite possibly the best thing I have ever eaten...at $12 a jar, (imported from Italy) I thought I could do better.... I found recipes for preserved figs, fig jam...etc... But I cannot find a recipe that would let me hot water bath can the figs in caramel sauce..... I talked to a nice lady at the Extension Service here in Seattle, she reminded me that botulism has a 30% mortality rate....so I really don't want to try canning the figs in caramel sauce, until I find a recipe that says it is OK to do so. Since she is with the state, she could only use sites approved by the USDA... But I am curious why I cannot find a recipe for canned caramel sauce? I would think it had so much sugar in it, it would be fine to hot water bath can. Notice the recipe she sent me for canning figs uses lemon juice to raise the acidity.... Any help greatly appreciated.... I have a fig tree, and thought this would be a great way to preserve them. I am a registered dietitian, (RD) and I know a lot about food, but this has me stumped.... Thanks for any help you can give, the email from the extension service is below: Katy

Hi Katy,
I cannot find any recipe at all for canning figs in caramel sauce, nor can I find any home recipes for canning caramel sauce alone.
The reason, I think, is because caramel sauce is not just sugar. Almost every caramel sauce recipe that I can find contains cream or half and half or condensed milk or some form of dairy. You don't can things containing dairy products with just a hot water bath. Fruit plus sugar makes an acidic product that can be canned with a hot water bath, and even that needs added lemon juice or citric acid sometimes to make it safely acidic. Dairy plus sugar is not acidic, and that makes for a bacterial breeding ground. Even with fruit like figs added, the dairy lowers the acidity in the mixture and that's dangerous.
You are hitting a snag that I see often. People want to try canning something at home that they can purchase commercially, like stuffed peppers canned in olive oil or pickled sausages, etc. Sometimes you just can't do it at home safely. Commercial canners have chemical preservatives that they can add to retard bacterial growth, and they also have big commercial pressure canners that can reach higher temperatures than even home pressure canners, and certainly higher than a hot water bath.
My advice is to can your figs with a recipe like the extension service suggested, and to make homemade caramel sauce each time or to buy a commercial caramel sauce. Mix them just before adding them to your yogurt.
Phaed