Monthly Cooking Thread - June 2022

[Jamestown1630]

- Photo: GreatLeap.com.my

The cake pictured above is a Malaysian Lapis (layer) Cake. It’s usually made as a ‘spicy’ cake with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and it can take an entire day to make one. They are generally purchased for special occasions in Malaysia.

If you’re up for trying something as colorful but not quite as gruelling to make, the blog ‘Mel’s Pantry Kitchen’ has posted a simplified ‘rainbow’ cake:

https://melspantrykitchen.blogspot.com/2012/09/rainbow-lapis-legit.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarawak_layer_cake

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I’ve been seeing an Arby’s commercial lately about a Chicken-Pecan salad sandwich. It looks wonderful in the ad, but there isn’t an Arby’s very convenient to us here, so I went looking for a recipe.

I found a video by ‘Rachel Cooks With Love’. Rachel’s videos are longer than many, because she explains everything she’s doing and why, and doesn’t cut corners. She is Mexican-American, lives half the year in Texas, and also offers wonderful Tex-Mex and Mexican recipes and techniques.

We’ve been getting free rotisserie chickens from the rewards program at our grocery, so I used that; though I’m sure it would be better with the poached breasts that Rachel uses. And, I had grapes for it, but left them out – it seemed like overkill. It turned out very, very good; but I wanted some little ‘zing’ that wasn’t there; so I think next time I’ll add some cayenne.

Here is her recipe:

Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans – Rachel Cooks With Love

(Suggested to be served on Croissant rolls)

3 Med/Lrg Boneless chicken breasts

3 celery ribs (diced)

3 green onions

1/2 C. dried cranberries

1/2 C. roasted pecan halves

1 heaping Cup red seedless grapes (cut in 4)

1 C. mayonnaise

2 Tbsp cream cheese (room temperature)

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp honey

zest of 1/2 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

ROASTED PECANS

1 tbls melted butter

1/2 C. pecan halves

pinch of salt

TO BOIL CHICKEN 3 chicken breasts

1 celery rib

small piece onion

1/3 tsp peppercorns

1 tsp salt

And her technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I-

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I used to have a friend who made really good corn fritters and was looking for a recipe for that.

Freeper Nopardons passed on her family recipe which comes from a very old cookbook by the Royal Baking Powder Company, ‘Anyone Can Bake’, copyrighted in 1929. I’ve since purchased a copy of this – they are still available from used bookstores – and it really is a wonderful little book with exhaustive information on all kinds of baking.

Here is Nopardon’s Family/Royal Baking Powder Recipe:

"This recipe calls for you to use fresh corn,but yes, you CAN use canned corn ( we use Delmonte’s ) and you don’t have to cook it first...just drain it."

CORN FRITTERS:

1/2 cup milk

2 cups boiled corn cut from the cob

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder

1 tablespoon melted shortening ( we use Crisco )

2 eggs

Add milk to corn; then add the flour sifted with salt, pepper, and baking powder, then add the shortening with the well beaten eggs.

Beat all together well and fry by spoonfuls in fat hot enough to fry a piece of bread in 60 seconds 375 F. Drain well on unglazed paper (paper towels to us... LOL ) and serve immediately.

Makes 18 fritters.

Next I want to do Eggplant Fritters. That was one of my father’s ‘hangover cures’, and I think my Grandmother made them with slices of eggplant, instead of chopping it up.

-JT

[leaning conservative]

Good morning JT! Those cakes are so beautiful, works of art really. Unfortunately I have never liked any kind of spice cake. Chicken salad recipe looks great.

[leaning conservative]

Those look amazing & simple to make. Will try. I need to get tapioca flour.

[Jamestown1630]

You could flavor them any way you want - they’re probably just typical of Malaysian tastes.

I think sometimes they’re made with preserves between the layers.

[leaning conservative]

And deep fried mushrooms dipped in something creamy....heaven😋

[Jamestown1630]

They serve some kind of dip with them at the Fair, but I can’t remember what it was like.

[FamiliarFace]

I’ve been using boiling water for my pie crusts for about 50 years. My recipe is called a “Water-Whip” Piecrust, and it has never failed me. I guess I was lucky that I found this recipe as a young teen. My Dad LOVED apple pie, and he would request one frequently for dessert. I can just about make one in my sleep (ok, not really, but I do make a darn good one.) Here’s my recipe.

“Water-Whip” Piecrust

3/4 c. solid shortening
1/4 c. boiling water
1 tbsp. milk
2 c. sifted flour (all purpose)
1 tsp. salt

Add boiling water and milk to shortening. Beat with a fork with rapid cross-the-bowl strokes, until the mixture is smooth and holds soft peaks when fork is lifted. Sift flour and salt together, mix in with shortening mixture. Stir quickly around the bowl until the dough clings together. Separate in half and shape. Roll between 2 pieces of waxed paper. Makes enough for (2) 9” crusts, a 9” lattice top pie, or 9 tart shells.

I follow the baking directions for the pie, which on my apple pie is 425 for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. I do usually put a cover on the edges of the crust so that they don’t get too brown.

[Jamestown1630]

I had never known about boiled water crust. I will have to try. When you say ‘solid shortening’ do you mean something like Crisco?

[FamiliarFace]

Yes, Crisco.

[noexcuses]

Thank you! I will try this when the berries get ripe.

[FamiliarFace]

To tell you the truth, I think I add the boiling water first for a bit to get the shortening melted, then add the milk soon after. I don’t think I add them at the same time though I probably used to do it that way early on. But make sure that water just came off the kettle. Seems to do great.

[Jamestown1630]

Thanks.

[pops88]

Thanks for that recipe. It sounds easy enough for me to attempt. I haven’t made a pie crust in many decades, yet have had pie weights for many years. A girl can dream...!

[FamiliarFace]

You’re welcome! I love this recipe. It’s just right. Another piece of advice, you may want to refrigerate it for a few minutes before removing it from the wax paper. Sometimes it sticks to the wax paper when you go to take it off. On occasion that has happened to me. Usually my kitchen was hotter than I realized. It usually nice and flaky, but not too flaky. That’s the way I like them.

[Flaming Conservative]

Yummy!

[pops88]

Thank you. I added that note to the recipe.
:)