A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. Flavoring may be to hide other flavors. In the kitchen, spices are distinguished from herbs, which are leafy, green plant parts used for flavoring.

Many spices are used for other purposes, such as medicine, religious rituals, cosmetics, perfumery, or for eating as vegetables. For example, turmeric is also used as a preservative; licorice as a medicine; garlic as a vegetable.
Courtesy of Wikipedia

For a comprehensive list of herbs and spices click here.

Herb and Spice Blends 

Baharat-Middle Eastern

4 tsp black pepper
3 tsp coriander seeds
3 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp cloves
4 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cardamom pods
3 tsp nutmeg
6 tsp paprika

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Chili Blend

3 parts chili peppers
1/2 part cumin
1 part oregano
2 parts garlic powder
1 part salt
2 parts black pepper
1/4 part cinnamon
1/4 part cayenne
1 part paprika
1/2 part coriander
1/4 part turmeric

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Curry Blend (vary on regions and tastes. This blend is a straight forward curry that can be used for most curry recipes.)

2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons whole cardamom seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds, toasted
1/4 cup ground turmeric
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne

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Chinese 5 Spice

3 tblsp bajiao (star anise)
1/2 tsp cloves
2 tbsp cinnamon,
1 tsp huajiao (Sichuan pepper)
1 tsp ground fennel seed

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Old Bay Spice

3 tbsp dry mustard,
1 tbsp paprika
1/tsp celery seed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mace
1/2 tsp ginger

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Jerk Spice (Jerk is a personal preference as to how much HEAT you want to introduce)

1 tsp allspice (pimento in Jamaica)
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 scallions chopped fine
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp thyme
2 tbsp garlic
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

