An Anne-Themed Picnic

Since as a general rule I am naturally inclined toward anything literary, be it a pillow with Sherlock Holmes silhouette (hmm.. future craft project?) or a comic strip about Jane Austen, it only makes sense that I am excited to have stumbled across this Anne of Green Gables inspired cook book by Kate McDonald. Have you seen it before? If you like to cook and also love the series, this book is  amust read!

Here are a few of my favorites from the cookbook:

Marilla Cuthbert's Raspberry Cordial

{Image from The Independent}

"That's awfully nice raspberry cordial, Anne," she said. "I didn't know raspberry cordial was so nice." (Anne of Green Gables)

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of unsweetened, frozenraspberries
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 8 cups boiling water
• 3 lemons

Directions:

1. Place raspberries into a large pot and add the sugar.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until all the sugar has dissolved.
3. With a whisk or spoon, smash the raspberries thoroughly.
4. Pour mixture through a strainer to extract the juice. Discard remaining pulp.
5. Squeeze 2 of the lemons, and add the lemon juice to the raspberry juice.
6. Boil 10 cups of water and add the water to the raspberry juice.
7. Let the raspberry cordial cool. Add thin slices of lemon to the cordial, and then chill it in the refrigerator.
8. Add more water to taste.

Crab Apple Preserves

{Image from DaJanzen on Flickr}

"In vain she nibbled at the bread and butter and pecked at the crab-apple preserve out of the little scalloped glass dish by her plate." (Anne of Green Gables)

Ingredients:

• 6 cups Peeled-cored-sliced apples
• 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
• 1 Lemon (thinly sliced)
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 package pectin
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Mix apples, water, lemon juice in large pot.
2. Simmer covered 10 min.
3. Stir in pectin and bring to full rolling boil, stir frequently.
4. Add lemon slices and sugar and bring to full rolling boil again. Boil for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
5. Remove from heat and add nutmeg.
6. Pour into hot jars or cool and put into freezer containers. If canning, process 10 min in boiling water bath

Jane's Plum Pudding

{Image from Lara Ferroni on Flickr}

"But one day she flew too high and produced for dessert something that a charitable person might have called a plum pudding." (Jane of Lantern Hill)

Ingredients:

• 4 oz flour
• 4 oz breadcrumbs
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 pinch of salt
• 4 oz currants
• 4 oz raisins
• 3 oz of shredded suet
• 2 tablespoons of treacle
• ½ teaspoons of mixed spice
• 1 apple (chopped)
• 3 oz sugar Directions:

Directions:

1. Mix the flour and breadcrumbs together in a bowl.
2. Then add the apple, sugar, suet, raisins, currants, spices and salt.
3. Slightly warm the treacle and it to to the milk.
4. Combine ingredients and mix well before turning into a greased basin.
5. Cover with greaseproof paper and steam for six hours.
6. Any fat on top of the pudding will be absorbed.
7. Cover with paper to store. On serving day, steam for three hours.

Anne's Ginger Tea


"She slept poorly and was so pale and tragic at breakfast next morning that Marilla was alarmed and insisted on making her take a cup of scorching ginger tea. Anne sipped it patiently, although she could not imagine what good ginger tea would do." (Anne of Avonlea)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of fresh ginger root
• honey
• lemon

Directions:

1. Peel the ginger root and slice it into thin slices.
2. Boil the water in a saucepan.
3. Add the ginger slices once the water is at a rolling boil
4. Cover the saucepan and reduce heat to a simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5. Strain the tea to remove the ginger slices.
6. Add honey and lemon to taste

Jimmy's Taffy

"After dinner Ilse and I played games in the kitchen and Cousin Jimmy helped us make taffy. We had a big supper but nobody could eat much because they had had such a dinner." (Emily of New Moon)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 7/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Boil the sugar, water, molasses, salt and winegar in a saucepan
2. When nearly done, a small amount of the mixture dropped in a cold water mixture will become brittle.
3. Then add the butter and the vanilla.
4. Pour into a pan.
5. Cool, and mark in squares.
   
   For more Anne-inspired recipes, check out the Anne of Green Gables Cookbook.