Food that Really Schmecks - questions about ingredients
Keeping in mind I don't do a lot of baking (or a lot of recipes from the 1960s), but seeing as The Holidays are coming up and I'm on the whole Mennonite theme right now, I thought I would do some baking for the upcoming feasts. Only... some of the ingredients listed in this book (Food that Really Schmecks by Edna Staebler) confuse me. Could you help?
Cocoa - in the recipe Best Cocoa Cake. It says we should dissolve the cocoa in boiling water before adding to the mix. Are we talking unsweetened cocoa powder like I use for hot chocolate?
Soda - from the same recipe (and most of the other baking recipes). Baking soda?
Any problem substituting the shortening with lard (same recipe)? We don't do vegetable shortening in the house, but I can easily make lard. Anything I need to know about substituting one for the other?
Medium baking syrup - in Auntie's Dark Fruit Cake. Is this like corn syrup or golden syrup or something else entirely? Can I use honey and if so, any adjustment for texture or taste?
Thanks in advance. Will probably have more questions from this book as I get baking, I'll just stuff them in this thread instead of starting a new one each time.
13 Comments
I have an idea how to make it a bit brighter flavoured but still deep and rich - maybe all the milk with yoghurt, lard instead of butter, or mix butter and olive oil, stuff like that. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
The stewed cabbage with dried fruit recipe in the book also fantastic. I made a whole crock pot full and it was gobbled up in one sitting.
It's times like this I feel that libraries are real pests for wanting their books back. This one I'm going to have to buy my own copy of. Can't wait to try the fruit cake recipe(s).
However, no yeast in this dough. Just flour, salt, fat, eggs, and water. We knead together the ingredients, then beat our frustrations out on the dough. Perhaps an error in ingredients list?
It's the Apfelstrudel recipe p274
agree cocoa is plain cocoa powder. soda is b soda. Could substitute lard for shortening. Also coconut butter if you can find some/like it. Medium baking syrup is probably referring to color, picking up from grades of maple syrup. But/and honey and/or golden syrup would be find substitutes.
I would think soda means baking soda, but why does my memory say soda water has also been used. I will google.
Mennonitegirlscancook.com use golden syrup a lot. They say corn syrup also works. Honey would change the flavor, but not in a bad way.
I use leaf lard for baking. As in the specifically found around the kidneys and has no pork flavor. I don't think I would use my other pork lard that I use for savory cooking in a chocolate cake, but that may just be me.
Totally off topic, but I can't resist. I was at my local shi shi grocery store eyeballing the unpasteurized garbanzo miso made with hand crafted koji. It was $10.99. Geesh! I asked the dept manager if he'd tried it. He hadn't, so he took out his trusty sharpie and drew through the price code and let me try it free of charge. So cool! I love the stuff. I am going to have to make my own though. I am going to find that miso thread and write down all the info you posted and get to work.
Glad to hear about the miso! Let me know how it tastes. That's very 'affordable' compared to chickpea miso here which starts at $12 and goes to $36 depending on the brand, age, &c. Did I tell you I put my secret recipe up on this site? It's my special-most successful version which I was going to keep a family secret, but no kids to pass it down to, so now it's here. I wonder if The Hotline would mind if we have a 'Miso Club' thread for people fermenting their own miso at home?
I saw your easy miso stir fry recipe. Going to make it. The one thing I have a hard time finding is authentic rice wine. Never thought to use sake.
Love the miso club idea. We may be the lone members, but that's okay.