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From: Susan
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2012 7:16 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: cherry candy recipe
I am looking for a recipe my Mom made at Holiday time. It was called Meena's Candy after my Grandmother.
The ink is so faded on the recipes that I can't read it. Called for jar of maraschino cherries and a bag
of coconut(no sizes specified). I think it also used canned milk(don't think condensed) and sugar.
The pan had to be washed down as it cooked because it tended to sugar. We rolled it into balls smaller
than a quarter and dipped in dark chocolate. I haven't made this recipe since the late 1960's in Montana
and do not remember anyone else making it. Will really appreciate any help. I have searched for and read
recipes for years without success.
Thanks, Sue
Hello Sue,
It’s often helpful to me to break the given facts into useful clues or not-so useful clues. These are the clues that you have provided, as I see them:
1) Called Meena’s Candy after your grandmother – Only your family would call it that. People outside your family would call it something else.
2) Called for a jar or maraschino cherries and a bag of coconut
3) Canned milk (don’t think condensed)
4) Pan had to be washed down as it cooked
5) Montana
I found no reference anywhere to a candy with the name “Meena’s Candy” or to any sort of candy like this having a Montana connection.
It’s not surprising, because it would have another name outside your family. Canned milk is either condensed or sweetened condensed
or evaporated. It would have to be one of these. You must be referring to the process of melting the chocolate when you talk about
washing down the pan, since the other ingredients need no cooking. Washing the pan down might be necessary if one didn’t have a double boiler,
but it’s not necessary with a double boiler.
If you are looking for a recipe that’s worded exactly like what you say, then I doubt that you’ll find one. If one exists, then it has
another name besides “meena’s candy.” and you’d have to know that other name in order to find it.
That said, your recipe might be your grandmother’s slightly tweaked version of “Martha Washington’s Candy.” This candy uses condensed
or sweetened condensed milk, coconut, maraschino cherries, and powdered sugar. I’ve seen recipes for it that use unsweetened chocolate,
semi-sweet chocolate, and chocolate chips. Whichever kind is used, nowadays it’s melted in a double boiler with paraffin (to firm up the chocolate).
Most recipes for it call for nuts, usually pecans, but a few recipes omit the nuts or make them optional.
See these sites and below for some recipes:
Southernfood@About.com
DeepSouthDish
Phaed
Coconut Cherry Candy
4 c. nuts (chopped)
1 c. maraschino cherries (cut in fourths)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 boxes powdered sugar
2 c. coconut
1/4 lb. butter or margarine (melted)
1 can Eagle Brand milk
Stir this all together and form into balls about the size of chocolate cherries and lay on a buttered plate or
waxed paper and let them chill in the refrigerator overnight. Then dip into this: Melt in double boiler:
2 pkgs. (12 oz.) chocolate chips (24 oz.)
1/2 c. paraffin (1 square)
Take a toothpick and stick into the ball and then dip in chocolate. This makes a very large batch of candy.
Can be divided in half.
----------------------------------------------
Martha Washington Candy
2 boxes confectioners' sugar (2 lbs.)
1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 sm. bottle maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
1 can moist coconut
1 pkg. unsweetened chocolate
1/4 lb. butter
1 qt. chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla
1 plank Gulf paraffin
Mix sugar, butter and milk until creamy. Add vanilla, pecans, cherries and coconut. Mix thoroughly. Chill well.
Roll into small balls, place on cookie sheet - keep refrigerated to stay firm. In double boiler, melt paraffin and
chocolate, stirring well. Dip each ball into the paraffin mixture. Place on waxed paper to cool and harden.
Store in waxed paper lined tin. Yield approximately 10 dozen.
===========================================================
Thank you but it is not Martha Washington Candy. It was a cooked recipe and I remember Mom used a candy thermometer.
The reason a candy pan is sometimes washed down with a wet brush is to keep sugar crystals from forming.
It would be closer the a Mound type candy with cherry base. Thanks for to help. I really appreciate your time.
