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While he was growing up, Del Ramey’s mom said, “Learn to cook and iron.” He did and does.
Ramey says he is a “scratch cooker.” He makes everything from pastries to breads, presides over most of his church’s suppers, and prepares many of the meals at home—a log cabin he built himself, set on an eight-acre Christmas tree farm.
Ramey, a retired Maine forester, is a tall man with a big sweet tooth. Topping his list of favorites are raspberry dumplings and raspberry cake rolls. The Caribou resident is clearly a big raspberry fan. “I like desserts sweet, but then, I like a little bite to it, too,” he says. “I’ve had some raspberry pies that were just ‘Wow! Pump you right up!’”
At least half of what makes a great raspberry pie, he says, is the crust. “You have to have a good flaky crust.” Ramey’s crust-making secret is sticking with proven brands. “I learned to cook with Crisco shortening and Robin Hood flour,” he says, “and it comes out right every time. If you start using different shortening or flour, it makes a difference.”
One of his more exotic raspberry specialties is raspberry dumplings (see sidebar). Simply take the plain ol’ dumplings you’d drop into a stew, and cook them in a sweet-and-sour raspberry concoction, and you’ll have the magic of a classic comfort food mixed with raspberry’s natural wow.
While the dumplings are essentially the ones you’d put in soup, plus some sugar, Del Ramey handles them a bit differently to get the flavor he’s looking for. Rather then spoon the dough into the hot liquid, he says, “I roll them into golf ball size first and drop them in one at a time.” Ramey’s dessert dumplings are cooked in the raspberry sauce for about five to seven minutes with the cover off, then covered for the remaining 10 to 15 minutes. “This way they always come out light and fluffy, not tough and chewy like you’d find in a chicken stew.”
While Ramey loves cooking with the County’s summer berries, including strawberries and blueberries, he and his wife, Sharon, also keep two large vegetable gardens plus a pair of greenhouses so Ramey will have plenty of ingredients to play with year-round. “I like to pick,” he says. Fresh pickings he over-winters in their root cellar include potatoes, cabbage, carrots, turnips, and beets.
His and Sharon’s bounty comes in handy at his church’s annual harvest supper, where at least 12 turkeys are served with everything that goes with it. Ramey doesn’t cook the 12 birds personally, but distributes them among other church members who do the actual baking. He “only” makes the stuffing, the gravy, mashes the potatoes, and cooks the squash.
During years he is lucky enough to get a deer, Ramey also makes his own mincemeat. Not surprisingly, he likes it on the sweet side. “I use lots of raisins and apples. I go heavier on the white raisins because they plump up, and are nice and juicy once they’ve cooked.” Ramey admits his mincemeat recipe is straight from a blue ribbon cookbook, minus the cloves. “I don’t like any cloves in my mincemeat—but I do add cinnamon, nutmeg, and lots of allspice.”
Sounds like another Del Ramey “Wow! Pump you right up!’” flavor concoction.
-----
Ramey’s Raspberry Cake Roll
Serves 6
Cake:
5 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Raspberry filling:
1 pint fresh or frozen raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
Pinch of salt
Whipped cream:
1 pint cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Cake: Beat the egg yolks until lemon-colored. Add sugar slowly, beating until creamy. Beat in the vanilla. Sift the flour and baking powder, and gradually add it to the egg mixture beating until just smooth. Beat the egg whites and salt until stiff, but not dry. Fold into the batter. Line a 15 1/2" x 10 1/2" x 1" jelly roll pan (or similar-size cookie sheet) with well-greased parchment or brown paper. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake in 375°F oven for 15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. When done, invert immediately on a clean kitchen towel sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar. Trim off crusty edges. Starting from the short side, roll up in the towel. Cool.
Raspberry filling: In a 2 quart or larger pot, bring all ingredients to a boil and then stew for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat. Make a thin paste of about 5 Tbs. cornstarch and about an equal amount of water. Drizzle enough of this mixture into the boiling berries, stirring constantly until almost like soft jam. Continue cooking for 1 minute. Remove from heat. The mixture will thicken more as it cools.
Whipped cream: While waiting for the cake rolls and filling to cool, whip cream, adding sugar and vanilla until the whipped cream is stiff enough to spread. There will be some leftover whipped cream for topping the cake roll slices when serving.
Filling the cake roll: Unroll the cooled cake. Spread layer of cold berry filling over cake, being careful not to overfill. Spread layer of whipped cream over berry layer. Re-roll and place seam side down. Refrigerate. Cut and serve with whipped cream.
-----
Double the Raz
Here’s another delectable raspberry recipe from Del Ramey’s kitchen.
Raspberry Dessert Dumplings
Sauce:
2 quarts fresh or frozen raspberries
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
7 Tbs. minute tapioca
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
Put all the ingredients in a heavy kettle or pot with cover. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally and then lower heat and simmer covered for 8–10 minutes. While the berries are cooking, make the dumplings. (This recipe may be halved as long as the pot is proportionately smaller to allow at least 1 1/2" of liquid so dumplings float and do not touch the bottom of the pot.)
Dumplings:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbs. sugar
About 1 cup milk
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Add enough milk to make a stiff dough. With floured hands, roll dough into 9 or 10 golf ball-sized dumplings. Place the dumplings on top of the simmering berries and cook uncovered on low heat for about 8 minutes. Then cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool, keeping the cover on. Serve the dumplings and sauce still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave.
