Tag: dessert

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Christmas Cookies With a Twist

By Laura Johnson Andrews

Deb Mehrer demonstrated her family’s ammonia cookie tradition at a gathering of the Germans from Russia Society in Kaylor.

Don’t eat the cookie dough if Deb Mehrer of Scotland is running the mixer. It’s not due to any health scare, like salmonella from raw eggs or E. coli in the flour. What you want to watch out for is her secret ingredient. Before it’s baked, dough made with baker’s ammonia, also known as hartshorn or ammonium carbonate, is guaranteed to leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Ammonia may seem like a rather toxic cookie addition, but the unusual ingredient has been used in Germany and Scandinavia for centuries. Once made from deer antlers, ammonium carbonate acted as a leavener in the days before baking powder and baking soda. The white powder, which is a close relative to the smelling salts used to revive fainting ladies, has a nostril-piercing aroma that bakes off in the oven, creating cookies that can be thin and crispy or soft, thick and cakey, but leaving no unpleasant cleaning fluid aftertaste.

Ammonia cookies are a beloved tradition in Mehrer’s family — one that she recreated last June for a meeting of the SoDak Stamm chapter of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society in Kaylor. The aroma generated by the baking cookies was very familiar to the livestock farmers in the audience.”When you get that smell in the chicken barn you clean it out,” joked Eugene Weidenbach of Lesterville, as he watched Mehrer prepare her dough. Another audience member recommended moving pet birds out of the house before baking a batch, as the ammonia fumes might kill them.

But the end result is much more appetizing than that first hot blast of ammonia gas escaping from the open oven door might indicate. Not overly sweet, the thick, pale, frosting-coated cookies are so soft that they won’t hold up to a good coffee dunking.”It’s almost a little cakelike,” Mehrer says.

A nurse at the Scotland Medical Clinic, her love of her culinary heritage started young — she’s been baking since she was 10 years old. Though her mother, Betty Faller, gave Mehrer a handwritten cookbook containing the recipe for ammonia cookies, she had to experiment a little in order to recreate that childhood taste.”It was missing some key instructions, like how much flour, at what temperature and how long you bake them. I remembered the taste of them, so I had to try it out for myself,” Mehrer says.

Mehrer’s family celebrates their Germans from Russia heritage at their annual holiday feast, which they dubbed German Fest. The menu is a mouthwatering assortment of German-Russian dishes. Kuchen, sausage from the Blue Bird Locker in Delmont and German potato salad are always served.”My sister-in-law is 100 percent Dutch and makes the hot potato salad — not bad for a Dutch girl,” Mehrer says. Butterscotch pan dumplings are another favorite, prepared in a cast iron pan by her 83-year-old aunt, Rosemary Laib of Armour. Fleisch kuechle, deep-fried pockets of dough-covered meat, knoephfla soup, cheese buttons and spaetzle have also made appearances on the German Fest table. German flags, Oktoberfest napkins and German beer add to the festive atmosphere.

“We wanted to celebrate the foods my mom used to make for us growing up,” Mehrer says.”The first bite takes you back to your childhood.”

Ammonia Cookies


Recipe by Betty Faller

1 teaspoon baker’s ammonia

1 cup milk

2 cups sugar

1 cup shortening or lard

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3+ cups of flour — enough to
stiffen the dough

Soak baking ammonia in milk for 10-15 minutes. Cream shortening or lard and sugar together. Mix in milk, eggs and vanilla. Add three cups of flour, then add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough stiffens but is still somewhat sticky. Use your hands if you have to. Place dough in the refrigerator to rest — at least overnight, but four or five days is even better.

Preheat oven to 360 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough out to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick and cut with a flour-dipped cookie cutter, glass or a tin can without the lid. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake about 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly browned on bottom but still pale on top.

Let cookies rest on the cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes, then remove to a baking rack. When cool, frost with white frosting and decorate with sprinkles, if desired. These cookies are better if you wait a couple of days before eating. Store in a sealable plastic container or freeze. Makes approximately six dozen.

Note: Baker’s ammonia probably can’t be found in your local grocery store’s baking section. Check with your local pharmacy, a specialty food store or order online. Because baker’s ammonia evaporates with prolonged exposure to air, store it in a tightly sealed container.

