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Pumpkin Raisin Cookies

I have several recipes for soft pumpkin cookies, but I am sharing my favourite today. This version was published in a book titled Better Food for Kids, written by registered dieticians Joanne Saab and Daina Kalnins, who were working at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto at the time of publication. The recipe was not included in the revised edition, and that is a shame. I suggest you scour second-hand bookstores for this 2002 edition. My daughter has made dozens of recipes from this book, repeatedly. There is no better gift for new parents than Better Food for Kids, circa 2002.  

My grandmother’s recipe for pumpkin cookies is similar, but she didn’t soak the raisins or add apple sauce, and she sometimes added nuts. Soaking the raisins and adding a bit of apple sauce helps create a moist, soft cookie. I adapt this recipe for the people who will be eating the cookies. I have made gluten-free cookies by using Only Oats flour or a gluten-free blend. I sometimes use spelt flour because I like it. The recipe is forgiving and seems to turn out well in spite of variations. 

Pumpkin Raisin Cookies

Preheat oven to 350°F

Ingredients:

1½ cups of raisins

½ cup of butter, softened

1¼ cups of packed brown sugar

1 cup of canned pumpkin purée (not pie filling) 

2 tablespoons of apple sauce

1 egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla

½ teaspoon of ground ginger

½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour or substitution of choice

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

Method:

In a small bowl, soak raisins in hot water for five minutes, then rinse and pat dry with paper towel. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pumpkin purée, apple sauce, egg, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon. I usually stir the dry ingredients with a whisk to blend. Gradually add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, stirring until just combined. Stir in raisins. 

Drop dough using a small spoon (or a scoop) onto baking sheets. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 or 13 minutes, until golden brown. These cookies are easier to remove from the pan once they have cooled.   

I enjoy these cookies for breakfast. They don't crumble, so they make a nice treat for a road trip. 

Gertrude's Molasses Crinkles

Preheat oven to 375° F

Moist Ingredients:

1 cup of packed brown sugar

¾ of a cup of shortening or lard (partially butter, if desired)

¼ cup of cooking molasses

1 egg

Mix the above until it is smooth.

Dry Ingredients:

2¼ cups of all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

½ teaspoon of ground cloves

¼ teaspoon of salt

Add dry ingredients to the sugar mixture. Mix the ingredients until smooth. 

Refrigerate the dough, covered, for at least an hour. This dough can be left refrigerated for 24 hours.  

Shape rounded teaspoons of dough into balls. Dip the top half of each ball in granulated sugar and place them 3” apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake the cookies at 375° F for 10 to 12 minutes. If you like soft cookies, then ten minutes in the oven will be perfect. 

Gertrude Baikie gave me this recipe in the early 1980s. She continued to make them into her late nineties. In February of 2018, she celebrated her 103rd birthday and still enjoys a Crinkle with her tea. 

Controversial Names for Vintage Recipes

I have changed the name of my husband’s favourite cookies since a British friend informed me that Nig Nog Cookies might be offensive. I was saddened to hear this and did some research. Nig nog is thought to be the shortened version of nigmenog, a late 17^thcentury word meaning very silly person. The original word is not offensive and can still be found in British slang dictionaries. The problem is that over time, in Britain, the term nigmenog was shortened to nig nog and became an offensive name for a black person. 

My vintage cookbooks are filled with names like Rickety Uncle, Johnny Cake, Spotted Dick, Chunky Monkey, Hoe Cakes, and Nig Nogs. One by one, as I adapt and share these recipes, I research the names and change them, if I discover they are controversial. 

At our house, the Nig Nog Cookie recipe has been infused with four generations of happy memories. For us, the term Nig Nog has a delightful sound and meaning. I am upset that words can be taken away from us because someone misused them. 

Nigmenogs, or silly people, come in all colours, and a plate of these cookies can make a fool of anyone. My husband, the boy from the Get a Bigger Wagon books, can scarcely stop eating them. In Australia, the word ning-nong is used to, affectionately, call someone a fool. I plan to have a little fun with this when next I make the boy’s favourite cookies. Who is the ning-nong in our house, I wonder? 

