 |
| Ritual Cakes Ritual cakes are the other half of the Cakes and Ale ritual that is common in many pagan practices. Ritual cakes do not have to be "cakes" exactly, the ritual cake simply refers to a food that is blessed and taken along with the ritual wine. |
| American Biscuits I remember having lovely biscuits at dinner or for a special breakfast of biscuits and gravey on holidays. Biscuits are simple to make and biscuits and gravey is a wonderful meal to celebrate Imbolc. 2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk 3 teaspoons baking powder 3 teaspoons butter - Mix dry ingredients together throughly. Cut in butter with a knife and add milk. Mix lightly with a large spoon. Turn dough on to a floured bread board and roll it out to the thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut with a biscuit cutter. Place these about 1 ince apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Angelica Waffers with Rose Water This is also a good idea for an Imbolc meal. It's also just really nice, ecspecially for tea parties. 1 pound flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons butter Sweet milk 2 capfuls rosewater Pinch of angelica - Mix dry ingredients together throughly and then add sweet milk while stirring until a stiff dough forms. Add your rosewater with the sweet milk. Roll out the stiff dough very thin and cut this into round cakes, and roll again. They should be as thin as paper; they will swell in baking. Dredge them in flour and then place in a well-greased baking pan and bake in a quick oven (425 degrees or about) until lightly brown. Serve with sweet, beaten cream. Apple Goodie This dish is nice for fall and Mabon ecspecially. 8 medium sized apples, peeled (I like green granny apples) 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4th teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 cup sugar 1/4th cup butter 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ginger One 9-inch pie shell, baked - In a saucepan, combine sugar, apples, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, butter, salt, and lemon juice. Cover and cook until apples are soft. Pour this mixture into the pie shell. Then add the topping. Apple Goodie Topping - Take 1/2 stick of pie crust mix it, 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 stick of butter (melted). Break the pie crust mix up and mix throughly with the brown sugar, then stir in the melted butter. Dot this mixture on top of the apples and bake briefly in a 300 degree oven until crispy (about 10 minutes). Candied Violets Candied violets are lovely for Beltane and midsummer and Imbolc. 1 egg white Granulated sugar Violets - Whip the egg white til frothy, but you do not want it to peak. Gather the violets, wash them in cool water quickly and let them drip dry. Then, dip the violets in the egg white and roll them in the sugar, being sure to coat them evenly. Be careful the sugar does not get too thick. Last, leave the petals on waxed paper to dry for one day. These may be stored for several months in an airtight container, with waxed paper between each layer, and won't go bad or lose flavour or fragarence. Corn Bread I love corn bread, and it's good for Mabon, Lammas, and Samhain. 1 cup corn meal 1/2 cup white sugar 1 egg 1/2 a teaspoon salt 1 cup flour 1 cup cream 2 teaspoons cream of tartar - Sift all the dry ingredients together then add the egg and cream. Bake in many small tins or two loaves. Glazing the top of the bread with butter and honey right before the loaf has finished baking is very nice also. When it is done the loaf should spring back to the touch. Ginger Bread Ginger bread is a wonderful idea for Yule. Making gingerbread houses was always one of my favourite activies as a small child. 3 cups flour 1/4th tablespoon salt 2 tablespoons ground ginger 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 4 tablespoons milk 1/2 cup light molasses 2 tablespoons dark molasses 1/2 cup butter 3 eggs 2 teaspoons baking soda - Mix all dry ingredients minus that baking soda together in a large bowl. Place 3 tablespoons milk into a small pan with the molasses and butter and melt over a low flame. Add you eggs (well beaten) to this and then the flour mixture. Mix well. Dissolve the baking soda in 1 tablespoon milk and then fold this into the rest of the batter. Pour into a well oiled 10-inch baking pan and put in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 50 minutes. Graham Bread This has been suggested for Lammas. 2 cups graham flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/4th cup molasses 1-3/4th cups buttermilk 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons melted butter 1 egg, beaten - Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl and all the liquid together in another. Stir the liquids into the dry mixture quickly. Mix well. Bake at 350 degrees util the edges pull away from the pan and it turns golden brown. Usually this takes about 30 minutes. Mint Tea Cakes These are great for Ostara and tea parties. 1 quart flour 6 eggs, beaten Mint flavouring or dry mint 1 quart milk 2/3rds cup softened butter - Smoothly rub the flour and milk together. Stir in the six eggs, beaten very light, and butter until well mixed. Pour this mixture into a muffin tin or greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Serve with a fresh mint garnish or violet petals. Oatmeal Bread This is good for Lammas and other harvest fetivals. 