Marilyn Hamilton made this for me when I was very little. At that time I had never even seen a persimmon. I have liked it ever since. The most divine aspect of this pudding-cake is that it gets caramelized at the edges. If you eat it with whipped cream or ice cream, you will pass…
Swedish Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
In a large bowl, combine oats and buttermilk. Soak at least 30 minutes. 2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats 2 cups of buttermilk, plus more if needed If you have no buttermilk, you can put some yoghurt in instead, or yoghurt blended with milk. If the yogurt is sweetened, then you should cut bakc on…
Mu Shu wrappers – Mu Shu Pancakes
Add to blender: 1 and ¼ cup flour 2 tbsp sugar 3 eggs 1 and ½ cup milk 2 tbsp. melted butter or oil pinch of salt Mix in blender until smooth. Pour a small amount into a teflon or non-stick frying pan and roll the batter around in the pan until you have a…
Bea Bars
Amah was the source of this recipe, and she got it from her friend Bea Gormley. Amah left out the butter one time by accident, and the “new and better” version was born. We called them Bea Bars for years, in honor of Bea. In Nanjing we had a guinea pig and named her Bea…
The best marshmallow recipe I could find
I believe this came from Maida Heater’s cookbook. The Best Marshmallow Recipe We tried all sorts of recipes for marshmallows until we found this one. Great for bored kids. Line a 9 x 13 x 2 pan with parchment paper, oil sides, dust bottom with cornstarch and icing sugar mixed. Put ½ cup water in…
Honey Hoisin Sauce
Honey-hoisin sauce Pour into a small pan: 2 teaspoon2 honey 1 Tablespoon Hoisin sauce 2 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 Tablespoon chicken stock or water 1 Tablespoon rice wine 2 teaspoons sesame oil Mix and boil, great over vegetables and all sorts of other dishes. We first tried this sauce on green beans.
Awesome popsicles
These popsicles are so much better than the average home popsicles, it is outrageous. Of course, you can buy popsicle molds and just pour in orange or some other flavor of juice and the kids will be happy. But if you make these, everyone will beg for them, not just the kids. Take 1 tablespoon…
Two biscotti recipes – Fig/Almond and Anise seed
Fig and Almond Biscotti This cookie is made by first mixing the wet, then the dry, and then putting the two together. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cream together until fluffy: 1 cup sugar ¾ cup butter Then add one at a time: 3 eggs Mix all the…
Eggplant with Garlic Sauce
I have a secret to tell you. This recipe is called “Yu Xiang” eggplant in Chinese. Yu means fish. Xiang means fragrance. Fish fragrance? Sounds like smelly fish… not tasty sounding at all. But the name is actually referring to “the sauce that makes fish taste fragrant” and not smelly fish! This sauce will make…
Cottage Cheese Pancakes
This is a very healthy way to eat pancakes, and they do not make you feel tired or like your stomach is too full. These are light, very healthy, full of protein, and make you feel wonderful! Blend in a blender: 1 cup cottage cheese 4 eggs 1 cup flour ¼ tsp salt ¼ cup…
Three Chinese Sauces: Sweet & Sour, Plum, and Honey-Hoisin
Sweet and Sour sauce Mix in a pan and bring to a boil: ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup vinegar 1 tsp salt 4 Tbsp. catsup ¾ cup pineapple juice (the juice from the can of pineapple you will use in the stir fry recipe) When boiling, add a little of the following solution until…
Caramelized Sherry Chicken
Caramelized Sherry Chicken We made this a lot when we lived in Beijing. Chicken legs were easy to get, and you could find the most delicious flower and fruit wines. I think my favorite of all was the Hawthorne apple/berry wine, but in the absence of that there was a line of wines from Korea…
Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
Blueberry Zucchini Muffins Invented one day in desperation when the second zucchini I had bought to use in the muffins was too old to use (and a little fuzzy). In order to fill out the muffins, I dumped in a can of blueberries minus the water. Here in China there were no blueberries until very…
Black Russian Pumpernickel Bread
If we are in the US for our anniversary, I always make this bread. It was impossible to do that in China, since there was no rye flour available until recently. This bread is fantastic with cherry jam. We ate it on our 10th wedding anniversary in Maine slathered with jam sitting by the ocean….
Apple Cloud Muffins
I can’t remember how the Apple Cloud Muffin recipe manifested. But in our house they have been a frequent site on the table over the years. Our Chinese friends love these muffins – perhaps because they are not overwhelmingly sweet, but are moist and fragrant. Here is the recipe: Apple Cloud Muffins Preheat oven to…
Better Popovers
This is actually an old recipe I found long ago while hunting for popover recipes in a host of cookbooks. Now M C and J eat them for breakfast on the weekends in Beijing. I know because I was there several times, and delighted in the hot and steamy popovers with butter and a tiny…
Angel Food Cake with Caramel Icing
Heat oven to 350 degrees Sift and re-sift: 1 cup cake flour 1/2 cup sugar, finely ground Combine and beat until stiff but not dry 1 1/2 cups egg white 2 1/2 Tablespoons cold water 1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar Then add: 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp almond extract 1/2 tsp salt Beat until…