International fare from Scotland and Germany

Vacation Bible School has been happening this week. Some of the program focused on customs of other countries. I have a couple of recipes from countries of my own heritage to share with you.

Raisin Tarts, or Fly Pies, as my dad used to call them, come from Inverness, Scotland. Use your favorite pie crust recipe to line the tins. The recipe is so old, it gives wood stove baking instruction (bake slowly) but no given temperature.

Inverness Raisin Tarts

(Fly Pies)

Flakey pastry to line 12 large muffin cups

Filling:

2 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. soft butter

1 cup seedless raisins, washed and drained

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut pastry into rounds to fit muffin cups and line each with pastry. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs lightly with a fork. Add sugar, butter, raisins and vanilla and mix thoroughly until sugar begins to dissolve. Divide the mixture evenly among the 12 pastry-lined cups.

Bake slowly until crust is done and filling is golden brown. The time varies with different ovens and size of the eggs but is roughly about 30 minutes.

Also, wood-burning stoves bake a bit differently than modern ranges with a top element, so you may want to lay a piece of foil loosely over the pastries after 15 to 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. Yield: 12 tarts.

Note: Rinsing the raisins adds just enough moisture to keep the filling chewy.

Not overlooking Odessa’s Germans from Russia heritage, Bauern Frühstück, with umlauts over both vowels in the second word, is loosely translated as “Farmer’s Breakfast,” and is very similar to a Frittata. Variations can be found in many German heritage cookbooks. This recipe comes from Joyce (Napier) Goodale of Washougal, Wash.

Bauern Frühstrück

(German Farmer’s Breakfast)

6 slices bacon, diced

1 Tbsp. butter

1/2 medium green pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp. chopped, fresh parsley

1 small onion, chopped

2 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled and diced

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

Salt and pepper to taste.

Fry bacon until just crisp. Pour off most of the fat and add the butter.

Add pepper, parsley and onion and cook over medium heat until onion starts to brown. Add potatoes and cook, turning several times until potatoes are browned.

Meanwhile beat the eggs with the milk and season with salt and pepper.

Once potatoes are browned, pour egg mixture over the potato mixture. Stir just enough to distribute egg mixture evenly, then cook slowly over low heat until eggs are set. Cut into wedges to serve. Yield: 4 servings.

Occasionally my father would be pressed into service as cook for the day. His version of this recipe included chopped cabbage. And he tended to cook with whatever was on hand, so other types of meat made their way into his version. Most often, it was well-browned bulk sausage, one or two potatoes, a quarter head of chopped cabbage, diced onion, parsley in season and 6-8 eggs (we had Banty chickens and their eggs are smaller).

Now that I have more detailed information, I am launching a new search for the recipe for a particular Banana Cake. This cake was brought to Darlene Edens’ funeral luncheon a few years ago. The cake included mashed bananas and was baked in a 9 x 13 inch cake pan and frosted with a light, fluffy banana flavored frosting. The family would love to get the recipe for this cake. If you were the maker, or know who the maker is, please let us know so we can share it with the family.

Sometimes, just knowing the correct thing to buy is all it takes for cooking success. I was asked to get the recipe for a bean salad served at a recent funeral luncheon. I found out this particular salad was a bottled, prepared version. The brand name of the Four Bean Salad is Paisley Farm, Willoughby, Ohio. The company has been in business since 1945. I found the product to purchase at Costco, but it is available at most large grocery stores and on-line.

Drying herbs for your own use can save money, and drying fresh herbs preserves more flavor than most purchased dried herbs. There are many methods to use, but most take some time. Drying herbs in your microwave is fast and works well for most herbs. Dill, basil, rosemary and cilantro work particularly well.

Wash and thoroughly dry herb sprigs. (If they are not completely dry, they will cook instead of drying.) Depending on the size of your microwave, lay two to three sprigs on a paper towel with plenty of room between. Cover with a second paper towel. Microwave on high 2-3 minutes until dry. Set paper towel with herbs on a wire cooling rack and cool completely. Remove the dried leaves from the stems and store in airtight containers.

Snipping sprigs from your herb plants regularly promotes young fresh growth, keeping your plants healthy and productive throughout the growing season. I like to do several batches of each herb, crushing some for sprinkling and grinding some for powder, easy to measure into recipes.

Share your favorite summer-time recipes for picnics, parties and preserving by sending them to: Welcome My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record’s office. Water most garden plants, particularly tomatoes, in the evening. They take up water and nutrients better in the cool of night.