A Trunk Full of Recipes

Toasted Pecan Layer Cake with a Toasted Pecan Frosting

Did you ever see the movie Pollyanna with Hayley Mills? If so, do you remember the scene where she's at the church carnival sampling all the food? She comes to this one booth where the housekeeper hands her this big piece of white layer cake with chocolate frosting. She goes around that carnival eating this grand piece of cake.

I remember watching that scene and remarking over that piece of cake. I have always wanted to be able to make a cake as big, fluffy and white as that one and with icing as whipped and creamy as that appeared to be.

I have made many cakes and tried many different kinds of recipes but until yesterday morning I had not been able to create a cake that seemed almost as perfect as the cake in the Pollyanna movie! It seems funny that the magical recipe comes from an old fashioned Maine cook book, but on the other hand those Maine church ladies really knew what they were doing!

Toasted Pecan Layer Cake with a Toasted Pecan Frosting. This is in the running, if not, the best white cake I have ever made. It is light and fluffy. It rises beautifully in the oven and when the layers are stacked together they make a full an beautiful layered white cake.

The frosting is simple too. Confectioners sugar with butter, cream, and vanilla. Blended together until creamy then add the remainder of the pecans and spread on the cake.

The only thing that separated this cake from the perfect Pollyanna cake was the nuts and the icing. Eliminate the nuts and switch the icing around a bit to be either a plain vanilla or chocolate icing and it would be a spot on perfect white layer cake.

Blue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070

Cheese Pie

I say this a lot but this is one of the best desserts I've made thus far! If you like cheesecake then you most definitely like this cheese pie.

The base is a graham cracker crust filled with a cream cheese and egg base and topped with a sour cream and sugar mixture. It's baked in the oven in layers but only takes a total of 25 minutes.

It's so creamy and delicious. You won't be disappointed by this one! Enjoy!

Blue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070

Poppy Seed Cake

"The next tow recipes are my favorites, neither one is iced for there is too much goodness in the cake itself."

Marjorie Standish

I missed this little excerpt until just right now when I was rewriting it! It seems as though I "messed up" by putting icing over this cake. In my defense it still tasted delicious and it was only a thin layer.

Typically when I make a cake from this cookbook, or any dessert from this cookbook it's fairly dense. This recipe was different. It was so light and fluffy, and probably one of the best cake recipes I've come across. I think Marjorie's statement at the beginning of the recipe rings true it does have a lot of goodness!

Don't let this one slip you by! Grab Cooking Down East and make this recipe as soon as you can!

Bue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070

Hot Clam Dip and Hot Clam Dip- Number 2

Not very creative with her recipe titles I know! But creative with her recipes thats for sure!!

Hot Clam Dip (the one thats featured up close in the photo). Easy as pie, and this one was the preferred dip. Simply saute some onion and green pepper add processed cheese, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, sherry cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. Stir this combination over the top of a double boiler.

To serve this delectable dip Marjorie suggests using sour dill pickle slices or toast or crackers. At the Blue Elephant we served with butter crisp crackers and for the occasional daring customer we broke out a dill pickle. The word was that it was in fact delicious and did bring out the flavor of the dip.

Hot Clam Dip- Number 2. This was the more inventive of the two. Saute some bacon and garlic, drain off some of the fat and add minced clam and juice. Mix cornstarch and tomato paste and then add to the aforementioned bacon/clam mixture and stir until thickened. Add seasonings and simmer.

Marjorie recommends serving this particular dip with toasts or rounds. For this particular dip at the Blue Elephant we served it with Sunbeams. The crackers that I just finished posting about. It was a delightful combination.

Both of these recipes come from the section "These 'Firsts' Are Last." I like the title of this section, I can't decide wether or not it they are recipes that Marjorie was actually fond of or not. I have made most of them and generally speaking they have been pretty good!

Looking for something new to try? Turn to this section, they're easy and fun!

Blue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070

https://www.facebook.com/blueelephantevents?ref=tn_tnmn

Sunbeams

"You may call these delicious cheese cookies 'sunbeams,' it is one name for them. This recipe came from Gardiner, where it is widely used. You will find them popular at any kind of party."

Marjorie Standish

I made this and was first of all amazed at the easiness of which they came together. In her directions, Marjorie compared the dough to that of refrigerator cookies, which usually seem to take forever to make.

Secondly, I was amazed at how delicious these little confections were. So simple and yet so tasty. They also are so versatile. They could be served with cheese and crackers, with soup or salad or even with a main course. And even one step further because of the consistency of the dough it could be rolled or cut into any shape.

If you're hosting a party or looking for a fun treat to try with your family look up this recipe and give it a try!

Blue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070

https://www.facebook.com/blueelephantevents?ref=tn_tnmn

Thursday, March 1, 2012

A Note From the Kitchen

I thought I had the fish section complete and as I was going through the book making my notes I realized.... yipes... I might have missed one!

Finnan Haddie Casserole.

I must have overlooked it. However, I'm not sure I'll be able to complete this recipe. The first ingredient is 3lbs finnan haddie which I've figured out is smoked haddock fillets. The problem is I don't know where I'm going to find this.

It will take some research and I'm going to do everything I can to find this ingredient so that I can finish this section for real!

Blue Elephant Cafe

12 Pepperell Square

Saco, Maine 04072

207-281-3070