Vintage Recipes from Erma May

With our love of all things grape and wine these days, I offer this vintage recipe for your files and something different to offer your family and friends. Especially good for a jolly, jelly holiday dessert.

Hint: a good idea to read this recipe fully before tackling. It is a recipe for those who love to cook. All the ingredients can be organic if you choose.

Ingredients

½ c. butter, softened

1 ½ c. Smuckers grape jelly, (or any brand that you may have)

2 eggs

1 c. whole wheat flour

¾ c. all-purpose flour

¼ c. wheat germ

2 ½ tsp. baking powder (recipe to make your own follows)

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

½ c. milk

½ c. chopped walnuts

½ c. seedless raisins

½ c. Smuckers grape jelly, melted

Whipped Cream is optional for topping the pudding, but why not?

You will need a pudding mold, aluminum foil and a pan for steaming with a rack.

Butter and lightly flour pudding mold and set aside. Butter one side of foil for covering mold while steaming.

Cream the butter in large mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in 1 ½ cups grape jelly. Add eggs and beat until well blended. Add flours, wheat germ, baking powder, pie spice, salt and milk. Beat at low speed until mixed. Beat at medium speed until fluffy. Fold in walnuts and raisins with mixing spoon.

Spoon your batter into the prepared pudding mold. Cover tightly with the buttered foil. Place on a rack in large saucepan. Pour in enough boiling water to come half way up the side of mold. Simmer covered for 1 ½ hours or until pudding tests done.

Let stand in pan on the rack for 5 minutes. Loosen edge, invert on serving plate. Brush melted jelly over pudding. Garnish with walnut halves. Serve with a topping of whipped cream.

First published 1985 California State Grange Recipes

Home Made Baking Powder

Gourmet Magazine recipe from Edna Lewis & Scott Peacock

Makes about ½ cup of non-metallic tasting baking powder

¼ c. cream of tartar

2 tablespoons of baking soda

Sift together cream of tartar and baking soda 3 times, then transfer to a clean, dry jar and seal tightly. (I just put it all in the jar and shake for 1-2 minutes.)

Note: baking powder keeps in a cool, dry place for 6 weeks. Use the same in any recipe as a commercial baking powder.

erma may's note: I have made and used this and it works just super. It fits my desire of cooking and baking as organic and chemical free as possible.