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The Gypsy Chef Spice Blend

2 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili pepper

Quatre épices

2 tablespoons ground black pepper or a combination of 1/2 tablespoon white and 2-1/2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons ground cloves
2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground ginger or cinnamon

~~~~~~~~~~

Herbs de Provence

3 Tablespoons dried marjoram
3 Tablespoons dried thyme
3 Tablespoons dried savory
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

“SLAP YA MAMA™” Cajun Seasoning really got started by just trying to please our customers. We owned a convenience store at the time and sold food in a deli. Everything was cooked in a broaster; fried chicken, French fries, corn dogs, hot links, etc.Our customers began complaining that our food was too salty. Well, we were using a seasoning that everybody loved but it was too salty if you wanted to taste a little bit of pepper. So, we decided to make our own seasoning mixture that gave you the spicy Cajun taste without being too salty. We then sat down and mixed until we got it exactly like we wanted it.

The Evolution of “SLAP YA MAMA™” Labels and Products

Our boys were young and we had them rolling a barrel on the floor to mix our seasoning. We began using the seasoning on the food at the store, and everybody loved it. They wanted to know what we had put on the food. So we told them that we had mixed our own spices to make this seasoning. After that, they wanted to know if they could buy some. Time went on and everybody really praised our deli food. Some of our friends suggested that we package and sell this wonderful seasoning. Eventually we made some simple little labels, called it “SLAP YA MAMA™” Cajun Seasoning, and sold it in our store.

The name of “SLAP YA MAMA™” came about when the creator of the seasoning jokingly said, “When you use this seasoning, the food taste so good that it will make you want to go home and slap ya mama because she could never make something taste that great.” We couldn’t keep enough “SLAP YA MAMA™” Cajun Seasoning on the shelves.
Courtesy of  Walker & Sons, Inc., Ville Plate, Louisiana

Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 24 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 to 2 lb butterfly leg of lamb
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tblsp honey
1/4 cup Slap Ya Mama Cajun Spice or other Cajun Spice Blend
4 large carrots peeled and halved lengthwise
1/2 cup of water

Directions

Place lamb onto large plate or platter, set aside. In a small bowl combine lemon juice and honey until blended. Massage mixture into lamb gently and place lamb into a large ziplock bag and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours. After time in refrigerator, remove and drain off any liquid. Preheat oven to 450 F. Rub dry spice mixture thoroughly over all areas of lamb and place into roast pan on top of carrots and add water.
Cook at 450 F for first 20 minutes then reduce heat to 400 F for another 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and check internal temperature with meat thermometer if you are not comfortable in only relying on time. Allow lamb roast to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting into thin slices. Lamb should be pink and juicy when sliced into.

FOOTNOTE: This spice is HOT. To help cool down the burn you may serve lamb with a cool creamy side such as a avocado mango chutney or go for the full on Cajun meal. “Slap Ya Mama” Cajun Spie blend can be purchased online at : http://slapyamama.com

The avocado gets its name from the Latin American Nahuatl word ahuacatl meaning “testicle,” an obvious reference to the shape of the fruit. It was discovered in Mexico approx. 291 B.C. The name “avocado” is attributed to Sir Henry Sloane, who coined it in 1669. The word itself first appeared in American print in 1697.

Early Spanish explorers discovered the Aztec people enjoying avocados, but considered the avocado to be a tasteless food. The Aztecs also used avocados as a sexual stimulant. It was the Spanish explorers who brought the avocado to the the northern part of the Americas.

The first Florida crops are credited to horticulturist Henry Perrine who planted groves in 1833. However, avocados did not become a commercial crop until the early 1900s. Except in California, Florida, and Hawaii where they were commonly grown, most consumers shied away from the fruit. Finally, in the 1950s, the avocado became popular as a salad item, and consumption became more widespread.

Today avocados are consumed by people across the globe and have become a staple in certain styles of cuisine. The avocado has even made it’s way to the Far East showing up in dishes from Hong Kong to Singapore.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

8 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
4 medium avocados, ripe and unpeeled
1 tbsp lemon juice, for brushing avocado
½ cup of butter
¼ cup of brown sugar
¼ cup of white wine vinegar
¼ cup of garlic puree
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
avocado oil for garnish

Directions

Cook off bacon until crispy. Set aside wrapped in paper towel to remove excess fat. Slice the avocados in half, then remove pits and brush with lemon juice. Fill the avocado with bacon. You can choose to either serve cold or put under the broiler for 5 minutes or until avocado begins to brown. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Combine all of the remaining remaining ingredients and heat to boiling to produce the sauce. Drizzle sauce over avocados and finish with a few drops of avocado oil to taste.

Yields 4 servings

FOOTNOTE: Avocado oil is even higher in beneficial fats then olive oil. It also makes an excellent oil for frying as it has a very high burn temperature.

The Carrot has a somewhat obscure history, surrounded by doubt and enigma and it is difficult to pin down when domestication took place. The wide distribution of Wild Carrot, the absence of carrot root remains in archaeological excavations and lack of documentary evidence do not enable us to determine precisely where and when carrot domestication was initiated.

Over thousands of years it moved from being a small, tough, bitter and spindly root to a fleshy, sweet, pigmented unbranched edible root. Even before the introduction of domesticated carrots., wild plants were grown in gardens as medicinal plants. Unravellings its progress through the ages is complex and inconclusive, but nevertheless a fascinating journey through time and the history of mankind.

