GREENSBORO, N.C. — This year, Our State magazine is celebrating its 90th anniversary and to mark the milestone each month, Our State will feature retro recipes from the archives as we revisit flavors from pages past.
For December, Chef Lynn Wells has adapted these recipes for current times:
Moravian Christmas Tree Cookies
December 9, 1950: These holiday cookies are a spiced treat descended from recipes dating back to the 1700s. According to The State contributor Gertrude Cook Page, mothers and grandmothers would cut dough into different festive shapes. Once baked, the cookies were used to decorate Moravian Christmas trees.
Holly Berry Salad
December 18, 1937: This salad from a Roxboro reader is a take on ambrosia. One of the earliest written recipes for the classic fruit-filled side dish came from Concord cook Maria Massey Barringer. Her variation, featured in her 1867 cookbook, Dixie Cookery: or How I Managed My Table for Twelve Years, only included coconut, sugar, and oranges.
Irish Potato Cake
December 19, 1953: This cake was served at the now-defunct Kenlin Hotel in Dobson. Opened in 1846 as the Norman Inn, the hotel was known for its excellent food and for hosting nearly every North Carolina Superior Court judge.
German-Style Ham Rolls
December 15, 1968: In place of ham biscuits this year, delight your holiday guests with these German-inspired bites. While you could purchase egg salad from your local grocery store for this dish, the 1968 recipe recommends making it yourself.
Irish Potato Cake
Yield: 12 servings.
2 cups all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder 3 tablespoons cocoa powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup mashed potatoes, chilled 1 cup blackstrap molasses 1 cup whole buttermilk 1½ cups granulated sugar 2 sticks salted butter, room temperature 4 large eggs 1 cup pecans, chopped 1 cup raisins Powdered sugar (for dusting)
Preheat oven to 325°. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and spices.
In a separate bowl, mix mashed potatoes, molasses, and buttermilk.
In a third bowl, cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add potato mixture and beat until combined.
Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients and blend on low speed. Stir in pecans and raisins. Pour batter into the pan and spread top evenly.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack. Place on a cake stand. Dust top with powdered sugar and serve.
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