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2017


Raw Apple Cake in a Pastry Shell

From: Larry
Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2017 1:57 AM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Subject: search for recipe for raw apple cake/pie

Dear Uncle Phaedrus ,

my name is Larry I'm 57 years old and I am trying to locate a recipe. when I was a child about the age 
of 10 or 11  my aunt Lucille used to make this wonderful dessert.  it was called 'raw apple  cake'.  
I remember her telling me that she had gotten the recipe out of the South Bend Tribune ...the local 
newspaper for South Bend Indiana.  However,  even though the recipe is called raw apple cake it was not 
a cake at all it was more like a pie.  all I can remember was that it was baked in a pie crust that it 
had a bottom crust but no top crust.  of course three ingredients for raw apples and there were either 
walnuts or pecans I want to say that there were walnuts. it was a very sweet and it was also a very 
dense pie. I don't know if it has flour or cornstarch with something in it but also I remember it almost 
being like a cross between a pecan pie and an apple pie like they were combined is what it reminded me of, 
but it was very good and I have been searching for that recipe for years. my Aunt Lucille passed away when 
I was probably like 13 or 14 years old and I never got the recipe from her. please help me Uncle Phaedrus!  
it would really mean a lot to me to find that recipe and bring back happy memories from a very long time ago.  

'Respectfully,
Larry

Hello Larry,

Well, there are lots of “Raw Apple Cake” and “Fresh Apple Cake” recipes and tons of apple pie recipes with no top crust. However, finding one with no topping, glaze or frosting at all, that is baked in a pie or pastry crust turned out to be a horse of a different color, and I had no success at all finding one from The South Bend Tribune newspaper.

The only close one that I found was the one below. It has the pastry crust, it has no top crust or topping of any kind, and it does call for nuts, either pecans or walnuts. It does, however, call for coconut. If you are sure that your Aunt’s raw apple cake did not have coconut, you can leave it off, as is suggested in the “Hometown Hint”. You don’t have to use “Jonathan” apples. If you have any idea of the kind of apples that your Aunt used, use those.

I hope this turns out to be close to your remembered cake. I will, of course, post this for reader comment.

Phaed

Raw Apple Cake
From: "America's Hometown Recipe Book: 712 Favorite Recipes from Main Street U.S.A."
edited by Barbara Greenman
Recipe by:Pastor Marc Dreyer, Memorial Baptist Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma

1                 single crust refrigerated pie pastry
3 tablespoons     butter, room temperature
1 cup             sugar
1                 egg
1 teaspoon        vanilla
3 cups            Jonathan apples, peeled & chopped
1 cup             flour
1 teaspoon        baking soda
1/2 teaspoon      nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon      cinnamon
1/4 cup           chopped nuts
1/4 cup           flaked coconut


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 2 inch round cake pan. Ease pie pastry into pan.
   Trim or fold pastry edges to fit.
2. Beat butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir in apples. Whisk together flour, baking
   soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add to batter and blend well. Stir in nuts and coconut.
3. Spoon batter into pastry shell. Bake for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
   Cool on wire rack. makes 6 to 8 servings.

Hometown Hint:
Omit or substitute ingredients such 
as chopped nuts, flaked coconut, and 
raisins to accommodate food allergies
and personal tastes - or just to 
experiment.


Beef Provencale Recipe from "Simply Delicious"

From: sandy 
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2017 4:56 PM
To: Phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Subject: Beef Provencale Simply Delicious Recipe Card

Hello..My name is Sandy and I have been looking for this recipe for a long time!  Saw it on your  site...
Is there ANY chance of your taking a pic of it and sending it to me??  I have exhausted every avenue.

I would so much appreciate it.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Sandy

Hi Sandy,

I don’t have the cards, or I would be happy to scan that one and send it to you. The posting to which I think you are referring is one in which I located a set of the cards for sale. I did not buy them.

