2 cups milk
1 cup unsprayed marigold petals
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
1 to 2-inch piece vanilla bean
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. rose water
whipped cream
Using a clean mortar and pestle reserved for cooking purposes, pound
marigold petals. Or, crush with a spoon. Mix the salt, sugar and spices
together. Scald milk with the marigolds and the vanilla bean. Remove the
vanilla bean and add the slightly beaten yolks and dry ingredients. Cook on low heat. When the mixture coats a spoon, add rose water and cool.
Top with whipped cream, garnish with fresh marigold petals.
Crescent Cakes from Scott Cunningham's "Wicca: A guide for the Solitary Practitioner"
1 cup firmly ground almonds
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
2 drops almond extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg yolk
Combine almonds, flour, sugar and extract until thoroughly mixed. with the hands, work in butter and egg yolk until well-blended. Chill dough. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of walnuts and shape into crescents. Place on greased sheets and bake for about 20 minutes. Serve during Simple Feast, especially at Esbats.
Fried Honeycakes
These small cakes are not unlike those made on the night before Beltane by women around the turn of the century. These cakes were left in the garden to please fairy vistors.
1/2 cup sweet white wine
1 egg
2/3 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup honey
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Oil for frying
Beat the wine and egg in a medium bowl. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Stir into the egg misture. Let stand 30 minutes.
Combine the honey and nutmeg in a small bowl. Heat 1/2-inch of the oil in a frying pan until hot but no smoking. Drop the batter into the oil 1
tablespoon at a time; fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Dip
into the honey.
Yield: 1 1/2 dozen
Magical Atrributes: Kinship with the Cevie and Faery world.
Celebrations: May Day, Lammas, Day of the Dryads.
Soft Mead
1 quart water, preferably spring water
1 cup honey
1 sliced lemon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Boil together all ingredients in a non-metallic pot. While boiling, scrape
off the rising "scum" with a wooden spoon. When no more rises add the
following:
pinch salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
Strain and cool. Drink in place of alcoholic mead or wine during the Simple Feast.
Recipe for Wassail, for 8
3 red apples
3 oz brown sugar
2 pints brown ale, apple cider, or hard cider
1/2 pint dry sherry or dry white wine
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
strips of lemon peel
Core and heat apples with brown sugar and some of the ale or cider in an
oven for 30 minutes. Put in large pan and add rest of spices and lemon peel, simmer on stove top of 5 minutes. Add most of the alcohol at the last minute so it heats up but does not evaporate. Burgundy and brandy can be substituted to the ale and sherry. White sugar and halved oranges may also be added to taste.
Recipe for Plum Pudding
1/4 lb. flour
1/4 lb. currants
1 tsp. salt
1/4 lb. sultanas (small raisins)
1 tsp. allspice
2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tsp. ginger
1 ounce cut mixed (citrus) peel
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 oz. shredded almonds
pinch fresh grated nutmeg
Juice and grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon
1/4 lb. fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 lb. molasses (treacle)
1/2 lb. shredded suet
4 large eggs
1/4 lb. brown sugar
2 tbsp. brandy
1/4 lb. dried chopped apricots
1/4 lb. prunes
1/4 lb dates
Sift flour, salt and spices into a large bowl. Stir in breadcrumbs, suet and
sugar. Add fruits, peel and rind. Beat lemon and orange juice, molasses and eggs together and add to other ingredients. Steam for 6 hours -- a coffee tin filled with the mixture and placed in a steamer in a covered pan does well.
A little vinegar and lemon juice in the water will prevent the pan from
discoloration. After steaming cover in a cool place and let age as long as
possible - usually about 5 weeks. To serve, re-steam for another 3 hours.
Remove from tin, douse with warm brandy and set it ablaze!
If you haven't got six weeks before Yule to prepare a proper pudding a
thinned one will do fine. Just be sure to always heat the pudding first, no
matter who made it, or all the warmed brandy in the world won't help. And don't forget the hard sauce!
Cherry-Chocolate Blossoms
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter -- softened
2 teaspoons maraschino cherry liquid
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 to 4 drops red food coloring
2 1/2 cups Pillsbury BEST all Purpose or Unbleached Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup maraschino cherries -- drained and chopped
48 milk chocolate candy drops or pieces
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, cherry liquid, almond extract and food color; blend well.
Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour and salt; mix well. Stir in cherries. If necessary for easier handling, cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Immediately top each cookie with candy; press down firmly. Remove from cookie sheets.
Yield: about 4 dozen
Irish Mist Brownies
Brownie:
1/2 cup butter
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 to 3 drops green food color
Drizzle:
1/2 cup real semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
Oven at 350 degrees.
Melt 1/2 cup butter and 2 squares chocolate in 2-quarter saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly. Be careful not to burn the chocolate mixture. Stir constantly until smooth. Remove pan from heat. stir in all remaining brownie ingredients until well mixed.
Spread batter into greased 8 or 9-inch square baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until brown begins to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely.
Combine all frosting ingredients in small mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until creamy. Spread over cooled brownie bars. Drizzle with melted chocolate chips. Cool completely, cut into bars. Store in refrigerator, tightly covered.
Chocolate Malt Cheesecake
Graham Cracker Crust:
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons melted butter
Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8-oz. blocks) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup chocolate malted milk powder
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
Oven 325 degrees.
For the crust, in a large mixing bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press mixture onto the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. Bake crust in oven for 6 minutes, then cool.
Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla together in a large mixing bowl for about 5 minutes.
Mix malted milk powder and milk, stir and pour into cream cheese, sugar and vanilla mixture. Mix well.
Add eggs, one at a time. Mix well after each egg.
Bake cheesecake at 325 for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for a few hours. Remove from pan. Garnish with freshly whipped cream, crushed malted milk balls and drizzle cheesecake with 1 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Variation: Add 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels to batter.
Cover cheesecake tightly, refrigerate at least 24 hours.
Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 375F. In large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter, sugars and vanilla about 2 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs; beat well.
In a medium size bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa,baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop batter by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 7 minutes or until cookies are set. Cool on cookie sheets
1minute. Remove from sheet to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes about 3 dozen.
Zesty Cheese Twists from Potato Bread
Basic Potato Bread Dough
2 cups mashed potatoes
2 cups scalded, then cooled milk
3 heaping teaspoons yeast, dissolved in 1 cup hot water
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
10 - 12 cups white flour
Mix , knead and set in large greased bowl until doubled in size.
The Zesty Cheese Twists
Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, set one aside and knead all the rest. Roll dough into rectangular shape 12 x 18". Spread with 1/2 cup of melted butter and sprinkle with the following spices:
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 heaping tablespoon of Cheesoning (found in popcorn aisle)
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1 cup of cheddar cheese
Optional - sprinkle with oregano.
Slide left hand under the left side and right hand under the right side. Flip right side over to middle of dough then flip left side over the top. Cut whole long rectangle in half or into 1" strips and pull and twist bread strips and press onto greased pan. Rise until double in size.
Bake at 350� for 20 - 25 minutes or until deep golden brown.
Use the remaining dough for second pan of Zesty Cheese Twists or
for Cinnamon Rolls.
Grandma's Divinity
[I will confess upfront that I have a love/hate relationship with this recipe. Like many candies, if it is too humid, it will not work. -- Elspeth]
2 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup white corn syrup
2 egg whites
2/3 cup nuts, chopped
Stir sugar, corn syrup, and water over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring until it reaches the hard ball stage. Beat egg whites until stiff. Continue beating while pouring hot syrup in a thin stream. Add vanilla, beat until it thickens and becomes dull looking. Fold in nuts, and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool.
