Cooking with Oma: A Link with the Past, a Bridge to the Future

By Edie Hall

Welcome to a vicarious tour of the world through food, cooking, and friendship! Edie Oma Hall grew up in Europe, and the experience sparked a lifelong fascination with the ways that geography, history, culture, and tradition shape our world and its people. As a military wife, she has lived all over the world, and her collection of recipes, stories, and traditions grew with every new place she called home.

Her recipe collection will transport you from the sunny shores of the Mediterranean to the icy waters of the North Sea, across the Atlantic to New Orleans, and beyond. Sprinkled with anecdotes from her travels and culinary detective work, it also celebrates the people who make the recipes highlighted here.

Inspired by recipes from around the globe, including family favorites passed down through generations and almost-forgotten classics, Omas collection features versions that have been lovingly updated and streamlined to fit the busy contemporary lifestyle. Steps that arent crucial have been eliminated, and many modern techniques have been implemented. The recipes are written in a clear, concise style with easy-to-follow directions. On almost every page, youll find helpful tips, time-saving shortcuts, and make-ahead strategies.

Oma shares her experiences with enthusiasm and humor, making for an interesting and enlightening readeven if you dont cook!

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Apr 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491726419

Edie Hall

Edie “Oma” Hall collects, updates, and streamlines classic Old World recipes. She loves to cook, entertain, conduct cooking shows, and write. She is the author of In the Kitchen with Oma, along with several short cookbooks. Originally from Europe, she lives in Ohio with her husband, a retired Air Force pilot.

Book preview

COOKING WITH OMA

A LINK WITH THE PAST, A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE

Copyright © 2015 Edie Oma Hall.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4917-2639-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-2640-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-2641-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014904098

iUniverse rev. date: 04/30/2015

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Explanations Are in Order

Let Us Say Grace

In the Beginning…

Appetizers, Dips, Spreads, Soups

Cheers!

Beverages—Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic

Good Morning!

Egg and Cheese Dishes, Crêpes, Quiches

The Salad Bar

Salads and Salad Dressings

A Sandwich by Any Other Name

Panini, Crostini, Tea Sandwiches, Wraps

By Land and by Sea

Meat, Seafood, Chicken

Sensational Sides

Vegetables, Rice, Pasta

What’s Sauce for the Goose…

Savory and Dessert Sauces, Salsas, Condiments

Vegetarian and Vegan

No Meat, No Fish, No Chicken

The Bread Basket

Bread, Rolls, Muffins, Coffee Cakes, Butters

Just Desserts

Desserts, Pies, Cookies, Cakes

Lagniappe

Spice Mixes, Snacks, Kitchen Gifts, Party Ideas

First Aid for All Occasions

Kitchen Emergencies, Hints, Helps

Conversion Tables and Measurements

Spoons to Cups to Ounces

Acknowledgments

Warmest thanks to my family and friends whose persuasive powers and insistence were the motivation for writing another cookbook and whose support, encouragement, and love were a constant stimulant along the way. This book, like its predecessor In the Kitchen with Oma, is based on personal experiences, but no cookbook can ever be written without input and assistance from many different sources.

My mother and Oma, the two most influential contributors to my cooking, laid the groundwork for what became a passion for exploring culinary horizons. Although both are long gone, I want to pay homage to them in hopes they look down approvingly. Much appreciation goes to dear friends Carol and Denny Oswald for patiently rescuing me from numerous computer dilemmas.

A special thank-you to my culinary students whose enthusiasm and challenging questions not only made me a better teacher, but also made me aware of how much interest exists for old, traditional recipes.

My most heartfelt thanks to the following family members, friends, and great chefs around the world who have so graciously shared treasured recipes and also gave many helpful tips. Sadly, several of them have passed away in recent years, but they are remembered here, their name marked with a small*.

Captain René Aubry, French Liaison Officer, Chaumont, France

Victor Bergeron (Trader Vic), Honolulu, Hawaii

Hotel Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Janie Bozeman, Sacramento, California

Ann Brock,* Bossier City, Louisiana

Margaret Coolidge, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Helen Corbit,* Dallas, Texas

