After my Nana passed, earlier this year, I found an old green notebook in her kitchen, one that I had seen throughout the years, but never thought to ask her about. In purple typewriter ink, the opening pages read:
Favorite Family Fare, A “Round-Robin” Collection of Recipes Edited by Beth Murphy Engs
Dear Family,
This book is being sent to members of our family in hopes of gathering the best liked recipes of all in one book. The book will be circulated the second time in order that all who wish may make copies of the recipes. Please contribute all of your best recipes.
After completing your part return the book to the box in which it was received and mail to the next person. Allowing two weeks per person, the book should be returned to me about Sept. 15, 1945, at which time I’ll send it on its way for the second time.
Love, Beth
According to my mom (correct me if I’m wrong Mom), it was my Nana’s aunt who put together the recipe book. Inside is a compilation of vintage recipes acquired from local newspapers, magazines like Good Housekeeping and family members throughout the years.
Some of the recipes (I’ll admit) are questionable as they rely heavily on gelatin, mayonnaise and American cheese but I also kinda love that about it. There’s something so fascinating about revisiting a moment in culinary history through the lens of family. There’s a section on canning with recipes for mustard pickles, pepper relish, spiced peaches and fig jam. There’s desserts, appetizers, soups and breads, pineapple milk sherbet, beef rolls, lima bean celery chowder and corn fritters. Recipes I’ve never heard of, some I’m nervous to try and others I’m delighted to have discovered.
On some of the pages, there are notes in the margins “haven’t tried, not sure if this is good” or “add 1/2 cup sugar”. I think it must be my Nana’s handwriting, although it looks similar to my mom’s. Maybe it was my great grandmother that left notes for her daughter. Or perhaps, a combination.
I’ve been thinking a lot about inheritance lately. Inherited items, inherited money, inherited trauma, inherited love. Here, on planet Earth, we get so caught up on the money thing and maybe that is reminiscent of the trauma of living through wars, of not having enough or due to oppression based on gender, religion, race and so on.
I like to think that if our ancestors could talk to us (and I believe that they do), they would say, love is the only way. And not just for our families, but for the whole planet, for everyone. It’s important to learn from those who came before us. It’s important to think not only of ourselves, but of those that came before us and those that will come after. To think not only of our family and our trauma but of all the families and all of the pain of people around the world.
The first recipe I’m sharing from my Nana’s recipe book is for “Wine Pears”.
The original recipe calls for sherry or port, but I used a bottle of Pinot Noir I had on hand. The port will add a little more flavor, while red wine is more about color. If you stick to port, your pears won’t be red or pink but they’ll still be delicious. If you go for red wine, I would recommend using a higher ratio of wine to syrup.
I also think vanilla bean would be a good addition!
The recipe is a contribution from a woman named Elsie who found it in a neighborhood paper and added her own spices. I stayed true to her notes for the most part. The pears come out nicely spiced and pair well with ice cream (I went for Jeni’s brambleberry crisp).
Wine Pears
Bartlett pears (the recipe calls for 8, but I only made 3)
3.5 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup red wine
1 stick of cinnamon
6 cloves
orange peel
1/2 vanilla bean scraped (if you have it)
Method:
Combine water, sugar, peel and spices in a pot. Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer.
Peel the pears one by one, adding into syrup as ready. Once all pears are simmering in the liquid, pour the wine over the top. (I was nervous about the liquid not completely covering the pears so I added more water and sugar in compliance with the original ratio, but I think it turns out find regardless, as long as you flip the pears occasionally so each side has time to poach and absorb the liquid).
Cook for about 30 mins until pears are a pink hue and soft all the way through . Remove pears and place in a bowl or dish. Cover with the liquid. Let soak for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to serve, remove pears from liquid. Put liquid into pot and reduce into a syrup.
Serve pears with ice cream (my idea) and a drizzle with the syrup.
Notes: The pears picked up more of the spice than the wine, but they are still quite lovely. If I made again, I would likely use less sugar and more wine. Highly recommend soaking overnight. Also, you might want to use less ripe pears so that they don’t get too mushy. I’ve also seen people cut the bottoms off so they stand up better on their own.
That’s all for now, I’ll see you next week! In the meantime, you can find me on instagram and tiktok.
I’ve been meaning to try poached pears and this is definitely a sign to do so! They look divine ❣️
Amazing! I miss our nan.