Editor’s Note: This story is revised from the November/December 2016 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order a copy or to subscribe, call (800) 456-5117.

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The Wonder of Dandelions

By Katie Hunhoff

Marla Bull Bear helps manage summer camps on the Rosebud Reservation designed to connect teens with their Lakota roots.

Dandelions are a scourge for people who think of beautiful city lawns as a monoculture of green rectangles. But the yellow flowers are like most things in life; the better you know them, the more you like them.

“Dandelions are absolutely amazing,” says Marla Bull Bear, a Herrick woman who often teaches youth about the wonders of nature in South Dakota.”It’s a plant that’s seen as a noxious weed until we realize how wonderful they are as a medicine and health benefit. That is what really got me interested in dandelions.”

“The entire plant is useful, as well as being extremely healthy,” says Bull Bear, who serves as executive director of the Lakota Youth Development.”The flowers are good in tea, the leaves can be used in any type of salad. And the roots can be used as a poor man’s coffee.”

Bull Bear roasts the dandelion roots, grinds them, and uses the grounds to supplement her coffee, making it last longer. People with a sensitivity to caffeine can use the dandelion roots as a complete coffee replacement.”To me, the grounds taste like dandelions,” she laughs. She describes it as a rich, earthy taste.

She uses the yellow flower to steep tea. It results in a mild taste, especially when sweetened with honey.

Once people open their minds to dandelions being a part of their diet, the benefits are almost overwhelming. Dandelions are more nutrient dense than lettuce, spinach, broccoli and other greens. They have a long tap root which pulls minerals from deep within the earth. Even dandelions grown in poor soil are still full of nutrition. To name some health benefits, dandelions are high in iron, vitamin A, B, C, K and E, calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, zinc, antioxidants and fiber. In fact, dandelions are so hardy and nutritious that some families survived on them during the Great Depression.

Dandelions are also believed to have medicinal uses. Their milky juice can treat fungal infections on skin. The roots and greens are natural detoxifiers and diuretics, supporting the kidneys and liver and also the gallbladder. Dandelions may lower blood pressure and even calm your nerves.

If the numerous benefits of dandelions inspire you to start foraging, Bull Bear has a big disclaimer. It isn’t safe to eat dandelions that grow on a lawn sprayed with chemicals or pesticides.”Plants absorb chemicals out of the earth. So when lawns have been exposed it can take three to four years for the effects to leave,” she says. And even if your own lawn hasn’t been sprayed, chemicals can spread from nearby lawns through pollinators or the air.

“We have horrible mindsets about our lawns. And most lawns could feed a family for a year if we turned them into gardens,” she says.”We would all be healthier if we got out and dug in the dirt and got some sunshine. Our health issues and the earth are all connected. If we are being unhealthy with the land and our environment, it will come back to haunt us,” she says.

Even country dandelions, growing far from city lawns, may not be safe to harvest. Bull Bear asks that foragers avoid road ditches due to car exhaust and chemical sprays that may drift from neighboring fields and pastures. Even dandelions that grow by lakes and ponds may be problematic.”If the river or creek floods there are all manner of things in the flood water that can contaminate plants.”

Part of Bull Bear’s work with Lakota Youth Development is to teach kids about safe foraging and having respect for the land.”When we work with our youth here and think about plants it’s about building relationships between them and the plant nation. ‘What can it do for us?’ and ‘What harm can it do?’ It’s like making a relationship with people. And we can help them and benefit from what gifts they have to offer.”

Once you find an area that has untouched dandelions, foraging can begin. Bull Bear has three rules of thumb. The first is to never harvest more than you need, which is a guessing game for beginners. Second, never harvest more than one third of the plant in a given area so you leave the system strong. And finally, she recommends making an offering, a prayer or thank you, to the plant nation.

Dandelions are not a part of Native American folklore or legend. They were originally brought here by the pilgrims who knew the many benefits.”It’s a fairly new plant as far as Lakota history. But that doesn’t mean it’s not on our list of medicines,” Bull Bear says.