Lloyd Cox, Columbus, Ohio

Miriam Boudreaux Cousins, New Orleans, Louisiana

Peggy Edman, Waco, Texas

Chef Francois, Chaumont, France

Gerda Farmer, Bossier City, Louisiana

Grand Hotel National, Lucerne, Switzerland

Darla Hetzel, Richmond, Virginia

Hans Hillel,* Berlin, Germany

Chef Jerry Jones, Kensington Place, Columbus, Ohio

Suzanne Kessler, Gahanna, Ohio

Linda Kurtz, Columbus, Ohio

Chef Kevin McGinnis, Grand Hotel, Mackinaw Island, Michigan

Shirley Massey, Cuero, Texas

Mary Moore,* Bexley, Ohio

Colonel Frank O’Brien, Cheyenne, Wyoming

Peggy O’Brien, Honolulu, Hawaii

Maureen Pelletieri’s Mom, Waco, Texas

Earline Rau,* San Antonio, Texas

Restaurant Du Capucin Gourmand, Nancy, France

Leah Richter,* Columbus, Ohio

The Shreveport Club, Shreveport, Louisiana

Norma Stallings,* San Antonio, Texas

Mim Stuhr,* Columbus, Ohio

Hotel Wentworth by the Sea, New Hampshire

Julie Williams, Gulf Shores, Alabama

Marie Wissman,* Bossier City, Louisiana

Introduction

My first cookbook was written at the urging of friends and family. In the Kitchen with Oma features authentic recipes that have found their way into my kitchen through the generosity of friends, chefs, and restaurants around the world. The book also includes favorite dishes of my family, meals shared with good friends, and treasured old recipes I learned from my mother and she learned from her mother, my Oma. (Oma is the German endearment form for grandmother.)

In the Kitchen with Oma turned out to be more than just a collection of recipes. It became a reflection of my lifestyle, family traditions, fond memories of people, and things I love. Going through my huge collection of recipes and selecting favorites was a lengthy and tedious process. But it was also a task I enjoyed because the handwritten recipes, many so faded they were barely legible and others no more than hastily scribbled notes on paper yellowed with age, brought back to life memorable moments, places, and mental pictures of friends and family members, many who are no longer with us.

Now, at the age of eighty-six, I have once more given in to the pressure of my family, friends, and students who wanted another book filled with new and vintage recipes and, as they put it, more of my nostalgic ramblings. So once again I rummaged through my files of recipes and notes and ransacked the innermost recesses of my brain to resuscitate recipes, traditions, and stories from the past that I hope will serve as a connection with future generations.

A few of the old, classic recipes may look vaguely familiar, but as I rescued them from obscurity, they were updated to accommodate the demands of today’s busy lifestyle. I am constantly experimenting to find new ways of saving time and labor without sacrificing taste and to incorporate products that have recently come on the market. I also make it a point to put a lot of emphasis on appearance and presentation, and so have included a number of suggestions and ideas that add eye appeal to the food you serve.

While searching through my recipes, I could not help looking back and reflecting on the experiences and events that helped shape my life. I grew up in an interesting, chaotic milieu, with times spent at the doorsteps of hell as well as times of happiness and peaceful contentment, which is where I find myself now—a vantage point from where I look backward and view my life with awe.

Born in Berlin, Germany, my early childhood years were spent there and in Hamburg. Though my life was as happy as most children’s, my parents could not completely shield me from exposure to the long breadlines (called soup-lines in Germany) where starving men, women, and children were shivering in the cold to get a cup of soup and a piece of bread.

Back in the early 1930s, it was a nightly event to see hoards of torch-bearing Brownshirts (Nazis) marching through the streets while chanting Die Fahne Hoch and the Reds (Communists) waving huge red flags, trying to drown out the Nazis with their theme song, Die Internazionale. Those were tumultuous times in Germany, and my dad, like so many others, kept a wary eye on the political situation. When Adolf Hitler rose to power, Papa moved his little family to Italy. I was still an only child then, but my brother arrived a few years later, just about when Benito Mussolini was being cheered on by the Italian people to become the leader of their country. Fascism spread like wildfire through Italy, so once again, my dad moved his family out of the troubled waters. We found a new home in Yugoslavia.

After a few years, we were on the move again, but this time at the request of the local authorities who, because we were German, assumed we were Jewish. In those days, anti-Semitism was rampant all over Europe. At that point in my life—I was twelve years old then—I had already learned and understood what persecution was all about, even though I was probably not old enough to comprehend the underlying reasons and political implications.

Fortunately, I have also retained wonderful memories of those years we were catapulted from one country to another. My parents encouraged me to take full advantage of the opportunity to learn about the countries where we lived. Everything I saw and was exposed to in those years has become an ineradicable part of me: the interesting people I got to know, the foreign languages I learned to speak, the different cultures and customs I became familiar with. There were exotic flowers and fruits I had never seen before, strange foods, and intriguing, often pungent smells in the air. I remember the open-air markets where shoppers were haggling and merchants were shouting and praising their wares. In my mind’s eye, I can still see that skinny, turban-clad man playing a flute, sitting on the ground next to a basket where a big snake was doing her dance! Those two were a permanent fixture between the fruit stands. With the undaunted fearlessness of a child, I was always eager to drop a coin into the basket for the snake.

