Date: Fri 04-Sep-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Stempel-Moulthrop-recipes

Full Text:

St John's Updates Its Long-Revered Cookbook

(with book cover & photo)

BY KAAREN VALENTA

Forty years ago the Afternoon Guild of St John's Episcopal Church in Sandy

Hook produced a cookbook that was such a success that dog-eared copies still

have a place of honor in many kitchens.

Still, four decades is a long time to wait for a new edition. So this year

Jean Stempel decided the time had come for the church members to produce a new

collection to be called From Family And Friends: Recipes Through The

Generations.

Mrs Stemple, known for many years as quite a gourmet cook, knew just whom to

get to help her: Cheryl Tilson Moulthrop and her husband, Bruce, who is a

culinary graduate and food service supervisor. Jean and Cheryl, assisted by

Vinnie Keenan and Marilyn Thompson, started working on the cookbook last

April.

Cheryl, no slouch in the kitchen herself, almost single-handedly typed all the

recipes on her home computer as they were compiled by the committee. Bruce and

Kim Keenan solicited advertising from area merchants.

"It was quite interesting, looking at the businesses which advertised in the

first cookbook. It was like taking a snapshot of Newtown in the late 1950's,"

Bruce Moulthrop said.

St John's is a very small parish, currently just 21 families, that was first

established as a mission in 1868. It was organized and led by William B.

Glover, who was responsible for the construction of the first church. When the

church burned in 1929, the congregation responded by building the current

stone church on the site.

Although the church is down from a peak of about 60 families, some of the

present members have been communicants for more than 70 years. Some of their

recipes, from the first cookbook, have been included in the new edition.

"We are known locally as The Little Church with the Big Heart," Bruce

Moulthrop said. "For more than ten years we have housed the FAITH Food Pantry,

and our undercroft is home to several Alcoholics Anonymous groups each week.

Soon the high school's Back Door Cafe also may be at St John's. We may be

small but we are a vital part of the community."

The Rev William Padgett is the parish priest. His wife, Martha, also

contributed recipes to the book, which features a photo of the cross-stitch

sampler done by Jean Stemple in 1993 on its cover. The original sampler hangs

in the church.

The cookbook is a good-sized book, nearly 200 pages, filled with recipes for

appetizers and beverages; soups, salads and vegetables; main dishes and

casseroles; meat, poultry and seafood; breads and rolls; pies, pastries and

desserts; cakes, cookies and candy; and an assortment of miscellaneous recipes

such as the basic barbecue sauce which was used by George Spencer, Ed Knapp

and Bob Sturges for the church's chicken barbecues in the 1960s and was

resurrected in 1984 by the next generation, which has continued its use.

The recipe for Bruce Moulthrop's famous corned beef hash, a Shrove Tuesday

Pancake Supper tradition, is also in the new edition. Bruce usually prepares

it for a crowd but he has divided his recipe by 12; it still makes plenty.

The divider pages in this book are beautiful, with stencilled designs and

passages from the Bible. The book also includes pages of helpful hints and

cooking tips, definitions of terms used in cooking, an equivalency chart,

instructions for baking perfect breads and perfect desserts, a buying guide

for fresh vegetables and fruit, a vegetable cooking timetable, calorie

counter, measurements and substitutions, microwave hints, a usage chart for

herbs and spices, and even a primer on fancy napkin folding.

There is a space at the end of each chapter to note your favorite recipes and

a great index that makes it easy to locate a recipe.

Morris Press, a Nebraska publisher which produced the cookbook, was a pleasure

to work with, Mrs Stempel said. The books were finished and shipped ahead of

schedule, making it possible for the committee to set up a table on Main

Street to sell the books during the Labor Day Parade. The table will be near

the flagpole in front of the former Yankee Drover property (the empty lot next

to West Street).

The books, $10 each, also are available for sale at the Booth Library and

Lexington Gardens. Copies also can be ordered by mail (enclose $3 extra per

book for shipping and handling) by sending checks or money orders to: St

John's Church, PO Box 716, Sandy Hook, CT 06482.

If you'd like to check out the book on the Internet and get a copy of Bruce

Moulthrop's Corned Beef Hash recipe, visit the Morris Press web site at

www.morriscookbooks.com.

Sharon's Clam Pie

Lee Paulsen serves this often to friends at her great parties.

2 cans minced clams, drained

¬ cup butter

1 onion, chopped fine

Several scallions, chopped fine

« cup Italian bread crumbs

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp black pepper

« tsp cayenne pepper mix

Juice of one lemon

Shredded cheddar cheese

Drain clams and place in saucepan. Heat 10 minutes. In another pan, saute

onions and/or scallions in butter until soft. Meanwhile, combine bread crumbs,

parsley, oregano, pepper and cayenne. Add to onions, mix. Add clams and lemon

juice. Place in pie plate and sprinkle with lots of cheddar cheese. Bake at

350§ for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with crackers, such as Triscuits.

Bruce Moulthrop's

Shrimp Florentine

This was the first dish Bruce made for his wife when they were dating.

2 10-oz pkgs frozen chopped spinach

1« lbs shrimp, cooked, shelled and deveined

¬ cup butter

¬ cup flour

1¬ cup milk

« cup dry white wine

¬ cup chopped scallions

Salt, pepper, paprika

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Defrost spinach and squeeze dry. Line a 9-inch pie plate with foil, for easier

cleaning. Line pan with spinach.

Make a roux with the flour and butter, add milk, and heat to make a cream

sauce. Add wine, salt and pepper to taste, paprika to color, and scallions to

sauce.

Place shrimp on top of spinach. Pour sauce over. Sprinkle shredded cheese over

top. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350§ oven for 35 minutes.

Hazel M. Tilson's

Never-Fail Banana Cake

From the original Afternoon Guild cookbook.

« cup shortening

1« cups sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

¬ tsp baking powder

‹ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

¬ cup buttermilk

¬ cup chopped nuts

Cream together shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs. Next, sift together flour,

baking powder, baking soda and salt, sifting three times. Stir in mashed

bananas. Add the dry ingredients alternately to the batter with buttermilk.

Add chopped nuts last.

Spread in a 7x9x2-inch cake pan, and bake at 350§ for 30 minutes. Delicious

with whipped cream or plain butter icing.

Martha Padgett's

Almond Toast

1 cup margarine (2 sticks)

1«-2 cups sugar

2 eggs

« tsp baking powder

« tsp baking soda

1 tsp almond extract

1 cup sour cream

1 cup slivered almonds

4 cups flour

Mix in above order. Bake in two loaf pans or a 10-inch angel food or bundt

pan, greased, at 300§ for one hour. Cool overnight. Slice and toast.