Recipes bring fame to grandmas

Perhaps those wonderful hot cross buns I enjoyed over Easter have inspired me, but whatever the reason, today’s column will be dedicated to some delightful old recipes that my grandmothers made for holiday and other festive occasions.

We all know gingerbread — but my Grandma Riesland’s was different from the often heavy/coarse gingerbread often offered today. Hers had cut-up dates instead of raisins, and was slightly crisp-crusted but soft inside. Simply delectable. Enjoy!

1800s Gingerbread

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

½ cup sugar

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup molasses

2 ½ cups whole (unbleached) flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon EACH ground ginger and cinnamon

½ teaspoon EACH ground cloves and salt

1 cup hot water

1 ½ cups finely chopped dates (soft Medjools best)

Heat oven to 350. If you have cast iron pans — skillet or chicken-fryer — they’re best, otherwise use 2 9x9-inch square cake pans. Butter them and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar; add the egg and molasses, stirring in and mixing well. Mix all dry ingredients (flour through salt) and sift, stirring, into the wet mixture. Add the hot water, beat until smooth. Finally, stir in the dates. Divide batter evenly between the two pans and place in the preheated oven; bake 25-30 minutes, testing with a broomstraw (I still do that!) for doneness. Do not over-bake. Edges should be just crisp.

Eat sliced with butter for brunch or top with whipped- or ice cream for dessert at suppertime. (Our illustration shows an adaptation of this recipe for use as a dessert for unexpected company. My Grandma “invented” this innovation at least twice in my memory).

Grandma Riesland nee Ruch (Rue) was an elegant lady reared in the Victorian/Georgian era by a well-to-do German family who had escaped their homeland during Kaiser Wilhelm II’s depredations. She married George Riesland, a young member of the German aristocracy, whose father, a former close friend and comrade of the first Kaiser, had also found it necessary to “get out of Dodge.” Where Wilhelm I had been (for the most part) a wise and benevolent ruler, his son was a loose cannon, whose actions segued nicely into the upcoming rise of young Hitler.

Both families ended up in the Dakotas with other uprooted expatriates.Old photos of Grandma R. in the “Gibson-Girl” era show her in high-necked, bustled garb with loads of upswept hair held by a wide brimmed hat with an ostrich plume. She was elegant and multi-talented, pictured riding side-saddle, posing among willow branches by a stream, or with her three children, Rueben, Garnet, and my daddy Grant, the “baby”, born in 1900. Accomplished artist, gardener, photographer and hostess, she was also a fabulous cook. Here’s her sensational dessert recipe for a high-class dinner party or soiree. They used to call these desserts “jellies” and this one is so-named.

Coffee Jelly

2 tablespoons plain gelatin (Knox or vegetarian)

½ cup cold water

1 cup boiling water

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups hot coffee*

½ pint whipping cream

Place the gelatin atop the cold water in a heavy medium-size bowl; allow to soak for about 20 minutes then stir in the boiling water and allow to disolve for about 10 minutes. Stir in hot coffee and sugar until well dissolved. Pour into a pretty mold and place in the refrigerator to chill for several hours to firm.

At serving time, whip the cream, unmold the jelly onto a pretty serving dish and serve with the whipped cream on the side and simple cookies, such as shortbread or macaroons.

* Nowadays we can make this incredible dish with even more elan; consider hazelnut or other flavored coffees — or perhaps add a bit of sugar or flavoring to the whipped cream — almond, Kahlua or rum — or top it with shaved chocolate or sprinkles. I guarantee that no one at your party will believe this century-old delight!

Lest I give the impression that Grandma Riesland was a pampered snob — I must add that in 1916, when she returned early from an outing and discovered her beloved husband in bed with another woman, she lost no time in divorcing his adulterous arse and moving with a substantial amount of alimony to Spokane. There, she followed up on an ad for a Postmaster/storekeeper in Chilco, Idaho. She bought the store outright, took the tests for Postmistress and began a new life as an independent woman. After the Armistice, Grant mustered out of the Cavalry and joined her, assisting with storekeeping and as a part-time mechanic. She sold the store in the late 1930’s and moved to Coeur d’Alene with her new husband, an Optometrist. (Grant met and married Mother in 1927 and I came on the scene in 1930).

PS: Grandma never got over her love for her first husband. As she lay on her deathbed in the Cd’A hospital in the mid-’40s, I quietly entered her room, and as I took her hand, she whispered — “George?”