I first posted the recipe for Nig Nog Cookies, in June of 2013. One reader, from the USA, thanked me for posting it because she had misplaced the recipe that she had clipped from the San Francisco Harold forty-five years previous. My mother-in-law made this recipe almost 70 years ago. If you haven’t tried the recipe, you should know it falls into the “fast and simple” baking category. Melt butter in a pot with syrup, add some soda, then pour the warm liquid over the dry ingredients. Roll into balls, press flat, and place far apart, so they can melt and flatten even more. I imagine any nigmenog could make them. They deserve a better name than Crispy Caramel Oatmeal Cookies. They are buttery, paper thin, delights, which explode in your mouth. Click HERE to visit the recipe. 

NOTE: I am seriously considering renaming this recipe to Ning-Nong Cookies. What do you think? 

Oven-Baked Rice Medley

Preheat oven to 350°F

Try this oven-baked rice recipe. It bakes in 30 minutes at 350°F, so it is ready in the time it takes to rest and carve a roast. 

Pour two cups of good quality chicken broth (I prefer Campbell’s Stock First) into an ovenproof casserole and heat on high in the microwave for two minutes per cup.

Sauté finely chopped fresh mushrooms with onions or shallots. I sometimes use the last third of an onion and the end of a package of mushrooms. This rice is even delicious made with only broth. 

Add the veggies to the hot chicken broth. Add one cup of raw white rice (not processed) to the liquid, along with a rounded teaspoon of butter. Stir the mixture until the butter melts. Place a lid on the casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, check to be sure that the broth is fully absorbed. If the rice looks cooked, remove the casserole from the oven. Fluff the rice, replace the lid, and let the rice stand for up to 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

The rice can be refrigerated for up to three days, or it can be frozen in individual portions. Brown rice can be prepared this way but will require 50 minutes, or more, to cook.

Tips:

I often toss half a cup of grated carrots or beets into the dish for the sitting period, at the end. The steam from the hot rice cooks the grated vegetables, and the added colour is visually appealing.

Once you are comfortable making rice in the oven, try using other liquids and different vegetables in your medley. I have made oven-baked rice with pineapple juice, instead of broth, adding chopped apples, celery, and onions to the mix. I've also tried mixing coconut milk, kidney beans, and a bit of chilli powder. Have fun! 

Slow Cooker Pea Soup

The original recipe for this soup was submitted by Claire Lajeunesse-Lewko of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and featured in a Canadian Living slow cooker compilation.

Step One:

In a large bowl, soak 2 cups of dry yellow split peas in 6 cups of cold water, for twelve to twenty-four hours. I do this after my evening meal so that I can put the soup on the following morning. 

Step Two:

In the morning, drain and rinse the split peas and place them in the slow cooker.

To the slow cooker add:

6 cups of fresh water

1 ham or picnic shoulder bone with a little meat attached

1 large onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon of black pepper

Cover the slow cooker and cook the soup on low for 6 to 7 hours or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove the bone and bay leaf. Add any bits of ham from the bone to the soup. This hardy soup may be kept in the refrigerator for a couple days or frozen in individual portions.

I love to serve this soup with cheese scones or Cranberry Cornbread. 

Simply Delicious Coleslaw

This easy-to-make coleslaw appears on our family’s dinner menus with regularity. The vinaigrette dressing is a tangy alternative to mayonnaise. This coleslaw actually tastes better after spending a couple of days in the fridge, and it keeps well for over a week. I often double or triple the recipe for larger gatherings.      

Vegetable Ingredients:

3 cups of shredded cabbage

1 cup of grated carrot

Toss the cabbage and carrots together until well mixed.

Vinaigrette Dressing:

2 tablespoons of sugar

3 tablespoons of vinegar

2 tablespoons of oil

1 teaspoon of salt

Mix the dressing ingredients. Warm the mixture in a saucepan or microwave oven. Whisk, until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

Pour the lukewarm dressing over the vegetables, mix well, and refrigerate. Stir the coleslaw daily in order to evenly distribute the dressing.

