Canadian Mennonite Plum Custard Kuchen

Posted by Olga 8/30/02 5:51:13 pm

A tea-biscuit base with neat rows of plums surrounded by custard
- this is a delicious dessert.

1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup margarine or shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
Plums, pitted and halved

Topping
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Custard
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt
1/3 cup sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Cut in
margarine.
Beat egg and milk and stir into mixture.
Pat the dough
over the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan.
Arrange nicely in rows enough
pitted plums to completely cover the dough.
Sprinkle topping over
the plums.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile mix custard ingredients.
Take the kuchen out of the
oven, drizzle the custard mixture over the plums, and return it to
the oven.
Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 30
minutes.

Serve warm.

Mennonite Apple Strudel

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup warm water
5 cups sliced apples
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts
5 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Grated rind of 1 lemon

Sift the flour and salt together.
Cut in the shortening and add
the eggs and water.
Knead well, then throw or beat the dough
against a board until it blisters.
Stand the dough in a warm place
under a cloth for 20 minutes.

Cover the kitchen table with a small white cloth and flour it.
Put the dough on it and pull it out with your hands very carefully
to the thickness of tissue paper.
Spread with a mixture of the
fruits, sugar, melted butter, cinnamon and lemon rind.
Fold in the
outer edges of the dough and roll like a jellyroll - about 4 inches
wide.
Bake in a very hot oven (450 degrees F) for 10 minutes,
reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and bake about 20
minutes longer.
Let cool.
Cut into slices about 2 inches wide.
It
should be flaky and moist.

Mennonite Bread Pudding

2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
4 cups day old bread (1/2-inch slices), cubed
1/4 cup raisins

Beat eggs.
Add sugar, milk and nutmeg.
Butter a 1 1/2-quart
baking dish.
Put bread cubes into dish and pour egg mixture over
the bread.
Let the bread cubes become soaked by the mixture.
Mix in
the raisins.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

Serve warm.

Mennonite Brown Flour Potato Soup

6 medium potatoes
3 cups water
3 cups milk
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
Salt, pepper and parsley

Peel and cut potatoes in slices.
Boil them in salted water until
tender.
Add the milk and let simmer.

Meanwhile brown the flour in the melted butter, stirring all the
time over low heat; add it to the soup, stirring until the mixture
thickens.
Sprinkle with parsley and pepper.

Serve with buttered crumbs, or squares of fried bread, or
pretzels on top.
You might boil some sliced onion with the
potatoes, if you like.

Mennonite German Summer Salad

Source: The Canadiana Cookbook/Mme Jehane Benoit/1970

2 cupsraw spinach, finely chopped
1 thinly sliced peeled cucumber
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sliced radishes
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh or bottled lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Paprika, to taste
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

Wash the spinach the day before, then wrap it in a cloth and
refrigerate it overnight.

Chop the spinach, add the cucumber, onions and radishes, then
toss lightly.
Arrange in a wooden salad bowl and place a mound of
cottage cheese in the middle.

Blend the sour cream with the lemon juice, salt and pepper and
pour over the salad.
Sprinkle the paprika in the middle and the
parsley all around.
Toss when ready to serve.

This is a very good meal in itself, but it’s even better when
served with thin slices of lightly buttered black bread.

Mennonite Meat Balls (Fleischbälle)

3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped finely
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup rice, soaked in water
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup catsup or tomato sauce

Mix all but the catsup and form into balls; brown balls in a
pan, put in an oven dish and cover with blended catsup and 1 quart
of boiling water.
Let simmer in oven for 3 to 4 hours, making sure
the balls haven’t gone dry.