Bull Bear has seen many kids enjoy dandelions.”Every child is drawn to them. To pick them by the handfuls to give to grandma, or to make a wish while blowing their seeds. It has a real attraction for kids. If we want to get kids interested in foraging and their natural environment, dandelions are a great first plant.”

Dandelion Tea

1 tablespoon of rinsed and drained yellow dandelion petals

1 cup hot water

Add honey to taste

Let steep 2-3 minutes

Dandelion Flower Cookies

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup honey

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla or almond (optional)

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup rinsed yellow, dandelion flower petals

2 cups flour

Mix all together. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Dandelion Greens

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups heavy cream or half and half

4 handfuls of rinsed dandelion leaves (either young leaves or older, longer leaves work well in this recipe).

Steam dandelion greens and drain. Chop onion and saute in butter (or olive oil). Brown flour in butter and onions, then take off heat and slowly stir in
milk. Stir over low heat until thickened. My husband loves basil so I usually sprinkle in a bit of basil at this point. Next add the dandelion greens and
cook for 5-10 minutes. This dish is good with a little shredded cheese sprinkled on top.

Editor’s Note: This story is revised from the March/April 2023 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order a copy or to subscribe, call (800) 456-5117.

Honey from dandelion and a Cup of tea. Selective focus.
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Pudding Pi

By Fran Hill

2021 seems like the best year to celebrate the little things, to recognize happiness wherever we find it. Most of us have been through a lot and need joy.

Nobody is better at finding the best silly ways to celebrate than the food obsessed. Every day of the year represents some kind of made-up food holiday. Just in the last few months alone, we have had National Ranch Dressing Day, National Spaghetti Day, National Margarita Day and World Nutella Day. Not to mention entire months dedicated to Oatmeal, Potato Lovers and Celery. The message is clear: food should be fun and appreciated.

Of course, those of us grasping for any reason to celebrate have embraced March 14. 3-14 is recognized worldwide as Pi Day in honor of the mathematical constant and has been lovingly hijacked with its homonym pie. Who doesn’t want to eat pie on Pi Day?

This year, as I look to Pi Day, I am also acknowledging my husband’s love of pudding pies. While I may think of pie as vehicle to highlight amazing seasonal fruit, pudding pies are always his first request. Homemade butterscotch may be tops for him, and when I saw that Martha Stewart paired this luscious amber dessert with a pecan shortbread crust, I was sold. Garnished with candied pecans, this Butterscotch Pie with Pecan Shortbread Crust brings joy to any Pi Day celebration.

Butterscotch Pie with Pecan Shortbread Crust

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

March 14 (3-14) is known as Pi Day in honor of the mathematical constant. Pie lovers celebrate too. A favorite of Fran Hill’s is Butterscotch Pie with Pecan Shortbread Crust.

Crust:

1 cup pecan halves

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg yolk

Filling:

1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large egg yolks

1 2/3 cups whole milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Sugared Pecan Garnish:

48 pecan halves (This is roughly how many you will need to ring the tart pan, but the egg white mixture can easily coat a few more. Do it for snacks and salads.)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg white

Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet until fragrant and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes, then finely grind in a food processor. Add flour and salt to food processor and pulse just to combine. Add the softened butter and sugar to the food processor and pulse a few more times. Add the egg yolk and process to thoroughly incorporate. Mixture will have a fine crumb texture and hold together when pressed between fingers. Press evenly into bottom and up sides of a round 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

Freeze pan 15 minutes, then transfer to oven and bake until set and deep golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. (Watch the crust near the end of baking. Mine was probably done at 20 minutes, but I failed to check on it and have a more toasted result … still tasty but would probably have been better with a few less minutes in the oven.) Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes.

Filling: (Don’t be me. Don’t get ahead of yourself and make the pudding while the crust is chilling. Wait until the crust is baked and cooling. Otherwise, you will be constantly whisking the pudding until the crust is ready to keep it from setting up. Learn from my mistakes.) While the crust is cooling, in a saucepan, whisk together brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk egg yolks into the milk and whisk this mixture into the dry ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Pour filling into crust and let cool.

