This is one of those recipes where I use inexact measurements with the ingredients. (and use  words like "some" and "a few")   But consider it a challenge! An opportunity to be loose and trust your own judgement.    The clams taste sooooo good in this recipe.  It isn't brain surgery- cooking clams doesn't get much easier than this.   And the juices...!  Oh yes, sop them up with some crusty bread!

                                              CLAMS


Melt some butter in a big pot.  Add about 4 cloves of chopped garlic.   Add 'some' white wine( I use Portugese green wine ) - go ahead- just POUR it!     Add 1-2 chicken boullion cubes.  Let it all simmer till the flavors blend.  Chop up some fresh parsley and add to the pot.  Then add the clams-- 1-3 lbs.  Cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes.
 
Adjust all the proportions as your instinct dictates!

jacky@northshore1049.com

     A neighbor of mine-back in the 70's- made this dish and I enjpyed it enough to ask her for the recipe.  She wrote it out on a notepad she had in the kitchen, with a picture of an alligator(the Lacoste logo).   The caption read "Save the alligator- eat a Preppie".   This was when it was a given that if you were a preppie or thought you were one or wanted to BE one, you wore Izod- everything!
That was also an example of corny early 70's humor.   I still have the recipe written on that yellow notepaper and it's still a great cold side dish.  I don't really think of it as a 'salad'- but that's what the alligator told me it was called......

                                 CARROT SALAD


A bunch of carrots( 1 lb)
1 lg onion
1 lg green pepper
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 can condensed tomato soup( I use Campbell's)
Fresh ground pepper tp taste
 
     Clean, peel, and boil carrots for about 5 minutes.  While that's boiling, mix the oil, vinegar, and sugar.  Dice the onion and pepper(raw).  Mix everything together with the boiled carrots. Grind some black pepper to taste.     Refrigerate overnight.

Good alternative to a traditional green salad.
jacky@northshore1049.com

     These cookies are so light and airy and dreamy that it's almost like you're just imagining that you're eating them.. But they ARE real.   It's not a dream.  And they do have calories.   It's a really easy recipe and it'll take you longer to wash the mixing bowl and beaters than it will to bake them- not to mention eating them!

                                           MERINGUE COOKIES

2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
6 oz. pkg semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Beat the egg whites on high speed in a mixer until stiff.  Mix in the sugar.  Mix in the chocolate bits.   Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper or foil on cookie sheets.  Bake in a 300 degree oven (middle rack) for about 20-30 minutes until light brown. 

Hope you like them....and these'll disappear quickly!

jacky@northshore1049.com  

     Don't you think of "brie" as being kind of an uppity type of cheese?   I mean...  cheddar, Swiss, provolone, and even Jarlsberg are more your average-Joe kind of cheeses.  But I think it's just because anything with a French name immediately takes on a fancy-sounding identity, and our expectations may be erroneously skewed.     
    While this brie recipe is very lovely to look at and wonderful to taste, you definitely do not have to be wearing a Ralph Lauren outfit  (not from an outlet) to eat it.  Just relax and get comfy, listen to Northshore104.9, scoop some warm cheese onto an apple wedge, and enjoy yourself!  

                             BRIE WRAP
A round of brie
Jar of jelly- your choice( I prefer grape jelly)
Pepperidge farm frozen pastry sheet(s), defrosted
 
Serve with grapes and apple wedges.

    Cut the rind off the top and bottom of the round of brie.   Carefully spread the jelly all over the top of the brie.   Wrap the whole brie up in a pastry sheet.  Seal it gently on all sides, including the top) with a little water or beaten egg. 
    Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. It'll look golden and puffy when it's done.   Serve with grapes, apple wedges, and crackers.

Let me know if you try this!
jacky@northshore1049.com
    

     This dish is like one-stop shopping.  All you need for dinner is in one pot.   It's a hearty soup and a healthy one- with distinctive herbs and spices like fresh dill and caraway seeds, and a unique combination of vegetables.   Give it a try- perhaps serving it with an herbed bread, rosemary- if you can find it, or even an onion bread.