Our summer vacations were always spent with my grandmother in Berlin. It was during our visit in 1939 that dark, foreboding clouds were gathering over Europe. Before the end of summer, World War II had broken out, trapping my family in Germany. The nightmare had begun. The events of the following years have definitely left indelible impressions on my soul. Never will I forget the terrifying, whistling sound of bombs that came crashing down upon us day after day, night after night. Nor will I forget the sight of once beautiful, century-old buildings and churches being reduced to burned-out shells. Homes and hospitals were turned into piles of rubble, and the stench of burning human flesh lingered in the air. Many times I had to stumble through a mile of mud and debris to fetch a pail of drinking water from one of the few waterlines that had not been destroyed, the whole time having black, sulfurous smoke blind my eyes and fill my lungs.

And there was the food—or rather, the lack of it. How did we ever survive on rations that allowed only fifty grams (two ounces) of fat per person for a week? Or on four ounces of meat products per week? The bread was baked with sawdust and tree bark; fresh vegetables were, for the most part, available only to those who had a garden. Our daily ration of one-half cup of milk was jokingly called blue milk because it was so thinned down it would make today’s skim milk look like cream by comparison!

I still marvel at my mother who, during those horrendous years, managed to run a home and create quite palatable meals for her family of seven. (She gave birth to two children during those times.) This lady, who had been used to entertaining on a grand scale and giving lavish parties with delectable, masterfully presented dishes, was now relying on her cooking expertise and ingenuity to feed us on an absolute minimum of available ingredients. We never knew what she scrounged up to put into the concoctions she brought to the table. She cooked with dandelions and any number of wild greens that she made into a sauce to be poured over potatoes—the only vegetable available on a regular basis. After a rain, she would scurry out into the woods early in the morning to gather mushrooms and would sometimes pick a few berries along the way. With imagination and a certain measure of sheer desperation, she performed her kitchen magic and always managed to stretch that four-ounce ration of meat into a veritable feast for us.

Like millions of our generation, we survived the chaos. With sheer determination, unshakeable faith in God, and always a glimmer of hope in our hearts, we made it through even the darkest hours. We witnessed how war, like any disaster, brought out the best and the worst in men, and, in the end, we emerged stronger and hopefully wiser, more appreciative, and more thankful for every single day. The only chaos I now have in my life is when all of our great-grandchildren and their friends spend their Sundays with us, and what a blessed chaos that is!

Unlike other cooks, I didn’t start cooking as a child, and I didn’t attend Le Cordon Bleu or any other culinary institute. In fact, I was never taught to cook, but I spent a lot of time in my mother’s and grandmother’s kitchen. I was fascinated by everything that was going on, always watching and absorbing. Usually I was drawn there by the enticing smells emanating from the kitchen, like onions and bacon frying on the stove, or my Oma’s apple cake baking in the oven. From the time I was three years old I would just stand there or sit on a high stool, following every move, asking question upon question. Yet, I don’t remember that I ever had a desire to physically get into the act and help. Occasionally I did hold a wooden spoon or a mixing bowl in my hand, but it was only to lick the batter! Not until years later, when I met the love of my life and married that handsome Air Force pilot, did I make my first attempts at putting a meal together.

Needless to say, during those first few years, my lack of culinary know-how produced disastrous results more than once. On one occasion, the pressure cooker exploded, spreading what seemed to be gallons of meat particles and tomato sauce in all directions, hanging from the ceiling and running down the cabinets. Overcooked meat and curdled gravy were pretty much the order of the day—not to mention the singed eyelashes that resulted when I attempted to surprise my husband with flaming cherries jubilee on Valentine’s Day! Thanks to my husband’s unlimited patience and his cast-iron stomach, our marriage survived.

As it turned out, those early attempts in our tiny kitchen were the start of what eventually became a passion for food and cooking. Stubbornness and an inborn drive to succeed pushed me into a virtual learning frenzy. Perhaps because I had experienced hunger, I began to realize how food can enrich the celebration of life. So I devoured every article about food and every recipe I could find in magazines, and I practically took up residence in the cookbook section of the public library. I was not shy about asking questions either. Merchants, butchers, neighbors, total strangers—nobody escaped my anxious curiosity about American foods. Before long, I fearlessly attacked recipes with unfamiliar ingredients and eventually started to combine European culinary traditions and taste with those of my new homeland. I had fallen in love with America practically the day I arrived in this strange land as an immigrant and could hardly wait to become a citizen. Yet, at the same time, I wanted to honor and stay connected with my birthplace. Food became the magical link.

