Our dear Celia was working on a fascinating blog for us, when, unfortunately, her health intervened. Instead, I'm rerunning our only previous April recipe, from 2024. This is also the only time I made something from my own - well, my grandmother's - recipe. Dear readers, if you could have seen the look of horror on Celia's face when I pulled out canned pineapple chunks and bottled marischino cherries (I don't think she had ever seen one except in a cocktail. When I popped open the Kool Whip, I thought she was going to faint.
I hope you enjoy this blast from the past - I promise, the pie tastes great! - and please keep our friend in your thoughts.
Millionaire Pie and Apple Mint Chutney, or, Celia and Julia's Easter Treats
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING:
This remembrance and recipe by our own Celia Wakefield starts in the
past - Thursday, April 4th, when most of our state was without power. I
got mine back by Saturday, but poor Celia went for six days without
exterior power (she and Victor sensibly have a wired-in generator) and a
full week without internet! Which has nothing to do with the substance
of today's post, other than to show she's a trooper.
.jpg)
This
may be THE bright spot of Thursday, April 4, writing to you, my dear
JRW community, as we are being blanketed with snow and the power lines,
internet etc have all surrendered. My bright spot is that I still have a
working generator and my computer is fired up. First my thanks to
Julia’s graciousness in inviting me. Any comments? Please address them
to Julia, ha, ha. But we are snowbound, power denied and WiFi too. Oh we
so rely on our link in the ether to the world. But for those of you
writers with no power, I hope you are writing as the authors of old with
pen/pencil and paper to give you that nostalgic view point.
I
had big plans for what I could bring to Julia’s Easter luncheon, which
would also give me a great recipe for the Sunday blog. But alas the rhubarb
was covered by feet of snow etc. so that will have to wait until another
time. However, Julia decided to make her favorite dessert.
As many of
you may know, Julia and Ross gave great parties. This was confirmed by a
dear friend at Ross’s funeral who spoke eloquently saying that Ross and
Julia would be counted on to be late for most things but never for a
party. Aren’t those words to live? Though I was injected with the
punctuality vaccine when born, and I do wonder sometimes, was punctuality a
gift? Or a curse? However
back to the Hugo-Vidal party train. This year Julia was hosting her
annual Easter Luncheon which had been on a part-time hiatus over the
past several years. She was kind enough to invite us and as I have
access to locally raised lamb, I brought the lamb. There was a ham,
scalloped potatoes, southern style sweet potatoes but without
marshmallows in them, plus more asparagus than I have seen outside the
supermarket and a HUGE salad made by another guest. I am sorry I didn’t
take photos.
I
made apple and mint chutney to accompany the roast lamb, which I had
covered with a fresh breadcrumb, garlic, herb and butter paste. I spread
this mix over the large lamb leg, weighing five and a half pounds, and
roasted it on 325F to an interior reading of 145 degrees in the thickest
part. But the piece de resistance was Julia’s dessert. She made her
southern grandmother’s recipe for Millionaire's Pie. She actually made it
here in my kitchen and for once I was videographer which was fun.
Julia’s grandmother would sing old Baptist hymns while mixing and Julia
treated us to a few lines which she may or mayn’t share. I hope she
does. (ed. note: she does.)
Now
I was very interested in the Millionaire’s Pie as this is a truly
American dessert and I can’t think of anything like it when I grew up.
But there was one ingredient that was very popular in my family -
condensed milk. Yes that small can or tin, if I’m talking, full of a
creamy sugary sticky confection just asking, begging in fact, for you to
grab a spoon and tuck in. At least that’s what I believed as a child
monitoring my mothers strange addiction to condensed milk. My mother was
enamored, or perhaps in undying love with condensed milk. Sugar was
rationed in the U.K. during the Second World War and for several years
after. Coupons for sugar were guarded jealously and spent with careful
consideration. So my mum and her best friend, my godmother, Auntie
Winifred, would hoard their coupons and when they had enough to splurge,
would buy a tin of condensed milk and sit with a spoon each taking turn
and turn about until satiated.
My mum's favorite afternoon snack
throughout her life, was to keep a tin of condensed milk in the fridge
handy for a small snack, think Winnie the Pooh size. Woe beware any of
us who helped ourselves too liberally from her tin. I think that Julia’s
pie would have been most popular with my mum. In fact, I wonder whether
she ever tasted it when she visited the United States in the thirties.
