I am sad, or am I glad, to see that Dicken posted to this thread. He died last Thursday. He was a gentle spirit and a wonderful writer. We'll miss him at the Garden Party. Here's a recipe I got from Sara the Brit, she frequents the Garden Party. I wish I could say I had made it, but alas, the ease of the Crosswell jar beckoned... Dear Sylvia Here's the recipe I've been using for the last couple of years. it's fairly variable - you can leave out the nuts, add different ones, change the proportions of the fruit, to suit your own tastes. It really benefits from at least 2 weeks maturing, so you don't have to make it now if you don't feel like it. alternatively, the first year I made far too much, and it kept superbly until the following Christmas! (although it depends on how hot your summer is, I suspect). half pound, peeled finely chopped apples (I use Granny Smiths) 4 oz shredded suet or melted butter (I use butter - suet is traditional, but not used in the UK these days) 4 oz golden raisins (probably about 2/3 cup?) 6 oz raisins 4 oz chopped mixed peel (the lemon and citron stuff is best) 6 oz soft dark brown sugar (3/4 cup) grated rind and juice of 1 orange grated rind and juice of 1 lemon quarter teaspoon cinnamon quarter teaspoon allspice quarter teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 tablespoons brandy Mix everything, except the brandy, together and stir well. Leave it covered for 12 hours or overnight. To prevent fermentaiton, leave it in a cool oven 225F/120C for 3 hours. Allow to cool completely and add the brandy. Spoon into clean dry jars and seal. Don't worry if the butter separates slightly on the top - just stir it again before baking it into pastry. Makes approx. 3lbs - about 1 large mason jar. Happy cooking - and have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Best wishes Sara Sylvia wrote: > [This message originated at GardenWeb] > > Hi Sara - I would *love* a copy of your mincemeat recipe! And - how far in advance do you prepare it? > thanks so much - Sylvia Here is a link that might be useful: Dicken

So, I did make a rhubarb meringue tart, and it turned out really great. Everyone enjoyed it. I ended up following the recipe I found at the Nothing-in-the-house blog. I would make this again, but with some adjustments. I would not make it with the pecan crust. IMO, the pecan and rhubarb flavors were too competitive. A plain shortbread crust would be my preference for next time. The filling was good. Next time, I might reduce the sugar a bit. My preference would be for the filling to be more on the tart side. I would also add a little lemon juice or zest to brighten the flavor. There was a typo in the crust recipe, as there were no sugar in the ingredients list, but it was mentioned in the instructions, so I just used 1/4 cup sugar. But as I said before, I would substitute a plain crust. Recipe is here: link to blog is below ********************************************* Rhubarb Meringue Tart with a Pecan Shortbread Crust Ingredients For crust: 1 c. pecans, roasted 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 9 Tblsp. butter 1 egg 1 egg yolk 1 tsp. vanilla extract (I used vanilla-bourbon) zest of one small orange (I used a clementine) For filling: 3 c. fresh rhubarb, diced 1/4 c. + about 1/2 c. water 1 1/4 c. sugar 1/4 c. cornstarch 1/4 tsp. salt 5 egg yolks (save whites for meringue) 3 Tblsp. butter, cut into chunks For meringue: 5 egg whites 1 tsp. cream of tartar 1/4 c. sugar Directions For crust: 1. Combine roasted pecans, flour, sugar, and baking powder in a food processor and pulse until pecans are finely ground. Add cold butter chunks to the pecan mixture and process until mix is the size of small peas. Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract and orange zest and pulse just until dough begins to form. Remove pastry dough from the food processor and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for at least one hour and up to 1 day. 2. After at least one hour, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease and flour the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Remove the dough from the fridge. I rolled out the dough first(which was a little difficult, as it was crumbly), but you can also just press it into the bottom and sides of the tart pan. The bottom crust should be slightly thicker than the sides. Place crust in the freezer for about 10 minutes, then line with parchment paper and pie weights. Bake for about 20 minutes or until crust is dark brown. Remove pie weights and bake for 5 more minutes. Take from oven and let cool. For filling: 1. Combine diced rhubarb and 1/4 c. water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let cook until rhubarb is soft and begins to break down. With an immersion blender (or a stand blender), purée until smooth and set aside to cool slightly. Once cooled, add enough water to bring purée to 1 1/2 c. (this should be about 1/2 c. of water). 2. Add sugar, salt, and cornstarch to the purée mixture and cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken. Add in egg yolks, whisking after each addition. Continue to cook until mixture coats the back of a spoon, or reads 185 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Let cool to room temperature. Once cooled, pour filling into pie crust, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 2 hours. For meringue: 1. Once filling has chilled for 2 hours, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, mix egg whites and cream of tartar on high until egg whites begin to form medium peaks. Continue to beat eggs, gradually adding in sugar. Continue to beat eggs until they are glossy and can form stiff peaks. Spread over rhubarb filling, making sure the meringue seals the edge of the pie. Use the back of a spoon to curl meringue decoratively. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until egg whites begin to brown. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Here is a link that might be useful: Rhubarb Meringue Tart with a Pecan Shortbread Crust