It was years before I realized how much of my mother’s approach to cooking had rubbed off on me: her confidence to experiment with different flavorings and spices and her curiosity to explore new dishes. From her, I had learned the process of tasting or experiencing something in another culture and then incorporating it into an existing recipe. Having watched her put the finishing touch on a dish had also taught me the importance of presentation. I can still hear her say, as she quite often did, We eat with our eyes before we ever take the first bite. In retrospect, I sometimes think that my postgraduate education in cooking came before the elementary classes.

Another one of my mother’s (and my grandmother’s) favorite sayings was, "There are no ‘new’ recipes, only adaptations of existing ones. Today, with several cooking channels on television and dozens of magazines devoted exclusively to cooking, I realize how true those words are. Name any dish, and you will find as many recipes as there are chefs, each recipe slightly different from the next. Celebrity TV cooks show us the same dish we may have cooked for years, but adding one small individual touch makes it their" recipe.

My recipes have also undergone facelifts every now and then. Perhaps it was to follow a certain trend, to put a new spin on an old classic, or to come up with a simpler cooking method or time-saving step. Dishes I tasted somewhere and then tried to replicate at home are constantly being honed until I come up with just the right combination of ingredients. Some of my best recipes have been created through improvisation because a missing ingredient forced me to think creatively and substitute. When I shop the markets, I’m always on the lookout for new products, with ideas constantly running through my head on how and where to use them.

Learning never ends. Becoming a grandmother and then a great-grandmother meant exploring new-to-me culinary territories. Cooking our Sunday dinners when our whole tribe assembles in my home has become quite challenging at times. My ever-growing family now includes a vegan, a vegetarian, two people who don’t eat red meat, one with dairy and egg allergies, and one who is allergic to poultry—not to mention everybody’s particular likes and dislikes. But I love each and every one of them dearly, and somehow, everybody always leaves the table completely satisfied.

Cooking is creating. It is an art the Germans have a word for: Kochkunst, which literally translated means the art of cooking. It is my sincere hope that this book will become a source of inspiration for you and captivate your interest in food. It is by no means a textbook, and my recipes don’t represent a particular style of cuisine. Some of my dishes will transport you to the sunny shores of the Italian Riviera, others will let you dream of elegant restaurants in Vienna or Berlin, still others celebrate the down-home cooking of the American South. Let these recipes be building blocks with which you can create your own collection. Experiment! Cooking should be fun and come from the heart. In the words of my grandmother, Always remember that the main ingredient in every recipe is love!

Best wishes and much love,

Oma

Explanations Are in Order

This book is written in terms that are easy to understand by skilled and novice cooks alike. Almost all the ingredients used are readily available in most supermarkets. However, a few words of clarification may be helpful and will preclude any mishaps.

1. Read a recipe through from beginning to end and then assemble all ingredients before you actually start cooking. It’s a good way to find out if you have everything you need on hand.

2. Unless otherwise stated, always preheat your oven. Most recipes tell you so, but in some instances, it may have been omitted. Remember that all ovens differ, so adjust baking temperatures and times accordingly.

3. When flour is called for, use all-purpose flour. Where special flour, such as self-rising or whole wheat, is called for, the recipe will state so.

4. Sugar, unless otherwise specified, means granular sugar.

5. Vanilla and vanilla extract are interchangeable; use whatever you have on hand.

6. Where a recipe calls for butter, do not substitute margarine or shortening. If it does not matter, the recipe will say so. It is smart to use only unsalted butter in cooking and baking; you have better control and can always add salt later if needed.

7. For milk, either whole or 2% milk may be used. (I always use 2%.)

8. Neufchatel cheese is one-third lower in fat than cream cheese and can be substituted in all recipes that call for cream cheese. Low-fat cream cheese is not recommended and will not usually produce the same results.

9. Do not be concerned where a recipe calls for wine or other alcohol. Where alcohol is added to a dish, the recipe allows sufficient time for it to cook away, and as it dissipates, it leaves only a pleasant flavor. (The balance of flavor has been carefully worked out, so do not use more alcohol than called for, as it can ruin the taste.)

10. When measuring dry ingredients, heap the cup or spoon slightly and then level off with a knife for a perfect measure.