Sugared Pecans: Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Whisk sugar, salt and egg white together. Stir in pecans. Spread nuts in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake, stirring once (being careful to keep nuts separate and not clump together), until golden brown and crunchy, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely. Garnish pie with sugared pecans. (Extra pecans can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.) Refrigerate pie until pudding is set, at least 4 hours, but up to 2 days.

To serve pie, remove sides of pan, transfer pie to a platter. Slice and serve. May offer whipped cream with each portion, if desired. It is delicious without, though. (Serves 10-12)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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The Art of Gingerbread

By Laura Johnson Andrews

For the January/February 2021 issue of South Dakota Magazine, we talked to Barb Feilmeier, a Mitchell woman who has elevated gingerbread architecture to lofty heights by crafting everything from the grand Victorian Beckwith House in Mitchell to the South Dakota State Capitol out of flour, sugar and spice.

After making gingerbread houses for 50 years, Feilmeier has amassed a wealth of tricks to make the process run smoothly while stretching the bounds of her creativity. One year, that involved making domes for the Corn Palace out of giant Hershey’s Kisses, whittled down to size. Another time, she built a stone wall for an Irish castle out of Rice Krispies bars and rock candy.”I have to do something that I haven’t done before,” she says.

Feilmeier kindly shared photos of gingerbread houses past from her massive scrapbook, as well as her recipe and many tips. Perhaps they will inspire you to think outside the gingerbread house kit next year.


Gingerbread

(Adapted from Family Circle, December 1970)

5 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 pinch baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 egg

Sift flour, baking soda, salt and spices onto wax paper. In a large bowl, beat shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. Stir in flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Chill several hours or overnight, until dough is firm enough to roll.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and sprinkle with flour. Roll out 1/4 of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness on the foil, covering the whole cookie sheet. Arrange as many pattern pieces as possible, allowing at least 1/2 inch between pieces, and cut out with a sharp knife, saving the trimmed dough.

Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cookies feel firm to the touch. Remove from oven and trim pieces while still warm. Let cookie sheet cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove sheet and let cookies cool completely.


Royal Frosting
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
food coloring, if desired

Beat egg whites and lemon juice until foamy. Slowly beat in sugar until frosting stands in firm peaks and is stiff enough to hold a firm line when cut through with a knife. Divide and tint with food coloring, as desired.


Sugar”Cement”
Spread 1 cup sugar in a small, heavy skillet and heat slowly until sugar melts and turns pale golden. Use immediately.


Building Tips

  • When designing a house, make sure that the pieces you need won’t be larger than the interior of your oven.
  • Don’t be afraid to use flour when rolling out the gingerbread.”You want it to get stiff,” Feilmeier says.
  • After baking the gingerbread, trim each piece to square. Feilmeier uses an old serrated bread knife as a saw.
  • Crushed LifeSavers make great stained glass windows. Before baking, make a hole in the gingerbread dough and drop the candy crumbs in. They will melt during baking and cool into swirls of color. Gelatin sheets (available online) work for clear windows.
  • If your gingerbread goes soft before you put your building together, check the humidity in your home. You can re-dry the dough in your oven if need be.
  • Feilmeier recommends decorating the walls before assembling the house because it’s easier to work on a flat surface.
  • If you’d like to light up your gingerbread house, try battery-operated mini lights. Just be sure to put them inside before you put the roof on.
  • Want columns? Try rolled wafers, wafer cookies or candy canes. Intricate railings can be crafted from spaghetti that has been cooked to al dente, rolled in food coloring or tinted frosting, then dried.
  • Royal icing “snow” covers a multitude of ills.
  • Gingerbread houses aren’t an ideal project for young children. It’s best to wait until they are about 10.
  • Not up to baking? Try building simple houses out of cheap graham crackers — the more expensive brands are better for eating than for building.
Barb Feilmeier of Mitchell celebrated her 50th anniversary of making gingerbread houses for Christmas by constructing an 1880s village, incorporating the first pattern she made, a gingerbread church, plus other new additions. The village was displayed at the Carnegie Resource Center in Mitchell in November 2020.
Barb Feilmeier of Mitchell celebrated her 50th anniversary of making gingerbread houses for Christmas by constructing an 1880s village, incorporating the first pattern she made, a gingerbread church, plus other new additions. The village was displayed at the Carnegie Resource Center in Mitchell in November 2020.
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A Thanksgiving Table Set for Two

By Fran Hill

I am not hosting Thanksgiving this year. As the CDC tells us, it just isn’t prudent to host gatherings right now. However, my husband and I love a good turkey dinner, and I will still prepare a full holiday meal just for us. Even in this crazy, messy world of 2020, there is much for which to be thankful when we sit down to our table set for two.

