Festive Eating: Week One

A recipe for Scalloped Corn from BH&G's 1979 New Junior Cook Book. The recipe is pasted in the alt text the second time this image is used.

SEASON'S READINGS & FESTIVE EATING

The staff of the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) express heartfelt gratitude to the patrons that have educated, inspired, and motivated us in 2022. This December, we'd like to share some of our favorite seasonal recipes and best-loved books with our loyal patrons.

Here are a few delicious drinks and dishes to kick off the holiday season. Please stay tuned to the BPL blog throughout the month to see what our staff has enjoyed reading this year and for even more festive fare!

Holly garland

PINK CHAMPAGNE BOWL
Jim Murray, Central LibraryBusiness, Science, and Technology

This is a recipe for a classic, very sweet holiday punch that was a favorite of an old friend of mine. He used to serve it at his annual New Year's Eve party and it was always a big hit. The recipe appeared in Volume Ⅱ of the Gourmet Cookbook, originally published in 1957.

Directions

In a mixing bowl, mix 1 quart fresh, firm strawberries with a ½ cup of sugar. Add 1 bottle of Sauternes and a 1 cup of Cognac and let the fruit marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. At serving time, pour the strawberry mixture over a block of ice in a punch bowl. Slowly add 4 bottles of pink Champagne and blend the punch gently.

Holly garland

CINNAMON PECANS
Ellen Shade, Avondale Regional Branch Library

These are easy to make and delicious, plus they make your kitchen smell like Christmas. 

Ingredients

3 tsp ground cinnamon

½ C sugar

½ tsp salt

1 large egg white

1 lb. large pecan halves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300°. In one bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and salt. In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg white. Add the pecans and stir until coated. Dust the pecans with the sugar mixture and mix well. Spread the pecans in a single layer on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, 20–25 minutes, stirring once. Remove the nuts from the baking sheet and allow to cool on parchment paper. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Holly garland

PAL'S EGGNOG
Catherine Frey, Central Library—Development

My grandparents always made the holiday so special, and I have so many wonderful memories of going to Blount Springs on Christmas with all my extended family. My grandfather, whom we affectionately called "Pal," would make his homemade eggnog. I always wanted to have some, but I was too young. When I was in college, I was finally able to have some of the delicious eggnog that my family always enjoyed. Miss my grandparents, especially this time of year. 

Ingredients

12 eggs

1 qt whipping cream 

2 C sugar

1 C bourbon

Directions

Separate the egg yolks in a bowl. Mix the sugar into the yolks, stirring constantly. Pour the bourbon in while stirring. 

Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until foamy. Whip the whipping cream until creamy. Fold egg the whites into the egg yolks, then fold in the whipping cream. Makes 12 servings. Drink out of a mug and have a spoon, as this is thick. Enjoy!

Holly garland

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD 
Marry Anne Ellis, Central LibrarySouthern History

This is one of my favorites. My mother would make it once a year—when you see the ingredients, you'll understand why once was enough—and we were told it originally came over with some of my Dad's people, who were immigrants from Scotland. It makes a very rich but not too sweet cookie that's perfect with a cup of hot tea. 

Ingredients

1½ lb. butter 

½ lb. pure lard

1 egg

2 scant C sugar

8–10 C flour

Directions

Cream the butter, sugar, and lard. Add the egg, beat well, then add part of the flour. When it gets too stiff for the mixer, add the rest of the flour and mix by hand. Take a small amount and pat out on a floured board to about ⅜-inch thick and cut into desired shapes. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet until lightly brown in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet with a pancake turner onto a dish towel or thick paper towel over newspaper. 

Holly garland

SCALLOPED CORN
Jennifer Hancock, Central Library—Acquisitions

When I was twelve years old, my mother decided I was old enough to start helping out with the cooking, so she bought me the Better Homes and Gardens' New Junior Cook Book (1979). At first, I was only brave enough to make the "Just For Fun Salads," but by the end of the year, I had discovered the recipe that would follow me the rest of my life..."Scalloped Corn"! I first made it for my family 35 years ago, and they still insist I bring it to Thanksgiving (and any other potluck meals) every year!

This is a recipe for Scalloped Corn from the 1979 Better Homes and Gardens' New Junior Cook Book! Here are the ingredients: 22 saltine crackers, 1 egg, 1 cup of milk, half a teaspoon minced dried onion, one-fourth teaspoon salt, dash of pepper, and 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine. Here are the steps: Step 1, put crackers into plastic bag. Close bag and crush crackers with rolling pin. Step 2, in casserole dish, beat egg with fork. Stir in milk, onion, salt, and pepper. Measure two-thirds cup of cracker crumbs and add to milk mixture. Add corn and stir. Put rest of crumbs into a small bowl. Step 3, put butter or margarine into skillet. Put on burner. With adult help, turn burner to low heat. Heat till butter melts. Turn off burner. Pour over crumbs in bowl. Stir to mix well. Step 4, sprinkle crumbs over corn mixture. Put into oven. With adult help, turn the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 1 hour or till knife stuck near center comes out clean. Turn off oven. With adult help, use hot pads to remove casserole. If you like, top with green pepper rings.