11. Where a recipe calls for butter, melted, measure the butter before melting.

12. Except when baking or making molded dishes, measurements are not cast in stone. A drop or a pinch more or less does not usually make a whole lot of difference, and I encourage you to adjust any recipe to your own taste once you have tried a dish.

13. Do read the notes and Oma’s tips at the bottom of pages. They offer additional information or good suggestions pertaining to that particular recipe or to certain ingredients used.

Let Us Say Grace

Catholic:

Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Amen.

Protestant:

Bless, O Lord, this food to our use, and us to Thy service, and make us ever mindful of the needs of others.

In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.

Jewish:

Lift up your hands toward the sanctuary and bless the Lord. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who bringest forth bread from the earth. Amen.

Old Negro Prayer:

O Lord, please fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff and nudge me when I’ve had enough.

Guten Appetit!

In the Beginning…

Appetizers, Dips, Spreads, Soups

Appetizers, often called starters, are meant to be a prelude to dinner. They are usually attractively presented in teasingly small portions and are supposed to stimulate the appetite in anticipation of a great meal to come. The generally accepted custom is to present the appetizer on a small plate set on top of the service plate, although quite often appetizers are served in another room or on the patio, along with the predinner drinks.

When it comes to appetizers, there are no hard-and-fast rules, and the tradition of serving little delicacies exists in countries all over the world. In France they are hors d’oeuvres, in Italy they serve antipasti, in Hawaii they are called pupus, in Spain you get tapas, in Greece mezze, and in Russia zakuski. Scandinavians have their famous smorgasbord, which is probably where we got the idea of replacing the sit-down dinner with cocktail buffets. Those have become the most popular form of modern-day entertaining because it gives guests the opportunity to mingle, munch, and enjoy an assortment off artfully arranged finger foods and tasty dips. As with any buffet table, the various foods presented should contrast each other in color, texture, and taste.

In this chapter you will find recipes that are appropriate for serving as a first course to a meal, as well as those suited for a cocktail party. Many appetizers require little preparation, some can be frozen, and most can be made ahead of time. There are appetizers that guests can pop into their mouths in one bite, and those that should be eaten with a fork.

Soup can also be considered an appetizer, because it is quite often served as the first course to a sit-down dinner, especially in Europe. I often serve a light soup, such as a consommé, in tall cups or mugs in the living room before we sit down to dinner in the dining room. It’s a more informal way to serve soup, and often, no spoons are necessary.

Bacon-Wrapped Artichokes

It takes only two ingredients, yet there is nothing humdrum about this delicious appetizer. When I tasted these little morsels at the International Food and Wine Festival held in Berlin in 2003, I was hooked from the first bite.

1 (12-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts

8 slices bacon, halved crosswise

Drain artichokes, reserving the liquid. Wrap each artichoke heart with 1/2 slice bacon and fasten with a toothpick. Place on an aluminum foil–wrapped baking sheet. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook. This can be done several hours before serving.

When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove plastic wrap and drizzle the bacon rolls with the reserved artichoke liquid.

Place in oven on center shelf and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned. Serve hot.

Makes 16 appetizers

Oma’s Tip:    Sometimes the small artichoke hearts are hard to find. When only the larger ones are available, use a quartered artichoke as you would a whole small one.

Bacon Crackers

Here is another really easy snack to pass along with a glass of wine or just to munch on. The recipe came from my good friend Linda Kurtz, who remarked that while these crackers are baking in the oven the whole house smells heavenly!

30 Waverly or Club crackers

10 strips of bacon, cut in thirds crosswise

grated Parmesan cheese

dried parsley flakes

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Wrap each cracker tightly with 1/3 strip of bacon. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley flakes.

Bake for 2 to 3 hours until crisp and golden brown and the bacon is cooked.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 30 crackers—they’ll disappear lightning quick!

Retro-Chic Appetizers

Here are a few hors d’oeuvres that go back quite a few years. Some of the ingredients have been slightly modified, but they are basically the same and certainly taste as good as I remember.

Smoked Salmon and Caviar Bites

Here is the updated version of bite-size blini that were a favorite hors d’oeuvre of Russian nobility more than a century ago.

12 miniature pancakes from frozen package like Aunt Jemima

3 slices smoked salmon

1 small jar caviar

1/2 cup sour cream

small sprigs of dill, for garnish (optional)

Remove pancakes from freezer and let come to room temperature.

Cut each slice of salmon lengthwise into 4 strips. Roll each strip and place in the center of a pancake.

Place 1/2 teaspoon of caviar on the center of the rolled salmon and top it off with 1/2 teaspoon of sour cream. Garnish with a small sprig of dill if you wish.

