Then of course there is a 'Sugar -on-Snow' party in the city, an old New England tradition. We had to drive north to the snow, shovel it into containers and bring it back to the church for the delicate treat/fundraiser. Who ever heard of maple syrup on snow, pickles and potato chips being a delicacy? (perhaps that is a blog post unto itself!
Perhaps it was growing up in New England, perhaps it was that many of my family honored heritage, but beyond sugar-on-snow was Boston Brown Bread; it is delicious. Suddenly, in the last month I have had a craving... and gratefully, at 65, my craving is not pregnancy related! I kept bypassing the urge to make brown bread until last weekend. The I did a Google search and came up with my plan. I liked the idea of four small loaves rather than a large one. Besides, gathering 4 15oz cans is far easier than a huge coffee can. Being a gentle food snob, I do not 'do' coffee in huge cans.... 4 small cans wins.
Here is the plan.
Wash the cans:
Next comes mixing the batter:
The hardest part of the whole recipe is buttering the inside of the can. It is an old recipe and said butter, not spray. I may try canola spray next time. I took pliers and pinched down a sharp edge on two cans to keep from getting cut and still got a tiny nick. And hands larger than mine may not fit into the can to butter the bottom.
Once buttered, fill the cans 2/3 full.
Granny's Homemade Boston Brown Bread
A sweet and hearty, unique and rustic loaf. When I was a kid we ate this with hot dogs and beans. Of course that is an option, but any meal with beans or a hearty soup will be a great combination.
Ingredients
- 1 cup graham flour (or use whole-wheat flour)
- 1 cup rye flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 cup raisins
- Unsalted butter
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and raisins, stir to form a smooth batter.
Butter the mold thickly and add batter (fill cans 2/3 full). Cover each can with buttered tin foil.
Bring the steamer pot of water to a rapidly boil. (you'll need to add more water if it cooks down too much).
Place all the cans in the pot and and do not put the pot lid on. Place the pot with cans in a 325 oven. Cook 2+ hours, until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean. I checked at an hour and 1.5 hr to be sure there was still water in the pan.
Unmold on a cooling rack and let cool slightly. Serve warm, slathered with butter. It is also good toasted.
Another was to cook it is to leave it on the stove, cover the pot, check more often for the water level and probably cook a bit less in time. That seemed like too much work to me.
Enjoy!