Aunt Catherine Collins' Indian Pudding

If you recall, in episode #214 Roger had just returned form visiting Aunt Catherine in Boston where he had enjoyed her Indian Pudding so much that he copied down the recipe for Mrs. Johnson, whose cooking he thought could stand some improvement.  Mysteriously, through inside sources this document has recently come to light.  It's written in Roger's lively hand on a sheet Aunt Catherine Collins' stationery as you can see in the photograph.  As Indian Pudding is a favorite dessert of mine, I was anxious to try this  recipe.  It turned out to be not only very good, as Roger's enthusiastic note on the page says, but  is perhaps the best version of this great old New England favorite that I have had.  There are many versions and discussions of Indian Pudding (as there are of baked beans and other traditional New England foods)  but this is an old original Yankee recipe, made simply with corn meal simmered in milk, sweetened with molasses and sugar, and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg.  I baked it for about two hours at 300° even though the recipe calls for three.  You will want to cook yours just until golden brown, slightly firm, and cooked around the edges.  It needs to rest for about 30 minutes before serving and should always be enjoyed with plain heavy cream.  No ice-cream or whipped cream please!  You can bet that Mrs. Johnson was asked to prepare this fairly often at Collinwood where no doubt everyone loved it.  Too bad we never got to meet Aunt Catherine, but now we know where she lived and can credit her for a great recipe.

 

Roger Collins' Favorite Midnight Snack

Remember Dark Shadows episode #50, when Roger came home to Collinwood late one evening and fixed a cold chicken sandwich and a glass of milk for himself?  Elizabeth had been waiting for him and he told her quite emphatically, in typical Roger Collins fashion, that "there's nothing quite like a sandwich of cold chicken with a glass of milk for a satisfying and filling late night snack."  Being a lover of chicken sandwiches myself, this scene always strikes a chord with me when I watch it so I decided to prepare one for myself and here it is offered to you.  Take two slices of of good white bread, preferably home made or from a good bakery.  Butter each slice lightly.  Hold the lettuce and mayo or you'll spoil the wonderful simplicity of it.  Slice cold chicken from a left over roast or poached chicken breast and place generously on one slice of the bread.  Season with salt and pepper and close the sandwich. Cut into halves diagonally and serve with a glass of whole milk.  If you haven't tried this, you are missing a real treat.  Simple as it may sound, the script writers knew what they were talking about because this is indeed a delicious, pleasantly filling, and very satisfying snack.  Great for lunch, it's best eaten (and more fun of course) as Roger recommends at midnight.  Make this the next time you are watching episode #50 and see what I mean.

Mary McKinley-Haas' Infallible Soufflé

from the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook

I thought nothing on earth was infallible, other than perhaps the Pope, so I was naturally curious when I came upon Mary McKinley-Haas' recipe for Infallible Soufflé in the always  interesting Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook.  I had made soufflés before so I thought I knew what to expect, and this was indeed a basic foolproof recipe for the classic French version.  A thick white sauce is prepared from butter, flour, and milk in which egg yolks are incorporated.  Your choice of flavoring is then added and stiffly beaten egg whites are folded in.  The soufflé bakes in about 30 minutes (the recipe advises 45 minutes but watch it carefully) and it comes to the table a beautiful golden brown and is as light and fluffy as a cloud.  The author offers you choices of cheeses, ham, crabmeat, or chocolate with separate instructions.  I chose Parmesan cheese and was very pleased with the simplicity and ease of preparation.  The delicate and delicious result did indeed prove to be infallible according to the author's bold claim. Truthfully, making a soufflé is easier than turning out a perfect omelet, which can be a little tricky to do.  Who knows if this fancy egg dish was eaten often at Collinwood, but a soufflé like this one would have made a great midnight supper in the drawing room with a green salad and a bottle of chilled champagne.

Mary McKinley-Haas' Fresh Fruit and Champagne

from the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook

Being a great lover of fresh fruit, I was drawn to Mary McKinley-Haas' recipe for Fresh Fruit and Champagne in the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook.  Ms. McKinley-Haas was a costume designer for Dark Shadows and the dramatic photograph in the book provides a glimpse of her as a serious artist working in her studio.  This is a very attractive and practical recipe, and as one might expect from an artist, highly improvisatory.  It calls for a variety of fresh fruit (or frozen if you must) that is cut in bite-size pieces, served in cups, and splashed with a combination of orange juice and champagne.  What is wonderful about it is that you can choose whatever fruits you like to put together and you can be as creative with colors and flavors as you wish.  The orange juice and champagne are like a Mimosa cocktail and will grace any combination of fruit, lifting it to new heights for you and your guests at brunch or for a refreshing and beautiful dessert anytime.  The author's advice is worth taking in that apples are not the most satisfying choice, although you could try them, and you don't need to use expensive champagne, although you could try that too if you're feeling like being extravagant.  I used some of my favorite summer fruits--pineapple, raspberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, green grapes, and oranges.  The colors and flavors were great.  I prepared it again using all dark red and purple fruits--plums, cherries, red grapes, blueberries, and blackberries.  You can really enjoy this lovely recipe by going where your inspiration takes you as an artist in your own kitchen.  If you want to enjoy it without alcohol you can substitute ginger ale for the champagne and it will still be great.

Ken McEwen's One-Eyed Egyptian Sandwich

from the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook

With a name like One-Eyed Egyptian Sandwich, contributed to the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook by Associate Producer Ken McEwen, how can you NOT try it, I thought?  Actually, this curious sounding dish turns up in a variety of interesting places.  I first became acquainted with it long ago in Peter Hunt's charming little Cape Cod cookbook where it went under the name of "Midnight Boogey--Never Before 12," and had an addition of chili sauce.  Mr. Hunt and his friends enjoyed these fry-ups after a night of gallery visiting and bar hopping in Provincetown, Massachusetts where they would have been just the thing for midnight snacking.  And what's more interesting is that recently while watching "Moonstruck," after not having seen it in many years, I was surprised to spot this little sandwich make a cameo appearance when Olympia Dukakis prepared one (with roasted red peppers) for Cher's breakfast.  The idea is to cut a hole in a slice of bread, toast it in a frying pan, flip it over and pop an egg in the center to fry lightly.  Cook it to you liking, either sunny-side-up or over easy.  I happened to have a lonely slice of Swiss cheese in the fridge and decided to cover mine with it when it came out of the pan and I sprinkled on some hot sauce which is always great with eggs.  "One-eyed" makes sense, but does this sandwich hail from Egypt?  Who can say?  But it's indeed fun, as Mr. McEwen says it is, and you can enjoy one anytime.