Tourtiere

A favorite recipe from my mother-in-law, Margaret Guthrie.  Traditionally served at Christmas-time.  I love the blend of spices and the way the house smells when it is cooking.  For years I thought this was an old family recipe -- and I guess now it is, but I learned many years later that it was not, and I think, originally from Bon Apetit magazine.   Anyway, it is so good, and has been a Guthrie tradition for longer than I have been in the family!

Filling Ingredients:

2 cups chopped onion

1-1/2 ground sirloin

1- 14 oz. can whole tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped celery leaves

1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp each nutmeg, mace, ground pepper, ground cloves

2 tsp cornstarch

1 chicken bouillon dissolved in 1/2 cup water

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Filling Directions:

Brown meat, onion, garlic.  Add tomatoes and break up.  Add celery, salt, thyme, nutmeg, mace, cloves, ground pepper.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 30 minutes (**) until most of moisture has evaporated and mixture is quite dry.  Dissolve cornstarch in bouillon and stir into meat.  Cook until mixture thickens (about 2 minutes). Add chopped parsley. Set aside and roll out cough for crust. 

**  Make Dough while the meat cooks (there is a top and bottom crust).  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  

Dough Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

6 Tbsp. cold butter (original ingredients said chilled oleo)

6 Tbsp. cold shortening

1/3 cup ice water

1 egg beaten (for brushing on the crust before baking)

Dough Directions:

Mix together flour and salt.  Cut shortening and butter into flour mixture until butter is pea-sized.  Add ice water slowly and mix with fork until dough holds mostly together.  Gather dough into plastic wrap and refrigerate until the meat mixture is cooked and ready to be used as filling.  When ready, divide the dough in half.  On a floured surface, roll out the dough for the bottom crust.  Gently line the pie plate with the rolled out dough.  Roll out the other half of the dough.  Fill the the bottom crust in the pie plate with all of the meat mixture.  Cover with the rolled out top half of dough.  Trim excess dough around edges, press the top edge of the dough to the bottom  dough,  I roll the edges of the dough under first, then crimp decoratively.  Brush crust with 1 beaten egg. Cut slits in the top decoratively to vent.  

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  

Serves 8.

Summer Squash or Zucchini Casserole

This recipe is from my mother-in-law, Margaret Guthrie (originally from Bon Appetit as Zucchini Bake.)  Even though it's a vegetable side dish, it is made with cream of chicken soup.  If you want to make it totally vegetarian, you can substitute cream of celery soup.  I usually make it over the summer when zucchini and summer squash are in season, but is good during the holidays as well. Goes well with roast chicken and turkey.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sliced squash (6 cups);  I use a mix of zucchini and yellow summer squash.
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use Campbell's) -- or substitute cream of celery soup per
 head note.
1 cup sour cream (use regular, not low fat or fat free)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 -8 oz. pack herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook squash and onions in boiling, salted water 5 minutes; drain.  Combine soup and sour cream in a large mixing bowl (large enough to add the squash later).  Stir in carrots.  Fold in the cooked and drained squash and onion mixture.  Combine stuffing and melted butter and spread half in 12x7x2 dish.  Spoon veggie mix on top.  Then top with remaining stuffing.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Serves 8.

Rouldaden

Recipe from Margaret Guthrie -- Good served with warm German potato salad.     Serves 4

Ingredients:

Sirloin tip cut 1/4" thick

large dill pickle cut in 1/4

1/2 lb. diced bacon

1 or 2 chopped onion

1 cup red wine

mustard

beef bouillon

salt

Directions:

Spread each cutlet with mustard, 1/2 tsp. salt, onion, bacon and pickle.  Roll and secure (with toothpicks or string).  Brown in butter.  Add 1 cup bouillon and wine.  Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.  Remove toothpicks before serving.

Hand-Dipped Homemade Chocolates

This recipe is a special Christmas confection.  It was given to me by my mother-in-law, Margaret Guthrie, and is originally from the Ogdensburg Home Bureau.  Everyone seems to have their favorite flavors.  Ours are cherry, maple, orange, raspberry, strawberry and butter rum.  Allow at least 2  hours to do steps 5, 6 and 7. 


