Scottish Canadian - Recipes from Grace Graham

Today's blog is a special tribute to a friend of my parents, Grace Graham of Acton, Ontario, Canada. I have not had the fortune of meeting this fine cook, but my parents have told me of the wonderful food she shared with them in Panama City, FL this winter at her many gatherings of friends.
Grace was born in Scottland and her recipes such as scones and shortbread are scottish favorites she has been making for years. My Mom raved over her Scottish Shortbread and she shared these recipes with her, Scottish Shortbread, Steak Pie, Rich Scones and Paulova.

Scottish Shortbread
1 pound salted butter
1 cup sugar
4 cups AP flour
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Butter is what makes this recipe so don't even think about trying to make this a healthier recipe, it is what it is! Don't even think about margarine. Add flour gradually.

 Grace does this with her hands. Work around the bowl until clean.

Press mixture into a cookie tin (pan)

Prick with a fork the cutting lines. This will make it easier to cut after its baked.

 and bake 325 F 40-45 minutes until golden, cut into fingers (long narrow bars) when comes out of the oven and sprinkle with sugar. Let cool. Store in airtight container.

Mom said they are wonderful and brought me home one, a couple days old, but still good.



Rich Scones

2 cups AP flour
1/2 c sugar
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, cold
1 egg
2/3 c milk

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly.
Beat egg lightly in small bowl, add milk. Pour into dry ingredients. Stir with fork to make a soft dough. Pat into two 6 inch rounds. Place on greased baking sheet. Brush tops with additional milk and sprinkle with sugar. Score each top into 6 pie shaped wedges. Bake 425F 15 minutes until risen and golden brown. Split and butter. Makes 12 scones.
This recipe is a nice basic scone recipe, you could easily add nuts, dried fruit or chocolate if you desire.


Paulova

My mom raved over this recipe. I wish she had taken a picture of it though.
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Beat egg whites until soft peakswith cream of tarter, add sugar gradually until stiff peaks form.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture into a circular shape on the paper. Bake 35 minutes at 250F. Turn the oven off and leave in oven to cool. You now have a meringue circle base. Decorate with real whipped cream and berries of your choice.
For chocolate make 2 layers and put whipped layers and put melted chocolate on top.
Doesn't that sound simple and delicious.

Steak Pie

2 lbs of sirloin with fat trimmed, cubed, browned and stewed on the stove top 2 hours until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Scim fat off. Make your own gravy with 2 TB bisto mixed with water. I looked Bisto up, it is a gravy mix you can buy in Canada. She says you can substitute that with a gravy mix. Transfer gravy and meat mixture into a casserole dish and cover it with puff pastry, make slits in pastry and brush with a little milk. Bake 45 minutes at 350 until golden.


Thank you Grace for sharing your recipes !

On pause

You may have noticed my blog came to a standstill a few weeks back. I did get a little stuck on Azerbaijan. But the real reason is I have been reading the book Eat to Live.
My best friend was recently diagnosed w celiac disease and I have been reading more about wheat and flours. She asked me to go to Granger and Mishawaka with her to health food stores and bookstores one day and we were talking to the owner of Apple Valley in Granger about wheat and he recommended this book to us. He told us he lost over 20 pounds in 6 weeks because of it which got my attention. I have gained a considerable amount of weight after my hysterectomy a few years ago and it has stuck. My husband is diabetic and we already eat low sodium and being in my mid 40's now my health is becoming more into focus. I am lucky so far I don't have diabetes or high blood pressure or even cholesterol, but if I stay this way those are all risks. Risks I don't want to take.
This book is changing my life. We also watched Forks Over Knives. Very eye opening. Everything I thought I knew about eating well is wrong. My husband and I have decided to do the 6 weeks and we are already planning to make this our way of life. I won't be consuming any animal products for the next 6 weeks. We have both already lost about 5 pounds each just eating a more plant based diet so I am excited. I am going to make a new blog to make myself accountable every day. I will post a link here. If you want to hear me whine over lack of cheeseburgers come visit me. Or better yet join me.

Photos from trips to Vienna Austria with my sons