Holiday foods hold special memories

By Donna Rousseau

Feature Writer

Many holiday memories have their origin around the kitchen table. The sweet aroma of sugar and vanilla rolling from a warm oven or the savory scent of herbs wafting from a kettle stew can swiftly deliver us back to childhood and the eager anticipation of Santa’s arrival in his sleigh.

In honor of the holidays, people from around Central Maine were asked to share a favorite recipe, something without which the season just wouldn’t be merry and bright. These folks were delighted to share a bit of their happy holiday traditions with you.

For Jane Raymond of Greene, the holidays aren’t complete unless her brown sugar fudge makes an annual Christmas appearance.

“My children are all grown now and I have grandchildren of my own,” said Raymond. “But, I remember every Christmas my children asking for this holiday fudge for our family get-togethers.”

She recalled warming the mixture of sugar, Karo syrup, and milk on the stove, folding in the peanut butter and marshmallow fluff.

“It was tradition. The children would immediately ask for the pan and I would get some spoons and scrape the pan to give them all a taste while we waited for the fudge to set.”

For Raymond’s brown sugar fudge combine one pound of brown sugar, two tablespoons light Karo syrup, two cups of white sugar, and 2/3 cup milk in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil one minute (soft ball stage). Remove pan from heat and add one jar of 16 or 18 oz. peanut butter and one jar of 16 oz. marshmallow fluff, and one teaspoon of vanilla. Pour into buttered nine x 13 pan and allow to set until firm.

Jim Parker of Lewiston, is one of those grown children with fond memories of licking the pan after his dad, Mert Parker, had prepared his traditional holiday fudge.

“When dad was making his fudge, everyone had to get out of his way,” laughed Parker. “Everyone enjoyed his recipe for fudge because it had a different texture than other recipes. I remember watching him drop a bit of the warm fudge into a small wine glass filled with water; he would swirl the glass and if the chocolate formed a ball, he knew it was done.”

Mert’s recipe consisted of: two cups of sugar, one cup of powdered sugar, one heaping tablespoon of cocoa, 1/3 teaspoon of cream of tartar, one cup of milk, one teaspoon of vanilla, and half stick of butter.

Combine the dry ingredients with half of the milk until smooth then add remainder of the milk. Cook and boil for approximately half hour or until a firm ball forms in a cup of water. Before removing from stove, add vanilla and butter. Remove pan from heat and place into a pan of cold water; stir mixture vigorously. Adding nuts, marshmallow or peanut butter is optional. Turn into nine x nine greased pan and allow to set in refrigerator.

It’s strawberry bread that brings back sweet Christmas memories for Irene Gagne of Mechanic Falls. “Every summer my sister, Carolyn, would pick and freeze strawberries for the strawberry bread she would make every Christmas,” said Gagne. “When she took ill with MS, her husband Brian (Baird) continued her tradition.”

Gagne’s sister passed away in 2009 but her strawberry bread continues to grace the holiday table.

“My brother-in-law remarried a few years after Carolyn’s passing and he and his new wife pick strawberries every year and freeze them for our special bread. It’s a great way to have Carolyn with us during the holidays and I want to say ‘Thanks’ to Brian and Wendy for keeping her tradition alive.”

Carolyn’s strawberry bread recipe makes two large loaves and calls for: two 10 oz. packages of frozen strawberries thawed, four eggs, one-and-a-half cups of Wesson or Crisco oil, three cups of flour, two cups of sugar, three teaspoons of cinnamon, one teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of salt, and one cup of chopped walnuts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and flour two nine x five loaf pans. In medium bowl stir strawberries, eggs, and oil. In large bowl, combine dry ingredients and nuts. Add strawberry mixture to dry and stir just until blended; pour into pan and bake one hour or until done. For six small loaves, bake 50 minutes.

It’s a tangy sweet condiment the McKay family of New Gloucester, anticipates for their holiday table every year. Mary Ann (McKay) O’Marrow of Auburn said, “It’s not cookies, pies, or sweets that are a tradition with us. It’s cranberry orange relish and it’s asked for every holiday by the children. Of course everyone has their own preferences so we always have three varieties of jellies, whole cranberry sauce, and the relish. It keeps everyone happy.”

The McKays’ simple recipe calls for 12 oz. of fresh cranberries, two oranges, one cup of sugar, and half cup of pecans. Using a food processor, pulse the cranberries and oranges; you may choose to hand chop. Add sugar and nuts then allow to set two hours.

When Sandy Robbins of Poland, whips up her Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes for the holidays, she remembers fondly her father’s huge garden. “We had a large patch of horseradish and other herbs and my dad would often harvest from it to add flavor to ordinary dishes. He called it ‘adding a little zip.’ Sometimes he would add two or three ‘secret’ ingredients from the garden and wait for his grandchildren to guess the ingredients.”

Surprise! Her recipe calls for horseradish! Cut two-and-a-half pounds of red potatoes into two-inch chunks and cook over high heat until boiling; reduce heat to medium and cook until tender (20-25 minutes). Drain potatoes and mash. Then stir in one eight-ounce container of sour cream, three tablespoons of butter (room temperature), two tablespoons of prepared horseradish (from a jar, drained), two tablespoons of fresh parsley and three-fourths a teaspoon of salt. This recipe can be doubled for a larger crowd; allow for longer cooking time.

“Sugar on Snow” or if you’re Canadian, “Tire Sur La Neige” is a holiday and all-winter-long treat remembered by Deb Marron of Auburn. The recipe calls for one cup of maple syrup , one-fourth cup salted butter, and clean snow (or ice cream). Simply heat the syrup and butter to 220 to 235 degrees for approximately five minutes (thread and soft ball stage). Pour mixture over snow or ice cream. Turn a spoon over the length of taffy for a spoonful of deliciousness!

“We made this taffy with my grandmother on her woodstove, along with hot cocoa and popcorn popped in an old-fashioned wire basket with a long handle. Sometimes we would heat the sugar outside and pour over a blanket of fresh snow; we’d gather together and play board games,” said Marron. “More than food, it was about the togetherness of family, the sharing of time.”