My Great Recipes Collection

Great Recipes From the Past

Cross Country Cookery

Spumoni with Holly Berry Sauce

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This ice cream dessert is perfect for Christmas time, and it comes from Cross Country Cookery.  Feel free to use frozen orange juice concentrate in place of the triple sec.

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Spumoni with Holly Berry Sauce

A delightful finale for a Yule meal!

Ingredients

For the ice cream

  • 3 pints chocolate ice cream softened
  • 1 pint pistachio ice cream softened
  • 2 pints vanilla ice cream softened
  • 1/2 cup candied mixed fruits
  • 2 teaspoon rum flavoring
  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream whipped

For the Holly Berry Sauce

  • 1 10 oz pkg frozen raspberries defrosted
  • 1 10 oz pkg frozen strawberries defrosted
  • 2 tablespoon triple sec

Instructions

Make the Ice Cream

  1. Place a 2 1/2 quart melon mold in freezer.
  2. In large bowl, beat chocolate ice cream until smooth, but not melted. Quickly press evenly inside mold in 1" thick layer. Freeze until firm.
  3. Repeat with pistachio pressed evenly over chocolate.
  4. Combine vanilla ice cream, candied fruits, and rum flavoring. Beat till well blended, but not melted. Press into center. Freeze.

Make the Holly Berry Sauce

  1. Put berries and triple sec into blender. Whirl till smooth. Strain. Serve in refrigerator till serving time.

Finish the Dessert

  1. Unmold the ice cream. Decorate with sweetened whipped cream. Serve topped with Holly Berry Sauce.

Mother’s Cheese Straws

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Here is a recipe for cheese straws from 1976’s Cross Country Cookery by Helen Bemis Black.

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Mother's Cheese Straws

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour sifted
  • 1 cup cheese grated
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoon cold water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 dash red pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

  1. Mix dry ingredients and butter, then cheese.
  2. Add cold water to beaten egg yolk - mix together as for pie crust.
  3. Roll thin.
  4. Cut in strips 6" long and 1/8"wide.
  5. Bake in 400 oven until light brown.
  6. Stack on plate like a "pig pen." Best I ever ate!

Helen Bemis Black’s Sourdough Bread

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Helen Bemis Black was an award-winning home cook. Here is her recipe for sourdough starter and bread from her self-published Cross Country Cookery cookbook.

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Sourdough Starter and Bread

Ingredients

For the Starter

  • 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour unsifted
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 pkg dry yeast
  • 2 1/2 cup warm water

For the Bread

  • 1 1/2 cup sourdough starter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 tablespoon oleo
  • 1 pkg dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 5 cup flour

Instructions

Make the Starter

  1. Combine dry ingredients. Gradually add warm water. Beat for 2 min. Cover. Leave at room temperature for 2 days or until well fermented. Stir daily. Feed sour dough every 5-7 days.
  2. Don't use for 24 hours after feeding. Keep sour dough refrigerated. Leave out at room temperature for a while before using - must leave at least 1 cup sour dough in container at all times for additional feedings to ferment.
  3. To feed: 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 cup milk. Mix all ingredients together. Add to sour dough. Leave out at room temperature for a while after feeding, then refrigerate.

Make the Bread

  1. Scald milk.
  2. Stir in sugar, salt, and oleo. Cool to lukewarm.
  3. Measure warm water into large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast. Stir till dissolved.
  4. Add lukewarm milk mixture, starter and 2 1/2 cup flour. Beat till smooth.
  5. tir in enough additional flour to make a stiff dough.
  6. Turn out on lightly floured board. Knead till smooth - elastic, about 8-10 min.
  7. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover.
  8. Let rise in warm place until double in bulk. Punch down, divide into 2 or 3 equal pieces. Knead until all gas bubbles are out and form each piece into a smooth round ball.
  9. Place on greased baking sheet. Or put into 2 loaf pans and cut cross on tops.
  10. Cover. Let rise until doubled.
  11. Bake at 375 for 30 min.
  12. Remove and cool on wire racks. Brush each top with melted oleo.

Recipe Notes

From Ida Ramsey, Viola, Tenn.

Helen Bemis Black’s Granola

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Here is a recipe for granola from 1976’s Cross Country Cookery by Helen Bemis Black.

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Helen Bemis Black's Granola

Servings 8 cups

Ingredients

  • 3 cup uncooked quick oatmeal
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 cup wheat germ
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup cashews
  • 1 cup coconut flaked
  • 1/4 cup safflower oil
  • 3/4 cup raisins
  • 1 2 1/2 oz jar whole sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds shelled
  • 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate thawed

Instructions

  1. Mix all except raisins. Mix well to coat. Spread evenly in jelly roll pan. Bake at 250 for 1 hour. Stir often. Add dried fruit. Cool. Store airtight. Makes 8 cups. *May use raisins, dates, apricots, or apples.

Heavenly Ice Cream Puff Fondue

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Talk about a special summer dessert! This Heavenly Ice Creme Puff Fondue is sure to please anyone with a sweet tooth.

The recipe comes from the Cross Country Cookery cookbook.

To serve, heat the chocolate fondue sauce slowly in fondue pot. Arrange frozen filled puffs on plate, five to a serving.

Each guest spears puff into sauce and swirls to coat.

If you wish, provide small bowls of flaked coconut, chopped pecans, and sprinkles for dipping.

Makes 6 servings.

To prepare this dessert, you will make the cream puffs, stuff the cream puffs with ice cream, then make the fondue.

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Heavenly Ice Cream Puff Fondue

Course Dessert

Ingredients

Cream Puffs

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup oleo or butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup all purpose flour sifted
  • 4 eggs

Chocolate Fondue Sauce

  • 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 12 ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 7 ounce jar marshmallow cream
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Heavenly Cream Puff Fondue

  • 30 miniature cream puffs
  • 1 pint burgundy cherry ice cream
  • 1 pint chocolate mint ice cream
  • 1 pint jaimoca ice cream
  • 2 cups chocolate fondue sauce

Instructions

Make the cream puffs

  1. Slowly bring water, butter, and salt to a boil in medium saucepan. Turn heat on low. 

  2. Stir in flour all at once. Beat until mixture leaves sides of pan and forms small compact ball. Remove from heat. 

  3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. 

  4. Drop dough by slightly rounded teaspoonsful, about the size of a quarter, 2" apart onto ungreased baking sheet. 
  5. Bake in a preheated 375 oven 25-30 min or until puffed and golden. 

  6. Cool away from draft. Makes 60-70 puffs. You will need 30 for this recipe.

Build the cream puffs

  1. Cut tops off puffs. Pull out dough to form shell. 
  2. Fill and mound six puffs, using melon ball cutter with one flavor of ice cream. 
  3. Press tops into ice cream. Freeze. 
  4. Repeat with other flavors. Continue until all are filled and frozen. 
  5. Place in freezer bag and store until needed. 

Make the Chocolate Fondue Sauce

  1. Combine ingredients in fondue pot or saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and warmed thoroughly.

Recipe Notes

  • May use 1 cup miniature marshamallows for the marshmallow cream.
  • Chocolate Fondue Sauce can be made ahead and reheated. Add a little more milk if sauce becomes too thick. Makes 4 cups sauce.