Tip:

This coleslaw is delicious made with shredded fresh cabbage. However, if you are short of time, you can use supermarket shredded coleslaw mix. To freshen the packaged cabbage, soak it in your favourite vegetable wash. I prefer Natural Plantation™. Soak the coleslaw mix for a half hour, then drain and rinse the cabbage well. Adding freshly grated carrots and delicious dressing to the well-rinsed, packaged cabbage markedly elevates the flavour, although fresh is always best.   

Christmas Pudding: A Museum Kitchen Mystery

In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, eight members of the Cratchit family shared a tiny plum pudding. One taste was enough to inspire smiles of satisfaction and enthusiastic praises all around. Their appreciation of simple pleasures even warmed the heart of Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge, as he travelled with the ghost of Christmas Present.

In the spirit of Christmas Past, I have been thinking about the variety of puddings I have sampled throughout my life. The British tradition of serving Christmas pudding, after the Christmas meal, evolved from a 14^th century recipe for frumenty, which was porridge-like and eaten as an entire meal. Frumenty was a mixture of meat, dried fruits, spirits, and spices. I am sure this mixture kept well without refrigeration.

Thank goodness pudding recipes have evolved over the decades. Some recipes became more fruity and were referred to as plum puddings. These puddings were dense, and, if not steamed to perfection, were called cannonballs, an old Victorian word for puddings on the heavy side. The addition of eggs, grated root vegetables, and breadcrumbs, created a lighter dessert, sometimes called carrot pudding. Many families cherish their traditional pudding recipe, passing it down from generation to generation, making adaptations based on their family’s dietary opinions and available ingredients.  

Christmas puddings were usually steamed, which meant they could be made on any heat source, as long as a large pot was available, and the pudding was lifted slightly away from the bottom of the pot. This enabled even cooking of the pudding, in spite of the varying temperatures of heat sources.

I remember sitting by the wood stove watching my grandmother add water, from the hot kettle, to the big pot that held the pudding. More amazing, is my memory of the smell of the caramelizing white sugar, which became part of the sauce that went over the pudding. The sweet fragrance from Grandma’s kitchen wafted up the stovepipes to the bedrooms. Such a fragrance would easily induce visions of sugarplums.

Over the years, I have collected delicious Christmas pudding recipes designed to be cooked in conventional ovens, microwave ovens, and crockpots, as well as steamers. Ingredients vary widely, but, when Christmas puddings are served, they are usually smothered in delicious sauce. It’s the sauce that motivates my husband to say, “Yes!” to this dessert. He prefers a bowl of sauce with a tiny piece of pudding…for garnish.  

Of course, Christmas puddings were the perfect dessert for pioneer women to make, here in Canada. As I mentioned, most recipes included easily stored ingredients like dried or candied fruits, nuts, and breadcrumbs. Root vegetables kept well and were readily available for months after harvest. Steamed pudding recipes have always been quite forgiving, and families would add whatever extras the local general store might have imported for Christmas, such as oranges or lemons. The addition of spirits, like rum or whiskey, contributed to the taste as well as the preservation of puddings.

If you have never tried old-fashioned Christmas pudding, then you must pay a visit to the Western Development Museum (WDM), in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, during the Christmas season - mid-November until the New Year. For decades, I have made several December visits to the Boomtown Café in the museum to treat my mother-in-law to a serving of Christmas past. My mother-in-law and I believe that a four-pudding December is, usually, followed by a blessed New Year. I wrote about our Christmas tradition some time ago, and you can read A Christmas Tradition in Saskatchewan by clicking on the title. 

Each time my mother-in-law and I enjoyed pudding at the WDM, I was filled with questions about the recipe, the bakers, and what it looked like behind the scenes. I do remember the day, many years ago, when I learned that volunteer grandmothers came into the kitchens and made their family pudding recipes. I could imagine a group of little white haired ladies, socializing as they chopped and stirred, each steaming their own pudding. I wondered if they competed for accolades. In those days, no two servings were ever the same, but you could tell, at a glance, which ones contained more dark fruit and which had visible carrot bits. The rum sauce was, and will always be, the great equalizer when it comes to puddings. My mother used to say you could serve it on a shingle and folks would rave.    

