Recipes

Cretons

2 lb ground pork (regular grind, not lean, actually tastes *bad*; tried it) 1 WHOLE garlic (minced) 1 small onion (minced) 2 tblsp minced fresh parsley (or more, to taste) 1 tsp chives (minced)

Pepper to taste Salt Dash of allspice (optional) Water

- In a pot, fry pork, onion and garlic.  Try to get a little brown
- Add rest of ingredients (reserve some parsley to add at the end to freshen the flavour) and cover with water
- Add salt so that it tastes just a touch TOO salty
- Simmer until only liquid left is fat (about 1.5 hours) – to soften meat
- Test periodically to adjust salt and pepper
- Add last of the parsley and cook for another few minutes to blend
- Take off heat. 
- If you prefer it smooth, you can run a blender through it, or just leave coarse – or just use a hand blender for a couple pulses so a little gets mushed and acts as binder when it cools while the rest remains coarse for texture

Put into small containers. Press lightly with a spoon after depositing, so liquid rises to the top
Refrigerate
Serve on bread or crackers
Great on toasted bread for breakfast
can be frozen though will change texture a little


Crèpe

1c of milk 1c of flour 1 egg 1tblsp of butter (melted) dash of salt dash of vanilla

butter for frying grated cheddar cheese (optional topping) maple syrup (the real stuff, please)

- Blend the first column together: hand whip or blender or fork, whatever
- Take your non-stick frying pan (I wish you luck practicing to manage it on a stainless one) and put JUST enough butter to coat it.  If there is butter liquid in the pan it will not cook right.
- Make sure the pan is HOT BEFORE you pour the crèpe; the first crèpe is usually not right (still perfectly edible, mind you) because we never wait long enough " because the butter starts to smoke..)
- HOW TO POUR:
  * hold the pan slightly tilted
  * start gently pouring near the top edge of the pan
  * pour FAR LESS than you think you need, and start tilting the pan to coat the bottom of the pan. The batter isn't *water* thin, so it will not make a wafer-thin French crèpe.  it will instead make a 'thin' but opaque and not-flimsy crèpe.
  * if the batter stops spreading out before you've coated the bottom of your pan, pour a very little more near where you need it and tilt to coat
- Once the pan is coated, put it back on the high-heat element.  Not max setting, but a little more than 3/4, depending on how hot your stove gets and the size of your pan.
- At first the batter will stick to the pan, just leave it be.  after a minute or two, if you jiggle the pan, the crèpe should start to let go the edges and will eventually slide back and forth loose on the pan.
- I like my crèpes to have a bit of colour (at least light brown, but I like a little burnt), but if you want them pale, you can flip it with a spatula once it has let go the pan, else, use the spatula to lift the edge and check the colour.
- Once flipped, it won't take long so don't dawdle sprinkling a half-handful of cheese on top (you don't want to cover the top. just speckle it. trust me, it's enough and will be filing)
  **NB: you could also sprinkle some chopped ham.  or skip the cheese and instead put jam or nutella after it's done cooking.. or whatever else strikes your fancy
- Depending how close you were with the butter in the pan and how hot your stove is, you need to stay close and watch for smoke and then use the spatula to see if its ready to your taste.  Usually by the time the cheese has melted, the bottom is quite ready too.
- Once ready, slide it onto a plate. 
- Immediately (don't let the pan cool!!) throw some putter in your pan, it'll sizzle and run so tilt the pan to coat it and then pour your crèpe
- While the second one is cooking, you can roll the last one immediately, or you can put a single line of filling in the middle and then roll it up. 
- You can cook a bunch ahead and roll them and then cook more so that everyone eats at the same time.. or pour maple syrup on top and start munching as you keep watch on the next one

Makes 5-6 crèpes
2 is usually enough for a person for breakfast


White sauce with Ham

¼ lb butter 3 heaped tsp flour 1 heaped tsp chicken stock powder ~1 ½ cups milk ½ cup water

Dash of pepper 1 small onion, minced 4 pieces garlic, minced Juice of ½ a lemon (~2 tsp) 2 heaped tblsp each: celery, parsley and chive ¾ to 1 cup cubed ham

- Put flour and chicken stock in a mug, add a cup of milk and stir thoroughly.
- Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Add leftover milk, and approximately another ½ cup of water, until sauce is consistency of a nice thick sauce. Add dash of pepper and minced parsley and chive. Add lemon juice.
- Quick fry ham and minced celery in a little butter and add to sauce.

Toss with 3 to 4 cups cooked linguini noodles then put in a 6"x6" oven pan. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and grated white cheddar.
Broil for 10 minutes, or until golden.
Serves 4 small portions.



