These recipes can be found in The Best of Shaker Cooking, available through our online store.
Lobster Croquette – The Shaker Manifesto, a Maine recipe
1 two pound lobster
pepper
salt
mace
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg, beaten
cracker crumbs
Finely chop the lobster meat. Add pepper, salt, and mace. Mix with bread crumbs, and add melted butter. Form into balls, roll them in beaten egg, then in cracker crumbs. Fry in butter or lard in skillet. Serves 2. Serve on a bed of baby spinach with a dijon vinaigrette dressing. For some modern updates to this recipe, consider incorporating parmesan cheese, scallion, or Cajun spice. Adding mayonnaise may also help to bind the ingredients.
Shaker Fried Chicken – North Union Shaker Village
2 spring chickens, quartered
3 tablespoons soft butter
1 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
1 teaspoon minced fresh marjoram (1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram)
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons lard
1 cup light cream
Wash chickens well and quarter. Rub thoroughly with soft butter and sprinkle generously with parsley and marjoram. Let stand at room temperature for one hour. Then roll in flour to which salt and pepper have been added. Heat heavy skillet, add butter and lard combined. Cook chicken on all sides until golden brown. Pour cream over it and let simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Serves 6.
A hint from Eldress Clymena Miner: “Select chickens weighing 2 and a half pounds or a little over; smaller ones lack flavor and cook up waxy.”
Tomato Pudding – Hancock Shaker Village
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onions
4 cups chopped skinned fresh tomatoes (4 cups canned diced tomatoes)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups small bread cubes
1 cup fresh buttered bread crumbs
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan and cook the onion until very tender. Add tomatoes and stew them until they are reduced by half. Add to them the salt, pepper, sugar, basil and parsley. Pour the bread cubes into a 1 quart baking dish. Melt remaining butter and pour it over bread. Spoon the tomato mixture over all, sprinkle buttered bread crumbs on top. Cover closely with aluminum foil or a lid. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Serves 4-6.
Shaker Flank Steak – Hancock Shaker Village
3 pounds round beef, cut 1 1/2 inches thick
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped fine
1/2 green pepper, chopped fine
2 medium onions, chopped fine
juice 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup catsup
Cut or score both sides of the meat diagonally and dust with flour. Saute in heated butter until well browned on both sides. Season with salt and pepper, then add all the chopped vegetables. Last of all, add lemon juice and catsup. Cover tightly and simmer very gently for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until the steak is tender when tested with a fork. The vegetables cook down to a rich sauce to be served with the meat. Serves 6.
Spiced Apple Pudding – Mt. Lebanon Shaker Village
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
4 medium chopped apples, peeled, cored and chopped
Cream butter and sugar in mixing bowl until light. Beat in egg. Sift together all the dry ingredients. Stir into creamed mixture. Stir in apples. Turn into greased oblong pudding pan. Bake in 375° F. oven for 30 minutes. Serve with heavy cream flavored with maple syrup or vanilla. Serves 4-6.