It took me two years to persuade the various food specialists, at the WDM, to allow me entry into their kitchens, to watch the Christmas puddings materialize. This year, permission was granted, the date was set, and I was cautioned that I would not be allowed to see the recipe for the pudding OR the sauce. The recipe had been passed on, in a file of well-loved recipes, from baker to baker, and was classified information. I presumed it might have originated with one of the grandmothers.  Of course, many adaptations must have been made to create a recipe that would feed the large groups that attend the WDM each year. I was told, in jest, that if I saw the recipe I would have to be terminated. The nervous laughter I heard was my own, but I remained optimistic about my pending visit.

The forbidden file!!

On the planned date, I had barely set foot into the cafeteria line, when Bobbi, the head baker, arrived to welcome me. Marilyn, the kitchen supervisor, arrived next, and the two ushered me through the short order kitchen to the baking kitchen. On the counter there were two huge bowls of already measured ingredients. Eggs and butter were ready to be added. There was no visible recipe for the pudding, although there were other recipes strewn about for me to look at, as well as some of Bobbi’s favourite cookbooks. They were definitely serious about the secrecy of the pudding recipe. 

I took a moment to notice the exaggerated size of everything. There were pails of baking powder. Bowls, pans, and ovens were oversized. I watched Bobbi mix the batter with glove-covered hands. There is something relaxing about watching someone mix ingredients, this way. Bobbi, too, seemed to drift back in time. She remembered, aloud, sitting at a table watching her grandmother and her mother bake. Bobbi had learned about texture, and consistency, of batters and dough by watching and asking questions. She talked about enlarging, and adapting, recipes and testing the results diligently until perfection was reached. As she talked about the importance of food storage, I could smell cookies baking. She explained that each cookie would be cooled, wrapped, and frozen. I felt like I was in Santa’s workshop.  

Marilyn (L) and Bobbi (R) 

Bobbi scooped the huge batches of pudding into buttered and lined flat pans. She didn’t divulge how she would cook them, but I could see there were several options. In this kitchen, I saw steam ovens, regular ovens, and warming ovens. I was expected to leave the kitchen, before the puddings were put in to cook.

I had no trouble filling a couple hours at the Western Development Museum. I enjoyed a delicious lunch in the Boomtown Café. On this day, I had cream of turkey soup and a piece of pumpkin pie. After lunch, I walked through Once Upon a Christmas, by myself, for the first time, ever. I usually have delightful grandchildren or sweet old people in tow. I took time to walk through Boomtown. It was beautiful with little snowdrifts on the rooftops and sidewalks. I went into the newspaper office and remembered my early childhood in my parents’ newspaper business.

I was lost in my own memories, when I became aware of the delicious smell of almost cooked Christmas pudding, wafting into the 1910 town. I headed back to the kitchens. As I sat outside the restaurant, waiting for an invitation to return to the kitchen, I realized that Christmas pudding is, in itself, a simple thing to make. The magic is in the traditions surrounding it.

Back in the kitchen, I was allowed to peek under the pans, and the damp parchment paper, to see the moist and fragrant pudding. It was immediately covered to retain the steam. This pudding would be served at several upcoming banquets, as well as offered in the café. On the day of my visit, they already had plans to serve 40 events over Christmas. As I stood in the bustling kitchen, I felt warm, happy, and sure that the busy, talented people who work in the Western Development Museum kitchens are sincerely devoted to creating special taste memories for their guests. I am a frequent and grateful guest.

When it was time for me to leave, I took some photos, enjoyed a last glance around the kitchen, received several farewell hugs, and was given a giant cookie for the road. I thanked everyone in the kitchen, and assured them I would see them soon.

My mother-in-law is ready for the pudding countdown to Christmas, 2017. I will always feel special when I pay for our treats, because I have been allowed to enter the magical WDM kitchens, and not just everyone has the persistence to get inside. Right?

My recipe for Steamed Apple Date Pudding can be found by clicking on the title. I give detailed instructions and have made this pudding many times. If you are new to steaming puddings, this is a great recipe to try. 

