Traditional Maine Needhams Food

MAINE NEEDHAMS

Steps:

• Pare, cook, and mash potato to make three-quarters of a cup.
• Add salt.
• Using double boiler place butter in it and melt over boiling water.
• Add mashed potato, confectioners sugar, flaked coconut, and vanilla.
• Mix well and turn into a buttered jelly roll pan and spread evenly.
• Place in a cool place to harden.
• When hard, cut into small squares.
• For the dipping chocolate, again use a double boiler.
• Place paraffin in the top over boiling water to melt.
• Then add the two kinds of chocolate and allow to melt.
• Stir well to mix ingredients.
• Dip in the chocolate mixture (with a fork, toothpick, or cake tester--I use a fork and put the square on top of the tines and dip it, letting the excess chocolate drip off before I lay it on the waxed paper).
• Hold each square over the chocolate mixture after dipping so the square drains well (I usually will have to reheat the chocolate inbetween dippings so it is nice and thin and drips of easily).
• Place on waxed paper to harden.
• Should make about 66 good sized needhams.
• This halves easily.

NEEDHAMS

Steps:

• Put the confectioners' sugar in a large heatproof bowl; make a deep well in the middle. Add the mashed potatoes, butter, vanilla and salt to the well. Place the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Starting in the center of the well, stir the ingredients, gradually incorporating the sugar, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture forms a smooth paste, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the coconut. Transfer to the freezer and chill until firm, about 20 minutes. Roll tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into balls, then flatten each ball into a small square using your fingers (you should have about 40 squares). Put the squares on a large plate or baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with foil, shiny-side up. Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until the chocolate melts. Add the shortening and stir vigorously until glossy, about 2 minutes. Transfer half of the chocolate to a glass liquid measuring cup. One at a time, place each candy square on a fork and dip in the melted chocolate to coat; let the excess drip back into the cup. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining squares, refilling the cup with melted chocolate as needed. Let the candies harden at room temperature, about 1 hour. Photograph by Charles Masters

TRADITIONAL MAINE NEEDHAMS

Steps:

• Cook potatoes unseasoned, then mash to
• make 3/4 cup.
• Combine salt, potatoes, melted butter, confectioner's sugar, flaked
• coconut and vanilla in a mixer until smooth and well blended.
• Turn into a lined jelly roll pan.Spread evenly (mixture will be very thick), then.
• place in refrigerator to harden (24 hours).
• Cut into small squares and dip in chocolate coating.
• For coating: melt paraffin and semi-sweet chocolate at the top of a double boiler.
• Turn down heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate has melted but mixture is still slightly thick. Keeping heat low to maintain melt, dip Needhams to coat. Place dipped squares on wax paper to cool. Needhams will keep very well for a long time refrigerated and will
• actually improve in flavor over a few weeks.

NEEDHAMS

Steps:

• Cook the potato in water.
• While the potato is still warm,mash it and stir in the sugar and vanilla.
• Mix well and then add the coconut.
• Press mixture into a buttered pan.
• Cool and cut into squares.
• Dip the squares into melted chocolate and place on waxed paper to set.

OLD FASHIONED MAINE NEEDHAMS

Steps:

• Filling:.
• Pare, cook and mash potatoes, or run the potatoes through a ricer to make certain you have no lumps.
• Add salt.
• melt the margarine in a microwave.
• Add potatoes, conf sugar, vanilla and coconut.
• It will create a very thick mixture.
• Mix well and then turn onto a pan lined with well buttered waxed paper.
• Spread evenly.
• Place another piece of buttered waxed paper on the top to keep the filling moist.
• Place in cool place and let harden.
• The trick to this is to allow the filling to harden 2 or 3 days if possible.
• If they start to get mushy when you attempt to dip them, try putting them into the freezer for about 30 minutes Cut into squares and dip.
• Chocolate dip: Using a double boiler put parafin in the top over boiling water and melt.
• Add both chocolates and melt.
• Stir well to mix ingrediants.
• Using a meat fork or a wooden kabob stick, dip the filling into the chocolate.
• Drain each square well before placing onto taxed paper.
• Let harden.
• Should yield 66 good sized squares.