                                    CABBAGE SOUP with Caraway and Dill

8 servings
 
8 cups water
6 chicken thighs
3/4 tsp salt
3 Tbl vegetable oil
3 leeks, white part only, coarsely chopped
3 onions, diced
3 garlic loves, minced
3 cups peeled, diced potatoes(2-3 potatoes, 6 oz each)
1 tsp caraway seeds
6 cups shredded cabbage
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup coarsely  chopped dill
Sour cream for garnish

      Put the water, chicken, and salt in a soup pot. bring to a boil and skin the scum.  Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the chicken is done, about 45 minutes to an hour.  With a slotted
spoon, remove the chicken and defat the broth.   Let the chicken cool and discard the skin and bones.   Shred the chicken coarsely and set aside.
     Heat the oil in a saute pan.  Cook the leeks, onions, and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent, but not brown, about 8 minutes.  Add the sauteed leek mixture,  carrots, potatoes, and the caraway seeds to the broth.  Simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, 10-20 minutes.
     Add the cabbage and cook , stirring occasionally, until it is wilted, 3-5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the reserved chicken and 1/4 cup of the dill.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Ladle into warm bowls.   Top with a dollop of sour cream and/or sprinkle with the remaining dill.

             That'll get you through a cool Autumn/cold Winter night!

See if you like it.....
  jacky@northshore1049.com

    Whenever I see Lobster Bisque on the menu at a restaurant, I can never resist ordering it.  The trouble is, though, that it's usually such a filling first course that I don't have room for the rest of the meal.
    So I came up with a solution.   I make my own lobster bisque at home and have it as the main dish.   A nice salad and a good crusty bread,,,,and I'm a happy camper.
    See if you like this one.

                            LOBSTER BISQUE

2 Tbl quick-cooking tapioca
1 1 /4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp each- pepper and paprika ( I do use more paprika than what is called for here!)
1 Tbl minced onion
3 cups milk
1 cup light cream
1 6 1/2 oz can lobster, or 1 1/2 cups cooked lobster meat, cut in chunks
2 Tbl butter
2 Tbl sherry

      In top part of a double boiler, mix tapioca, salt, pepper, paprika, onion, milk, and cream.  Put over rapidly boiling water, cook 15 minutes, stirring often.   Add lobster and butter.  Keep over hot water 15 minutes to blend flavors.   Add sherry, serve at once, or cool, stir, then chill overnight and re-heat when you want to serve.  Makes 4 servings.

   Notes:   1)The recipe says that this can be frozen, although I have never done that. 
               2) I have used cans of frozen lobster meat --up to 2 lbs of lobster for these proportions....that made it CHOCK FULL of lobster meat and it was sensational! 

            Treat yourself! 

jacky@northshore1049.com
 

     For the Cookie Monster in your life:
 This is an unusual cookie.  You just don't find butterscotch cookies very often!   But these are easy to make and even easier to eat.    And, hmmmmm,  I was just thinking.....these would taste really good, warm out of the oven, with some maple walnut ice cream.


                               BUTTERSCOTCH SNAPS

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 oz. pkg butterscotch morsels
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
3 Tbl light corn syrup
1 egg
Sugar for rolling cookies

     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt - and set aside.
In the top of a  double boiler, melt the butterscotch bits.  Remove from heat.  In a separate bowl, blend the sugar, shortening, and corn syrup.  Beat in an egg.  Stir in melted butterscotch.  Add flour mixture.  Form into 1" balls and roll in sugar.  Place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.  Makes about 3 dozen.

     A good friend of mine once served this recipe with some interesting crackers- and I was totally impressed.  Delicious!  When she told me that it was a CHUTNEY spread, I felt so...provincial since I'd never had chutney before.  I wasn't sure if I should ADMIT that I'd never eaten it- or that I wouldn't even know where to FIND it.  But I confessed- and we're still friends- and now I too can 
make this great recipe and impress others...   :)
     It has a very unique sweet-ish flavor.  The curry tempers the sweetness just a tad,  Hope you'll try it. 
  
                                    CHUTNEY SPREAD

Mix together 2 8 oz pkgs of softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup Major Gray Chutney that you've chopped fine in a blender.  Add 1/2 tsp curry powder and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.    If you that it's too thick for spreading, add a little cream. Roll into a cheese ball or serve in a little bowl surrounded by crackers.  