The things that I found on the Internet regarding the Beef Provencale recipe were a bit confusing. You, and some of the listings that I saw, referred to the dish as simply “Beef Provencale.” However, most of the postings I saw, including a photo of the card, call it “Beef Stew Provencale, #8 – 5” I do not know if this is two different recipes. Cards that are #8 are the beef recipes.

I did find that recipe transcribed here: Beef Provencale

Also, this site has scans of some of the cards: Simply Delicious Cookbook

The “Beef Stew Provencale” recipe card scan and recipe are here: Beef Stew Provencale

Hope this is what you want.

Phaed

Good Morning!  Thank you sooo much!  Although it did not show the picture, it was the recipe. 
You are the best!  I have been looking for a while.  I will make it with a less expensive cut 
of meat this weekend since I want to get a feel for cooking the potatoes.  She didn't like the 
potato aspect and left the actual directions for prepping the potatoes out.  Having a big dinner 
party in 2 weeks and I loved that you can cook the potatoes and meat in the same dish.  
It was so yummy!

Thank you again!  Have a great holiday season!

Sandy


Jello Americana Egg Custard

From: Vicki 
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2017 10:53 PM
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
Subject: In Search Of.... Jell-O Custard Mix

Hi Uncle P,

Jell-O used to make a product called Jell-O Americana Egg Custard,  which was cooked on the stovetop 
like pudding.  It has (sadly) been discontinued. The company site gave me the old "tastes change and 
so do our products" speech, but there were a lot of comments from other people lamenting its retirement. 
Jell-O makes a flan mix now, but it doesn't taste the same.  I've found lots of recipes online and in 
cookbooks for custard baked in a water bath, but I'm looking for a recipe I can cook on the stove. 

Thanks in advance,

Vicki

Hi Vicki,

If you want to commiserate with others who miss the Jello product, there is a Facebook page called “Bring Back Jell-O brand Americana Custard” here: Bring Back Jello Brand Americana Custard

As for a substitute, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that I did find some possible no-bake substitutes for Jello Americana Egg Custard. The bad news is that each one of them has a drawback of some kind. Here they are:

Amazon offers a product called “Green's Egg Custard,” and in the comments section people say they have used it as a substitute for the Jello egg custard mix. They say it is no-bake and tastes very similar to the Jello product. The drawback is that it ships from the United Kingdom. I have bought products from the UK, and sometimes the shipping is amazingly fast, but sometimes it is quite slow. Read the comments at the bottom of the Amazon page to help you decide. If there is a shop near you that sells British products, you might luck up and find it there.

Bernard Foods, a food service company in Illinois, makes two kinds of instant egg custard powders – one that is mixed with water and one that is mixed with milk. Both are no-bake. The drawback is that, being a food service company who sells to schools and cafeterias and the like, the smallest amount that they offer is a case of the stuff. You can, of course, call them and beg them to sell you a smaller amount. I’ve no idea whether this product is similar to the Jello product in taste.

This is a novel idea that you might try. This site explains How to turn Jello instant vanilla pudding into egg custard. Worth a try.

There is another British product called “Bird’s Custard Powder” that is no-bake. It has the advantage that many American supermarkets carry it, as well as Amazon, so it wouldn’t have to be shipped from the UK. However, the comments that I read about it said it made a rather plain cornstarch custard. I could not find a recipe for making egg custard using it. This recipe is for making a substitute for making British custard powder custard, not egg custard. I only include it to be complete. If you are creative and adventurous, you might wish to experiment with it: How to Replace Custard Powder

Finally, here is a non-powder, no-bake egg custard recipe. If I were you, I’d order some of the “Green’s Egg Custard” Product and try this while waiting for it. You might have to tweak it a bit to get the taste closer to the Jello product.

The key, Vicki, lies in your statement about the Jello “flan mix” – “it doesn't taste the same.” The only one of these choices that gave any indication of tasting like the Jello Americana Egg Custard is the British “Green's Egg Custard.”

I’ll post this in case one of my readers has a suggestion.

Phaed



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