Those who think "Mormon" cookery consists of green Jell-O and cream-of-mushroom soup casseroles will find out differently if they leaf through "Five Star Recipes From Well-Known Latter-day Saints" (Deseret Book, $15.95).
The new Deseret Book cookbook features eclectic fare ranging from Jane Clayson's Tomato Pie to Michael Ballam's Lasagna a la ragu Bolognese to George's Sweet and Sour Pork from children's author Lael Littke to Moroccan Lamb Stew by musician James Welch.
There are plenty of traditional "Utah" recipes in the mix, too, such as Hawaiian Haystacks and Sloppy Joe's for Fifty, which came from Wordperfect co-founder Alan Ashton and his wife Karen.
The book features recipes from nearly 150 prominent LDS authors and artists, musicians and athletes, business executives and political leaders from all over the world.
"It's about interesting people who have accomplished something, and how they eat, and their traditions," said author Elaine Cannon, who compiled the recipes as a way to help raise money for LDS Humanitarian Services. "They are a variety of people who are not all living the same way."
For instance, film director Kieth Merrill told Cannon he dumps fruits and veggies into a blender for liquid meals on the go. When he travels, he carries a blender in his suitcase, and if he forgets it, he seeks out the nearest Wal-mart and buys another one.
Each recipe is accompanied by a photo, a short biography of the contributor and comments about the recipe. In many cases, the stories behind the recipes are just as compelling as the recipes themselves. Bratten's Clam Chowder will bring back memories for those who miss Utah's first seafood restaurant, in business from 1953-1988. The recipe came from Milton Weilenmann, who owned the Bratten's Grotto restaurants and developed the Della Fontana, a premier Italian dining spot in its heyday. He also served as chairman of the Utah Democratic Party and was the first director of the Utah Department of Economic Development.
"Those are precious recipes for all the people who have eaten at Bratten's. No matter how many fish houses we get in Salt Lake City, it was the first," said Cannon.
Many of the recipes show the contributor's personality, such as Paul's Cougarito Burgerito by Paul James, the former "voice of the BYU Cougars," and Michael McLean's Hootenany Pancakes, which requires the cooks to chant, "Hootenany, hootenany, hoot, hoot, hoot" when the pancakes come out of the oven. "Once, in a foolish moment, we did not do the chant and were miserable," McLean wrote. "Since then, we have followed the true path of the Hootenanny, and joy has been ours."
And there's Steve Young's cookie sandwich, made with Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies. "Steve's cookie sandwich is only for the really brave, and I must add, is not mother-approved," writes his mother, Sherry Young. "To make it, take two cookies from the oven, and place a tablespoon of raw cookie dough in between them. He claims it is delicious. He really does this every time."
Cannon said Deseret Book came up with the idea as a way to contribute to the humanitarian effort. The former General Young Women's president and author of several books and cookbooks, contributed her time and her network of contacts. "I've been around in public life so many years so I know a lot of people. Any of us who reads the paper or belongs to the church knows there are some colorful figures out there.
"The recipes are very diverse, reflecting where they live or where they served on their missions or got their graduate degree. We had far more responses that what we could put in the book. I suspect we'll do a sequel, maybe with a different slant to it."
People were asked to submit a favorite recipe, or one with a good story. "You find out that people in this genre are carbohydrate-oriented," Cannon said. "We got a lot of the best rolls and pancakes and whole wheat bread."
Where there were duplicates, the recipes were made and the best-tasting one made the cut. Some duplicates were surprising — there were three different grape ice cream recipes. "People grew grapes during the Depression, and grape ice cream was a delicacy, and very tasty," Cannon said.
Kory Katseanes, orchestra director at the Brigham Young University School of Music, wrote of growing up on an Idaho farm. He contributed his mother's potato-salad recipe, which calls for a homemade mayonnaise dressing. "Before the Depression era, you didn't have potato salad unless you made the dressing yourself," said Cannon.
Besides raising money for a good cause, Cannon said the book also provides some thanks and recognition. "It's a way to pat them on the head for what they are doing in a world that's gone sour, a way to say thank you to wonderful people before it's too late. Wayne Owens (who provided a Peanut Butter-Fudge recipe) is already gone."
TOMATO PIE
Jane Clayson, a CBS anchor/correspondent, said her mother first ordered this in a San Francisco restaurant and talked the chef into giving her the recipe. It became Clayson's "very favorite" dish.
