Casserole #13 - Lemonchick's Scalloped Potato Casserole

 The Year of Casseroles

Casserole #13 - Lemonchick's Scalloped Potato Casserole

    This is my recipe. Feel free to adjust seasonings as you like. This is a version of a scalloped potato casserole that my mother used to make when I was growing up. My mother didn't like much spice (I like spice though), so I mostly grew up without a lot of seasoning in food. My mother also would not have used garlic salt (she'd have used regular) and would not have added onion, like I did. The Pyrex casserole dish I used is a copy of the one my mother had and it brings back a lot of memories. This is comfort food for me. I hope you try this casserole and that you love it!

Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes, washed, peeled and cubed

1 cup ham, chunked (You can leave this out if you are vegetarian)

1/2 cup onion, chopped (Optional)

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped (Optional)

1 1/4 cups shredded or cubed cheese; use your favorite combination of cheddar, Monterrey Jack or mozzarella, divided use

1 recipe medium white sauce (below)

White Sauce:

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk, heated (I heat mine in the microwave for two minutes)

1/2 tsp salt 

1/8 tsp pepper

White Sauce Directions:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter on low heat. Blend in flour, letting it get bubbly, before slowly adding the heated milk. Stir constantly until thickened. For this casserole, mix in 1 cup cheese and stir until melted. 

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a large pan with water and add potato chunks. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender; adding the onion to the potatoes for the last about five minutes.  Drain potatoes and onion and return to pan. Add ham. Pour cheese sauce over top and stir until all of the potato and ham mixture is covered. Lightly grease a 2 1/2 qt casserole dish. Pour potato mixture into casserole. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese over top. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and cool for a few minutes, before serving. Serve with a side salad or your favorite vegetable as a side. 

Casserole #13 - Scalloped Potato Casserole

Recipe Roulette - Recipe #1: Blitz Torte

 Recipe Roullette - Recipe #1

Blitz Torte

    A fun, new idea I had this week, was to play "Recipe Roullette". Recipe Roullette will be cracking open a cookbook and picking a recipe from whatever pages the book opens to. Exceptions will include recipes with shellfish (I've got an allergy), organ meats, anything more "exotic" than bison and if the recipes are too complicated, because I generally do not like recipes which are complicated. Anyhow, Blitz Tortes consist of a dense, yellow/vanilla cake baked with a layer of merengue. It is topped with cinnamon and slivered almonds. I guess most Bliz Tortes have all of the filling in between the two layers, but I decided to put a bit on top and sprinkle with more almonds. I also used almond extract instead of vanilla extract in the filling. I thought it was pretty good. The recipe I used is in my 1964 copy of the American Woman's Cook Book. My copy was given to someone named Lucy May, by a lady named Lucia on August 4, 1965. I assume Lucy May got married and this cookbook was a bridal gift. It does not look like it was used very, often, as it is in really good condition for a book which is sixty years old. 

Although there were a few steps, I am really glad I made this. I do want to note that the recipe calls for cooking the filling over boiling water (as in a double boiler). I did not do this. I simply used a medium sauce pan, and made sure to not burn the milk. The filling turned out great. I also did not blanch the almonds as the original recipe says to do; I liked it just fine without blanching them. I never do great with merengue, and I didn't feel like mine made little peaks, but it also turned out fine. Try this recipe and let me know what you think.  My modifications are in italics. 

Cake Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

4 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsps milk

1 cup cake flour, sifted

1 tsp baking powder

4 egg whites

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup slivered almonds, blanched

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cream Filling Ingredients:

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsps corn starch

1/4 tsp salt

2 egg yolks

2 tbsps butter, softened

2 cups milk, scalded

1 tsp vanilla or almond extract

Cake Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream shortening. Gradually add sugar and salt and cream until fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well in between additions. Sift flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Stir flour mixture into the creamed mixture, alternating with the 3 tbsps of milk, and finishing with the vanilla. Spread this thick mixture into two 9-inch greased and lightly floured cake pans (do the bottom and the sides) Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and gradually add sugar. Beat until peaks "round over gently". Spread merengue over the batter in the pans. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup slivered almonds. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks before removing gently from pans. Finish cooling cakes on wire racks. To complete the dessert, place one cake on a plate and spread cream filling on top, and gently placing the second cake on top. Optional: Reserve about 1 cup of cream filling; place the second cake on top of the first layer and spread the reserved filling on top. Sprinkle with the additional 1/4 cup slivered almonds. 

Cream Filling Directions: In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and egg yolks, beating thoroughly. Add butter and a little bit of milk, stirring to make a smooth paste. Pour the rest of the hot milk into a medium saucepan or top of a double boiler. Add the paste to the hot milk and stir constantly until the mixture thickens (If you are using a double boiler, you need to have boiling water and the bottom part). Remove from heat and cool thoroughly before adding vanilla or almond extract. Optional: 1/2 cup additional  slivered almonds or 1/2 to 3/4 cups blueberries.

Blitz Torte Layer Without Filling

Blitz Torte

Blitz Torte (Sorry for the shadow in the photo)