Portion sizes will be easily cut down for the mashed potatoes, sage and sausage dressing, roasted butternut squash and shaved Brussels sprouts. I haven’t needed to roast turkey legs ahead of time to make extra stock for the vats of gravy our full table usually requires. My cranberry sauce recipe will be fine with leftovers used in my oatmeal and yogurt, and I still purchased a pretty big turkey because turkey sandwiches and pots of turkey noodle or turkey and dumpling soup are a post-holiday must.

The only thing that is bothering me as I put together next Thursday’s menu is dessert. I have always felt that the major bonus of having a holiday table full of guests was the opportunity to make multiple desserts. Pumpkin pie is a given, because even if nobody wants it on Thanksgiving, it is the most perfect Black Friday breakfast. There is usually another pie, be it pecan or salted nut, or something creamy like buttermilk. The season also always calls for apple pie or a galette, and it wouldn’t be fall without the Cranberry Dessert Cake with Warm Butter Sauce that I have been making since I was just a blushing bride.

The addition of sour cream makes this cake’s texture almost reminiscent of a pound cake. Tart, fresh cranberries dot the moist crumb and are tempered by the luscious warm butter sauce ladled over each serving. I baked one up this week, and Thanksgiving came early as we enjoy slices each evening and sometimes even for breakfast. Pie may get all the fame for this holiday, but Cranberry Dessert Cake with Warm Butter Sauce is something to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving gatherings will look different in 2020, but take comfort in Cranberry Dessert Cake with Warm Butter Sauce.

Cranberry Dessert Cake with Warm Butter Sauce

(adapted from Pillsbury)

FOR THE CAKE:

2 3/4 cups flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups sour cream (I have subbed Greek yogurt in a pinch.)

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 eggs

3 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

FOR THE BUTTER SAUCE:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour bottom only of 9×13 pan.

Combine flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Mix well.

In medium bowl, beat sour cream, milk, oil, almond extract and eggs.

Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold in cranberries. Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

FOR THE BUTTER SAUCE: In small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, butter and whipping cream. Bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

Serve warm sauce over cake.

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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A Baker or Not?

By Fran Hill

I don’t even know who I am anymore. Self-isolating as a COVID-19 precaution has brought out characteristics that I wasn’t aware I possessed. I have always been a pretty solitary soul and spend a lot of time on my own. A variety of projects, books and chores keep me busy. I am good at being alone (or as alone as it gets with a husband and three dogs).

However, who knew that I would want to do puzzles? Seriously. This wasn’t a hobby that was ever on my radar. Suddenly, I had puzzle envy every time one popped up in my Instagram feed. With the only puzzles in this house being toys geared to toddlers, I sourced a small South Dakota gift shop for a shipment, and soon puzzle pieces were strung across half of my dining room table. While I haven’t just sat down and intently puzzled, instead, I snagged a piece or two and popped them into place every time I passed the table. It only took five days to get an image of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water together, and now, I am working on the blueprint puzzle of the same.

The second activity that has seized me is baking. You read that correctly. After years and years of telling you all that I am not a baker, I still won’t claim that I am. But I have been baking much more than ever. Who am I? I haven’t plunged into sourdough starters, but I have welcomed small batch baking of little treats like cookies and brownies into our self-distancing menus (although my idea that baking six cookies would last two days failed miserably and led to even more baking).

I have always created desserts for holidays, pandemic or not. And with Easter just around the corner, more baking is more or less mandatory, even for our small solo dinner. Therefore, I pulled out a tried and true recipe from America’s Test Kitchen for a delicious Carrot Layer Cake. It doesn’t require the fussing of measuring batter equally into separate baking pans. Instead, this unique four-layer cake is created by slicing a thin sheet cake into four rectangles that are stacked with smears of cream cheese icing in between. My only warning is to make sure your sheet pans are somewhat level. I have a couple pans that are warped from steady use in hot ovens. A warped pan does not produce a level cake, but wonky layers still taste great.

