I know this not a cookbook but this recipe was one of the best quick breads I have ever made. I used a Wisconsin cantaloupe from the West Bend farmer’s market. The bread was very moist and had a fresh flavor. I of course had to tweak the recipe. I removed the pumpkin pie spice (because I don’t have that spice) and replaced it with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. I also removed the chopped pecans. I added chopped fresh mint (~ 1/2 tablespoon) mixed with some sanding sugar and I sprinkled the mix on top of the bread before baking. I would add more mint next time I make this recipe. The final suggestion is turn the temperature up on the oven for the last 10-15 minutes of baking. Mine was not getting baked enough. I used 2 mini loaf pans.
Cooking from the Farmer’s Market by Weldon Owen Inc. copyright 2010
I think summer is officially over. We were “Up North” in Wisconsin this past weekend and the tree tops had a touch of color just like paint on the tips of a brush. There were some beautiful red and oranges already. We did see some sweet corn for sale though. This recipe is for when your eyes are bigger than your families appetites’ and you have a few ears of corn leftover. Making risotto is for the patient person. You can’t rush it. Be prepared to spend 1/2 hour at the stove. Most likely this is a weekend side dish. Heat the broth before starting. You can follow the directions on the rice package for adding the broth.
Risotto with Fresh Corn and Basil Oil page 173
2-3 ears of corn, husks and silk removed. Kernels stripped from the cob.
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup thinly sliced leeks, white and pale green parts. – Don’t forget to rinse well.
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups short grain rice – I used Arborio
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons chives – which I forgot to add
4 Tablespoons Basil Oil page 262 – 1/2 cup of fresh basil chopped + 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil OR you can find Basil Oil at your local specialty store.
Sauté leeks in butter.Add rice and sauté for a few minutes.
Add the broth per the rice directions.
Risotto with Fresh Corn and Basil Oil
The cookbook is a great addition to your library. It has colorful pictures and lists several unique recipes for each fruit or vegetable you would find at your local farmer’s market or in your garden. The book is divided into chapters based on similar vegetables or fruits, such as Leafy Greens, Squashes, and Stone Fruits. There are several recipes for each item grouped together. You can find the book on Amazon or there are several copies through our local library system.
Bonus RECIPE – Yellow Squash and Farro Salad page 113
You can see below on the left the original recipe and on the right my substitutions based on what was in the pantry and the refrigerator. I also cut the recipe in half since I am only cooking for two. I loved the flavor combination with the fresh mint and basil.
1 1/2 cups farro
Salt
2 Tbs plus 1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
5 green onions, cut into pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cups quinoa
Salt
2 Tbs olive oil
garlic flakes
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks
2 green onions, cut into pieces
2 Tbs chopped fresh basil
2 Tbs chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup crumbled fresco cheese
Visit a farmer’s market this weekend to support your local farmer and try a new vegetable or fruit !!
Country Fair Cookbook by the editors of the Farm Journal copyright 1975
I am going to share with you how to use up all the egg whites from the Raspberry Cream Roll. Bake a Brown Sugar Angel Food Cake. You follow the same steps as a traditional angel food cake but you use Brown Sugar instead. Now of course, when I went to make this cake I did not have enough light brown sugar so I used some dark brown sugar too. The flavor of the cake was richer than a traditional angel food cake and had a caramel taste to it.
Brown Sugar Angel Food Cake page 94
The ingredients for the Brown Sugar Angel Food Cake are:
1 1/4 cup sifter cake flour
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 cup egg whites (10-12)
1 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tsp vanilla
Follow the directions for any homemade angel food cake. Remember to let your egg whites sit out for at least an hour before beating so they reach room temperature. Here is a great video on how to bake a Perfect Angel Food cake.
** The recipe called for dusting with powdered sugar to serve. Instead, I recommend to put the cake in a bowl. Add a scope of vanilla ice cream. Spoon either cut fresh pineapple or nectarine or peaches over the cake and ice cream. Then drizzle with some caramel sauce. I wish I had a picture to show you but it was so delicious, I ate it all before I thought of capturing the creation.
Country Fair Cookbook by the editors of the Farm Journal copyright 1975
I picked Country Fair Cookbook as my first cookbook to make a recipe from because the Wisconsin State Fair was canceled this year and I missed out in entering the culinary competitions. It is one of the highlights for me each year. My mother recently said I could have any of her cookbooks since she in no longer able to cook. I saw this one on her bookshelf last month. I have been competing in the WI State Fair since 2010. Every April I get excited for the entry information to be posted online. It provides the dates and categories (classes) for entries. Each of the 4 culinary days features different categories like cakes, pies, dairy or sponsored classes. I spend April, May and June determining the classes to enter and creating a recipe to use. Wherever I am working gets to enjoy my trials and sometimes rejects. Some of my coworkers have provided great feedback on the taste testing. Let me know if you want to help out next year. I try to keep each day to less than 12 entries. 2 of the competition days are prior to the start of the fair and 2 days are during the fair. I usually compete in at least 2 of the 4 days.