Special thanks to Bobbi, Marilyn, Jamie, Jason, and the other people who make each visit special. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2018!

Back in 1972, when the museum first opened, they had planned on catering weddings and conventions. The newspaper mentioned that the main hall would be able to serve 1000 guests.

I use a tiny jar of baking powder in a year. 

Steamed Apple Date Pudding

Ingredients:

1 egg

¼ cup of brown sugar

½ cup of maple syrup

½ cup of milk

1½ cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg

¼ cup of cold butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup of chopped dates

1½ cups of peeled apples, chopped

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg, and add the sugar, maple syrup, and milk. In another bowl, whisk the flour, salt, soda, and spices together. Add the dry mixture to the egg mixture, and beat well. Stir in the butter pieces, dates, and apples.

Pour the batter into a well-greased mould or heatproof bowl. Cover tightly with greased foil, parchment paper, or pudding mould lid. Tie the cover securely with string, or clamp the lid in place. A pyrex bowl, covered in parchment paper that is secured with string would work, if you don't have access to a pudding mould. My grandmother steamed her pudding in glass jars, with wax paper tied over each. This enabled her to, later, reheat smaller portions, at one time. My own mother steamed puddings in coffee tins.   

Gently place the mould on a rack or a metal jar lid, to keep it slightly away from the bottom of the pot. Pour enough water around the pudding to come about two inches up the sides of the pot. Cover the pot and allow the pudding to steam for at least two hours, adding more water as necessary, to maintain the water level. I usually steam this recipe for 2 hours and 15 minutes. This isn’t a precise science. Steamed puddings are very forgiving. Centuries ago, women made steamed puddings over an open fire, and eventually on top of wood stoves. I expect you could steam a pudding on any single source of heat, even a barbeque.

I happen to own a broth pot with a basket inside, and I have collected professional pudding moulds. There is no need for this, but I enjoy serving shaped puddings. To make a pretty pudding without all of the expense, use a metal or glass jelly mould. As long as you tie foil or parchment paper over the top of the pudding, your results will be satisfying. 

After your pudding is cooked, and you have gently lifted it from the pot, remove the lid or parchment paper. Let the pudding cool on the counter for fifteen minutes. Invert the pan, and let the pudding finish cooling. My puddings slide out easily as soon as I invert them. I leave them, exposed to the air, to cool completely.   

Serve the resulting pudding, hot, with your favourite sauce.

The cooled pudding may be wrapped well, in foil, and frozen for later use. To reheat, leave the pudding wrapped in foil, and place it in a 350°F oven for one hour. Or, place the pudding on a rack in a saucepan, pour in two inches of boiling water, cover the pot, and steam for 1 hour. Serve this pudding with your favourite sauce.  

Maureen Haddock's Butter Tart Sauce would be a nice choice.   

Love Your Zucchini

One zucchini can provide an entire day of fun for you and a friend. Harvest is a time for trying new recipes and sharing old ones. Recently, my daughter and I chose to spend a day adapting already well-loved zucchini recipes. She prefers oat flour in all her baking. I often use spelt flour mixed with wheat flour. One awesome zucchini provided us with two 9” by 13” chocolate cakes, four spice loaves, and enough fritters for supper.

First, the vintage zucchini loaf recipe, that I am sharing today, should be credited to Irene Paquette. My original recipe had her name scribbled on the top in my handwriting. I make it, often, and freeze it. For a quick lunch, serve it with a piece of cheddar cheese. For a yummy dessert, drizzle a slice with cream cheese glaze. My daughter made hers with oat flour, extra raisins, and no nuts. Her loaves are pictured on the right. 

Zucchini Loaf

Moist Ingredients:

2 ½ cups of shredded zucchini

3 eggs

1 cup of salad oil

1 ½ cups white sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Dry Ingredients:

3 cups of flour (It is fine to use whole grain spelt)

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

Additions:

½ cup of nuts (optional) Double the raisins if you are omitting nuts.

½ cup of raisins (rinse in boiling water to puff)

Method:

In a large bowl mix sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the grated zucchini.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the sugar and egg mixture, stirring only until moistened.

Fold in the nuts and/or raisins.

Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans, or one 9” by 13” cake pan. If you lightly grease the pans and use parchment paper, you will find the loaves lift out easily for slicing.

Bake the loaves at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes. Lift cooled cakes from pan and slice for freezing.

For the chocolate zucchini cakes, my daughter, again, used oat flour and topped her cake with assorted sizes and textures of chocolate chips. I topped mine with dark, medium-sized, chocolate chips by Enjoy, because I am allergic to soy. Again, both were delicious.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Preheat oven to 350° F

Moist Ingredients:

¼ cup of soft margarine or butter

½ cup of vegetable oil

1¾ cups of white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 cups of shredded raw zucchini

½ cup of sour milk or plain yogurt

Dry Ingredients:

2½ cups of flour

4 tablespoons of cocoa powder

½ teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

½ teaspoon of cloves

Topping:

¾ of a cup of chocolate chips

Method:

In a large bowl, cream the butter, oil, and sugar. Add slightly beaten eggs and vanilla. Beat this mixture until smooth. Stir in the grated zucchini and yogurt.

In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the dry ingredients together, using a whisk.

Add the dry ingredients to the moist ingredients and mix well. 

Pour into a greased 9” by 13” baking pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with ¾ of a cup of chocolate chips.

Bake the cake, for 40 minutes, in a preheated 350°F oven.

By the end of the afternoon, we were tired, hungry, and had three cups of zucchini left. We were in need of something savoury, so decided to make quick and easy fritters. We used my regular fritter recipe and spiced the zucchini up with a little Frank’s Red Hot Original.

Vegetable Fritters

3 cups of finely grated vegetables

1 tablespoon of finely minced onion (or more)

2 eggs

Olive oil

Salt

Select vegetables such as turnip, carrot, squash, zucchini, and sweet potato. My personal favourite mixture includes equal parts carrot, zucchini, and white turnip.

Mix grated vegetables with onion and eggs. The batter will be quite wet. In a large, heavy skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Lightly shape a handful of the batter for each fritter and gently drop it into the oil. I like to use my large ice cream scoop to drop batter onto the pan. Flatten the fritters with a spatula.

Let the fritters brown over medium heat until bottoms begin to change colour. Turn fritters over and fry for several more minutes. This takes about 5 minutes a side. Drain on paper towel. Season fritters with salt if desired.  Keep cooked fritters warm in a 250°F oven, while the rest are cooking.

When making our zucchini-only fritters, we used 3 cups of grated zucchini, 2 tablespoons of finely minced onion, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, sprinkle of sea salt, and one or two teaspoons of Frank’s Red Hot Original.   

NOTE: We thank my daughter’s mother-in-law for giving us a zucchini worth loving. 

Vintage Pineapple Refrigerator Desserts

My husband, the boy in the Get a Bigger Wagon books, happens to love, and remember, a rich and refreshing refrigerator dessert his mother used to make in the 1950s and 60s. In his mother’s old cookbook, it’s called Pineapple Slice. In those days, refrigerators were more common than air conditioning, so, in summer, people made recipes that could be prepared without heating up the house. Barbequing was all the rage, and setting a table on the patio was fashionable. Salads, and cold meats, were popular evening fare on weekdays.

During this time, packaged ingredients became available, offered shortcuts, and were instantly popular. The Pineapple Slice dessert called for canned pineapple, packaged graham wafers, and icing sugar. The recipe says to bake the crust ten minutes, but that wouldn’t be necessary. Baking improves the flavour, though, because the butter and sugar mixture caramelizes, slightly.  

Initially, I adapted the recipe, because it called for raw eggs in the middle layer. There is a bit of a controversy about eating raw eggs. To read suggestions for properly handling eggs, visit www.getcracking.ca. Historically, I prepared my eggnog with raw eggs, and Gord devoured dozens of pans of Pineapple Slice, raw eggs included. Today, it’s an individual choice. We no longer eat raw eggs at our house. My friend, a home economist, who also taught Food Safety to commercial cooking students, prefers her eggs well cooked.  My husband has Crohn’s, and, today, we take no chances.