I have made this cake for at least three Easters, and sadly, I think this year was the first that I fully followed the directions for the cream cheese frosting. Prior to whipping it up, I had visited with a friend and commented that I didn’t think it really mattered. I am going on the record revoking that statement. This frosting is incredible. It is light, fluffy and tangy as only the best cream cheese frosting can be. Hubs is that guy who scrapes half of the frosting off his slice of cake, and with this Carrot Layer Cake, he asked for a corner. It is that good. Don’t skip the toasted pecan coating. They easily make a prettier cake for us non-bakers and add a great nutty texture to the dessert.

I may not recognize who I have become during these trying times, but I do know that this Carrot Layer Cake would be a blessed event for even a minimalized Easter table.

Carrot Layer Cake with cream cheese frosting and toasted pecans is a delectable dessert for your scaled-down Easter meal.

Carrot Layer Cake

(adapted from America’s Test Kitchen)

CAKE:

1-3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1-1/4 cups brown sugar

3/4 cup canola oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 carrots, shredded (approx. 2-1/2 cups)

1/2 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 18×13-inch rimmed baking sheet, line with parchment paper and butter parchment. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves together in large bowl.

Beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together until mixture is smooth. Stir in carrots and raisins. Add flour mixture and fold by hand with a rubber spatula until mixture is just combined.

Transfer batter to prepared baking sheet and smooth surface. Bake until center of cake is firm to touch, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a new sheet of parchment on a wire rack and invert cake onto wire rack (do not remove original parchment). Cool cake completely. (I usually bake the cake in the evening and allow to cool overnight without any ill effects.)

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/3 cup buttermilk powder (DO NOT add to milk or water; use just the powder for this recipe)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 ounces cream cheese, CHILLED and cut into 12 equal pieces

2 cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, beat butter, sugar, buttermilk powder, vanilla and salt on low speed until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping bowl and pulling mixture from the whisk as needed. Increase speed to medium-low; add cream cheese, 1 piece at a time; and mix until smooth and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.

ASSEMBLY OF LAYER CAKE:

Transfer cooled cake to cutting board; remove top layer of parchment but leave parchment under the cake. Using sharp knife, cut cake and parchment in half crosswise and then lengthwise to make 4 equal rectangles, about 6×8 inches each.

Place 1 cake rectangle, parchment side up, on platter or cake plate and carefully remove parchment. Cut small squares of parchment or wax paper and arrange (overlapping) under the edges of the cake. (These will be pulled out after frosting and leave a clean(er) serving platter.) Spread 2/3 cup frosting evenly over cake layer. Repeat with two more layers of cake, frosting each layer with 2/3 cup frosting and pressing gently on each layer to level. Place last rectangle of cake on top and frost top of cake with 1 cup frosting. Use remaining frosting to coat sides of cake. (It’s fine if some crumbs show through frosting on sides, but if you go back to smooth top of cake, be sure that spatula is free of crumbs.)

When cake is fully frosted, gently press chopped pecans onto sides. Carefully remove the small squares of parchment from below the cake. (Smaller parchment pieces — one for each end and two on each side — are usually easier to manage and not disturb the finished cake.) Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. (Serves 10-12)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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RASDak Treats

By Fran Hill

Summer is here! I had planned to share another amazing salad with you this week. However, my last post was a salad, and while I don’t believe you can ever have too many great salad recipes in your arsenal, variety is the spice of life. So I checked my calendar to see what else was of note and decided that RASDak making a pit stop here in Colome was absolutely noteworthy.

RASDak, or Ride Across South Dakota, is an annual bicycle tour that allows riders to enjoy the beautiful scenery and hospitality of South Dakota. This year’s route began on June 2 in Custer. Other host communities include Hot Springs, Red Cloud, Martin, Mission, Gregory, Wagner and Yankton. Along the way, numerous other small towns and organizations, like my home of Colome, open their parks and even just the hatches of their cars along the road to provide pit stops with homemade goodies and other refreshments to fuel the cyclists‘ rides.