The Wild Carrot is the progenitor (wild ancestor) of the domestic carrot. It is clear that the Wild Carrot and Domestic Carrot are not the same species and both co-exist in the modern world. It is a popular myth that domestic carrot was developed from Wild Carrot, probably because of its similar smell and taste. Botanists have failed to develop an edible vegetable from the wild root and when cultivation of garden carrots lapses a few generations, it reverts to another ancestral type, a species that is quite distinct.

Wild Carrot is indigenous to Europe and parts of Asia and, from archaeological evidence, seeds have been found dating since Mesolithic times, approximately 10000 years ago. One cannot imagine that the root would have been used at that time, but the seeds are known to be medicinal and it is likely the seeds were merely gathered rather than actually cultivated.

Wild carrot has a small, tough pale fleshed bitter white root; modern domestic carrot has a swollen, juice sweet root, usually orange. Carrots originated in present day Afghanistan about 5000 years ago, probably originally as a purple or yellow root like those pictured here. Nature then took a hand and produced mutants and natural hybrids, crossing both with cultivated and wild varieties. It is considered that purple carrots were then taken westwards where it is thought yellow mutants and wild forms crossed to produce orange. Finally some motivated Dutch growers took these mutant orange carrots under their horticultural wings and developed them to be the sweet and tasty carrot we know today.
Information taken from the Carrot Museum

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 5o minutes

Ingredients

Unsalted butter, for the pan
2 1/2 cups, all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pan
12 ounces grated carrots, 6 medium
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (may be omitted)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9inch round and 3-inch deep cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.  Grate carrots into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Place flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices,  walnuts and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add this mixture to the carrots and toss until well-coated.

In the bowl of the food processor combine the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and yogurt. With the processor still running drizzle in the vegetable oil. Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir until just combined. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 F and bake for another 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the cake out onto a rack and allow cake to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting after cake has cooled completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese
2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter on medium just until blended. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. With the speed on low, add the powdered sugar in 4 batches and beat until smooth between each addition.

Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.

Yields 8 servings

FOOTNOTE:  The total cooking time does not include frosting the cake. Also if you prefer you can add flavouring to the cream cheese. I find a few tablespoons of marmalade or a teaspoon of orange extract adds a nice taste to the frosting and compliments the cake very well.

The first domesticated grain in the Near East was Barley. Wild barley was found from North Africa and Crete in the west and as far east as Tibet. The earliest evidence of wild barley in an archaeological records comes from the Epipaleolithic at Ohalo II at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee. The remains are believed to date back to 8500 BC. Barley has been grown in the Korean Peninsula since the Early Mumun Pottery Period (c. 1500–850 BC) along with other crops such as millet, wheat, and legumes.

Barley beer was likely the first drink developed by Neolithic man. Barley was also used as currency. Alongside emmer wheat, Barley was a staple cereal of ancient Egypt, where it was used to make bread and beer.

In ancient Greece, the ritual significance of barley dates back to the earliest stages of the Eleusinian Mysteries. The preparatory kykeon or mixed drink of the initiates, prepared from barley and herbs, referred in the Homeric hymn to Demeter, whose name some scholars believe meant “Barley-mother”.The practice was to dry the barley groats and roast them before preparing the porridge, according to Pliny the Elder’s Natural History (xviii.72). This produces malt that soon ferments and becomes slightly alcoholic.

Pliny also noted barley was a special food of gladiators known as hordearii, “barley-eaters”. However, by Roman times, he added that wheat had replaced barley as a staple.

Tibetan barley has been a staple food in Tibet since the 5th century A.D. This grain, along with a cool climate that permitted storage, produced a civilization that was able to raise great armies. It is made into a flour product called tsampa that is still a staple in Tibet. The flour is roasted and mixed with butter and butter tea to form a stiff dough that is eaten in small balls.

In medieval Europe, bread made from barley and rye was peasant food, while wheat products were consumed by the upper classes. Potatoes largely replaced barley in Eastern Europe in the 19th century.
Some text taken from Wikipedia

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients

10 cups of water
4 to 5 chicken legs (I use leg as it stands up to boiling without falling apart)
1/4 cup concentrated chicken stock or several cubes to taste
1/2 tsp salt
6 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
1 large red onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 green cubanelle pepper seeded and diced
1/2 cup of pearl barley
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
chopped parsley as garnish

Directions

Add water to pot and bring to a boil. Add salt and chicken legs and allow to return to the boil. Turn heat down to medium and allow chicken to cook for 1 hour. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool.  Add all other ingredients to the pot except parsley and bring back up to the boil if not already doing so. Allow to cook for 20 minutes.  During this time chicken will have cooled enough to handle. Remove skin and separate meat from bone.  Shred or chop meat into pieces and add to pot. Place lid on pot reduce heat to medium low and allow to cook for another 30 minutes or until barley is tender. Allow soup to cool slightly before serving.

Yields 12 servings

FOOTNOTE: You can also add dumplings to this soup 30 minutes prior to serving.