 See if you like it!
   jacky@northshore1049.com

     If you don't want to try this recipe now, save it to use for Thanksgiving!  In addition to having a homemade cranberry relish with the Thanksgiving dinner, I always like to include this dish with the turkey and stuffing and all the vegetables.   One year, I forgot to serve it with dinner! Just had left it in the refrigerator!  But, after I realized my mistake, it still worked well as part of the dessert buffet.  So it's a versatile dish- looks pretty, and taste light and sweet.
   

                          APPLE CRUNCH SALAD

2 pkgs (3 oz each) strawberry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 1 /2 cups cold water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup diced peeled apple
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup sliced almonds(then chop them finer)
  
     Dissolve jello in boiling water,  Add cold water and cinnamon and chill until thickened.  Fold in the apple, celery, and nuts.  Spoon into 6 cup mold or serving bowl.  Chill until firm, about 4 hours.  
Makes appproximately 8-10 servings.

If you can't wait till Thanksgiving to make this, then be my guest--try it now! 
  jacky@northshore1049.com  

     Cornish hens are so cute! 
  
When I first started cooking- many moons ago- I always passed by the Cornish hens that were in the poultry section of the grocery store.   There was just something about the name- Cornish hens- that made me think that it should be a special dish for company, or that I'd need to serve it on a silver platter, or that I'd have to have a side of caviar to go with it.   I'm not sure what made me think that way (something in my deep dark childhood, no doubt).  But I'm happy to say that I got over being put off by Cornish hens- and now make them for a plain old everyday dinner,  and even eat them while sitting in front of the TV watching "Family Guy".
     This is a great recipe.  Hope you try it!

                      CORNISH HENS with RICE STUFFING

For 4

2 Cornish Hens- split in half
Salt and pepper
1 egg
Mint leaves, chopped
Butter
Converted white rice
Seasoned salt(Lawry's preferred)
Poultry seasoning
 
     Boil desired  amount(for 4) of rice according to package instructions-with water and butter. While it's cooking,  add a little salt and pepper.   When the rice is cooked, add some chopped mint leaves (use your own judgement here) , and an egg.  Mix the rice well. Put tin foil on a cooking pan (spray to keep food from sticking). Spoon rice in little mounds for each serving and place a half Cornish hen on top of each mound. Sprinkle  a little poultry season and Lawry's on the hens. Add a few pats of butter on each hen.  Cover with foil for 1/2 hour.  Bake at 350 degrees. Remove the foil and bake another 1/2 hour.   Serve individually on the plate,,,the hen on top of the rice stuffing.  


See if you like it!
  jacky@northshore1049.com

    

     When I first saw this recipe, I thought it really SOUNDED good.  And when I actually made it, I was happy to find that it also TASTED good.   It wasn't just a "glossy".
     If you like mussels  (and  I know that not everyone does, but this may be a case of Green Eggs and Ham--TRY THEM- this way!- you may like them!), this is an unusual and flavorful way of preparing them. 

                                       MUSSELS with ORANGE and FENNEL

Serves 2

1 orange
2 cloves garlic,  minced
2 shallots, chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped fennel bulb
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 Tbl butter
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 lb mussels, scrubbed well
1 tbl chopped fresh parsley, 

     Chop orange to make 1/3 cup.  Peel 3 strips of rind. In a large pan, saute garlic, shallots, fennel bulb, and seeds in butter until softened.  Stir in wine and orange peel and boil for 1 minute.  Add stock and return to boil.   Add mussels and cook over high heat, covered, for about 5 minutes.  Transfer them as they are open, to a serving bowl.   Add orange pieces and parsley to stock and spoon over mussels.  Serve.  

And you HAVE to have some crusty bread or rolls to sop up the juices!
  Hope you like it. 

jacky@northshore1049.com
 

     So is it sausage-flavored chicken, or chicken-flavored sausage??  Doesn't matter, the two combine forces here and the result is.....WOW!
Add some garlic and a little white wine and you have one flavorful dish!