Her hostess, a close friend of my grandmother, was southern and I know
they spent time in the South. I am sure she would have loved the pie as
did all of us.Now
I can’t hand over for Julia to add the millionaires recipe without
adding my recipe for easy Apple and Mint Chutney which is at the end of
Julia’s delicious dessert.
JULIA: Surprise! It's me with a recipe! As with all my faves, this is fast, easy and made with pantry (and freezer) basics. My grandmother Spencer used to make this pie when I was a kid, and it's replete with '60s no-bake goodness. You'll notice all the ingredients are straight from the Space Age kitchen; all convenience, very little nature. I think this may be the first time in her life Celia's had Cool Whip.
Whether
you call it Million Dollar Pie, Millionaire Pie or Millionaire's Pie,
this classic southern icebox dessert will take you back to Sunday dinner
at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house - with the bonus that it still stays
cool while Paw Paw goes on and on with the blessing.
INGREDIENTS
1
graham cracker crust, store-bought or homemade. Celia and I made ours,
but you probably already have a recipe for this three-ingredient crust,
so I'm not adding it here. If you make your own, chill for 15 minutes
before adding the pie filling.
1 15.5oz can crushed pineapple, VERY well drained. If you're not a Baptist, use the juice for a Pina Colada later.
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup sweet flaked coconut
1 cup Maraschino cherries, chopped, plus some for garnish
1/2 cup chopped pecans
5 T lemon juice - very important to help firm the pie up
1 1/2 cup Cool Whip - this is half the usual size container
optional - 1 T cherry juice, if you want a more pink pie
INSTRUCTIONS
In
a large bowl, combine well the drained pineapple (as dry as you can get
it,) the condensed milk, the coconut, chopped cherries and chopped
pecans. Add the lemon juice (Maw Maw used the little plastic lemon for
hers) and, if you prefer the color, the cherry juice. Gently fold in the
Cool Whip.
Pile
it in the graham cracker crust and slide it into the fridge for at
least an hour. It can be made up to a day ahead. Garnish with halved
pecans, and/or Maraschino cherries, or, it the pastor's coming to
dinner, pipe on whipped cream and sprinkle with toasted coconut.
CELIA: Apple and Mint Chutney
.jpg)
Chutney
is usually thought of as an accompaniment to Indian foods. But in the
UK it was also a way to preserve damaged or bruised fruit which was not
good enough for jam or for the table. It was eaten with cold meats or in
sandwiches. I love a cheese and chutney sandwich on good bread. My
Constance Spry Book says “The prescription is fruit or vegetables,
sugar, vinegar and flavoring ingredients . . .”, Spry also recommends
using a wooden spoon to stir. So your chutney might have garlic or
ginger, and mustard seed, chilies are another favorite. The seasoning is
your choice and this recipe is my choice.Recipe makes approximately 4 Cups
3-4# Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 large onions (I like sweet onions), peeled and chopped small
4 Cups good vinegar (I used apple cider and Braggs mixed)
1# approx brown sugar
1Tbsp ginger
1tsp cloves
Use other spices such as nutmeg or even cardamom if preferred
1/4 Cup chopped fresh mint
- Choose a large heavy pan (not cast iron as that may react with the vinegar). I used a stainless Dutch oven with a heavy base which helps the long slow cook process. No lid needed, it’s all about the slow evaporation of the fruits and veggies
- Add the chopped onions with 2 cups of the vinegar, stir intermittently, and cook over a low heat.
- Once the vinegar is heated, add the apples with the spices (not the mint) and an additional 1 cup vinegar if needed. Cook on low, stirring often so that nothing sticks on the bottom.
- Measure the 3/4 of the sugar into a bowl and pour 1 cup vinegar over to help melting.
- After the sugar has cooked in, taste to see if it is sweet enough.
- Once the apples are softened add the sugar, stirring well to mix all ingredients and keeping the heat low.
- It will cook for another 2 to 3 hours to reach a consistency of jam or good yogurt. Look for the liquid to be almost completely steamed away.
- But if you’re planning to keep the chutney for a period. (For example to give as holiday gifts). Leave the mixture with a little liquid as it does dry out over time and become more solid.
- Also follow good practices for bottling and keep it refrigerated once opened.
This
was so easy to make I am wondering why I haven’t done it more recently.
I hope you enjoy it with some delicious cold meat or in a good veggie
sandwich. Or my all time fav cheese and chutney sandwiches which is very
popular pub fare and forms the basis for a ploughmans lunch.