Dumplings: Mix together 2 cups all-purpose flour  and 1 teaspoon salt. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time until dough forms. It should be sticky but not to soft. Add to boiling soup using large spoon and scooping enough dough to fill spoon. Push into pot being careful not to burn yourself as soup will splash. You can also preform dough into 2 inch balls and place into soup. I prefer the spoon method as it gives a lighter dumpling when cooked.

Earliest archaeological evidence of cheesemaking has been found in Egyptian tomb murals, dating back to somewhere around 2000 BCE. The earliest cheeses are believed to have been quite sour and salty, similar to rustic cottage cheese or feta. In the Late Bronze Age Minoan-Mycenaean Crete, Linear B tablets have revealed the inventorying of cheese, as well as flocks and shepherds.

Cheeses produced in cooler climates require less salt for preservation then those produced in places such as the Middle East. With less salt and acidity, the cheese became a suitable environment for useful microbes and molds, giving aged cheeses their pronounced and interesting flavors. Cheese such Roquefort are not produced in these areas.

Prep Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp olive oil (any vegetable oil will work)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups of unbleached flour (you can substitute 1 cup of white flour for wholewheat flour or oatmeal)
1 cup old cheddar, grated
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp yeast (bread machine yeast if you are using machine)
1/4 old cheddar, Parmesan or other sharp cheese for garnish
1 tbsp melted butter for glaze

Directions

Add ingredients to bread machine in order above. Set machine to dough setting and allow to process until complete. Remove dough from machine and turn onto lightly floured board. Gently knead into an egg shape.  Brush melted butter over surface of bread then sprinkle additional cheese on top of loaf and press down lightly so cheese sticks to top.

Allow to rise until almost double in size then bake in oven at 400 F until top is golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Yields 12 servings

FOOTNOTE: If hand making bread add yeast to warm water and milk mixture, set aside and allow to activate.  Mix together all dry ingredients including cheese. Once the liquid starts to foam yeast is activated. Slowly add liquid to dry and incorporate well. Turn dough onto well floured board and knead until smooth and elastic.  Cover and allow to rise. Once dough has risen punch it down, knead again and form into egg shape. Set aside and allow to double in size. Follow the directions above to finish and bake loaf.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Recipe 1

1 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon apple cider or white vinegar
3 tablespoons ice water, or as needed

Recipe 2

2 1/2 cups rice flour
1 cup potato starch flour
1 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 1/2 tablespoons xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon apple cider or white vinegar
3 tablespoons ice water, or as needed

Directions

Food Processor Method

Measure dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Use a large whisk to thoroughly blend ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into a food processor bowl, fitted with a metal blade. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the butter cubes are reduced to the size of peas and the mixture looks like coarse, dry crumbs.

Add the lightly beaten egg and pulse just until egg is incorporated into the flour-butter mix. Add 1 tablespoon of ice water and pulse several times. Remove the processor lid and squeeze a small amount of the dough in your hand. If it holds together don’t add more water. If the dough is too crumbly and dry, add 1/4 teaspoon additional ice water and pulse several more times. Check the consistency of the dough again. If the dough holds together and you can form a ball don’t add more water. Adding too much water will make the dough sticky and harder to roll out and shape.

Scrape the dough, which will look crumbly, on a clean, gluten free work surface covered with waxed paper. Gather the crumbly dough into a ball. Flatten to a large disk shape. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out the dough. At this stage, the dough can be frozen. Place wax paper wrapped dough in a freezer bag, label and freeze for future use.

To Roll Dough:

Remove dough from refrigerator and place dough between two sheets of waxed paper. Let dough sit just until it’s soft enough to roll. When workable, roll lighlty from the center outward, working to make a circle about 10-inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch thick. If the dough should get too warm and sticky, place it in the freezer for several minutes and then continue rolling it.

Peel top sheet of wax paper from the dough and carefully flip the dough, on the remaining sheet of waxed paper, over pie plate. Gently peel the waxed paper from the dough.

Gently press the dough into the pie plate.

Trim edges with knife and crimp edge with a fork or using your favorite method.

Pie crust is ready to fill or parbake (partially bake) as desired.

To parbake the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a fork to pierce the crust- this will prevent the crust from bubbling up while baking. Or, line the dough with parchment paper and fill the plate with dry beans or pie weights. Bake the crust for about 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Yields 1 pie crust (double recipe to make double crust)

FOOTNOTE: For savory pies I omit the sugar in the pie crust. If you do not like to use a food processor you may make the pastry by hand cutting in butter with a pastry cutter or two knives.

The strawberry is native to North America and parts of Europe. The name “strawberry”, may have derived from it’s growing conditions as the plant was often found strewn among fallen leaves along the edges of a wooded area. Hence, the two words, “strewn” and “berries”.

In England, children used to pick strawberries scattered in the wild and sell them in local markets. In order to handle them properly, the strawberries were tied to pieces of straws where the name may also have developed. Varieties of strawberries are also found in Europe and have been traced as far back as 234 BC, in Italy.

In ancient Rome, the fruit was grown for the formulation of different types of medicines. In France the berries were used for medicinal purposes also. The strawberries that grew in the Alpines were used to treat digestive problems and skin diseases. Roots and leaves of the strawberry plant along with fruits were used in these treatments.

Farmers began to cultivate strawberries in North America and many new varieties were developed in the 1700s. The varieties that developed from the cross breeding of American and European strawberries were known for their sweet taste and the perfect size.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 pint of large strawberries with stems
