Cook’s Question
(Continued from Page B 8)
ANSWER Kathi Taylor, Shickshinny, wanted the
recipe for a peanut butter pie that did not contain
chocolate and used a pie pastry crust. Here are two
suggestions.
Peanut Butter Pie
Sent in by B. Martin.
2Va cup milk
% cup sugar
Vs tsp. salt
4 tbsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. butter
2 egg yolks
Vs cup smooth peanut butter
Combine all ingredients and cook until thick in a
double boiler.
CRUMBS: Combine Vs cup peanut butter with % cup
confectioners sugar. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle % of
the crumbs in baked 9-inch pie shell. Add the above
pudding. Spread with meringue. Top with remaining
crumbs. Bake 15 minutes at 350°.
MERINGUE:
3 egg whites
V* tsp. cream of tartar
6 tbsp. granulated sugar
Beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar
and sugar. Beat until stiff and glossy. Spread over
pudding, covering all of the edges.
Simple Peanut Butter Pie
Sent In by Debbie Reynolds from Wrlghtsville
1 cooled and baked 9-inch pie crust
1 ig. box vanilla pudding, cooked as package directs
Va cup peanut butter
1 cup 10X sugar
Mix peanut butter and sugar with fork until it makes
small, light brown crumbs.
Sprinkle % of the crumbs in pie shell. Top with
cooled pudding.
Cover pie with Cool Whip and sprinkle with remain
ing crumbs.
ANSWER Beverly Findleiz, Holtwood, wanted a
recipe for Pumpkin Delight. Thanks to a reader for
sending in these recipe.
Pumpkin Delight
1 cup brown sugar
Va cup pumpkin
3 well-beaten eggs
-1 large can pet. Milk „
1 tsp. each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Mix all, put in 9X13 pan, sprinkle 1 boxed yellow
cake mix over pumpkin mixture, melt 2 sticks of
butter, drizzle over top. Sprinkle % cups pecans on
top. Bake at 350° for one hour.
Pumpkin Delight
3 A cup plus 2 tbsp. of cold water, divided
2 tsp. unflavored gelatin
6 large eggs, separated
1 Vi cups granulated sugar, divided
2 Vi cups cooked pumpkin puree
1 cup lowfat milk
1 tsp. salt
V 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Vi tsp. ground ginger
3 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup vanilla or gingersnap cookie crumbs
In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring about
2 inches of water to simmer. Meanwhile, in a small
mixing bowl, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over Vi cup
cold water to dissolve and set aside. In a metal bowl
large enough to fit neatly over the simmer saucepan
of water, beat egg yolks with a whisk or hand-held
electric mixer until well-blended.
Gradually add half the sugar, making sure to mix
well until the mixture is thick and pale, at least 4 min
utes. Add pumpkin, milk, salt, cinnamon, and ginger,
continuing to blend with each additional ingredient.
Set the bowl over the simmering water, making sure
to stir constantly with a spatula for about 20 minutes,
until thoroughly cooked and blended.
Remove the bowl from the heat source and whisk in
wanilla and reserved gelatin in water. Transfer the
■mixture to a clean bowl and refrigerate for about 30
■minutes to cool, but not set, the mousse.
In a heatproof glass bowl large enough to fit over
the same saucepan of simmering water, blend the
egg whites, cream of tartar, remaining half of sugar,
and remaining Vz cup of water.
Place the bowl over the simmering water and use a
hand-held electric mixer set at a low speed to con
stantly whip the mixture for about 5 minutes of cook
ing and blending. Increase the mixer speed to high
and continue to cook the mixture for another 4 min
utes. Remove the mixture from the heat source and
let cool about 5 minutes. Gently fold the meringue
into the cooked and cooled pumpkin mixture. Divide
half of the pumpkin mousse among a dozen dessert
dishes. Sprinkle each service with the coookie
crumbs and top with remaining half of the pumpkin
mousse.
Here’s different suggestion from another reader.
Pumpkin Torte
24 graham crackers, crushed
Vs cup sugar
Vs cup butter (melted)
2 eggs (beaten)
3 A cup sugar
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
2 cup pumpkin
3 egg yolks
Vs cup sugar
Vs cup milk
Vs tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
V 4 cup cold water
3 egg whites
V 4 cup sugar
Cool Whip
Mix grahams, Vs cup sugar, and butter. Press into
9X13 pan. Mix eggs, 3 /4 cup sugar, and cream cheese.
Pour over crust. Bake 20 minutes at 350°. Cook
pumpkin, egg yolks, Vs cup sugar, milk, salt, and cin
namon until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Add
gelatin, dissolved in Va cold water. Cool. Beat egg
whites, Vi cup sugar, and fold into pumpkin mixture.
Pour over cooled baked crust and chill. To serve, top
with Cool Whip.
ANSWER K. Moyer, Summerville, wanted to know
the difference between Sure Jel and Clear Jel.