         CHICKEN with SAUSAGE in a WHITE WINE SAUCE

 Serves 4

3 Tbls olive oil
1 3-lb chicken, cut into small pieces
1/2 lb. Italian sausages, cut into 1"pieces
4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

     Heat the oil in a wide skillet, lightly salt the chicken and brown on all sides along with the sausage.  Drain excess oil, add garlic and cook until golden.   Add vinegar and cook for a few minutes, then add wine, salt and pepper to taste.   Simmer covered until done.   The chicken should be moist, with very little sauce left. It should almost have a stick-to-your-fingers sensation when you're eating it!

 Hope you try it!
  jacky@northshore1049.com

     So----did I ever tell you how much I love chocolate?   :)
(yeah, only about a million times....)
     Well, this recipe is one my mother used to make- for company, not just for the family!  So it was a treat, for sure. When I was a little girl, I liked the fact that we each had our own individual serving- our own personal 'treasure'!
     Hope you try this.  And just for the record,,,,,my mom didn't use the rum.  She opted for the OJ instead!

                                       CHARLOTTE RUSSE
Serves 6 
 
12 unfilled ladyfingers
3 Tbls rum
6 Tbls water
6 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate morsels
3 oz soft cream cheese
2/3 light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Dash salt
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped

      Split ladyfingers.  Combine rum and water, and brush the cut sides of the ladyfingers with the mixture.   Place 4 ladyfinger pieces vertically  around the edge of 6  5-oz custard cups.
     FILLING:
Melt the chocolate morsels in the top of a double boiler.   Remove from the heat and cool. Blend cream cheese, vanilla, salt, and brown sugar.   Beat in the egg yolk and stir into the cooled chocolate.  Add the whipped cream.  Spoon into the ladyfinger-lined custard cups.  Chill.

    Note: in place of the rum, you can use 1/2 cup of orange juice.

Nice dessert,,,, pretty to look at and even better to eat!

jacky@northshore1049.com

    This is a spicey chili and it is guaranteed to make whatever-football-game-you're-watching,,,,,more exciting!    Just as I think of hotdogs going with baseball, I always think of chili going with football.   It's just a great combination.
    This is an interesting chili because it has some ingredients that you don't generally find in chili: like eggplant and corn.   You can make it as hot as you like by adjusting the amount of crushed red pepper and chili powder that you use.  But be sure to serve it with the suggested 'cooling down' garnishes and plenty of cold drinks!

                             BLACK BEAN CHILI

1 medium-sized eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 Tbl coarse(kosher) salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 medium-sized onions, diced
2 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
8 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
1 cup vegetable broth (can use vegetable boullion cube)
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
3 Tbl chili powder
1 1/2 Tbl cumin
1 Tbl dried oregano
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt to taste
2 cups cooked black beans
1 1/2 cups corn kernals
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup lemon juice
Sour cream(garnish)
Grated Monterey Jack cheese(garnish)
3 scallions, thinly-sliced (garnish)

     Place eggplant in collander.  Toss with kosher salt and let sit for 1 hour to remove moisture. Pat dry.
     Heat 1/4 cup olive oi in a large casserole.  Saute onions, zucchini. peppers, and garlic for 10 minutes.
     Place remaining 1/4 cup oil in a skillet.  Over medium-high heat, cook eggplant until just tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove with slotted spoon to casserole.  
     Add to casserole,,,the tomatoes, broth, 1/2 cup parsley, basil, and spices.  Cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
     After 30 minutes' cooking time. add black beans, corn, dill, and lemon juice. Cook additional 15 minutes.  Adjust seasoning and stir in remaining 1/2 cup parsley. 
     Serve hot, garnished with a generous dollop of sour cream and/or Monterey Jack cheese and some sliced scallions. 
     Serves 8.


Not your everyday chili!    Make sure you have some crusty bread and cold drinks with it!