1/2 lb white chocolate
crystallized decorating sugar

Directions

Wash and pat dry strawberries and set aside. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Once creamy and smooth remove from heat. You will have to work fast as the chocolate will start to solidify when cooling down. Dip the strawberries into chocolate and roll into decorating sugar. Place onto wax paper to dry.

Yields 12 chocolate dipped berries

FOOTNOTE: Dark Chocolate may also be used. Try chili chocolate for a spicy, sweet lovely Valentine’s Day treat and dust with gold powder for extra decadence.

Food historians tell us recipes for croquette-type dishes likely descended from Ancient Roman rissoles: minced, spiced meat bound with fillers, carefully shaped, and deep fried. Recipes varied according to culture, cuisine, and period. The primary difference between rissoles and croquettes is the former is wrapped in pastry while the latter is rolled in breadcrumbs. Cooking method, presentation and purpose are generally similar. References to “Croquettes” appear in print in the early 18th century. The earliest recipes we find in English/American cookbooks date to the early 19th century. Croquette recipes are absent from the popular mid-18th century British works of Hannah Glasse, E. Smith, Mrs. Raffald, and Mrs. Moxon.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground pork
1 lb potatoes
3 large cooking apples
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/4 cup onion diced (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Peel the potatoes and cut into even-sized pieces. Steam or cook in boiling salted water for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain thoroughly and mash well. Add the minced pork. Finely chop or grate the cooking apple and onion and add to the potato. Add sage to the mixture and season generously. Work the mixture together until evenly combined. With lightly floured hands, shape the mixture into 8 cakes. Heat oil in a nonstick frying pan on a medium heat, and cook the cakes for 12 – 15 minutes, turning them occasionally until golden-brown on both sides.

While the cakes are cooking, core and cut the dessert apples into quarters. Fry the apple in a small amount of oil or butter until the apples are cooked through. Serve the cakes with sauted apple quarter on top.

Yields 4 servings

FOOTNOTE: For a twist drizzle cakes with a touch of maple syrup, serve with a light salad to complete the meal or serve cakes on a whole grain bun.

The general consensus of American food historians is chiffon pie (chocolate & other flavors) first surfaced in the United States sometime in the 1920s. Precursors can be found under different names but the underlying inspiration is likely meringue.

Who gets credit for “inventing” the chiffon pie? A gentleman by the name of Monroe Boston Strause. In Clementine Paddleford’s words describing the man:

“Monroe Boston Strause, pie engineer. Here is the man who invented chiffon pie–and his recipe…Fruit-fragrant chiffon will be the pie star on the menus of tomorrow, is the prediction of Monroe Boston Strause, number-one pie engineer of the nation. And pie man Strause ought to know: Commercial bakers in 48 states look to him as style leader in the building of America’s favorite dessert. Monroe Boston Strause has a weakness for that pie called chiffon; it’s an invention all his own. But chiffon pies postwar will have a different kind of thickening from those of today. Cornstarch is being outmoded by new gelatinizing agents, tasteless, clear as glass, that can be combined with the filling without beating. Fresh fruit chiffons will taste like fresh fruit. It was in 1921 that ambitious, redheaded Monroe Strause, 16, went into the business with an uncle who fancied himself a pie baker. Cream pies were Uncle Mike’s specialty–stiff with cornstarch. Monroe couldn’t bear the sight of them, let alone promote their sale…Determined to make his first business venture succeed, the youngster began fooling around with pie fillings. He started with a recipe for the French cream used in eclairs in which boiled sugar syrup is added to beaten egg whites, then the cornstarch filling folded into this. Anything for lightness, so Monroe began piling in the egg whites. First thing he knew he had a filling ethereal. This creation he carried home to show off to his mother. ‘Why, it looks just like a pile of chiffon,’ she said and so the pie was christened.

Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (about 1 quart) crushed fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp gelatin
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup cranberry juice
2 cups whipping cream, divided
1 baked 9″ pie crust
strawberries halved, for garnish

Directions

Combine strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and let stand 30 minutes. In another bowl combine gelatin and cranberry juice. Set bowl into larger bowl of boiling water stirring until gelatin has dissolved. Stir gelatin mixture into berries. Refrigerate until partially set. In a large bowl, whip 1 cup of cream. Fold whipped cream into berry mixture. Pour filling into baked and cooled pie crust and chill until firm. When ready to serve, whip remaining cream and spread or pipe onto top of pie. Garnish with strawberry halves.

Yields 6 to 8 servings

FOOTNOTE: This recipe can be made with most soft fruits. Try using peaches or raspberries for a nice twist or made with a healthy whipped cream substitute as follows:

Healthy Whipped Cream

With only 5 calories per tablespoon, this is a great healthy whipped cream you can prepare yourself. Prepare this whipped cream substitute just before serving, as the mixture deflates rather quickly. You can speed up the process by having the ingredients pre-measured and ready to go.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Directions:

Put the skim milk in a small metal bowl, set in the freezer, and let stand just until ice crystals begin to form-about 15 minutes. Remove from the freezer and add the dry milk powder and cream of tartar. With a hand electric mixer, whip the mixture at high speed until foamy. Beat in 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice and continue beating until the mixture begins to thicken. Beat in another teaspoon of the lemon juice and, if desired, the sugar, and continue beating until the mixture peaks softly. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice and continue whipping to stiff peaks. Fold in the vanilla extract, if desired, and serve immediately as a dessert topping.

Makes 2 cups.
Preparation: 25 min., including 15 min. refrigeration