Thanks to Virginia Zimmerman, who answered that
Sure Jel is for making Jelly, while Clear Jel Is for
making things like Danish desserts or for thickening
fruit and Juices. There is also instant Clear Jel, which
you must put with sugar before mixing with fruit. She
buys Clear Jel in the bulk section of her grocery store.
ANSWER A reader wanted the recipe for the ulti
mate cheese cake. Here is another version of the “Ul
timate Cheesecake” from Lioda Matyas from
Bloomsburg. The recipe is from her mother, who has
had it for more than 40 years.
The Ultimate Cheese Cake
Ingredients:
4 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese
% cup of sugar
6 eggs
3 teaspoons PURE vanilla extract
CRUST:
Crushed graham crackers or graham cracker crust
1 stick butter
TOPPING:
1 pint sour cream
cup sugar
2 teaspoons PURE vanilla extract
Combine 4 packages of cream cheese, 3 A sugar,
eggs, and 3 teaspoons of vanilla in a large bowl. Using
an electric hand mixer, beat until smooth.
FOR CRUST: Crust is put into springform pan. First,
melt one stick of butter and enough graham cracker
crumbs to cover pan together. Press with fingertips
inside pan to evenly cover area.
Pour mixture into crust-layered pan and bake 350
degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until firm, not brown.
Remove from oven and let stand.
FOR TOPPING: Mix sour cream, 1 A sugar, and two
teaspoons PURE vanilla extract. Mix and pour over
cheesecake. Return to 350-degree oven for 10 more
minutes.
ANSWER K. Moyer, Summerville, was looking for
a meringue that gets high. Thanks to the reader who
sent in this recipe.
3 egg whites
1 tsp. warm water
1 A tsp. cream of tartar
6 tbsp.sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
Separate eggs when cold but let warm to room tem
perature before beating. Make sure beaters and bowl
are clean and not greasy.
Add warm water to egg whites and beat on high
speed until frothy. Sprinkle in cream of tartar. Beat
again. Reduce speed slightly and gradually add sugar
and cornstarch. Quickly return to highest speed and
beat until sugar is dissolved, and very stiff and glossy
peaks form. Under beating causes brownish liquid
drops and meringue to shrink after it’s baked.
Pile meringue on pie, going around edges first and
being careful to “seal” the meringue to the crust
edge. This helps prevent shrinkage and puling away
during baking.
Bake at 325° for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden
brown. Too hot an oven reduces height of meringue.
Remove from oven and cool on a rack at room tem
perature away from draft. Cooling meringue too fast
causes it to pull from the edges and shrink. End of file
Meringue
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, February 12, 2000-89
ANSWER Gail Isennock
wanted a recipe for thin,
crisp wafers covered in
chocolate. Pollyanna Eby
from Belleville suggested
using equal parts of pure
milk chocolate and “dip
ping (or covering) choco
late.” The mixture can be
used to cover wagers,
pretzels, pretzel sticks,
peanuts, maraschino cher
ries, marshmallow, and Ritz
crackers with peanut
butter in between. She says
they’re wonderful when
dropped on wax paper and
placed in the freezer over
night
Ice dams are the build up of
ice usually at the eaves or val
leys of a building, which are the
result of snow melting on the
roof and sliding down to the
eaves, where it re-freezes.
Repeated occurrence of this
cycle causes a build up which
can result in ice backing up
under the shingles on the roof
resulting in water entering the
house, causing considerable
damage to interior spaces. This
condition can also be caused by
the accumulation of leaves and
debris in the gutters, which can
contribute to the ice build-up
and subsequent damage. The
winter storms in the northeast
in 1993, 1994, and 1996 caused
substantial amounts of damage,
much of which can be attributed
to ice damming.
What can a building owner do
to reduce the risk of damage
from ice damming?
1) Make sure gutters are
clean and free of debris, and
downspouts are open and unob
structed.
2) Be sure attic spaces are
properly insulated. It is impor
tant that heat from the house
not be allowed to escape into the
attic space. Proper ceiling insu
lation will help prevent this.
Carefully seal all ceiling pene
trations such as light fixtures
and other wiring.
3) Be sure attic spaces are
properly ventilated Soffit and
gable ends should be open and
free of obstructions. If blown-in
insulation is used in the attic,
check to be sure that soffit vents
are not blocked.
4) In new roofing or when
replacing an old roof, have the
contractor install an ice dam
barrier This is a membrane
which is applied directly to the
roof decking, which goes up the
roof from the edge to a point no
less than 12 inches inside the
inner face of the exterior wall,
over which the shingles are
installed. In some extreme cli
mates, this membrane should
extend even further.
Careful attention to attic
insulation and ventilation, and
where possible, the installation
of an ice dam barrier, will go a
long way in reducing the
amount of damage experienced
during extreme winter weather.
Prevent Ice
Damage