Holly garland

BOURBON BALLS
Lynn Carpenter, Five Points West Regional Branch Library

My grandmother always made bourbon balls with her Christmas cookies. I would help her bake cookies every year in the weeks before Christmas. 

Ingredients

2 C vanilla wafer crumbs

2 Tbsp cocoa

1½ C confectioner's sugar, divided

1 C chopped pecans

2 Tbsp white corn syrup 

¼ C bourbon 

Directions

Mix the vanilla wafer crumbs, cocoa, 1 cup of confectioner's sugar, and pecans. Add the corn syrup and bourbon; mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in remaining sugar. Place in tightly covered tin box for at least 12 hours before serving. The cookies will keep well for 4–5 weeks. Makes 36–42 balls. 

Holly garland

WEIDMAN'S BLACK BOTTOM PIE
Fontaine Alison, Central LibraryBooks-by-Mail

Our mother always made black bottom pies at Christmas. She grew up in Mississippi and ate at the renowned Weidmann's Restaurant (founded in 1870) in Meridian many times. 

Crust

20 ginger snaps, crushed into fine crumbs

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate layer

2 C milk, scalded

4 large egg yolks, well beaten

1½ Tbsp cornstarch

½ C sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1½ squares of unsweetened chocolate, softened 

Bourbon layer

1 Tbsp gelatin

2 Tbsp cold water

2 Tbsp bourbon

4 large egg whites

¼ tsp cream of tartar

½ C sugar

Sweetened whipped cream

Unsweetened chocolate shavings 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare the crust by combining cookie crumbs with enough butter to make crumbs hold together (all butter may not be needed). Press the crumb mixture into a 9" deep dish pie, bake for 10 minutes, and allow to cool. 

For the chocolate layer, mix a small amount of the scalded milk into the egg yolks, then stir the yolks into the remaining milk. Blend the sugar and cornstarch in a double boiler and add the yolk mixture. Cook over a medium heat, stirring often, until the custard coats the back of the spoon, 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Combine 1 cup of custard with softened chocolate (reserve the remaining custard). Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, pour the mixture into prepared crusts, and chill. 

Prepare the bourbon layer by dissolving gelatin in cold water. Add the gelatin to the reserved custard, stir until dissolved, and allow to cool. Stir in the bourbon. Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy, then slowly beat in the sugar until stiff. Chill until set. Serve topped with sweetened whipped cream and shavings of unsweetened chocolate. Serves 8.

Holly garland

MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES or POLVORONES 
Cheyenne Trujillo, Central Library—Public Relations

These cookies go by many names—polvorones, galletas de nuez, snowball cookies—but one of the most common names here in the U.S. is Mexican wedding cookies. I've made them around the holidays for the past few years with the surplus of pecans I get from my grandmother. 

Food is one of the ways that I stay connected to my heritage, and while this isn't a family recipe, I always try to find recipes from regional chefs, like this one by Mely Martinez from Mexico in My Kitchen.

Ingredients

2 C pecans or walnuts

2 C all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

⅓ C confectioner's sugar + 1½ C for dusting

1 tsp vanilla

2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and grease 2 large baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. Chop the pecans finely or place the pecans in a food processor or blender and pulse until fine. Remove 1 cup of the pecans and process the rest into a very fine texture, almost like cornmeal. Leaving some coarse pieces lets you enjoy the flavor and texture of the pecans in the cookie. Be careful not to over process the pecans, or you will end up with pecan butter. 

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the flour, salt, and pecans. Stir and set aside. You may want to use a mixer for this next step. In a separate bowl, beat the butter with the ⅓ cup of confectioner's sugar; when it gets light and fluffy, stir in the vanilla. Gradually add the flour and pecan mixture and beat at a low speed for a few seconds until it forms a coarse dough that resembles oatmeal. (If you want to make the dough in advance, stop here and store covered in the fridge one day ahead of baking. When ready to bake, bring back to room temperature to form the cookies.)

Roll 1 tablespoon of the dough into a small ball; they're about 1 inch in size. Do not overwork the dough; that will result in a flat cookie instead of a little snowball. Place 1½ inches apart on your baking sheets. Bake for about 15–18 minutes. The cookies are ready when the bottoms begin to brown and the cookies are firm. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Place the 1½ cups of the confectioner's sugar in a bowl. Roll the cookies in the sugar, working with 2 or 3 at a time. Shake any excess sugar off if necessary. Roll them again to coat them completely. To make sure these cookies stay fresh, store them in an airtight container. You can leave them out on the counter for up to 3 days or save them in the fridge for 7 days. 

By Margaret Splane | Library Assistant Ⅲ, Development Office

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