Category: Desserts

Family Favorite With a Rich History

Published on by Ramona HatchLeave a comment

Miracle Cheesecake was one of Beulah’s signature dishes! This no-bake dessert popped up on the Marlow Sunday dinner table and at countless Nine Mile Baptist church potlucks.

In doing a little research for this blog post, I was surprised to learn that my Mom’s Miracle Cheesecake has a fascinating culinary history. This no-bake cheesecake was apparently the signature dish at Woolworths lunch counters all over the country! These lunch counters have an important connection to the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s. The lunch counters were the site of nonviolent sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina which led to Woolworths removing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States. Interesting, right?

The Miracle Cheesecake is a light-as-air lemon confection. This iconic dessert is comprised of two parts: the graham cracker crust/topping and the delicious cheesecake filling. A major component of the filling is Milnot Evaporated Milk, an old-fashioned product not commonly used but still available on supermarket shelves. Important note about this step-the Milnot will whip up much fluffier and the dessert will be much lighter when its at room temperature. Do not refrigerate before whipping! I hope you’ll give this recipe for Miracle Cheesecake a try!

This is my Mom’s well-used recipe for Miracle Cheese Cake

Miracle Cheese Cake

1 package (3-ounce) lemon flavored Jell-O

1 cup boiling water

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 (13-ounce) can Milnot, whipped

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Chill until slightly thickened, Cream together cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice; add gelatin and blend well. Fold in stiffly whipped Milnot. Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together; press 2/3 of mixture on bottom and sides of 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan. Spread filling over graham cracker crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Chill several hours or overnight. Cut in squares and serve plain or garnished with fruit.

Yield: 12 – 16 servings

Chocolate Eclairs

Published on by Ramona HatchLeave a comment

These chocolate eclairs are one of Dusty’s absolute favorite desserts! In fact, he’s so fond of them that Jane, my soon-to-be mother-in-law shared this recipe before Dusty and I were married. She told me that she wanted to make sure that her son would always be able to enjoy these tender, tasty pastries! Don’t let the length of the recipe intimidate you! I promise that they’re really easy to make!

Chocolate Eclairs

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs

Eclair Filling

2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Eclair Frosting

1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons boiling water

Heat water and butter to rolling boil. Add flour to water and butter. Beat vigorously by hand over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, add eggs one at a time. Beat until smooth. Shape into fingers 4 inches long and 1 inch wide on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Bake in 400 degrees oven 45 – 50 minutes. Cool and cut open. Scrape out excess dough and fill with custard. To make custard filling, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat until it thickens and boils. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Gradually stir at least half of hot mixture into egg yolks. Then quickly blend into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Cool. For frosting, in a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in sugar and enough hot water to achieve a smooth consistency. Cool slightly. Frost eclairs.

Yield: 9 eclairs