The day before the competition I spend cooking, baking, and washing dishes to get the entries ready. I lot of dishes. I usually borrow an extra mixer and measuring cups to minimize the amount of time washing. The dishwasher gets a workout that day too. The entries have to be dropped off in the morning of the competition day and they are judged in the afternoon. I always attend the judging because I have learned many tips and tricks along the way. I will share cooking and baking tips with you as we get into the recipes.
Drum roll please. The first recipe is……………
Raspberry Cream Roll page 115
I have never made a rolled cake before and I thought it was time. With fresh raspberries in season who can resist. I have always been intimidated by a cake roll. But this recipe was straightforward. Some tips are to pull the eggs out of the refrigerator 1 hour before you will make the recipe. You should always use room temperature ingredients when baking. Also, ensure your leavening ingredients are fresh.
The ingredients for the Raspberry Cream roll are:
1 cup sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
10 egg yolks – see the next post for how to use the egg whites.
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp lemon extract
Confectioners sugar
Raspberry Cream Filling – 1/2 pint heavy cream and 10 oz pkg frozen raspberries.
Mix wet ingredients together.
I used lemon zest from 1 lemon and 1 tsp fresh lemon juice instead of the extract. I will always use fresh if it is available.
Sift dry ingredients together.Fold dry ingredients into wet.Spread batter into jelly roll pan.After baking, place cake onto dish towel with powdered sugar and roll up to cool.
I replaced the frozen raspberries with fresh. I should have smashed them more when folding into the whipped cream.
Ready to Eat !
Country Fair Cookbook is a book about baking. There are used copies on Amazon and our library system has one copy.
There are only 4 sections; Breads, Cakes, Cookies/Bars and Pies. The book was full of great recipes and I will keep it as a reference for next year because for each section it provides common problems and probable causes. One tip I learned my first year competing at the fair was to always use a food processor to mash bananas for a banana bread. My loaf had large chunks in it. No ribbon for me in that class. The ingredients need to be evenly dispersed in any quick bread, muffin or cake.
Go ahead and try this recipe. The Raspberry Cream Roll tasted tart and sweet. I sprinkled more powered sugar on each slice before serving.
**Here is why I can’t post a copy of the whole recipe into my blog. Copyright info.
How may cookbooks do you have? Go ahead and guess. (Tell me in the comments below). I thought I might have about 100. So one night I counted, it turns out there was about 180. That was any cookbook with a binding. It did not include magazines, pamphlet style or thin listings of recipes. I probably have more that are hiding in boxes or closets that I don’t remember where I put them. Now you might ask, how did I get all these cookbooks. Family and friends have fed my habit. I love to read cookbooks and look at the pictures of the food. My mother and I would buy each other cookbooks each time we traveled somewhere. I also look for cookbooks at rummage sales and used book sales. I like the ones from the 1950s with the cocktail party menus. But honestly how many of these do you use in a month or year? Most people probably only use the same 5-10 cookbooks. For the avid cooker or baker it is probably 20. With the internet some people might not even own a cookbook. How sad…
Part of my cookbook collection
So I was sitting around, since with the Covid virus we can’t go anywhere, and thought I should start a blog. Writing is not a strong skill for me but I have read that in order to improve you have to practice. So why not combine my love of cooking and baking into a blog. And what better way than to go through all my cookbooks. So my intention with this blog is to take one or two cookbooks a week and make a recipe from them and tell you about it. Did I make it as listed or did I tweak it. Are there other recipes in the book that I like. Do I like the chef or style of cookbook. My plan is to make a recipe from the cookbook that I have not made before. Also I want there to be variety in the recipes I select. I don’t think a blog of 20 different chocolate cakes would be that interesting. Yummy for me but boring for you. I can only provide you with the list of ingredients and some basic directions due to copyright laws (click here for information). I will provide plenty of pictures for you to learn from. The hardest part for me will be picking just one recipe from each book.
Please join my cookbook journey and my thoughts on how your can turn recipes you find into something you want to make and eat. And don’t be afraid to write in your cookbooks. You own them. I make notes next to the recipes if something needs to be changed or I didn’t like the taste. I also put any favorites in the front or back of the cookbook with the page number instead of marking the pages with sticky notes that fall out eventually.
Stick with me and you might just learn a new cooking tip or recipe swap.