Last month, the Colome Area Farmers Market sent out a call for volunteers to donate baked goods, jerky, beverages and other snacks for the lush, shaded rest stop in the Colome City Park. I knew immediately that I wanted to make my Midlife Crisis Blondies for the crew. The name is not a reflection of the cyclists but comes from a time in my own life when I baked multiple pans of these decadent treats and added a purple streak to my hair. My past also includes dabbles with cycling events. Those experiences educated me on the crazy amount of energy consumed when cycling long distances. Soft, sweet cookie bars dotted with not only semi-sweet chocolate chips but also butterscotch and white chocolate hit the mark for quick and easy fuel.

If you happen to be in Colome, or anywhere along the RASDak route, please be mindful of appropriately sharing the road with the cyclists, and feel free to check out the hospitality of the South Dakotans that make this event possible. You might even be able to snag a delicious Midlife Crisis Blondie without pedaling a single mile.

Soft and sweet Midlife Crisis Blondies might be the motivation cyclists need to pedal those last few miles into Colome.

Midlife Crisis Blondies

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1-1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet, but if you prefer a sweeter bar, milk chocolate would be good.)

1-1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

1-1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 17×12 (half sheet) pan with parchment paper and coat any surface not covered by the paper (edges) with cooking spray.

Beat the softened butter with the sugars until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and extract and combine well.

Gradually stir in the flour, baking soda and salt.

Add the chips to the batter.

Spread in the prepared pan. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown. DO NOT OVER BAKE.

Cool in pan completely before cutting. (2 dozen BIG bars, or 4 dozen smaller)

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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Chocolate is Love

By Fran Hill

There are two kinds of people: those who love Valentine’s Day and those who hate it.

Florists, greeting card companies, jewelry stores, candy makers and restaurants all want us to maximize our consumerism and throw our hard-earned cash at the holiday. The moment Christmas commercials end, we are bombarded with prompts to prove our love with our purchasing power.

On the other hand, those without a significant other might feel like Valentine’s Day should be called Single Person Awareness Day. No surprise bouquets of flowers or boxes of chocolates appear for the dateless.

No matter how you feel about this day, many people love chocolate. Its rich, creamy sweetness is a siren call. Chocolate is love. Swirl a ripe, juicy strawberry in that chocolate and it is heart pounding true love. The marriage of fresh fruit and decadent cocoa flavor is addicting.

If you celebrate Valentine’s, or not, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries are a tantalizing way to show your love for others — or just for yourself.

Whether you adore Valentine’s Day or despise it, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries are a sweet compromise.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

(adapted from Genius Kitchen)

2 pints strawberries
1 1⁄2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (use the best quality you can find or afford for the smoothest texture and best flavor)
2 tablespoons corn syrup
6 tablespoons butter

Wash strawberries and pat dry. Arrange on paper toweling until they reach room temperature. (The chocolate adheres better when the berries are not chilled.)

Melt chocolate chips, corn syrup and butter in a double boiler, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and dip each strawberry into chocolate, coating 2/3 of strawberry. Place on waxed paper covered baking pan or cookie sheet. Refrigerate until set, about 15-20 minutes.

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.

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Wienerbrau Memories

By Laura Johnson Andrews

After reading”A Time-Traveled Treat” (May/June 2018), Katie Hunhoff’s story about Swedish kringle, Shirley Drefs of Corsica was inspired to write in with a recipe of her own — wienerbrau, a Danish pastry she learned to make as a youngster in 4-H. It’s an old recipe (the original version called for baker’s yeast) that involves working butter into a soft dough that is then formed into strips and filled with prune or apricot filling, baked, then topped with a simple frosting and nuts. Feel free to experiment with other fillings — almond is traditional, but Drefs has used cherry pie filing, with good results. The recipe makes a lot of flaky, delicious pastry that can be devoured immediately or frozen for later.

Shirley Drefs learned to make wienerbrau in 4-H. The Danish pastry is similar to a Swedish kringle.

