HOUSEHOLD NOTES June 2010

Boy's legs and birthday cake
Hearty fare for hard work or hard play

Edited by Anne Gray
We have a number of recipes this month that are great for Dutch oven preparation, in keeping with the article written by Sandra Phinney on her love of the utensil, page 10. One of these is in response to a request from Leon Marchand from Petite de Grat, N.S.
That request for Dutch Meat Rolls with sauce had my mouth watering. I like meat rolls, and I like meat with sauce, so it sounded like a winning combination. But no matter where we looked or who we asked, the Dutch cooks we knew just didn't come up with the recipe. Then, in the same week, we had recipes come in from two sources, and an explanation to boot.
The Dutch is Pennsylvania Dutch. Aha, that's why my German genes were zinging. Meat, potatoes, flour, fat: of course my heart was beating. It was the genetic memory of trying to digest that working man's meal. When we look at recipes, we see them through the eyes of 21st century beings. We need to look again, and try to imagine the generations before us, when chores were done morning and night by lamp light, because all the daylight hours were needed in the field, wielding hoes, axes, forks, and adzes; teaming horses pulling plows and more. Those ancestors needed the potatoes, and bread, and . . . . Today we sit in front of our computers, and mow our lawn with an electric machine, and drive everywhere, and . . . life is different, needs are different. But we have the recipe now, and are delighted to share it with our readers.

BOOVA SHENKEL (DUTCH MEAT BALLS)
Kim Waalderbos
(Kim wrote) "I just finished reading the April 2010 edition and noticed that you were looking for a Dutch Meat Rolls with sauce recipe in the 'Household Notes' section. It didn't immediately ring a bell with me, so I searched through my Dutch cookbooks to see what I could find with no luck; then I logged onto the Internet with more success.
"I think what your reader might be looking for is actually a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for Boova Shenkel (aka bova shankel or boy's legs). It sounds like a specialty dish that is rare to eat because of the time it takes to make."

Brooke Gray, Cherry Hill, N.S.(Brooke wrote) "I think this may be the recipe you are looking for. My version is excerpted from "Pennsylvania Dutch Cookery," J. George Frederick, 1936."

2 1/2 lbs beef
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon lard
2 tablespoons minced parsley
10 or 12 potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup milk
1 cup croutons
salt
pepper

After seasoning the beef with salt and pepper, stew the meat for two or three hours until thoroughly tender. Then make the dough, sifting the flour, adding baking powder, salt, lard, and one tablespoon butter. Mix into a pie crust-like dough. Roll into a dozen circles of eight to 10 inches in diameter.
Steam the potatoes, pared and sliced thin; add salt and pepper, two tablespoons butter, the parsley and onion, and then lightly beat the three eggs into the mixture. Put this mixture on the circles of dough, after it has stood a little while. Roll over and press the pastry edges together tightly along the edge. Skim the fat from the stew pot before putting in the dough rolls. Drop these into the stew pot with the meat and its stew water. Cover the pot tightly and cook slowly for 30 minutes.
To make a sauce for this, combine the reserved fat in a frying pan with one tablespoon of butter to brown the diced stale bread croutons, adding half a cup of milk. Pour this sauce over the rolls when serving.

CHICKEN GUMBO
Sandra Phinney, Yarmouth, N.S.

2 lbs boneless chicken, in large chunks
1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons oil
2 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 quarts water
1 large can tomatoes
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
6 okra cut in 1-inch pieces
1 tbsp Summer savory
2 bay leaves

Put the flour and meat in a bag and shake. Heat the bottom of Dutch oven, brown the onion in oil, then add everything else. Cover and cook for an hour.
It's easy to substitute beef for chicken. Cut in smaller pieces; use tarragon instead of Summer savory and cook a little longer.

POTATO CELERY SOUP
Sandra Phinney, Yarmouth, N.S.
"You can easily add other ingredients to this soup such as peas, carrots, and cooked ham."

3 tablespoons butter
4 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
6 potatoes, diced
4 cups water
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
2 tablespoons parsley
5-6 cups milk

Melt the butter and brown the celery and onions. Add everything else except the milk. Cover and cook for 30-45 minutes. Remove the cover, and add the milk. Cover again for five minutes.

June is our birthday month, and RD has been around for 34 years, so we're going to splurge with the richest, most decadent cake we know. Use the best quality chocolate and coffee you can find. It's worth it. This cake will serve dozens, well, almost dozens.
Happy birthday from our house to you.


Chocolate Espresso Mousse Layer Cake
RD House Recipe

Chocolate espresso cake:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup cake flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup freshly brewed coffee, cooled

Espresso soaking syrup:
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon strong espresso

Chocolate espresso mousse:
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons freshly ground coffee beans
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
11/2 cups heavy cream

Chocolate glaze:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or pieces
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:
Chocolate covered espresso beans

To make the cake: Position rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper. Dust the sides of pan with flour and tap out the excess.
Melt the chocolate according to directions. Set aside to cool until tepid. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and whisk until blended. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about one minute. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and beat at high speed until creamy and light, about two minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract, then the egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the sour cream, then the melted chocolate, and mix until blended. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating it with coffee in two additions and beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until blended.
In a clean dry bowl of the electric mixer, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites at medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat at medium-high speed until soft peaks begin to form. Gradually add the remaining two tablespoons sugar and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten whites into the chocolate batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edge has pulled away slightly from the side of pan and the centre of the cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack, peel off the paper and cool completely.
To make the soaking syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and bring the syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the espresso mixture. Cool.
To make the mousse: In a small saucepan, combine the milk and ground coffee; heat over medium-high heat until scalding. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Pass the milk through a fine-mesh sieve and return it to the saucepan.
Place the chocolate in the bowl of a food processor. Process just until finely ground, about 20 seconds. Place the milk over medium-high heat until scalding. With the food processor running, pour the hot milk through the feed tube and process until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Add the vanilla extract and process until blended. Scrape the chocolate mixture into a large bowl.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream on high speed until medium-firm peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture in three additions.
To assemble the cake: Use a long serrated knife to slice the cake horizontally into two layers of equal thickness. Place one layer in the bottom of a 9 1/2-inch spring form pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the cake layer with half of the espresso soaking syrup. Scrape half of the mousse on top of the cake layer in the pan. Use a small metal spatula to smooth the mousse into an even layer, letting it fill the gap between the cake and the side of pan. Place the second cake layer on top of the mousse. Brush the cake with the remaining syrup. Scrape the remaining mousse on top of the cake, spreading it evenly. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze for at least three hours, or up to two days, until firm.
To make the glaze: Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream and corn syrup to a gentle boil. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds. Gently whisk until the chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
To glaze the cake: Remove the cake from the freezer and uncover. Dip a thin-bladed knife in hot water and wipe dry. Run the knife between the cake and the side of the pan, re-dipping and wiping as necessary to keep the knife hot. Remove the side of the spring form pan. Place the cake on a wire rack and set the rack over a piece of parchment or wax paper to catch the drips. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Use a small metal spatula to smooth the glaze over the cake, covering it completely. Transfer the cake to a serving plate. Scrape any leftover glaze on the paper into a small, sealable plastic bag or parchment cone. Snip a small hole in the corner of the bag and drizzle the glaze diagonally over the top of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least two hours before serving, to let it thaw. Garnish the cake with chocolate-covered espresso beans.



Mail your recipes, household hints, and requests to Household Notes, care of Rural Delivery, Box 1509, Liverpool, NS B0T 1K0.