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Established 1994

Pittsburgh Garden Railway Society
C/O Ann Celento
312 Hawthorne Street
Canonsburg PA, 15317

June 2014 Newsletter
 

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From the President's Desk Trips
Chasing Trains - Big and Little The Dining Car
Photos Tech Tips
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The Dining Car
contributed by  Keith Baggus

 

The 1940s and 1950s were the golden age of train travel and also the pinnacle of railroad dining car operations. For many passengers, the ambiance of the dining car was the reason they rode the train. The following recipe is one from that golden age.

 

French Toast a la Santa Fe


You'll need: small mixing bowl, whisk, 12-inch cast iron skillet, paper towels, baking sheet
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

2 slices white bread, cut 3/4-inch thick
1/2 cup light cream
2 eggs
pinch, salt (optional)
1/2 cup cooking oil

 

Place cooking oil in skillet, heat to hot. Meanwhile, cut each bread slice diagonally to form four triangles, and set aside. In a small bowl, combine eggs, cream and salt and beat well. Soak bread thoroughly in egg/cream mixture. Fry soaked bread in hot oil to a golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Lift from skillet to clean paper towel and allow to absorb excess cooking oil. Transfer to baking sheet and place in oven. Bake 4-6 minutes, until bread slices have puffed up. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon and apple sauce, currant jelly, maple syrup, honey or preserves, and bacon, ham, or sausage if desired

If you are a lover of French toast this recipe was fantastic, but I have to say my helper change the recipe just a little. Rylie added teaspoons of vanilla to the recipe, and when I ask why she did that, her answer was, Dad always uses vanilla, and when he does, I get to lick the spoon. We also use half and half for the light cream.  The other thing we did was the bread we used was homemade, and the kids love this bread just toasted. By us using the homemade bread, we slice it about an inch thick. I think the homemade bread we used also helps make this a fantastic breakfast. I severed bacon with it and as Robbie said, any breakfast that has bacon is great.  I’m going to include my recipe for Old fashioned Amish white bread too. I got this recipe from an Amish cook book that I have, and it very good, This Amish bread is high in sugar and sweet tasting. Until next month.

OLD FASHIONED AMISH WHITE BREAD

 

2 CUPS WARM WATER (110 DEGREES F.)

2/3 CUP WHITE SUGAR

1 ½ TABLESPOONS ACTIVE DRY YEAST

1 ½ TEASPOONS SALT

¼ CUP VEGETABLE OIL

6 CUPS BREAD FLOUR

 

PREPARATION:

1.    IN A LARGE BOWL, DISSOLVE THE SUGAR IN WARM WATER, AND THEN STIR IN YEAST. ALLOW TO PROOF UNTIL YEAST RESEMBLES CREAMY FOAM.

2.    MIX SALT AND OIL INTO THE YEAST. MIX IN FLOUR ONE CUP AT A TIME. KNEAD DOUGH ON A LIGHTLY FLOURED SURFACE UNTIL SMOOTH. PLACE IN A WELL OILED BOWL, AND TURN DOUGH TO COAT. COVER WITH A DAMP CLOTH. ALLOW TO RISE UNTIL DOUBLED IN BULK, ABOUT 1 HOUR.

3.    PUNCH DOUGH DOWN, KNEAD FOR A FEW MINUTES, AND DIVIDE IN HALF. SHAPE INTO LOAVES, AND PLACE INTO TWO WELL OILED 9X5 INCH LOAF PANS. ALLOW TO RISE FOR 30 MINUTES, OR UNTIL DOUGH HAS RISEN 1 INCH ABOVE PANS.

4.    BAKE AT 350 DEGREES F. FOR 30 MINUTES.