Water Pie

This frugal dessert was a fairly popular recipe during the days of the Great Depression, when money (and money for “exotic” ingredients and/or desserts) were virtually non-existent for many Americans. While no one is quite certain where this recipe originated, it is considered an heirloom family recipe by many West Virginians who have tweaked it over the years to suit their particular likes. Feel free to switch it up a bit as you wish – omit the nutmeg, use half granulated sugar, half brown sugar, etc.

This dessert is simple, frugal and delicious; somewhat similar to a custard pie but without the dairy – which is a huge plus for those who are lactose intolerant!

Water Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Dash salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 9-inch pie shell
• Butter

Heat oven to 450°F.

In large bowl, combine all ingredients, except pie shell, in order listed.

Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell, and dot with butter.

Bake for 15 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350°, and continue baking for another 45 minutes, or until done.

Banana Split Icebox Cake

An icebox cake (American), zebra cake (British), or chocolate ripple cake/log (Australian) is a dessert generally consisting of whipped cream and chocolate wafers. The back-of-the-box recipe on Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers indicates that the wafers are stacked to form a log with whipped cream cementing them together and then the log is laid on its side. A second log is formed and the two are set side-by-side and more whipped cream covers the exterior. The cake is then left overnight in the refrigerator (or “icebox”). The wafers absorb moisture from the whipped cream and the whole can be served in slices. The dessert is usually served by cutting it into slices at a 45-degree angle, so bands of chocolate and cream are visible across each slice. The traditional wafers are the thin and dark Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, but they may be hard to find in some areas so other cookies are sometimes substituted.

The icebox cake is derived from similar desserts such as the charlotte and the trifle. It was first introduced to the US during World War I. Its popularity took off in the 1920s and 30s as it used many commercial shortcuts and premade ingredients. In response to the dish’s popularity, companies that manufactured ingredients for the cake, such as condensed milk and wafer cookies, began printing “back of the box” recipes.

A variation of icebox cake is made using pudding and graham crackers or vanilla wafers layered in a square or rectangular baking dish. Additional variations include alternating layers of chocolate and vanilla pudding, or the addition of sliced bananas or pineapples between the layers. While this can be done with cold (“instant”) pudding, if given ample time in the “icebox,” the best results come from assembling the dessert with still-hot stove-cooked pudding, and then refrigerating overnight. Our version uses instant pudding for those of us who prefer instant gratification 🙂

Banana Split Icebox Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
• 24 whole graham crackers
• 2 medium bananas, sliced
• Toppings: chocolate syrup, halved fresh strawberries and additional banana slices

In a large bowl, mix the whipped topping, sour cream and pudding mix until blended; fold in pineapple. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; fill with pudding mixture.

On a flat serving plate, arrange four crackers in a rectangle. Pipe about 1 cup pudding mixture over crackers; top with about 1/4 cup banana slices. Repeat layers five times. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, top with chocolate syrup, strawberries and banana slices.

Chocolate Pistachio Phyllo Roll

Phyllo, filo, or fillo dough are paper-thin sheets of unleavened flour dough used for making pastries in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine.

The practice of stretching raw dough into paper-thin sheets probably evolved in the kitchens of the Topkapı Palace, based on Central Asian prototypes. Yufka may have been “an early form of filo” since the Diwan Lughat al-Turk, a dictionary of Turkic dialects by Mahmud Kashgari recorded pleated/folded bread as one meaning of the word yuvgha, which is related to yufka, meaning ‘thin’, the modern Turkish name for phyllo as well as a Turkish flatbread also called yufka.

Phyllo dough is made with flour, water, and a small amount of oil and rakı or white vinegar, though some dessert recipes also call for egg yolks. Homemade phyllo takes time and skill, requiring progressive rolling and stretching to a single thin and very large sheet. A very big table and a long roller are used, with continual flouring between layers to prevent tearing.

Machines for producing phyllo pastry were perfected in the 1970s and they have come to dominate the market. Phyllo for use by home cooks is now widely available from supermarkets, fresh or frozen.

Chocolate Pistachio Phyllo Roll

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely ground in a food processor
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup shelled salted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
• 6 sheets phyllo dough (12 by 17 inches each), thawed if frozen
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Put chocolate in a medium sized bowl.

