88-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 19, 2003
If you are looking for a recipe but can’t find it, send
your recipe request to Lou Ann Good, Cook’s Question
Comer, in care of Lancaster Farming, P.O. Box 609,
Ephrata, PA 17522. There’s no need to send a self-ad
dressed stamped envelope. If we receive an answer to
your question, we will publish it as soon as possible.
Check your recipe to make sure you copy the right
amounts and complete instructions for making the reci
pe. Sometimes we receive numerous answers to the
same request, but cannot print each one.
Answers to recipe requests should be sent to the same
address. You may also e-mail questions and answers to
LGOOD.EPH@LNPNEWS.COM
QUESTION - Patty Schuler, Richland, N.J.,
wants to know how to remove raspberry seeds
to make seedless raspberry jam.
QUESTION Recipes and ideas are needed
for using all types of summer fruits and vege
tables.
QUESTION A reader wants recipes for
dishes that work well to take to potluck dinners
or covered dish events.
QUESTION A reader wants recipes and
ideas for quick summertime cooking.
QUESTION A Lycoming reader wants a
recipe to make chocolate chip mint cheesecake
and other recipes for unusual cheesecake.
QUESTION L. Kauffman would like a pep
per recipe to can sweet peppers that taste like
the B&G Sandwich Toppers available at super
market. She knows it has some oregano in it.
QUESTION Alice Weaver wants a recipe to
make cream cheese.
ANSWER Marlene Witmer just found out
that her son cannot have wheat products, so
she is looking for wheat-free recipes, and a
source to buy rice flour. Thanks to Mary Hart
man, Narvon, for writing that she highly recom
mends Bette Hagman’s book, “The Gluten-Free
Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy,” which con
tains a wealth of wheat-free recipes. Hartman
also writes that rice flour can be found in many
bulk food departments of supermarkets such as
Shady Maple, East Earl, and in Oriental grocery
stores. Hartman purchases rice pasta and other
baking needs at an oriental store at the corner
of 11th and Elm Streets in Reading.
ANSWER C. Faus, Hegins, sends this in
formation for Marlene Witmer who inquired
about spelt flour. Although spelt flour Is avail
able in most health food stores, it can be ex
pensive. You can buy spelt flour freshly ground
at Hinkletown (she did not send address or
phone number) or call (570) 682-0159. Since
the allergy problems their family deals with is
protein, spelt flour solves the problem, but for
those who have gluten allergies, spelt flour may
not work.
Faus writes that spelt flour may be used in
most recipes for cakes, cookies, gravy and oth
ers that call for flour. However, she found it dif
ficult to roll out pie dough until she found the
following method. Now her 8-year-old is de
lighted to make pie dough.
Pie Dough Using Spelt Flour
3 cups spelt flour
1 Vz-2 sticks soft butter
Combine flour with butter and rub until
mixed evenly. Firmly press about % cup crumbs
on bottom of pie plate.
Spelt flour does not contain as much gluten
as wheat flour, so do not expect a light, fluffy
bread. It can be rather crumbly. Faus found it
more satisfactory to form into sandwich buns
than loaves. Here is the recipe Faus uses to
make homemade bread with spelt flour.
Spelt Bread
2Va cups quick oats
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons salt
% cup brown sugar
15 cups spelt flour (approximately)
4 cups water
2 tablespoons yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
Soak yeast in one cup warm water with 2 ta
blespoons sugar. ScaM oats, oil, salt, and
brown sugar with 2 cups boiling water. Add 2
cups cold water to cool. Stir 714 cups flour into
oatmeal mixture, add yeast. With dough hooks,
beat five minutes on high (this strengthens the
gluten). Let rise 5-10 minutes.
Stir down. Add remainder of flour and knead.
Divide dough into 4 loaves; put in greased
bread pans and allow to rise until doubled (one
hour). Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 min
utes.
ANSWER Several years ago, Helen Spen
cer, Hopewell, N.J., had gotten a recipe for
Shoo Fly Pie that is served at the Shartlesville
Inn. She lent the recipe out and has not gotten
it back. “It was the best tasting Shoo Fly Pie
and I’d love to be able to make it again,” she
writes. Thanks to a Landisburg reader who sent
a recipe, which she writes is not from Shartlet
svilie Inn but has won first prices. Everyone
loves it, she writes.
Crumb topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
Mix together flour, sugar, and oil until crum
bly. Save V* cup crumbs.
Filling:
1 egg
1 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix together egg and molasses. Dissolve
baking soda in boiling water. Add to egg and
molasses mixture. Add to crumbs. Mix well.
Pour into 10-inch pie shell.
Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Sprinkle re
served crumbs on top. Bake additional 30-35
minutes at 350 degrees.
Shoo fly pie should be baked as soon as the
filling is mixed toether.
ANSWER Nona Deputy, York Springs,
wanted to know how to preserve citron and
where she could get some seeds. Thanks to a
reader for sending the following information.