Christmas Recipes
These are the 2 things that my folks used to always make for Christmas back East (in Québec).
Donuts that would then be served for desert with a plate of icing sugar to rub your donut on, if you like; and mincemeat which we would use tomake tarts (small pies).
I don't know if the custom came from my mother's French Canadian family, or my father's british side... lol, such is modern culture, all cultures made one.
Mincemeat

½ cup freshly chopped suet ½ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon allspice

¾ cup dark raisins ¾ cup white raisins 2/3 cup mixed, chopped, dried, orange and lemon peel 1/3 cup finally chopped almonds 2 small tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced

¼ teaspoon vanilla flavouring 1 lemon, grated rind and juice 1 cup brandy

- Combine all ingredients in a large crock, except brandy. Mix thoroughly. Stir in the brandy gradually.
- Cover the crock and set in a cool place for 1 month.
- Check the mincemeat occasionally and add more brandy, 2 tablespoon at a time, as the fruits absorb the liquid.
- After a month the mincemeat may be refrigerated if you are not ready to use it.
- Will keep indefinitely.

The popular use for mincemeat is in small pies called tarts.
You take your regular pie crust dough,
- cut it into circles about 5-6 inches across,
- drape these into lightly greased muffin pans (without paper muffin things!),
- add about a heaping teaspoon of mincemeat (more or less, to taste),
- cut a slightly smaller circle of dough (about 2.5 inches across),
- and cut a ½" X in their center then drape them on top of the mincemeat,
- use a fork or fingers to lightly press the top layer of dough into the upper rim of the tart bottom.
- cook in oven until light brown
Donuts

¼ cup butter 1 cup sugar 3 eggs ½ cup 15% crème

4 cup all-purpose flour 2 Tablespoons baking powder 1 Teaspoon salt ¼ Teaspoon nutmeg

½ cup milk Vanilla to taste

- Cream the butter; add sugar, crème and eggs (one at a time, beating as you go). Beat 'til smooth.
- Mix together: flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
- Fold into wet ingredient mix, alternating with the milk and vanilla.
- Put dough in wax paper and let sit over night (or at least several hours).
- Roll dough down to about ¼¨ thickness. Cut into donut shape and fry in oil (enough oil so donuts DO NOT touch bottom).
- Flip when light to medium brown on first side, pull out when both sides browned to wishes.
- Do same as above with holes of course!

Can be served with plate of icing sugar to 'dip' in.
Stollen
These quantities will make 3 Stollen
of at least 2 pounds each.
in 3 weeks : Rum mixture takes 2 weeks to mature, and Stollen will then need to sit for another week to acquire flavours.


1 bottle dark Rum
1 cups raisins
1 cup currants
1 cup mixed candied citrus peels
1 cups candied cherries (mixed red and green)

Mix all ingredients together and put in large glass jar. Add rum so as to cover completely. Make a lid with plastic wrap and elastics (any twist-on cap could make too good a seal, not allowing rum fermentation to dissipate; this could bust your jar!!). Let stand 2 weeks.

2 cups warm milk
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dry yeast

Take milk, sugar and dry yeast. Stir and let stand a few minutes until yeast bubbles ups thoroughly.

1 dozen eggs
2 cups blanched almonds
2 cups granulated sugar
2-4 Kg of white all purpose flour
2½ pounds salted butter (or unsalted butter + 1 teaspoon salt)
Powdered sugar

In very large container, mix yeast mixture, eggs, rum mixture (including any unabsorbed rum), blanched almonds and sugar. Add enough white flour so that all liquid is absorbed as you knead dough. While kneading, gradually add 2 pounds melted butter (make sure butter is also absorbed with flour).

Adjust sugar to taste. If unsalted butter was used, add salt. At this point, alternate between adding small amounts of milk and flour so as to get a good consistency dough (knead until no longer sticky).

Take cooking sheets, put vegetable oil on, then drop flour on top; shake off extra [loose] flour. Any other greasing will burn bottom of Stollen.

Divide dough into loaves that are 1½ feet long and 5" wide. Take melted butter and brush exposed surfaces of dough. Make a shallow cut along the middle of the loaf. Cover with a cloth, put in warm area (on top of stove that is at ~~200F) and let stand. After it has doubled in size, bake in oven between 350 and 400F until tapping a spoon on the top makes a hollow sound (min 2 hours); Stollen should be medium brown on top.

Once cooked, brush with melted butter again and sprinkle with powdered sugar using a sieve (tea leaf filter is very good). Next day, brush ½ cup of rum repeatedly over Stollen, so as to soak it. Then brush with butter again and add final coat of powdered sugar. Put Stollen in airtight container for about 1 week so that all flavours soak in.

This is the basic recipe of a very good German Stollen. All ingredient amounts can be adjusted proportionally to make more or less Stollen.



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