In a saucepan, heat cream with cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Pour heated milk over the chocolate and stir until melted.

Finely chop 2 tablespoons nuts; set aside. Stir the remaining nuts into the chocolate mixture.

Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on a work surface (cover remaining sheets with a damp kitchen towel). Lightly brush surface with melted butter; lay another sheet on top, and brush with more melted butter.

Immediately spoon the chocolate along a short side of phyllo, leaving a 1 ½ inch border uncovered along the edges. Tightly roll into a log, lightly brushing with butter at each turn and tucking in ends. Brush log with butter; cover with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat the process to make 2 more logs.

Transfer logs to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Rotate sheet; brush logs with butter. Sprinkle with reserved nuts. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

To serve: dust lightly with sugar and cut in a swift motion to divide each log into 8 pieces.

Chocolate Banana Rum Pie

Dessert is typically a sweet course that concludes a meal. There is a wide variety of desserts in western cultures including cakes, cookies, biscuits, gelatins, pastries, ice creams, pies, pudding, and candies. Fruit is also commonly found in dessert courses because of its natural sweetness. Many different cultures have their own variations of similar desserts around the world. In Russia, many breakfast foods such as blint, oladi, and syrniki can be served with honey and jam, making them popular as desserts.

Desserts were first made using natural ingredients that were locally available. In ancient civilizations people enjoyed dried fruits, honeycomb, or nuts and these items were considered the first “candy”. When sugar began to be manufactured in the Middle Ages more sweet desserts became available. However, even then, sugar was so expensive usually only the wealthy could indulge on special occasions. The first apple pie recipe was printed in 1381.

Chocolate began to be appreciated in the Amazon 2000 BC. However, it was in central Mexico that the Aztecs recognised its qualities in a very tangible form – they used cacao beans as currency. 100 beans would buy a slave!

Cacao was worshipped by the Mayan civilisation of central America who considered it to be “the food of the gods” and also believed it to be a serious aphrodisiac. Cacao arrived in Spain in the early 17th century and soon spread throughout Europe, arriving in England in the mid sixteen hundreds. The first chocolate house opened in 1657 in London, selling hot chocolate.

Chocolate Banana Rum Pie

Ingredients:

• 9 inch Pastry shell, baked
• 1 cup Sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon unflavored Gelatin
• Dash of Salt
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 Eggs, separated
• 6 ounces semi-sweet Chocolate
• ⅓ cup Banana Rum
• ½ pint Whipping Cream
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

In saucepan, combine ½ cup sugar, gelatin and salt. Stir in milk and beaten egg yolks.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate and stir until melted. Add rum and chill until partially set.  Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into chocolate mixture and pour into pastry shell.

Beat whipping cream with vanilla extract and remaining sugar until stiff.  Spoon over top of pie and chill for several hours before serving.

German Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Cakes have a long and ancient history. The very first cakes were quite different than what we would eat today – more bread like and sweetened with honey. Nuts  and dried fruits were often added. The ancient Egyptians were the first culture to show evidence of advanced baking skills. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the English word “cake” dates back to the 13th century and is a derivation of ‘kaka”, an old Norse word.

According to the food historians, the precursors of modern round cakes (complete with icing) were first baked in Europe in the mid-17th century and was made possible by advances in technology which included more reliable ovens and ingredient availability. It was during this time that cake hoops (round molds for shaping cakes) became popular.

The first icings were usually a boiled composition of the finest available sugar, egg whites and flavorings. This was poured on the cake and the cake returned to the oven. When removed from the oven, the icing quickly cooled and formed a hard, glossy (ice-like) coating. It was not until the middle of the 19th century that cake, as we know it today, became popular.

Being of German descent, we eat quite a bit of authentic German food around here. I’m not quite certain this is an “authentic” German recipe but it is certainly delicious. And easy. The most difficult part is peeling the apples!

German Apple Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

• 3 Eggs
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 2 cups All Purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 4 cups tart Apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped Pecans

Icing:

• 1 – 8 ounce package Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons Butter, softened
• 2 cups Confectioners sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat  the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla.  Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and add to egg mixture.  Mix well.  Fold in apples and nuts and pour into a greased 13×9 baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Cool completely.

In small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together.  Add confectioners sugar, beating until smooth.  Spread over cake.

Refrigerate any leftovers.