Great Grandmother Calvert

Great Grandmother Calvert's Fruit Cake



1 lb Golden Raisins
1 lb Currants
1/2 lb Citron, sliced thin
1/2 lb Candied Cherries and Candied Pineapple, cut nicely as you please
1/2 lb dates, you must cut them fine
1 lb Whole Pecan Meats
1 lb Ground Almonds
1 lb Macadamia Nuts, chopped
1 Pint Good Brandy
1 Cup Molasses
1 lb Butter
1 lb Brown Sugar
1 Dozen Eggs
1 lb Sifted Flour
Pinch of Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Allspice, slightly rounded
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
3/4 Teaspoon Cloves

Prepare fruit and nuts and soak overnight in half the brandy in a tightly covered container. (Keep cut up dates separate, as they tend to stick together). The soaking keeps fruit and nuts well apart, makes cake moist and pleasantly aromatic.

The next day, beat butter to a rich cream, then add sugar slowly and beat until fluffy and light. Add molasses and mix well. Beat yolks of eggs until lemon colored, then add to butter mixture and beat very light. Sift flour, salt, and soda, mix in spices, and add to mixture, alternating with remaining brandy. Stir in soaked fruit and nuts. (Only then cut-up dates need to be floured (I floured them with the ground almonds)). Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold them into cake. Bake in a slow oven in well greased pans for 2 or 3 hours according to size.  Quantity makes one large and one medium cake. When cool wrap in an old napkin moistened with brandy, make airtight and put away in cool, dark place to mellow. 

Maryland White Potato Pie

An old and somewhat forgotten Maryland recipe. I made this from Mrs. John Owens' recipe in the Maryland's Way Cookbook. 

The texture is light and the sherry gives it a unique flavor. I will definitely be making this again. 

1 Pound Irish potatoes
2/3 Cup Country butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
Salt to taste
1/2 Cup Heavy Country Cream
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Teaspoon Baking powder
Juice and Rind of Lemon
Nutmeg to taste
1/4 Cup Sherry
4 Eggs

Cook potatoes, mashing them through a ricer when done. Add butter to hot potatoes and mix well, stir in sugar, salt, cream, and milk, then baking powder, lemon juice and rind, nutmeg and sherry. Beat eggs well and stir into potato mixture. Line a pie pan with thin pastry and fill with mixture. Bake in a moderate oven until firm and brown[350 for 45-55 minutes]. This Pie has been a favorite for many years at All Hallows Thanksgiving Dinner

The Hindenburg Hon

The LZ 129 Hindenburg, the “Titanic of the Skies,” above the Bromo-Seltzer Tower in Baltimore in 1936

Rye Whiskey, Rye Whiskey, Rye Whiskey I Cry

Went out to watch the Derby and grab a Mint Julep like a good Maryland girl. Upon arrival to the bar I realized I forgot the Mint Julep cups. I had to run home in ye old flip flops to grab the cups and head back to the bar before the start of the race. In the meantime, another bar patron ran to the neighborhood garden and cut some fresh mint. Unfortunately, Julep overdose caused me to erase the beautiful picture of the freshly prepared Julep.

Being a true Marylander, I ordered my Julep with Rye Whiskey (receiving due kudos from the bartender for my home state pride). Ma mere went the southern route and ordered her's with bourbon. After sampling each other's we decided that we preferred our respective juleps better.

From the Baltimore Sun:
"Muddling the Mint Julep" by Rob Kasper  was an excellent choice of subject and had some excellent technical information but contained some bad history.

Where Mr. Kasper went wrong was to side with an identified "Kentucky Colonel," Mr. Cobb, instead of a renowned local Maryland expert, H. L. Mencken, on the right choice of whiskey for an historic mint julep The right choice was and is rye whiskey. At the end of the American Revolution, Kentucky wasn't even a state while Maryland already had 159 years of experience in the refined (as well as unrefined) drinking of ardent spirits. It was rye that Marylanders used in their mint juleps at a time when the drinking of bourbon was in its infancy (if it was invented at all in this early period).

Over time the upstarts from the Kentucky region have endeavored to take over the legacy of this fabled drink with superior publicity, the success of which is evident by Mr. Kasper falling for it. But a true mint julep starts with rye. Aye.

Jim Morrison, Gibson Island

Zum Wohl!

Although the name "Baltimore" is Irish, German culture is rich in the city (Berger cookies anyone?).  German immigrants began to settle along the Chesapeake Bay by 1723, living in the area that became Baltimore when the city was established in 1729. German Lutheran immigrants established Zion Lutheran Church in 1755. Early German settlers also established the German Society of Maryland in 1783 in order to foster the German language and German culture in Baltimore.

Zion Church host a few fabulous German events throughout the year including an authentic Christkindlmarkt.  Last week I had the pleasure of going to their annual Sour Beef Dinner, which was the 2011 winner of City Paper's "Best Church Dinner."  

In addition to the best dumplings I've ever had, we also enjoyed live German music, great beer, and traditional German dancing.  

                                               

                                             Deutschland Über Alles

Black Eyed Susan

The Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) has been the official Maryland flower since 1918 when it was designated the "Floral Emblem" of Maryland by the General Assembly.  I snapped these on my bike ride this morning.

Though not native to the state of Maryland, it did grow throughout the state and presented beautiful waves of orange/yellow in fields from late summer to autumn. It also reflected the colors, black and gold, that the first Lord Baltimore used in his coat of arms.

There was plenty of opposition to the black-eyed Susan. It was denigrated as nothing more than a common weed and not even native to the state. An article in the Baltimore Sun criticized the choice, referring to it as a common vagabond, " Susan came to Maryland, not on the Ark or the Dove, but as a migrant from the Midwest mixed in clover and hayseed.”

Loveliest City

"Baltimore is one of the loveliest and most beautiful cities in all of North America." -Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Holy Man of Maryland