Saturday, November 1, 2014

Warm Gingerbread with Whipped Cream

by Peg Cochran

Oh the weather outside is frightful...not quite that bad yet, but our temps here in Michigan are going down to the 20s in the next few days.  Brrrrrr!  Perfect weather for warm gingerbread with some cold whipped cream!  This is an old-fashioned favorite--and for a reason!  Spicy and sweet, it's a delicious end to a good dinner.  This recipe is from a very old James Beard Cookbook.  My paperback copy fell apart and my sister-in-law found a hard cover copy for me at a book sale.

James Beard was the consummate American chef called the  “Dean of American cookery” by the New York Times in 1954.  He hosted the first food program on television in 1946 when television was in its infancy, long before Emeril, Rachel Ray and Bobby Flay.  And like Julia Child, he wasn't afraid of butter and cream!  And Julia Child lived to be 92 and James Beard to 82, so maybe they were onto something!  Eschew processed food, eat real food in moderation, and live a long life.

This recipe is easy but oh, so, delicious on a cold winter's night! 

1 cup molasses
1 cup butter
2 1/3 cups flour
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup sour cream

Put molasses and butter in a saucepan and heat until they boil.  Let cool slightly.  Sift the flour with the salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.  Stir the sour cream into the cooled molasses/butter mixture and stir in the flour and spices.

Bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes in a pan sprayed with cooking spray or greased with butter. Serve warm (if desired) with a dollop of whipped cream.   


Heat butter and molasses until boiling and butter is melted.


Sift spices and flour together


Bake in a square pan coated with cooking spray


 

Delicious topped with whipped cream!

If you enjoy culinary mysteries you might like my Gourmet De-Lite series.  
Iced to Death is the latest book

Available at Amazon and B&N and most bookstores

Lucille Mazzarella, the protagonist in my Lucille series is always cooking huge Sunday dinners for her family and friends.  Unholy Matrimony is the second book in the series.


Available at Amazon and for all e-readers. 

Visit me on my web site, Facebook page or Twitter -- @pegcochran



13 comments:

  1. I love gingerbread! Especially warm, with whipped cream. It's the perfect winter comfort food.

    I was once easting lunch in a local restaurant called the Fourth Street Grill In Berkeley CA. I looked up to see James Beard walking in, wearing (believe it or not) enormous denim overalls and a chartreuse bandanna around his neck. He was kind of hard to miss. (BTW, the food at the restaurant was very good.)

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    1. How cool you got to see James Beard! I can picture him, too, from your description. All those older chefs seem to have been characters!

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  2. Oh boy, now I won't be able to think about anything but this.

    Thanks, Peg.

    MJ

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    1. Well that's in retaliation for some of the delicious recipes you've posted that made me want to reach through the computer screen!

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  3. I love gingerbread! I still remember baking the most wonderful gingerbread ages ago. I've since lost the recipe and haven't been able to duplicate it. Maybe this is it!

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    1. I really like this recipe--try it and see what you think!

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  4. Yum! It smells wonderful baking and tastes wonderful eating!
    We used to make gingerbread (from a mix) on camping trips in a Dutch oven with a thick layer of applesauce at the bottom of the pot. A lovely combination. Whipped cream would be a tasty addition.

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    1. I never thought of trying it with applesauce! Great idea. Especially now with apples in such abundance. I do have to admit that I have never been camping unless you count two weekend Girl Scout trips!

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    2. You could try apple gingerbread upside down cake with apple slices! The camping was partly Girls Scouts and partly family.

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  5. Even the name gingerbread makes me feel warm inside. This looks like a wonderful recipe (love the sour cream) -- an easy ingredient list and a great remedy for a chilly fall evening (and, boy, has our weather turned cold fast). Stay warm, Peg!

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    1. So it's cold back home, too? I don't feel so bad now!

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  6. May I say "yummm"? I must admit, years ago when I lived in Texas I bought a gingerbread mix from the Pioneer Flour Mill at the Guenther House. It was amazing...I have since ordered it online!

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  7. Mmmmm gingerbread warms my body :-) Yummy in my tummy !!

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