Jean Paré was the queen of cookbooks, publishing more than 200 of her famous Company’s Coming books for the benefit of cooks and would-be cooks on this continent and beyond.
She passed away on Dec. 24 at the age of 95, leaving her recipe legacy in the cupboards of homes of her followers.
I have many of her cookbooks, including 150 Delicious Squares, her first cookbook published in April 1981 selling 15,000. I bought it for $8.95. A second printing in September that year sold 25,000 books. By 2011 she had sold more than 30 million copies of her cookbooks, and sales continue even after her death.
This week’s recipes are three of my favourite Jean Paré recipes, selected on the basis of her advice: “never share a recipe you wouldn’t use yourself.”
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TV Roll
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup graham wafer crumbs
- 2 tbsps. butter or margarine, melted
- 2 cups tiny coloured marshmallows
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- coloured shredded coconut
Mix in order given except for the coconut.
Squish and mix by hand. Work between wax paper or dip your hands in cold water as you work.
Roll into a log and roll the log in coconut which you have spread over the table in working area.
Wrap in wax paper, folding in ends to hold the shape. Slice in thin slices as needed. Freezes well. (Note: it is easier to slice when log is still slightly frozen.)
• • •
Skillet Supper
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cups diced potatoes
- 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced diagonally
- 1-10 oz. can condensed beef consommé
- 1-14 oz. can cream-style corn
- 1 cup frozen peas, optional
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
Scramble-fry ground beef and onion in a large non-stick frying pan on medium-high until onion is soft and beef is no longer pink. Drain.
Stir in potatoes, carrots and consommé. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until potatoes and carrots are tender.
Add corn, peas, salt and pepper. Heat and stir until heated through. Makes 6 cups and serves 4.
• • •
Caramel Ice Cream Sauce
- 1/4 cup hard margarine or butter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Melt butter or margarine in a medium saucepan. Add sugars, salt and milk. Heat and stir on medium until boiling. Cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Serve immediately.
Sauce will separate as it sits. Stir well before serving to get consistency back. To re-warm, microwave on medium (50 per cent), stirring every 30 seconds, until heated through. Makes about 1 2/3 cups.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
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