Sue
===========================================================
From: "Doug"
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Chocolate Cherry Coconut Candy
Date: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 7:25 AM
It sounds like my grandma recipe
Thank you
Douglas
Doug's Chocolate Candy
(Grandma Keeler's Recipe)
1 pkg chocolate chips (6 oz)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 packages coconut
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 1/3 cups chopped maraschino cherries
1) melt chocolate
2) mix all ingredients thereafter in chocolate
3) chill 1 hour
4) make into balls and roll in coconut
5) freeze individually, then bag
From: Dianne
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 1:12 AM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: A hopefull recipe procurement
Dear " Uncle Phaedrus",
For some time I had the pleasure of enjoying "Hostess Orange Glazed Cake Donuts" but such is not the case anymore;
in fact for several years. I love those donuts! Would it be possible for you to procure the recipe? i do so hope so...
Thank you for your endeavor.
Sincerely,
Dianne
Hello Diane,
Of course, the Hostess commercial is not available, and would not be usable in a home kitchen even if it were.
I could not locate a copycat for these. However, you might try the recipe below.
Phaed
https://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1988-01-07/features/8801020385_1_easy-doughnuts-doughnut-hole-fry/2
Orange Cake Doughnuts
2 tablespoons melted shortening or oil
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon orange extract
Zest of one orange, finely grated
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Mix together the melted shortening, sugar, egg yolks, milk, orange extract and zest. Blend well. Stir in flour
and baking powder to make a stiff dough. Chill 1 hour. Roll out on a lightly floured board to 1/2 inch thickness.
With a doughnut cutter, cut out rings. Reserve centers (holes) to fry separately. Heat 4 inches of oil to 375 degrees.
Gently lower a few doughnut rings at a time into the oil. Fry until golden brown and turn over. Let second side brown
as well and lift out with a slotted spoon. Let drain on paper towels. Sift with confectioners` sugar or dip in orange glaze.
Makes about 2-2 1/2 dozen doughnuts.
Variation: For Spice Doughnuts, replace the orange extract with vanilla extract and omit the orange zest.
Add 1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon, mace, allspice, and ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.
--
Orange Glaze
1 cup confectioners` sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
Stir together to form a light pourable glaze. Dip cooled, fried doughnuts in glaze, lightly covering top surface. Let glaze set. Serve.
From: Kim
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 12:38 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Hollywood Bread
Hi Phaed,
Years ago we used to buy Hollywood Bread. It was a thinly sliced dark brown bread made National Bakers and was
discontinued in the 70’s or early 80’s. Is there anyplace where they still make this bread? Can it be found anywhere?
It made the best tasting toast. Thanks again for your fabulous site. I visit daily.
Sincerely,
Kim
Hi Kim,
As best I can tell, the Hollywood Bread of which you speak is no longer being made. The Hollywood Bread Company was originally based in Hollywood, Florida.
Hollywood was billed as a "diet" beard, but the reduced caloric content was apparently due to it's being sliced thinner than regular bread.
There are companies currently selling “Hollywood Bread” in the UK and in Canada, but their product is not the same.
Just a suggestion: Try Pepperidge Farm "light". It comes in several varieties - multi-grain, whole wheat, oatmeal. it's sliced thinner, like Hollywood Bread was,
and it makes great toast, especially (to me) the oatmeal variety.
Phaed
-----Original Message-----
From: Keith
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 10:40 AM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Subject: Rich's Bakery cupcakes
When I was growing up in Atlanta, GA my big treat from Rich's were those yellow cake cupcakes with the chocolate on top.
I have a question about the chocolate tops. The tops were a hard shell of chocolate not just chocolate icing. I wonder
if anyone else remembers them and might have an opinion about how they could have been made. I wonder if they were
turned upside down and dipped into the chocolate. If anyone knows I would appreciate it.
Hello Keith,
I have no idea, and I was unable to find anything about them on the Internet. I'll post this on my site in case a reader can help.
Phaed
There's more than one way of making a shell of chocolate like Keith describes. You can make a ganache like Joyce suggests,
or you can add coconut oil to the chocolate as Barbara suggests, or you can add paraffin to the chocolate like when making
chocolate candy that you don't want to melt at room temperature. But does anyone know the method that Rich's used?
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