Wienerbrau

Filling

2 pounds dried prunes or apricots

about 1/2 cup sugar

cinnamon (for prunes)

May be made a day in advance. Do not soak the fruit. Chop fruit if desired (the apricots can be tough), add water to cover, cook until soft and let cool. You may need to mash the prunes a bit. Stir in sugar to taste and sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Dough

1 1/2 cups milk, scalded and cooled

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

4 heaping teaspoons dry yeast (original recipe called for 2 cakes of baker’s yeast)

flour — as little as possible, about six cups

1/2 pound cold butter

Scald the milk in a saucepan or in the microwave. Cool, add sugar and salt, then beat in eggs. Add yeast into 2 cups of flour, mix well, then add to milk-egg mixture. Add flour until you have created a soft dough that is rollable and not sticky or stiff. It should feel similar to doughnut dough.

Cut butter into small slices. Roll dough out into a large circle. Place butter slices over one half of the circle, then fold remaining dough over the top. Fold in sides to create a square of dough, then roll again. Continue folding into a square and rolling until the butter has been worked in and is no longer in visible squares.

Cut the square of dough into 5 strips and roll each one into a rectangle about 4 inches wide and long enough to fit comfortably on your cookie sheets. Put 1/5 of filling in the middle of each strip. (Any leftover filling can be frozen and saved for the next batch of pastry.) Fold sides of dough over and pinch shut. Place strips on ungreased cookie sheets or large jelly roll pans. Two strips will usually fit on one pan.

Let dough raise for 20-30 minutes.”They’ll get fairly big,” Drefs says.”It’s got to feel kind of light if you lift the pan.” Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Cool, then frost with powdered sugar frosting, sprinkle with nuts and enjoy.

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Discovering Ground Cherries

By Fran Hill

A bounty of ground cherries procured at the Burke Area Farmers Market.

I grew up with a variety of apple, pear, plum and chokecherry trees in my parents’ backyard. We harvested the fruits from this mini orchard and made jams, jellies, pies, and crisps. When the pears ripened, I ate so many that the juices seemed to permanently run down my arms. I also remember venturing down the road to the nearby creek and picking sand plums until our buckets were so loaded it felt our arms would break carrying them home. Moving forward into adulthood, there have been wild grape harvests and stalking the neighbor’s gooseberry bush to beat the birds to the punch. Taking advantage of local, in-season fruits is second nature for me.

Imagine my surprise earlier this summer when I learned of a new-to-me seasonal fruit that I could also grow in my backyard. Ground cherries are absolutely not new to the South Dakota prairie, but are a new experience for me. Jo Wulf, a vendor with the Burke Area Farmers Market, invited me to visit her amazing garden and ended our morning tour with a Ground Cherry Coffee Cake fresh from the oven. She collects ground cherries from her garden all summer long and sells both the raw cherries and baked goods incorporating their freshness at the weekly market.

The paper husks of the fruit are easily removed to reveal golden berries (which, by the way, is another name under which ground cherries are commercially marketed). The berries are sweet, but slightly tart and have an almost tropical essence similar to mango or pineapple. I have snagged both Jo’s delicious coffee cake and fresh berries from the market in Burke, but am already planning to include the hardy plant in next year’s garden.

I have attempted to recreate Jo’s delectable coffee cake, and may be close with my own Ground Cherry Skillet Cake. This is a dense cake with a crunchy brown sugar-pecan topping. It is mouthwatering when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Ground cherries are perfect little fruity bites to complement the cinnamon cake, and I am forever grateful that Jo and the Burke Area Farmers Market introduced me to them.

Ground cherries are sweet, tart and tropical, and perfectly complement the cinnamon in a skillet cake.

Ground Cherry Skillet Cake

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2/3 cups ground cherries

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12-inch cast iron skillet.

Whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter until mixture crumbles into the size of small peas. Remove 1/2 cup of flour and butter mixture and set aside to use as topping later. Add baking powder, soda, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir in buttermilk, egg and vanilla.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Scatter ground cherries over the top.

Add nuts, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the reserved flour mixture and combine. Sprinkle topping over batter and ground cherries.

Bake 70-75 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Fran Hill has been blogging about food at On My Plate since October of 2006. She, her husband and their three dogs ranch near Colome.