Makes 12 appetizers

Artichoke Puffs

These were very popular in the 1950s, and I bet when you serve them today, your younger guests will flip over them and your older guests will relish the memories of more relaxed times.

2 jars marinated artichoke hearts

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

30 2-inch rounds of white bread

Drain the oil from the artichokes and chop them.

Mix artichokes, mayonnaise, chives, and cheese.

Using a cookie cutter, cut rounds out of bread slices. Toast resulting rounds on one side.

Mound the artichoke mixture on the bread rounds and broil until bubbly.

Makes 30 appetizers

Cherry and Apricot Cheese Cups

The convenience of having frozen puff pastry on hand makes it really easy to come up with all sorts of ideas for hors d’oeuvres. I prefer to use Pepperidge Farm puff pastry. The pastry cups are a cinch to make and can be filled in so many ways. Here is an elegant addition to your appetizer repertoire that most certainly will evoke praises from your guests.

1 sheet frozen puff pastry

1/4 cup cherry preserves

1/4 cup apricot preserves

3 tablespoons Camembert cheese

3 tablespoons Saint André or Brie cheese (see Oma’s Tip on the next page)

1/4 cup blanched almonds, chopped

Thaw the pastry sheet for about 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unfold pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll to a 14-inch square. Cut into 36 small squares. Press squares into 36 mini muffin pan cups coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove pastry cups from oven. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a 1/2-inch indentation in the center of each. Return to oven for 5 minutes longer. Press squares down again with the spoon handle.

Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of cherry preserves into 18 cups and 1/2 teaspoon of apricot preserves in the other 18 cups.

Put a piece of camembert (approximately a 1/2-inch cube) on top of cherry preserves and a piece of Saint André or Brie on top of apricot preserves. Sprinkle chopped almonds on top of all cups.

Bake for 5 minutes longer or until the filling is hot.

Makes 36 appetizers

Oma’s Tip:    Saint André is a delicious cheese, albeit it a bit expensive. The flavor might be described as a crossing between Brie and chevré. If it is not available at your grocery store, you can substitute Brie.

Blue Cheese and Blackberry Cups

1/2 cup blackberry preserves

1/3 cup blue cheese

The preparation is exactly the same as in the recipe above; however, here you put the cheese in first, top it with blackberry preserves, and eliminate the almonds on top.

For the blue cheese I recommend Saga Blue, because it is a little more mellow than other blue cheeses. However, you can use Gorgonzola, Maytag, or any other blue cheese.

Baked Brie with Lingonberries

Hot Brie has always been a familiar sight on French tables where it is served with crusty baguette. It has now almost become a staple in the United States where it is baked in a crust and available at most supermarkets in a ready-to-heat version. But for a truly fabulous taste, try this sweetness-crowned version.

The original recipe came from Capt. René Aubry, whom we knew as a French liaison officer for the US Air Force in Chaumont, France. Delicious as her Brie recipe was, my Oma, true to her Swedish heritage, often served cheese sandwiches with lingonberries. Borrowing from both, I came up with this version.

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon cognac or other good brandy

1 wheel Brie cheese (14 or 16 ounces)

2 to 3 tablespoons lingonberry preserves

In a small glass container with a tight-fitting lid, mix together pecans, sugar, and cognac.

Cover and store in refrigerator for 2 days or up to a week.

When ready to serve, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Unwrap Brie and place on a shallow, ovenproof dish, like a glass pie plate.

Remove the top rind from cheese, cutting away to within 1/4 inch of the outside edges.

Bake for 5 minutes, remove from oven, and spread the nut mixture over the top. Return to oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes longer.

Spread lingonberry preserves on top and serve with French baguette or crackers.

Makes about 20 servings

Oma’s Tips:    If you cannot find lingonberry preserves, you can substitute thick cranberry sauce.

A glass of full-bodied red wine served with this appetizer really complements the cheese.

If you should have any cheese left over (which is doubtful), scrape off any pecans and preserves, place cheese in a plastic bag, and freeze. It can later be used in fondues, egg dishes, casseroles, etc. The same goes for other small amounts of leftover cheese.

Dried out, hard cheeses can be grated and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator. Different cheeses can be mixed. They are great sprinkled on soups and casseroles.

