The Indianapolis News from Indianapolis, Indiana • 32

D-4 THE INDIANAPOLIS NEWS Wednesday, August 5, 1992 Bites: Readers push persimmons as Indiana's own soda has been dissolved. Beat welt, then pour into meringue and dot with strawberries. Add second Continued from D-1 cooking and the impact of immigrants who settled In the state. I Both books support an apple tradition. John 7'Johnny Appleseed" Chapman already had planted some orchards in Indiana when the early settlers arrived, according to "The Hoosier Cookbook" edited by Elaine Lumbra.

In "Hoosier Cooking: Yesteryear and Today," Wilma Dee wrote that Chapman, who died in Fort Wayne in 1845, sold apple saplings throughout Indiana and Ohio. "No fruit was more important to the early pioneers than the apple," she wrote. She said apples became an invaluable addition to hog and hominy and were eaten fresh, preserved, cooked, dried, made into cider, vinegar, applejack and apple pie. "The Hoosier Cookbook" also backs up the persimmon tradition. Persimmons grow wild over much of Southern Indiana.

Lumbra said persimmon pudding has been a Southern Indiana favorite but a recipe that would suit all persimmon pudding lovers is "as scarce as hen's teeth." A Southern Indiana native, now living in Indianapolis, sent a pudding recipe from the Mitchell Persimmon Festival. Amy Bradley considers it strictly Hoosier since it comes from the persimmon capitol. Jill Jay, a native of Farmland, near Muncie, grew up eating her grandmother's version of persimmon pudding. She says there probably are as many ways to make this dish as there are Hoo-siers, but Thanksgiving at her house would not be the same without her late Grandmother Collins' version. PERSIMMON PUDDING Vi stick batter, softened 1 cup sugar leg 2 cups persimmon palp 1 small can Milnot or 1 cop cream Vi cap buttermilk lVi teaspoons soda cup all-purpose flour lVi teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon salt Cream butter and sugar, add egg, beat well, add persimmon pulp.

Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together, add alternately to batter with cream and buttermilk, in which the an 8-by-8-inch greased baking pan. Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Serve with whipped cream, when cool. (Recipe sent by Amy Bradley.) PERSIMMON PUDDING 1 stick batter or margarine 2 caps sugar 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 eggs 2 cups milk 1 cup persimmon pulp Melt margarine or butter in a 9-by-13-inch pan to coat: pour melted margarine into a mixing bowl. Cream the sugar with the melted butter; add eggs and beat well.

Combine the flour and baking powder. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to creamed mixture, mixing well after each addition, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Fold in persimmon pulp. Pour into baking pan (grease it if you don't melt the margarine in it). Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Do not stir during baking. Serve with whipped cream. (Recipe sent by Jill Jay.) Before flour was available for pie crusts, the bountiful berries in the woods throughout Indiana were used only for sauce by the pioneers, according to "The Hoosier Cookbook." Later though, berries made their way Into pies. Jean Ivy of Indianapolis said she remembers picking elderberries in the '40s during the summer along Northern Indiana country roads. Her grandmother and mother would make fresh elderberry pie ELDERBERRY PIE 2 pastry crusts 3Va cups washed, stemmed elderberries 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon Juice 1 cup sugar Vi teaspoon salt Vi cup flour 1 tablespoon butter or margarine Spread elderberries in pastry lined 9-inch pie pan.

Sprinkle with vinegar or lemon juice. Combine sugar, salt and flour. Sprinkle over elderberries. Dot with butter or margarine. Adjust top crust and flute edges, cut vents in top crust.

Bake in 400-degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until Juices show In vents and curst Is golden brown. Recipes for an original unbaked fruitcake, an early mashed potato roll, unique strawberry shortcake and family favorite apple dumplings also have been included, although they may not be unique to Hoosier kitchens. CLOSE'S UNBAKED FRUITCAKE 1 pint heavy cream 1 pound mars hm allows 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 pounds graham crackers, crushed finely 1 pint candled fruit 2 pounds chopped walnuts 1 pound raisins Melt marshmallows in cream over low heat, stirring constantly to keep from scorching. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Stir In cracker crumbs, mixing thoroughly.

Add each of the remaining ingredients, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Press mixture into waxed paper lined tube pan. Cover and let stand for 3 days. (From Pat Riser of Speedway, who said the recipe was created by her mother, Violet Irene Close, in the early "50s. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE 2 rounded tablespoons pork lard IV4 cups sugar 1 Hi Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla Vi cup ice water Vi cup milk 2 cups flour 3 tablespoons baking powder For meringue: 1 quart strawberries, washed and stemmed 3 egg whites 3 tablespoons sugar For hot dip: 1 tablespoon butter or margarine 2 tablespoons flour Ms- cup sugar Dash of salt 1 tablespoon vinegar 1 teaspoon nutmeg 2 cups water To make shortcake: Thoroughly cream together lard and sugar.

Blend in egg, which has been beaten separately with the salt. Add the vanilla and continue creaming mixture by hand. Sift the flour with the baking powder and add to the batter, alternating it with the cup of liquid. Turn mixture into two 8-inch round pans, which have been lightly greased and flour-dusted. Bake 30 minutes in a 350-degree oven.

To make meringue: Beat together egg with sugar until stiff. Spread bottom layer of cake with layer of cake and repeat. To make dip: Blend flour, sugar and water. Add vinegar, salt, butter, nutmeg and remaining quart of strawberries. Cook to desired thickness.