Citron seeds can be purchased from R.H.
Shumway’s Fulfillment Center, 335 S. High St.,
Randolph, Wl 53956. Phone (888) 437-2733.
Citron Melon Preserves
2 pounds citron melon
2 pounds sugar
1 lemon
Cut melon into Vfe-inch slices, crosswise.
Trim off green rind. Discard seeds. Split slices,
keeping the inner and outer parts separate.
These parts should be preserved separately be
cause the outer portion requires longer cook
ing. Weigh. Cover with water and boil 25-35
minutes. Drain. Dissolve half the sugar in four
cups water. Add citron. Boil 45 minutes. Let
stand overnight. Add remaining sugar and slic
ed lemon. Boil until citron is clear. If syrup is
too thick, add boiling water. If syrup is too thin
when citron is cooked, remove citron and boil
syrup until thickened. The amount of water
needed depends upon the amount of citron
melon used. Pour boiling hot mixture into jars.
Seal immediately.
Note: Citron preserves may be drained and
used as a substitute for regular citron. Com
mercial citron is made from a tree-grown fruit
not a melon.
ANSWER ? Eric, Shade Gap, writes, “as a
child growing up, I remember my grandmother
serving for breakfast what I would call rivels
that were sweet in a hot milk-like broth that
was poured over bread or bread crumbs and
then sprinkled with sugar. Does anyone know
what this was and how it was made?” Thanks
to Holly Lutz, Jonestown, for writing that this
sounds like Dumph Knepp, which her mother
often made when she baked bread.
DUMPH KNEPP
Steam Buttons
Va cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg beaten
Va teaspoon salt
IVt teaspoons shortening
1 3 /« cups flour
1 tablespoon dry yeast
Heat milk to scalding (until a skin forms on
top) cool to lukewarm. Add yeast and dissolve.
Add shortening, salt, sugar, egg, and flour.
Place in a greased bowl and let rise until dou
bled in bulk. Punch down and divide into
fourths and shape into balls.
Shoo-Fly Pie
Place into a greased 10-inch round cake pan
and let rise about 1 to 1 Va hours.
Heat in a 12-inch skillet and pour in about %-
1 cup water. Bring to a boil and place into a
skillet on top of a small rack. Use two dinner
knives. Let cook on medium heat for 20 min
utes. Take skillet off stove and let stand a few
minutes before removing lid.
Serve warm with sugar and milk. Swiss
cheese was also served with this dish.
Dumph Knepp can be frozen and then re
heated in microwave. Holly writes: Of course,
we did not have a freezer or microwave at that
time, so the family ate the whole thing at one
sitting.
ANSWER Sandy Evans, Berks County, re
quested a recipe for Red Velvet Cake Roll. Holly
Lutz, Jonestown, sent a recipe for Red Velvef
Whoopie Pies in which the batter can be adapt
ed to make cupcakes or cake roil. Holly also
writes that Duncan Hines sells a red velvet
cake mix with a recipe to make a cake roll.
Holly writes that one box makes one nice cake
roll with batter leftover to make cupcakes or a
small cake. She uses two boxes to make two
nice-size cake rolls. One to keep> and one to
give away. Follow directions on box. (Any brand
of cake mix will work).
Here’s Holly’s ‘from scratch’ recipe.
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
Vfe cup shortening
1 Vi cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2-ounces red food coloring
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 Vi teaspoons baking soda
3Vi cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vinegar
Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring; set
aside.
Cream together shortening, sugar, and eggs.
Add cocoa mixture and vanilla. Beat at medium
speed for several minutes. Add flour, salt and
buttermilk alternately to mixture. Bead several
minutes again at mediufti speed. Fold in baking
soda and vinegar. Do not beat.
Drop by tablespoonful onto greased cookie
sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes
or until done. Spread your favorite filling (two
different recipes follow) on one, top with a sec
ond cookie.
Filling 1:
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla
V* cup flour
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup shortening
2Vs cups powdered sugar
Beat egg whites until stiff. Add vanilla, flour,
milk, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and mix.
Add shortening and remaining powdered sugar,
beating until fluffy. Spread between the cook
ies.
Filling 2:
1 stick butter
1 cup Crisco
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 teaspoons marshmallow fluff.
With' electric mixer, beat together butter,
Crisco, sugar, and vanilla. Fold in marshmallow
fluff. Spread between whoopie pie cakes.
ANSWER A Lycoming County reader want
ed a recipe to make A-1 steak sauce.
A-1 Steak Sauce
Va cup orange Juice
% cup raisins
Vi cup soy sauce
Vi cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons D||on mustard
1 tablespoons grated orange peel
2 tablespoons catsup
2 tablespoons chili sauce
Bring all ingredients to a boll, then boll two
minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Allow to cool to lukewarm. Pour mixture into a
blender until it is pursed. Pour into a bottle and
cap tightly. Refrigerate and use within 90 days.