Belgian Endive with Goat Cheese

Here is a very simple recipe for an appetizer that will make a spectacular display on your buffet table. When we lived in Chaumont, France, I used to sneak into the kitchen at the officers’ club to watch and learn from our fabulous Chef Francois, who was a graduate of L’academie de Cordon Bleu. It was there in the club’s kitchen that I first saw this delicious and eye-appealing platter being arranged. It took three helpers to put two platters together! But never fear; you can do this all by yourself. I have developed a method to do this in three stages over a period of two days. With most of the work done ahead of time, you will only have to invest a few minutes just before placing your masterpiece on the table.

The instructions may seem a bit complicated, but if you envision a giant daisy (which is what the finished platter will look like), you will have absolutely no problem arranging a beautiful platter that deserves center stage.

8 ounces goat cheese, room temperature

4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

dash of coarsely ground black pepper

4 tablespoons chopped pecans

3 heads Belgian endive

One or two days before your soiree, beat together goat cheese, cream, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and pepper until smooth and creamy.

Place mixture in a small bowl, cover tightly, and store in refrigerator.

About two hours before you plan to serve, remove cheese mixture from refrigerator.

Cut 1/2 to 3/4 inch off the white end of the endives and separate the leaves.

Mound about 1 slightly heaped teaspoon of the cheese mixture on the white end of each endive leaf (a little less on the smaller leaves), leaving the yellow tips free.

Sprinkle the cheese mounds on 8 of the smaller leaves with pecans.

Cover the prepared endive leaves with damp paper towels and place in refrigerator.

Shortly before you are ready to serve, remove endive leaves from refrigerator.

On a large, round platter arrange the pecan-covered leaves so the cheese mounds meet in the center of the platter. Place the rest of the endive leaves in petal form around the center leaves. Slide them just slightly under the yellow ends of the center leaves.

Your guests will spend some time just looking at your beautifully put-together flower before taking that first bite!

Oma’s Tips:    Goat cheese is sold in logs and is also called chevré, which is really the proper name for this type of cheese. Be sure that you grab the plain goat cheese and not one of the seasoned varieties.

Endive is also known as chicory and is sometimes sold under that name.

Brandied Chicken Livers

For years I served chicken livers wrapped in bacon and broiled at our parties. Then I had them in the French Restaurant of the Grand Hotel National in Lucerne, Switzerland. They were yummy! I asked for the recipe, which the chef kindly gave to me, and from then on, this has been the only way you will find them on my buffet table. It is an easy recipe—a simple hors d’oeuvre that can be served as a finger food on a small square of toast or, if prepared in a larger quantity, from a chafing dish.

1 pound chicken livers

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brandy

2 teaspoons chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash or two of hot pepper sauce

Wash and clean livers and cut them into bite-size pieces.

Sauté livers in butter over low heat until they are light brown.

Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer uncovered for 8 minutes.

Transfer to a chafing dish to serve or place each liver on a small square of toast.

To make the toast, remove the crust from 4 slices of white bread and cut into quarters.

Place bread on a baking sheet, brush the tops with melted butter, and toast in 375-degree oven until light gold.

Place a liver on top of the toast and hold in place with a toothpick.

Makes about 16 appetizers

Anchovy-Wrapped Olives

From Italy, where everybody loves anchovies, comes this very simple, quick-to-assemble little tidbit.

12 anchovy fillets, drained, reserving oil

12 pimiento-stuffed green olives

Lightly coat the olives with the anchovy oil.

Wrap each olive with an anchovy, overlapping the ends and fastening with a toothpick. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator for up to 8 hours.

Bring to room temperature before serving.

Makes 12 one-bite appetizers

Chopped Chicken Livers

My favorite uncle, Hans, was Jewish and contributed several authentic recipes to our family. Sadly, he perished in a concentration camp when I was still very young. This recipe came from his mother. I have preserved it just the way it was handed down (translated into English, of course) but have suggested a couple of changes simply because some of the ingredients are not always readily available. I also converted the measurements from grams to ounces or cups to make it easier for you and am using a food processor. When I know there will be Jewish guests at my parties, I always include this spread, especially during the Christmas season, which usually coincides with Hanukkah.

1/4 cup (125 grams) rendered chicken fat, or 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

1 pound chicken livers

2 teaspoons (20 grams) kosher salt

white pepper

4 generous tablespoons Moshe Kovac Wine or Morgan David concord grape wine

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

2 large hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Trim and rinse chicken livers and let drain.

In a large skillet heat the butter and oil (or chicken fat) over medium heat for a few minutes and then add onions and cook until they look glassy. This takes about 10 minutes, and you must stir often. Turn heat down to low and cook for 25 to 30 minutes longer until onions are nice and brown. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Add livers, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Cook for 15 minutes or so, until the livers are cooked. Stir often to turn the livers.

