My grandmothers' recipe files

[CWS4322]

My maternal grandmother was an amazing cook, made the most delicious Swedish meatballs and her baked goods...yum. My paternal grandmother made the most awful pot roast...but she did make a mean angelfood cake. Being the only granddaughter, I have both of their recipe files. My paternal grandmother's are all neatly typed on index cards, my maternal grandmother's are in a looseleaf binder, handwritten, with scraps of paper stuck between the pages. I've promised my cousins and their kids I'd scan the book and give them each a copy. Well, I also have this hairbrain idea to test the recipes. Her's one I don't understand and have NO IDEA what my grandmother was making when she made this (and, btw, when I find "hairdresser's" I'll be pinging DCers again):

2-1/2 T flour
1/2 c milk

(cook slowly to make a firm paste--cool).

In a small bowl:

1/2 c sugar
1/4 c Crisco
1/4 c butter
vanilla

Add paste 5 min on high speed.

What was she making?? No other instructions. Anyone?

Then we have:

1/2 white sugar
1/2 brown "
1/2 c cream
1/2 c butter

Caramel sauce

This one I can figure out re: how long to cook and the method. I gotta hand it to her--she obviously knew what she was doing--I cook much the same way. But, I haven't written anything down in code--yet.

I really like having the recipe files. I swear my maternal grandma's binder smells like her kitchen--still, 40 years later. Of the 1000+ cookbooks I have, this is the one that I keep on my bedside table so that I can grab it if the house catches on fire in the middle of the night and I must flee--this one, I treasure the most. I could survive without the other 999, but to lose this one, would break my heart.

 

[Somebunny]

CWS, I think the first one is a vanilla sauce maybe a hard sauce for "Christmas pudding"(plum pudding) often served with a caramel sauce too, which is what the second one sounds like. My SIL's mother in-law made this pudding/cake every Christmas with a vanilla hard sauce and a caramel sauce, my SIL had no interest in it or the family recipe, so I asked for it. Alas, I cannot find it.....argh. I am hoping perhaps my Niece thought to ask her grandmother for it as she is now gone.....

 

[Somebunny]

Hmmmm....upon further reflection....I doubt there would be flour or Crisco in a hard sauce.. Could it just be a vanilla glaze? Oh well maybe someone else has an idea.

 

[justplainbill]

Google buttercream flour.

 

[Harry Cobean]

love to help cws but flour & i don't get on.love someone else's finished result but i can't make pastry,sauces or bake...so i just steer clear of the stuff.....sorry!!

 

[Aunt Bea]

The top two lists of ingredients look like a version of Whoopie pie filling or cream filling for bakery doughnuts. In my family we used it as a frosting for cakes. The last set look like a caramel sauce as indicated.

 

[Silversage]

The first one is an old-fashioned vanilla buttercream frosting. I haven't made it in years, but I don't know why! It's very smooth - very rich - and very stable. It holds up well in warm weather. Just make sure the flour paste is completely cool before adding it to the beaten sugar/fat mixture or the butter will melt.

Also, be sure to whisk the flour & milk very well while cooking to prevent lumps in your frosting.

 

[Hoot]

I am inclined to agree with Silversage. They sound like cake frosting. What are the recipes near them?

 

[Constance]

I think the first one is White Velvet Frosting, which is the traditional frosting for Red Velvet Cake. It would be good on any cake, really.

 

[CWS4322]

Thanks, everyone! These two recipes are on scraps of paper tucked in the front of the binder. Where they might have been tucked before I got this, I have no idea. The carmel sauce I know well--she used to make that for ice cream topping, chocolate cake, etc.

 

[CWS4322]

Here's another one, on a 2" x 2" square scrap of paper:

1-1/2 c B sugar (that would be brown sugar)
3/4 c shortening
3 eggs
1-1/2 c S. milk (that would be sour milk)
1-1/2 c w. flour (not sure? wholewheat flour?)
1-1/2 c m. flour (not sure....)
1-1/2 tsp soda (that would be baking soda)
Dates

Could this be Date squares? Date cookies?

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Date Bread ...

Brown sugar, sour milk, whole meal or whole wheat flour, Milled Flour and baking soda ...

Hope this assists.
Margaux Cintrano.

 

[CWS4322]

Here's another one, on a 2" x 2" square scrap of paper:

1-1/2 c B sugar (that would be brown sugar)
3/4 c shortening
3 eggs
1-1/2 c S. milk (that would be sour milk)
1-1/2 c w. flour (not sure? wholewheat flour?)
1-1/2 c m. flour (not sure....)
1-1/2 tsp soda (that would be baking soda)
Dates

Could this be Date squares? Date cookies?

The w. flour could be white flour. She did write w. flour for white flour in other recipes...and w. sugar for white sugar <g>.

 

[CWS4322]

No directions re: mixing. Anyone? This is a very moist, fudge-like cake (as I recall). Here's what my grandma wrote down:

Fudge Cake


½ c butter (melted)
1 c brown sugar
1 egg (unbeaten)
2 T cocoa
½ c flour
¼ c nut meats
vanilla
Directions:
1. Use a 9” square pan and cook for 15 minutes in a moderate oven.
2. Make uncooked cocoa icing and ice cake while warm.

Anyone want to take a stab at how the ingredients are combined?

Thanks!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Stir butter into the brown sugar, beat in egg and vanilla, sift flour, cocoa and stir in,
add nuts.

or even add the nuts to the sugar and butter to stir in. I would try to keep the mixing of the flour to a minimum.

 

[CWS4322]

Stir butter into the brown sugar, beat in egg and vanilla, sift flour, cocoa and stir in,
add nuts.

or even add the nuts to the sugar and butter to stir in. I would try to keep the mixing of the flour to a minimum.

I'm giving it a try this weekend. As I recall, she used an 8" x 8" pyrex dish...and she'd grease and flour it--bake at 350. It was really, really rich and very, very good.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

It sounds rich and wonderful!

 

[taxlady]

Here's another one, on a 2" x 2" square scrap of paper:

1-1/2 c B sugar (that would be brown sugar)
3/4 c shortening
3 eggs
1-1/2 c S. milk (that would be sour milk)
1-1/2 c w. flour (not sure? wholewheat flour?)
1-1/2 c m. flour (not sure....)
1-1/2 tsp soda (that would be baking soda)
Dates

Could this be Date squares? Date cookies?

Could the c m. flour be corn meal flour?

No directions re: mixing. Anyone? This is a very moist, fudge-like cake (as I recall). Here's what my grandma wrote down:

Fudge Cake


½ c butter (melted)
1 c brown sugar
1 egg (unbeaten)
2 T cocoa
½ c flour
¼ c nut meats
vanilla
Directions:
1. Use a 9” square pan and cook for 15 minutes in a moderate oven.
2. Make uncooked cocoa icing and ice cake while warm.

Anyone want to take a stab at how the ingredients are combined?

Thanks!

Many of my Danish recipes call for beating the egg with the sugar until light.

I would mix the cocoa with the flour and then add the nuts. I would alternate mixing the butter and flour/cocoa/nut mix into the egg/sugar mix.

No levening?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Could the c m. flour be corn meal flour?


Many of my Danish recipes call for beating the egg with the sugar until light.

I would mix the cocoa with the flour and then add the nuts. I would alternate mixing the butter and flour/cocoa/nut mix into the egg/sugar mix.

No levening?

that was 1 1/2 c (cups) m. flour

 

[Andy M.]

Could be millet flour.