Let me know if this helps the Patriots win.....
 
jacky@northshore1049.com

     These aren't  " a-spicey meatballs"....  They are, however, good-tasting sweet and sour meatballs.   This is a recipe that I like to make on the weekends since that's when I have more time for cooking than I do during the workweek.  The meatballs are fine, reheated.   They also freeze well.  So it becomes a convenient dish to warm up and enjoy anytime.   I've often used it as an appetizer for company.  And it's also a perfectly filling main dish when served over white rice.  The sauce makes a wonderful gravy for the rice.
     See if you like it.  Let me know!

                                      SWEET 'n SOUR MEATBALLS

     Soak 1 slice of white bread in water.   Drain. Mix 1 egg with salt and pepper to the softened bread.  Mix in 3 lbs. of hamburger.   Set aside. 

     In a large pot,   saute 1 pkg. of frozen chopped onion in a little bit of butter for 10 minutes.   Add 1 package of frozen chopped green pepper.   Chop 3 stalks of celery and add to onion and pepper in the pan.   Saute together.   
     Add a large can of tomato sauce.  Add a can of water.  Let it come to a boil.  While it's boiling, roll the hamburg mixture into small meatballs  and put them into the sauce.  Let simmer for 2 hours.  Occasionally shake the meatballs--don't really stir the pot.

     Take a large can of pineapple cubes and add to the sauce.  Take 1 lemon and squeeze the juice into the pot.  Pour 1/2 box/bag of granulated light brown sugar into pot. (approximately 7 oz.)     Mix, and continue to simmer for 1 more hour.   Delicious served over white rice. 

     Hope you like it! 

    jacky@northshore1049.com    

    This recipe is over 300 years old.  And while it's called a Spice "Cake",  it's more like what we now think of as a sweet "bread", such as a pumpkin bread.  Lindsay Diehl, the Executive Director of the Wenham Museum, (they were one of the sponsors for our Topsfield Fair broadcasts) shared the recipe with me.  The Museum offers many educational programs for kids.  And in this particular recipe that the children were shown how to make,  they were taught to grind their own spices,  just the way it was done 300 years ago! 
     It sounds like a wonderful Fall recipe with all the aromatic spices and ingredients that are so often associated with the Autumn: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, molasses.....
     Try it!- and, you don't have to grind your own spices....


                                 SPICE CAKE

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
1 cup molasses
1 cup milk
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
5 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 cup raisins
1 cup candied fruit

     Sprinkle raisins and fruit with a small amount of flour and set aside.  Mix all ingredients together, adding the raisins and fruit last.   Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.  Pour batter in, dividing evenly between the 2 pans.  Bake in a 250 degree oven for 3 1/2 hours.  When slightly cool, cut around the edges and pop out of pans.   Best served warm with freshly churned butter.

   Well,,, I was fine till it came to the part about the churned butter.  I still plan to try it....and hmmm,,,,, I wonder if Market Basket carries "I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Churned"  butter.......

Let me know if you try it---- I'm just excited to find a recipe that calls for CLOVES,,,,I have a little tin of that spice and I hardly ever get to use it!
         
jacky@northshore1049.com

     While at the Topsfield Fair this week I came upon this recipe- and it sure sounds good to me!
Mind you, I haven't tried making it yet, but I plan to!  It was in the Honey Queen's  recipe brochure in the Beekeeping exhibition.
     Even though the word "honey" does not appear in the name of the pie, honey does figure prominently in the recipe- in both the pie filling and again in the glazed topping.  Yet it doesn't seem as though the pie would be over-the-top sweet.  The jury's still out on this one- but I've got a good feeling about it....!

                                             PEACH CHEESE PIE

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 can (unsweetened) sliced peaches
1 Tbl cornstartch
1/3 cup honey (for glaze)
Pie shell
Maraschino cherry for garnish


     Soften cream cheese.  Add eggs, 1/2 cup honey, and vanilla.  Blend well.  Pour into unbaked  pie shell and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  Cool.  Drain peaches, reserve 1 cup juice. Combine cornstarch and  1/3 cup honey.   Stir in reserved juice, lemon juice, and almond extract.   Cook, stirring, until thick.  Arrange peaches petal fashion on baked cheese pie filling.  Garnish with a marashino cherry . Spoon glaze over top of pie.   Chill  1 hour.   