Pour dip over cake. (From the cookbook of Daisydean Deeds, who was an assistant official hostess at Fort Harrrison in the 1950s.) AUNT RELLA'S ROLLS 1 cake yeast Vi cup lukewarm water Vs cup shortening Vi cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup mashed potatoes 1 cup scalded milk 2 eggs Flour, enough to make a stiff dough about 4 cups Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Mix shortening, sugar, salt, potatoes and scalded milk. Let cool and add yeast and eggs. Add flour and knead.

Let stand until It doubles In size. Make rolls and let rise. Bake in 425-degree oven until brown, about 30 minutes. (Sent by Jean Allen of Indianapolis.) APPLE DUMPLINGS 2 cups sugar 2 cups water teaspoon cinnamon Vi teaspoon nutmeg Vi cup butter 6 apples 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons baking powder Vi teaspoon soda cup shortening cup sour milk Make a syrup of sugar, water, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter.

Pare and core apples into thin slices. Set aside. Sift flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Cut in shortening. Add milk all at once and stir until moist.

Roll dough to A inches thick, cut in 5-inch squares. Arrange 4 pieces or more of apples on each square, sprinkle generously with additional sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Put a dab of butter on apples and fold. Put opening down in 13-inch greased pan. Pour syrup over.

Bake in moderate oven 375 degrees for 35 minutes. (Recipe by Edith Torbet, sent in by her granddaughter, Mrs. George Knapp of Brownsburg). Make bowl of backyard produce Better Homes and Gardens Hollow out colorful peppers, summer squash or Juicy tomatoes to make edible containers for the trio of dips you serve with this showy fresh appetizer platter. BEST-OF-THE-GARDEN PLATTER 8 to 12 baby carrots 6 small yellow summer squash, cut into 1-inch pieces 16 to 24 snap beans, trimmed 3 or 4 sweet peppers (yellow, purple, red and-or green) 1 cup cherry tomatoes (yellow and-or red) 1 medium cucumber Fresh herbs or Swiss chard (optional) Edible flowers (optional) 1 recipe Creamy Salsa Dip 1 recipe Chutney Dip To trim carrots, leave 1 to 2 inches of stem, if you like; do not peel.

In a saucepan combine carrots, squash, beans and a small amount of water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes; drain and cool. Cover and chill until serving time. At serving time, remove tops and seeds from sweet peppers; cut into rings or strips.

Halve any large cherry tomatoes. Cut cucumber into strips or slices. On a platter arrange cooked vegetables, peppers, tomatoes and cucumber. If desired, garnish with fresh herbs (dill and purple basil) and-or edible flowers (red and yellow nasturtiums). Serve with assorted dips.

Makes 8 to 12 appetizer servings. Creamy Salsa Dip: Combine one-half cup plain yogurt, one-half cup red salsa and one-third cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise or salad dressing. Cover and chill until serving time. Makes about 1 cups. Chutney Dip: Combine one (8-ounce) carton plain yogurt; 1 green onion, chopped; 3 tablespoons snipped chutney and 1 teaspoon curry powder.

Cover and chill until serving time. Makes about 1 cup. Save on Pro Plan Pet Food and Get a Free JBevenLgeCooler 00 THE nteftla I $2.00 off 40 lb. bag of any Pro Plan Dog Food or $1.00 off 20 lb. bag of any Pro Plan Dog Food or 10 or 20 Pro Plan Cat Food with coupoa Offer good through 9692 only at Broad Rpple Pet Center.

Name: WHI YOU TRY Address: City: Zip: NEW DRAWS mm Ml I DREAM Spice's past peppery By NANCY BYAL Better Homes and Gardens Throughout history, pepper's aromatic and pungent flavor has been highly prized. Black pepper helped build ancient Alexandria in Egypt and was the ransom demanded when the Huns lay siege to Rome. Christopher Columbus made pepper his primary spice goal when he set out for the Spice Islands of the Orient. Because of its potent heat, pepper enjoys even more popularity with cooks of today. This primer will put you hot on the trail of picking the pepper you need.

Black, white, or green all come from the same berries (called peppercorns) of a woody climbing vine. Piper nigrum. These berries grow in clusters and as they ripen, turn from green to yellow, then red. For black pepper, the berries are picked unripe, then dried. As they dry, the skin wrinkles and turns deep brown or black.

When ground, peppercorns yield a powder of light and black particles. Black pepper comes from India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil. White pepper is produced by removing the outer skin of fully mature pepper berries and using only the whitish core. It has the pungency, but lacks the bouquet of black pepper. Use white pepper primarily in light-colored sauces and soups to avoid dark, unappealing flecks.

Most white pepper is imported from Indonesia and is available whole and ground. Immature green pepper berries that are picked and packed in a liquid or air- or freeze-dried to preserve their color are called green peppercorns. These berries are milder In flavor and bite than either black or white peppercorns. The United States imports green peppercorns from Madagascar, India and Brazil. Pink peppercorns are not really peppercorns because they do not come from the Piper nigrum vine.

Instead, these red berries (as they are properly called) come from the Rowan tree or mountain ash. The freeze-dried berries have the menthol flavor of Szechwan pepper and only the mildest heat, with some sweet overtones. Most of the pink peppercorns In American markets come from the island of Reunion, by way of France. The term "capsicum" encompasses hundreds of different plants that produce fleshy vegetable pods ranging in heat from mild (chill peppers and paprika) to fiery (blrdseye. serrano.

habanera and so on). What separates the capsicums from other peppers Is capsaicin, a crystalline substance that is extremely pungent. The higher the capsaicin content, the hotter the pepper. lLLI UllLHLJ If you love deli sandwiches, you'll love Braun's Deli Breads. They're fresh, tasty and available onlv in the deli Free Pro Plan Beverage Cooler Keep a 6-pack of your favorite beverages cool in this flexible nylon beverage cooler.

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