Recipes

Table of Contents
Cherry Scones
Cherry Walnut Bread
Crescent Cakes
Beltain Marigold Custard
Soft Mead
Yogurt Cheese
More Recipes...

Cherry Scones

1-3/4	cup flour
3	tablespoon sugar
2	teaspoon baking powder
1/2	teaspoon baking soda
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/3	cup butter
1/2	cup dried cherries
1	egg, lightly beaten
1/3	cup buttermilk
	egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water)

Preheat oven to 400° F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add dried cherries and toss. Add egg and buttermilk and stir only until mixture holds altogether. Dough will be sticky; if it seems dry, add another tablespoon of buttermilk. Knead 8 to 10 turns on a lightly floured board, then gently pat into a circle about 9 inches in diameter. Cut into 12 wedges and place on a cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash. Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden. Serve warm with butter and cherry preserves. Makes 12 scones

These beans will take you to the top! Cherry Walnut Bread

1	egg, room temperature
4	ounces maraschino cherries, cut into quarters
1	cup sugar
2	tablespoon butter, melted
1/4	cup each cherry juice, orange juice, water
2	cup flour
2	teaspoon baking powder
1/4	teaspoon baking soda
1	teaspoon salt
1	cup walnuts, chopped

In a bowl, beat the egg; add the cherries, and stir in the sugar and melted butter. Pour in the cherry and orange juices and water. Sift the dry ingredients together, then add them to the liquid mixture a spoonful at a time, blending thoroughly. Stir in the chopped nuts.

Pour the batter into a medium (8 1/2 x 4 1/2) loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 1 and 1/4 hours, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the loaf comes out clean and dry. Let the bread rest for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Makes one loaf.

Either of these recipes would be wonderful for the simple feast cakes that you might use in February or March. Each is fast and very flavorful. I do recommend that you serve the scones warm for best flavor, and you can always serve cherry preserves with the bread.

Crescent Cakes

1	cup finely ground almonds
11/4	cups flour
1/2	cup confectioners sugar
1/4	cup poppy seed or sesame seeds
2	drops almond extract
1/2	cup butter, softened
1	egg yolk

Combine almonds, flour, sugar and seeds, add extract until thoroughly mixed.

With the hands, work in the butter and egg yolk until well blended. Chill dough.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of walnuts and shape into crescents and place on greased cookie sheets.

Bake for about 20 minutes.

Serve during the Simple Feast, especially at Esbats.*

Beltain Marigold Custard

2	cups milk
1	cup unsprayed marigold petals
1/4	tsp. salt
3	Tbsp. Sugar
2	inch piece vanilla bean
3	egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/8	tsp. allspice
1/8	tsp. nutmeg
1/2	tsp. rose water

Using a clean mortar & pestle reserved for cooking purposes, pound marigold petals. Or, crush with a spoon. Mix the salt, and spices together.

Scald milk with marigold petals and vanilla bean. Remove the vanilla bean, and add the slightly beaten egg yolks and dry ingredients.

Cook on low heat. When the mixture coats the back of the spoon, add rose water and cool. Top with whipped cream, garnish with fresh marigold petals.

Soft Mead

1	quart water, preferably spring water without added minerals
1	cup honey
1	sliced lemon
1/2	tsp. nutmeg

Boil together all ingredients in a non-metallic pot. While boiling, scrape off the rising “scum” with a wooden spoon. When no more scum rises add the following things:

pinch of salt

juice of 1/2 a lemon

Strain and cool. Drink in place of alcoholic mead or wine during the Simple Feast.

Yogurt Cheese Yogurt cheese requires very few things to do it and it only takes 24-36 hours from start to finish. You will need the following items:

1	gallon size jar
1	old but very clean pillow case (white)
1	quart of yogurt for every 2 cups of cheese that you want to make.
	a small storage container with a tight lid

Open the pillow case and suspend it in the jar, so that it is above the bottom by about three inches. You can use a large rubber band to hold it around the lip of the jar or you could tie it with twine. Empty the yogurt into the pillow case and make sure that it clears the bottom of the jar. Fold the excess case over the top of the jar, set the jar into a large bowl or pan and set into the refrigerator for 24 hours.

After 24 hours there should be quite a bit of liquid in the bottom of the jar. Take the case out of the jar and empty off the excess liquid. You can use this whey in baking Put the case back into the jar and suspend as before, let this sit for another 12 hours and most all the liquid should be gone from the yogurt. You can now turn this out into a bowl and stir it a bit just to get a nice consistency, you could add fruit or herbs at this time. You now have a soft cheese that can be used for crackers, bagels, or almost anything you would normally use under cream cheese spread.

Any yogurt that has a low gelatin content can be used to make this cheese. I have used yogurt with fruit in it already but just a hint, any flavor that contains lemon doesn't seem to work very well. If you use plain yogurt plan to flavor it with herbs or it will have quite a "sharp" bite.