If it's good enough for the Honey Queen, I think it's worth a try!
      Let me know if you like it!

  jacky@northshore1049.com

     You know how you sometimes get a craving for fried clams or for a lobster roll?  Well, I sometimes get a craving for ...swordfish!    Here's an easy, no-nonsense recipe for this firm-fleshed fish.   Swordfish has a tendency to be dry, so I like to choose recipes that will give it the moistening it needs.
     Try this - and don't wait till you actually get a craving for it!



                            SWORDFISH (marinade)

This is a 'freeform' recipe!  I will not give you exact measurements.  You can be the judge of how much to use of some of the ingredients.

      Mix together equal amounts of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.   Squeeze juice from a couple of lemons into the mixture.    Add some dijon mustard and mix throroughly.  Do not make the consistency of the marinade too thick by adding too much mustard-- it should still be fairly runny!   Marinate swordfish steaks for about 1 1/2 hours.
    Put a little oil on your grill.  Grill on low heat, searing the outside of the fish.  Turn frequently and baste with excess marinade.   If you don't have a grill, the marinated fish can be broiled.  Be sure you do baste occasionally with this cooking method as well.  

   I think that if you like swordfish, you'll like this recipe.   And if you don't like swordfish, this may still be worth a try- it may change your mind. 

 jacky@northshore1049.com

     What can I say?  This is one of THE best brownie recipes I've ever had/made/eaten.  And believe me, I've had/made/eaten a lot of brownies!
     There are zillions of ways to make brownies and anyone who is reading this "What's Cookin'" page has probably made many of them.  Well, try this one on for size.  See whatchathink!


                            BROWNIES

2 sticks real, unsalted butter
3/4 cup baking cocoa(preferably Dutch or Italian)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips

        Preheat oven to 350 degrees.    Grease a 13x9 baking pan.   Slowly melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat.   Once the butter is completely melted, remove the pan from the heat.   Stir the cocoa completely into the melted butter, adding a little bit at a time.  Do the same with the sugar until you have mixed everything thoroughly.   Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each egg.  This should make the mixture thinner.  Stir in the flour, adding a little bit at a time until there is no trace of the flour.  Do the same with the salt and the vanilla.  Add the chocolate chips until well-blended, but do not overmix.  Pour mixture into the geased baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.    When the brownies are done, the edges will look set and a toothpick should come up clean fron the center(unless you hit  melted a chocolate chip!! )
       Cool for 15 minutes.    Cut, serve, eat.

I bet THIS batch of brownies won't last long.....
Let me know if you try it!
       jackty@northshore1049.com

      It's funny how certain desserts will make people react in a certain way.  A gooey, but yummy cake, oozing caramel or topped with an inch-thick icing will evoke a "Oh, boy, does that look good, but....I shouldn't.... " response.      A delicate, fruity, prettily- decorated pie  may prompt people to politely say, "Ok, yes.  I'll take a small slice."
     But a grapenut custard?  Well, the reaction is usually something like what you'd hear from someone who was freezing cold and just got covered with a warm blanket, or someone with aching muscles who was getting a massage, or what I always feel like under the afghan my mother knit for me........!   The word is....COMFORTING.  When people react to grapenut custard, it's invariably with a sigh(and they usually speak softly) and they say "Ahhhh. grapenut custard-----yes---- please-----thank you....." 


                                                  GRAPENUT CUSTARD

4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla (a little extra!)
 4 cups milk, scalded
3/4 cup grapenuts(cereal)
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
 
       Combine eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, and a few shakes of nutmeg,  Add scalded milk gradually, mixing in thoroughly.   Pour into a 1 1/2 qt. casserole.  Put half of the grapenute into the pudding and mix thoroughly.  (Most will settle to the bottom.)  Then lightly sprinkle the remaining grapenuts over the top, where it will remain, forming a top and bottom layer of grapenuts.   Sprinkle cinnamon over top.   Place casserole in a pan of hot water and bake custard in a 350 oven for about 45-50 minutes.
       Serve after it's been refrigerated for several hours.     
       Some people like to serve it with ice cream.  I don't! 
        
Hope you'll give this a try. 
 
jacky@northshore1049.com