I have included three recipes in this column. The first recipe is the original dessert that my mother-in-law made, frequently, every summer. Served ice cold from the fridge, on hot summer days, it created a taste memory for everyone who took a bite. I remember it well. She would whisk it from the fridge, bring it to the patio, and slice it before our eyes. Her apron was always tied, in a nice bow, behind her straight skirt or perfectly pressed pedal pushers.

Pineapple Slice

The Boy’s mom’s original recipe

Crust:

2 ½ cups of graham wafer crumbs

½ cup of butter, melted

Mix and save ¼ cup of this mixture for the top.

Press the rest into a 9” square pan (or 7” by 11”)

Bake at 350° F until brown (10 minutes)

Cool completely.

Middle Layer:

½ cup of soft butter

1¼ cups of icing sugar

2 well-beaten eggs

Cream the butter with icing sugar, until it is smooth. Add the two eggs and continue stirring to form a thick paste. Spread this on the cooled crust.

Topping:

1 cup of whipping cream

1 cup of crushed pineapple, drained until quite dry.

Whip the cream until stiff. Fold in the well-drained pineapple. Spread this mixture over the icing layer. Top the dessert with reserved crumbs. Refrigerate for several hours.

In the second recipe, I created an alternative middle layer incorporating Bird's Custard powder rather than raw eggs. My husband loves this new adaptation, and I make it regularly. I have also frozen this dessert, in slices, with great success.  

I made the adapted recipe for my husband’s birthday this year. As they said in the 1950s, “It is easy to impress the man in your life with a simple refrigerator dessert.”

Pineapple Refrigerator Dessert

The Boy’s wife’s adaptation

Crust:

2 ½ cups of graham wafer crumbs

½ cup of butter, melted

Mix and save ¼ cup of this mixture for the top

Press the rest into a 9” square pan (or 7” by 11”)

Bake at 350° F, until brown (10 minutes)

Filling:

2 tablespoons of Bird's Custard Powder

3 tablespoons of milk

¼ cup of soft butter

Beat in 2 cups of icing sugar until smooth

Spread mixture over chilled crust

Chill for 15 minutes

Topping:

1 cup of whipping cream

1 cup of crushed pineapple, drained until quite dry.

Whip the cream until stiff. Fold in the well-drained pineapple. Spread this mixture over the icing layer. Top the dessert with reserved crumbs. Refrigerate for several hours.

The third recipe I have included is probably my favourite of the three. It is an old recipe from a Paulin’s cookie pamphlet. It has a delightful, cooked custard layer and maraschino cherries added to the pineapple topping. The eggs are cooked in the custard, the cherries add colour, and the result is company-worthy.
     

Graham Wafer Pineapple Pie

An old Paulin’s recipe

The Crust:

2 cups graham wafer crumbs

¼ teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of sugar

½ cup of butter, melted

Method:

Blend graham wafer crumbs, salt, sugar, and butter with a fork. Turn into a 9” pie plate or square cake pan, reserving ¼ cup of crumbs for the top. Press the crumbs into the chosen pan. Bake the crust in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, Prepare Filling:

1½ cups of milk

¼ cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

Pinch of salt

1 egg yolk, beaten

½ teaspoon of vanilla flavouring

Method:

Heat 1¼ cups of the milk in the top of a double boiler. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt and blend into the ¼ cup of milk that remains.

Add this to the heated milk, stirring until the mixture thickens. Add the beaten egg yolk and vanilla and cook for four minutes. Cool.

Pour over the graham wafer crust. Chill.

Prepare the Topping:

1 cup of whipping cream

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of maraschino cherries, chopped

1 can of crushed pineapple, well drained

Method:

Whip the cream until stiff.

Add remaining ingredients and spread over the filling.

Garnish with the ¼ cup of retained graham wafer crumbs.

NOTE: I will be doing a column on double boilers soon. In the meantime, please note that this is a Bowlie or Staybowlizer and it, safely, turns two unmatched pots, or a pot and a bowl, into a perfect double boiler. 

I would love to know if your mom, or grandmother, made some form of pineapple refrigerator dessert, while you were growing up. Do leave a comment!