When finished cooking, transfer the livers to a bowl and set aside.

Place the skillet back on the stove over medium heat. Pour in the wine and add thyme. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously, to evaporate some of the liquid. Set aside and let cool completely.

Place chicken livers, pan juice, and eggs in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess, or you will get a paste! Put mixture in a small container, cover, and refrigerate for several hours.

When ready to serve, transfer spread to a serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining salt and a bit more pepper. Surround with crackers, melba toast, or bagel chips.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups

Oma’s Tip:    For a different presentation, place about 1 teaspoon of chopped chicken livers on endive leaves and arrange them on a platter.

Crab Cups

I really worked with this crabmeat recipe over a period of years and have served it in various forms: as a salad on a bed of lettuce, in croustades, in crêpe shells, and in timbales. Then a wonderful product came on the market: frozen puff pastry! It immediately brought a myriad of time-saving ideas to mind. Recipes I had put on the back burner because they involved so much work and time could now come to life and grace our cocktail-buffet table with their presence! Frozen puff pastry will probably be my friend forever, and once you try it (if you haven’t already), you will fall in love with it too.

1 pound crabmeat

2 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 tablespoon grated onion

1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

dash of hot sauce

salt and pepper

1 sheet puff pastry

garnish of choice

Thaw pastry sheet at room temperature for about 40 minutes while you prepare the crab mixture.

Combine crabmeat, hard-boiled eggs, celery, onion, water chestnuts, mayonnaise, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard in a medium bowl. Gently mix together with a fork.

Add hot sauce and stir to combine, taste for seasoning, and then add salt and pepper as needed.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (The filling can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll the puff pastry. Roll pastry into a 14-inch square and cut into 36 small squares, each measuring 2-1/4 by 2-1/4 inches.

Press squares into 36 mini muffin pan cups (3 12-cup pans).

Bake for 10 minutes or until the pastry cups are golden. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

Remove crab filling from refrigerator and give it a gentle stir with a fork.

Fill the pastry cups with the crab mix, allowing a generous teaspoon per cup.

Sprinkle with paprika or garnish with a sprig of dill or parsley.

Makes 36 appetizers

Crab Balls

Here is a delightful change from crab cakes as we know them. I was inspired to re-create this dish after eating the enticing little fried crab balls at the Sweetwater Tavern in Centreville, Virginia. What really intrigued me was the crunchy covering the crab mixture was rolled in. It definitely was not the kind of dry mix that is normally used for dredging crab cakes, such as panko or crushed corn flakes. When I asked the waitress about the coating, she smiled and said, Oh, they use noodles, but she would not divulge any further information. For weeks I tried to visualize what type of noodle or pasta might possibly produce that crisp, spidery crust. Then one day, as I was walking down the international aisle in our super market, I spotted Chinese noodles, called saifun, which are actually bean threads. Mystery solved!

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon horseradish

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 tablespoon minced green pepper

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1 tablespoon stone-ground mustard

1 pound lump crabmeat

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons bread crumbs

1 cup crushed Chinese noodles (more or less as needed)

peanut oil for frying

In a medium-large bowl, mix together the egg, horseradish, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, green pepper, lemon juice, Old Bay Seasoning, and mustard.

Fold in the crabmeat and add salt and pepper to taste. Add just enough bread crumbs to hold the mixture together.

With your hands, shape the mixture into balls the size of walnuts (about 1-1/2 inches in diameter).

Spread the crushed Chinese noodles on a large piece of wax or parchment paper and gently roll the crab balls in this until they are completely covered.

Place balls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Fry in deep fryer or in 2 inches of oil in a heavy saucepan until light brown, about 5 minutes per batch.

Serve hot with Creole Mustard Sauce or Tartar Sauce (see index).

Makes about 24 crab balls

Oma’s Tip:    Old Bay Seasoning cannot always be found with the other spices. It is usually at or near the seafood counter.

Shrimp Balls

We associate shrimp with the Gulf region, and most of our delicious shrimp recipes do come from Louisiana. So it comes as a surprise to many when I tell them that this recipe originated in northern Germany where it is known as Krabben Bällchen. Krabben are small shrimp that live in the very cold waters of the North Sea. They are similar to what we call salad shrimp but more intensely flavored. Because of this, I may not have been completely successful in duplicating the taste of the original recipe, but my version has always made a hit at parties, and these little tidbits disappear like magic.

1-2/3 cups frozen salad shrimp, defrosted

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup very finely chopped celery

1 tablespoon grated onion

1 tablespoon chili