Ramey says he is a “scratch cooker.” He makes everything from pastries to breads, presides over most of his church’s suppers, and prepares many of the meals at home—a log cabin he built himself, set on an eight-acre Christmas tree farm.
Ramey, a retired Maine forester, is a tall man with a big sweet tooth. Topping his list of favorites are raspberry dumplings and raspberry cake rolls. The Caribou resident is clearly a big raspberry fan. “I like desserts sweet, but then, I like a little bite to it, too,” he says. “I’ve had some raspberry pies that were just ‘Wow! Pump you right up!’”
At least half of what makes a great raspberry pie, he says, is the crust. “You have to have a good flaky crust.” Ramey’s crust-making secret is sticking with proven brands. “I learned to cook with Crisco shortening and Robin Hood flour,” he says, “and it comes out right every time. If you start using different shortening or flour, it makes a difference.”
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One of his more exotic raspberry specialties is raspberry dumplings (see sidebar). Simply take the plain ol’ dumplings you’d drop into a stew, and cook them in a sweet-and-sour raspberry concoction, and you’ll have the magic of a classic comfort food mixed with raspberry’s natural wow.
While the dumplings are essentially the ones you’d put in soup, plus some sugar, Del Ramey handles them a bit differently to get the flavor he’s looking for. Rather then spoon the dough into the hot liquid, he says, “I roll them into golf ball size first and drop them in one at a time.” Ramey’s dessert dumplings are cooked in the raspberry sauce for about five to seven minutes with the cover off, then covered for the remaining 10 to 15 minutes. “This way they always come out light and fluffy, not tough and chewy like you’d find in a chicken stew.”
While Ramey loves cooking with the County’s summer berries, including strawberries and blueberries, he and his wife, Sharon, also keep two large vegetable gardens plus a pair of greenhouses so Ramey will have plenty of ingredients to play with year-round. “I like to pick,” he says. Fresh pickings he over-winters in their root cellar include potatoes, cabbage, carrots, turnips, and beets.
His and Sharon’s bounty comes in handy at his church’s annual harvest supper, where at least 12 turkeys are served with everything that goes with it. Ramey doesn’t cook the 12 birds personally, but distributes them among other church members who do the actual baking. He “only” makes the stuffing, the gravy, mashes the potatoes, and cooks the squash.
During years he is lucky enough to get a deer, Ramey also makes his own mincemeat. Not surprisingly, he likes it on the sweet side. “I use lots of raisins and apples. I go heavier on the white raisins because they plump up, and are nice and juicy once they’ve cooked.” Ramey admits his mincemeat recipe is straight from a blue ribbon cookbook, minus the cloves. “I don’t like any cloves in my mincemeat—but I do add cinnamon, nutmeg, and lots of allspice.”
Sounds like another Del Ramey “Wow! Pump you right up!’” flavor concoction.
-----
Ramey’s Raspberry Cake Roll
Serves 6
Cake:
5 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
Raspberry filling:
1 pint fresh or frozen raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
Pinch of salt
Whipped cream:
1 pint cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Cake: Beat the egg yolks until lemon-colored. Add sugar slowly, beating until creamy. Beat in the vanilla. Sift the flour and baking powder, and gradually add it to the egg mixture beating until just smooth. Beat the egg whites and salt until stiff, but not dry. Fold into the batter. Line a 15 1/2" x 10 1/2" x 1" jelly roll pan (or similar-size cookie sheet) with well-greased parchment or brown paper. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake in 375°F oven for 15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. When done, invert immediately on a clean kitchen towel sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar. Trim off crusty edges. Starting from the short side, roll up in the towel. Cool.
Raspberry filling: In a 2 quart or larger pot, bring all ingredients to a boil and then stew for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat. Make a thin paste of about 5 Tbs. cornstarch and about an equal amount of water. Drizzle enough of this mixture into the boiling berries, stirring constantly until almost like soft jam. Continue cooking for 1 minute. Remove from heat. The mixture will thicken more as it cools.
Whipped cream: While waiting for the cake rolls and filling to cool, whip cream, adding sugar and vanilla until the whipped cream is stiff enough to spread. There will be some leftover whipped cream for topping the cake roll slices when serving.
Filling the cake roll: Unroll the cooled cake. Spread layer of cold berry filling over cake, being careful not to overfill. Spread layer of whipped cream over berry layer. Re-roll and place seam side down. Refrigerate. Cut and serve with whipped cream.
-----
Double the Raz
Here’s another delectable raspberry recipe from Del Ramey’s kitchen.
Raspberry Dessert Dumplings
Sauce:
2 quarts fresh or frozen raspberries
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
7 Tbs. minute tapioca
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
Put all the ingredients in a heavy kettle or pot with cover. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally and then lower heat and simmer covered for 8–10 minutes. While the berries are cooking, make the dumplings. (This recipe may be halved as long as the pot is proportionately smaller to allow at least 1 1/2" of liquid so dumplings float and do not touch the bottom of the pot.)
Dumplings:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbs. sugar
About 1 cup milk
Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Add enough milk to make a stiff dough. With floured hands, roll dough into 9 or 10 golf ball-sized dumplings. Place the dumplings on top of the simmering berries and cook uncovered on low heat for about 8 minutes. Then cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool, keeping the cover on. Serve the dumplings and sauce still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave.