Frozen 9-inch, deep-dish pastry shell
4 to 5 large roma tomatoes
1/4 cup scallions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook pastry shell for 5 minutes. Let cool. Cut tomatoes into bite-sized cubes. Extract seeds and juicy parts and discard. Mix all ingredients together and cook at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Serves 8. — Jane Clayson.
BRATTEN'S CLAM CHOWDER
2 6 1/2-ounce cans minced clams
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup celery, finely diced
2 cups potatoes, diced
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 quart half & half
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
Drain juice from clams and pour liquid over vegetables, adding enough water just to cover. Simmer over medium heat until vegetables are barely tender. Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Add flour, making a roux; blend until smooth. Stir constantly while slowly adding half & half. Cook and stir with wire whisk until thick and smooth. Add vegetables, juice and clams. Heat through. Add salt and pepper. Serves 8. — Milton Weilenmann.
ALMA CANNON WINDER'S GRAPE ICE CREAM
This is from the mother of Edwin Cannon Winder, who has been a partner in the family's Winder Dairy business all his life. "It may sound unimpressive, but it was so tasty and refreshing it received raves from everyone who tasted it," he writes. "Early on, this ice cream became a leverage for Mother to get her first electric refrigerator."
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 cups grape juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup whipped cream
In a large saucepan, mix sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add Karo syrup; stir to blend. Chill; then mix in the grape and lemon juices. Partially freeze in the refrigerator freezer; then fold in the whipped cream. Alternately freeze and stir the mixture until frozen. — Ned Winder.
KATHRYN KATSEANES' POTATO SALAD
"Since I grew up on a potato farm in Idaho, this recipe is part of my cultural and well as culinary heritage. Cancer took my mom much too early; but whenever we re-use one of her great recipes, it seems to bring her back a little, and helps keep her memory alive."
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup salad dressing
4 cups (2 pounds) potatoes, boiled and cubed
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped or sliced
1/2 cup cucumbers (or pickles), chopped
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon chopped radish (or green peppers)
Combine sugar, vinegar, water, salt, pepper and mustard in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; gradually add the beaten eggs. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into a large mixing bowl and add salad dressing. Stir in potatoes, eggs and vegetables with the dressing. Serves 8-10. — Kory Katseanes.
SPINACH PARMESAN
This is a great way to get children to eat their spinach, says Sally Peterson Brinton, a former Miss Utah and member of Mormon Tabernacle Choir who has been a featured piano soloist with the Utah Symphony.
3 pounds fresh spinach
6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons minced onion
6 tablespoons heavy cream
5 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup buttered bread crumbs
Cook spinach in large saucepan with small amount of water until tender. Drain thoroughly. Add other ingredients, except bread crumbs. Arrange in shallow baking dish and top with buttered crumbs. Bake 10-15 minutes at 450 degrees. — Sally Peterson Brinton.
JERICHO ROAD BREAKFAST CAKE
"This comes from the recipe box of our manager's mother. If you prepare it the night before, you have a quick — and delicious — breakfast on hectic mornings. For a little extra nutrition, add a cup of blueberries to the batter." Jericho Road is a popular singing group.
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
Topping:
1 1/2 cup flour
2 cups sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 3/4 sticks butter
Sift dry ingredients. Cut in shortening. Add milk and eggs. Mixture should not be lumpy. Set aside. Prepare topping by combining dry ingredients and cutting in margarine. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. Pour in half the cake mixture. Top with half the cinnamon topping. Pour in remainder of the cake mixture and top with the remainder of the cinnamon topping. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. (You can bake this the night before and keep it in the refrigerator until morning).
RULLTARTA (SWISS ROLL)
Birgitta Karlfeldt lives in Sweden, where she serves as editor of the Swedish Liahona.
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon cold water
Chocolate Butter Cream Filling:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla-flavored sugar
2 tablespoon orange peel marmalade (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa or more
Line a 10-by-14-by-2-inch jelly-roll pan with waxed paper and preheat oven to 450 degrees. You may want to lightly coat the paper with cooking spray to make turning out the cake easier. Whip eggs and sugar until light and foamy. In large mixing bowl, stir flour and baking powder together; then add tablespoon of cold water and blend. Fold in egg mixture and spread batter evenly in pan. Bake about 5 minutes or until cake bounces back when touched. Immediately turn pan upside down, releasing cake onto sugared waxed-paper or damp cloth. Remove waxed paper from top of cake.
To make filling, stir butter until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and cream to spreading consistency. Spread cake with filling, then roll it up, starting from the long side. Slice. Serves 15 to 20. — Birgitta Karlfeldt.
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