Recreating Mormon Sweets from Yesteryear.

The inspiration to go through various cookbooks, dedicated to Utah, was once again due to autumn knocking at the door. Typically, we wait to see if woolly caterpillars will give us any hints as to what kind of winter will be around the corner.  If a few, not too much snow; if an abundance, better make sure the pantry is filled with all our necessities.  This year though, no woolly caterpillars have made an appearance, and that was definitely a first for us.

However, we have noticed something new; those pesky paper wasps have been trying to build hives inside our sheds suddenly.  Then there is the outdoor clowder of cats, and they too have been doing a new behavior; hoarding dry food inside corners of their kitty condos.  Gut instinct is telling us to watch and learn from this, and we believe it is going to be a very snowy winter.

So, back to the pantry and an inventory of what we have, what we are low on, or anything new we wanted to add for more variety.  There was the local farmers’ market to pick up freshly made jams and jellies; and a variety of vegetables for drying and freezing.  For apples, I had already processed several pounds worth into pie filling or dehydrated slices for snacking, or rehydrating for other uses.  Applesauce and apple butter though I purchased as I do have my limitations.

Then the idea struck me, “What did those pioneers from the 1800s do to prep for winter?”  Oh, I have a couple of books for that information, but I wanted to know even more.  So, to the internet I went and found another book I had not seen before.  It was written by Winnifred C. Jardine, and when it came to writing about food, she and I had a little bit in common.  I say little bit as I began writing this food column, for the San Juan Record, in January 2015, so for nine years and nine months.  Time does fly when having fun, and it has been a thrill ride of learning about Pioneer, Native American and Mexican recipes.  I have also enjoyed introducing readers to cooking styles throughout the United States, and cuisines from around the world.

As for Winnifred C. Jardine, she joined the Deseret News in 1948 to help with a "Pioneer Recipes" contest and cookbook as part of the News' centennial celebration. When the food editor position came open the next year, she agreed to do it if she could work from home (gee, just like I do).  She ended up being the food editor of the Deseret News for 36 years.  Besides being the food editor, she wrote three cookbooks, “A Melting Pot of Pioneer Recipes,” for The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (1972), “Mormon Country Cooking” (1980), and “Managing Your Meals” (1987).

Luckily, I could find a reprint of many of the recipes from “A Melting Pot of Pioneer Recipes”, and two seemed to fit the theme of using food items that were prepped for use later on.  While the first pioneers to reach Utah, in 1847, had only what they could carry in carts; they knew that it was very important to begin gardening, gathering, harvesting and storing.  As the months passed, many others came to Utah bringing supplies, but not prepared for a harsh winter.

Quote: “While the first few companies of pioneers were comprised mostly of New Englanders, other states were sparsely represented, as were Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Scandinavia, Germany, and even Spain and Australia. Within the next five years thousands more from other European countries poured into Zion. And with them came their favorite national recipes.”

Swedish Jam Cake and Apple Candy were two recipes I chose from the reprinted selection.  Now, the thing with older recipes is, trying to make sense of the ingredient list and the preparation instructions.  What the author might have just copied without thinking about it, or took for granted that anyone would make sense of it, is just not so.  For example, while the ingredient list does state “3 eggs, separated”, the instruction to beat the egg whites is not in there.  Oh, a last-minute instruction is “Fold in beaten egg whites”, but how much beaten?  Just till clear and foamy, or until stiff peaks form?  Since the method to add them was “folding”, my experience told me stiff peaks, but a beginner might not know that.

This cake, after baking, is similar to a spice cake, and has a hint of strawberry with each bite.  The cake is also extremely moist, so while the first piece was eaten with a dollop of whipped cream; afterwards, it just was a hindrance to the flavor of the cake.  By the way, if you do not want to purchase buttermilk, simply add one tablespoon of white vinegar to one cup of milk; wait 15 minutes and you have perfect soured and tangy milk for the cake.

The Apple Candy was a huge surprise as it is basically apple flavored Turkish Delight.  To make Turkish Delight, water and cornstarch are boiled with the sugar, while the apple candy uses unflavored gelatin (Yes, they still make Knox gelatin).  The only issue I had was the pan size, it is not stated; a 10” x 6” loaf pan makes the mixture too thick, but an 8” x 8” square pan is just right.  After placing the boiled mixture, overnight, in the refrigerator, the next day was cutting into 8 strips across, 8 strips down for a total of 64 pieces.  Yes, if you would like larger sized squares, cut a lesser number of equal strips.

I let Roy try the first square and he exclaimed, “You made Turkish Delight!”; so, I tried a piece and he was so right.

 

Swedish Jam Cake

 Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs, separated (beat egg whites to stiff peaks)

Pinch salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

2 and 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. allspice

1 cup strawberry jam

Cream butter and sugar; add beaten egg yolks and salt. Dissolve soda in buttermilk. Sift together flour and spices and add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, adding flour last. Beat well and add jam. Fold in beaten egg whites. Bake in greased and floured 8x8-inch pan at 375° F. for 30 to 35 minutes.

 

Apple Candy

 Ingredients:

2 tablespoons gelatin (2 (.25 oz.) packets)

1 and 1/4 cups cold applesauce

2 cups sugar

1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios or combo are best)

1 Tbsp. vanilla

Soak gelatin in 1/2 cup cold applesauce for 10 minutes. Combine remaining applesauce and sugar and boil 10 minutes. Add gelatin and applesauce mixture and boil 15 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add nuts and vanilla, and pour into slightly greased pan (8” x 8”). Let set overnight in refrigerator. Then cut in squares and roll in powdered sugar.

Mary Cokenour