Ingredients:

4.5 - 5 cups chocolate chips/broken chocolate bars (I use combination of semi-sweet and bittersweet)

2 lb. confections sugar

1/2 lb. sweet unsalted butter

1/4 bar paraffin wax, grated -- I use a box grater. (Gulf Brand is good -- available in the canning department or in some craft stores -- check for FDA approval)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Strawberry

Directions: (My notes on time say:  3 hours for steps 1-5 and also allow 2 1/2 hours to do steps 5,6 and 7 -- leave plenty of time no matter how you do the steps, especially with  times in the refrigerator/freezer, which makes it much easier)

(1) Mix together sugar, butter and sweetened condensed milk; mix well.

(2) Divide into dishes for flavoring and coloring -- I do 5 or 6 flavors.

(3)  Flavor with extracts -- you'll need 1 tsp. or more flavoring per bowl, to taste-- flavors to use: almond extract (for cherry flavor), maple extract, orange extract, vanilla extract, strawberry extract, raspberry extract, for butter rum -- use both butter and rum extracts.)

(4) Cover dishes with plastic wrap and refrigerate dishes (an hour or more).

(5)  One-by-one, remove dishes from the refrigerator, and roll the candy mixture into about 1 inch diameter balls. Place on a cookie sheet covered with foil (I label the foil with the flavors to keep track).  Stick a toothpick into each ball; set completed cookie sheet in freezer while finishing the rest. Repeat process with the rest of the dishes, keeping the bowls refrigerated until ready to roll into balls.  Freeze balls with toothpicks for at least 10 minutes before dipping in chocolate -- makes the dipping process easier. (Note:  This is a very messy step, you will need to wash your hands and utensils after each flavor.  Refreeze balls if they are too warm to work with.)  

(6)  Melt the chocolate/chocolate chips with the paraffin wax shavings in a double boiler; stirring until the wax is melted and the chocolate mixture is very smooth.

(7)  One flavor at a time, remove candy balls from the freezer and dip the candy in the melted chocolate holding the toothpick and quickly dipping and then swirling back and forth to get rid of extra chocolate before returning to the foil covered cookie sheet. Fill hole caused by toothpick with a dab of chocolate.  Repeat process for all flavors, returning dipped chocolates to the refrigerator. 

(8)  Put the dipped chocolates into individual white candy cups.

(9)  Keep chocolates in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Strawberry Shortcake

Easy summertime dessert:  Made on biscuits, pound cake, scones or shortcake, and topped with sweetened strawberries and freshly whipped cream:

French Walnut Oil Vinaigrette

 

This is the recipe from "La Tourangelle Roasted Walnut Oil", except the amount of balsamic vinegar has been reduced.  I have experimented with making my own walnut oil vinaigrette since my first salad at Restaurant St. Michel in Coral Gables, 29 years ago, where they served a very similar one as their house dressing.  The secret of this simple vinaigrette is to use roasted walnut oil, since plain walnut oil is not very flavorful, and make sure to refrigerate it once open to keep it fresh.  

This is very good on any mixed greens salad,  or French Roasted Beet Salad (recipe here from the French Essence blog by Vicki Archer).  I especially like this with some crumbled goat cheese and French bread!

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. Roasted Walnut Oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

Dash of salt, to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and enjoy.

Apple-Maple-Pecan Muffins

Made in the large (Texas size) muffin tins for 6 muffins. Leftovers are good sliced in half horizontally and reheated in the toaster oven. Recipe from my mother, Mary Jane Scanlon.

Makes 6 large (Texas size) muffins. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shelled pecans

1/3 cup chopped dried apple slices (1/4 inch pieces)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup chopped peeled apple (1/4 inch pieces)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup vegetable oil, preferably sunflower

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Using spray vegetable oil, coat a 6-muffin Texas size muffin pan and set aside. 

Lightly oil bowl and blades of food processor; in processor bowl, coarsely chop pecans and dried apple slices.  Transfer to mixing bowl.  Add flour, oatmeal, baking powder and soda, fresh apple and raisins.

In a 2-cup measuring cup, measure oil and syrup; add egg and vanilla; whisk until blended.  Pour over dry ingredients.  Stir with wooden spoon or spatula until just blended.  There should be a few spots of unblended flour.  Spoon batter into greased muffin cups; batter will almost fill each cup. 

Bake until muffins feel firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes in pan.  Carefully turn out of pan. Let the muffins cool on a rack a few minutes before serving.  Serves 6.