Cooking Plain, Illinois Country Style

Desserts and Confections

Apples Desserts and Confections Today's schoolkids are intrigued with the image of Johnny Appleseed clamping through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana wearing a long-handled cooking pot on his head and planting apple seeds in clear spaces here and there. There is no doubt that at least a few of the apple orchards planted in southern lllinois in the first half of the nineteenth century were seedlings from Johnny Appleseed's (John Chapman) planting crusade. Apples were the hardiest of the early fruit plantings, which probably explains why so many apple recipes have been handed down. The early settlers would have fared poorly without cider, vinegar, apple butter, apple pies, puddings and cakes, dried apples for winter use, and applejack. Apple Pudding 1 Puddings, baked or boiled, were the most popular desserts in the early days, possibly because they could be steamed on top of the stove or baked at variable temperatures without much damage being done. Cakes and pies required more even temperatures during cooking , for best results, to say nothing of closer attention needed to prevent overcooking. 5 apples, unpeeled and diced (2 cups) Jonathans or Winesaps best 1;2 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 egg, unbeaten 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1;2 teaspoon salt Dash of cardamom, if desired 1;2 cup chopped pecans or hickory nuts (optional) Prepare apples and set aside. Cream butter, add sugar gradually, and when fluffy and light, add egg, and mix well. Sift dry Ingredients together and add to creamed mixture. Toss the apples into the batter, 187 188 Cooking Plain and if you wish a bit more texture, stir in % cup chopped pecans or hickory nuts. Turn into a greased 8-by-8-by-2-inch-pan. Bake at 3500 for 45 minutes, or until done. May be served warm with hard sauce (see page 197) or cold with whipped cream. Serves 6. Apple Pudding 2 It seemed that we were honored with unexpected guests on washdays, which were drudgery days at our house. When the cranktype washing machine was broken down, which happened frequently, our mother scrubbed out the clothing for her brood on the washboard, with a couple of us girls turning the wringer and smaller kids helping in various ways. During apple season this pudding was thrown together by our mother when these unexpected guests "stopped by," to top off an otherwise mediocre meal of perhaps beans and pork shank which had been simmering on the stove. Y4 cup butter % cup sugar 1 egg, unbeaten 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon soda ~ teaspoon cinnamon ~ teaspoon nutmeg 1~ cups chopped tart apples 1 tablespoon cream (if needed) % cup other fruit and/or nuts, if desired (may be apricots, plums, pecans, hickory nuts, walnuts) Cream butter and sugar. Add unbeaten egg and beat well. Sift flour with soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and stir into butter mixture. Beat hard. Add apples and cream, and any additional fruit and/or nuts desired. Bake at 3500 in lightly greased 8-by-8-by-2-inch pan for about 45 minutes. Serve with sauce. To make pudding sauce: 1 cup sugar 1Y2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 cup apple juice Y4 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon grated orange rind 2 tablespoons butter Sift sugar with cornstarch. Combine apple and orange juice and stir into cornstarch slowly, continuing to stir until smooth. Add orange rind and butter, and cook over low heat until thick. Serve hot. Serves 6 to 8. Desserts and Confections 189 Note: This recipe can be extended by doubling the amount of apples used. For special occasions the pudding may be baked in individual greased molds. This recipe is enough for 6 molds; or 8, if more apple is added. Bake at 3500 for 30 minutes. Apple Pudding 3 A plain everyday dessert recipe from my family files. For one of those days when dinner time is at hand and there is no dessert for a dessert-loving family. It can bake while you're eating. 2 cups apples, unpeeled, chopped (Jonathans preferred) 1 cup sugar 1 cup all-purpose flour % teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon soda¥z teaspoon cinnamon¥z teaspoon nutmeg 1;4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 egg, beaten¥2 cup raisins (optional) 1 cup pecans, hickory nuts. or walnuts. chopped 1 tablespoon butter Mix chopped apples with sugar and set aside while assembling...