Jessica, I've also made a chocolate beet cake, although mine didn't have the spiced creme anglaise that this one has, which sounds like a really nice addition. Other than that, our recipes are identical. Oh, the cake is very good, really it is, but I'm not sure it's all that healthy, LOL. Chocolate Beet Cake From Straight From the Farm 1 cup butter, softened, divided 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar 3 eggs at room temperature 2-3 oz. dark chocolate 5 medium beets (2 cups pureed) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg confectioners sugar for dusting Make the beet puree by trimming the beets and simmering them until tender. Drain the liquid and cool the beets (you can run water over them to cool them off.) Slide the skins off, then place them in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Let the puree cool slightly before using it in the cake. Cream 3/4 cup of the butter with the dark brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Melt the remaining butter together with the chocolate, either in the microwave or in a double boiler over simmering water. Cool slightly, then add the chocolate mixture, beet puree, and vanilla into the butter/sugar mixture (it may look separated at this point.) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10-inch springform pan; bake at 375 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (I started checking around 50 minutes.) Cool the cake in the pan 15 minutes before unmolding and removing to a cooling rack; cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar. Spiced Creme Anglaise 1/2 cup whole milk 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup sugar 4 large egg yolks 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger Set a bowl over ice water and have a strainer nearby youll want this ready so you can stop the sauce from cooking when its ready. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar and set aside. Combine milk, cream, and spices in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat just until the mixture starts to simmer. Whisk some of it slowly into the egg yolk mixture, then slowly add the rest of it while whisking. Pour the whole thing back into the sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until its thick enough to coat the spatula or spoon this usually takes about a minute or two longer. Dont boil it or the egg will harden. Strain into the bowl set over ice water to stop the mixture from cooking further. Chill in the refrigerator until youre ready to use it. Oh, and I used leftover beets that I had cooked for supper and didn't eat all of, I didn't cook beets especially for this recipe! Annie

My Mom wasn't a great cook either - she didn't enjoy cooking. But she made perfect mashed potatoes and I loved it when she made french toast. When I got older she made pretty good white bean soup and veggie soup. My favorite meal was smoked pork chops, fried potatoes, and great northern beans all with ketchup. Mom's Mom is a great cook. She worked in restaurants and delis. She has lots of best recipes. Spaghetti and meatballs are my favorite. She served Thanksgiving Dinner with dressing in a casserole dish (we fought over the crusty edges), giblet gravy and rolled dumplings. She is known for her potato salad and cheese ball. Every Christmas she makes carrot cake, peanut butter balls and butter cookies rolled in pecans with a candied cherry in the center. For my birthday she always made my favorite German Chocolate cake. Dad's Mom's best recipe was Meatloaf and egg noodles in tomato gravy. She made very good cole slaw. She always had sweet tea and cream pies. I am lucky to have another grandmother to learn from. My husbands Mamaw taught me how to make cornbread in an iron skillet and peach cobbler. She also gave me the confidence to try cooking chuck roast, potatos and carrots. Her best recipe is her biscuits. Mom used to make popcorn for us before we owned a microwave and covered it in butter and salt. That was a best!