1 cup wheat flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cup butter 1/2 cup nuts 3 medium apples, chopped 1 cup rasins 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger 1-1/2 cups rolled oats 1 egg, beaten 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla or orange - Mix all ingredients completely together and when fully incorporated place in a 9-ince greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until it begins to slowly move away from the sides of the pan. Once it has been cooled it can be shaped. Plum Pudding This is a traiditonal Yule food. 1-1/2 cups flour 3/4ths cup sugar 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4th teaspoon powdered clove 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup brandy 3/4th cup currants 1 cup candied lemon peel, organge peel, and citron, dieced 1 teaspoon salt 1/4th teaspoon allspice 1/4th teaspoon nutmeg 1-1/4th cups ground beef suet 1 cup rasins 1/2 cup dates, chopped - Mix flour, sugar, salt, and spices in a bowl. Fold in eggs, brandy, and suet and mix well. Then add fruits and stir until mixed well. Pour the mixture into a greased 2 quart pudding dish. Cover tightly. Place the pudding dish mold on a rack in a kettle. Pour boiling water into the kettle until half way up. Cover and let steam on low for at least 5 hours, adding water as needed. Plum Pudding Sauce 2 cups confectioner's sugar 1 cup butter, softened 4 egg yolks, beaten 2 tablespoons sherry - Cream sugar and butter together. Whip in beaten egg yolks and cook in doublt boiler over lightly boiling water. Stir constantly until it is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon. Add the brandy last and serve warm over the pudding or other dessert (it's yummy with ice cream). Popovers These are nice for Beltane but are extremely easy. 2 eggs 1 cup flour 1 cup milk 1/4th teaspoon salt - Beat the eggs sligthly and then add milk, flour, and salt. Whisk for about two minutes, or until smooth; you want the consistency to be that of heavy cream. Electric beaters don't work well for this. Then Divide the batter in a muffin pan that is well greased and baked in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve immediately and they may be filled with cream or fruit, etc. Pumpkin Pie This is a good teat for Samhain or Yule. 1 unbaked 8-inch pastry shell 1/4th teaspoon cinnamon 1/4th teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup half cream, half milk 1 slightly beaten egg 1 cup cooked pumpkin 1/4th teaspoons ginger Dash of ground cloves 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt - If you need to make use of your pumpkins around Samhain you can make a pumpkin pie directly from the pumpkin. This isn't terribly difficult either. Start by cuttind the pumpkin into small squares and taking off the outer skin. Then break up the meat of the pumpkin into small pieces for cooking. You may also mash the pumpkin in a blender for even better results. Take the meant (or pumpkin mash) and add a healthy amount of water (to cover) and bring to a low boil. Continue to add water and boil until the meat turns a medium brown colour and has a smooth texture. If you use canned pumpkin you should follow all steps now; add your egg, milk, and spices to the mix, put into a pie shell and bakes at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the centre. Samhain Cake 4 cups flour 1-1/2 cups raisins 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup dried apricots 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4th cup candied orange peel 1/4th cup butter 1 tablespoon granulated yeast 1-1/4th cups milk 2 eggs, beaten - Mix flour, salk, and nutmeg in a bowl. Cut in butter, then add sugar and yeast. Warm the milk until lukewarm, stir in eggs and add this to the dry mix, stirring until dougt is stiff but workable. Next, fold in the fruits and form dough into a ball. Place this in a greased 9-inch round baking pan that is at least 3 inches deep and press down so that the dough is evenly spred and fills about half of the pan. Bake at 425 degrees for around 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for an hour. Remove the cake immediagtely and turn onto a rack. Brush with honey and butter while warm. Sugar Cookies with Anise Frosting These are lovely for Yule cookies 2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon orange extract (optional) 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup butter 1 egg 1 tablespoon cream - Sift together all dry ingredients except the sugar. Cream your butter until soft, then beat in egg, sugar, extracts and cream. Stir in the flour mixture until your dough becomes stiff enough to roll. Place this dough in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, roll out your dough on a lightly floured board to about 1/8 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 8 to 10 minutes in a 375 degree oven. The anise frosting is made by mixing a little confectionary sugar, anise flavouring and milk until a thick glaze is formed. Add a little food colouring or sprinkles for decoration. Be sure the cookies are cool before applying the frosting. |