Candlelight Spells: The Modern Witch's Book of Spellcasting, Feasting, and Healing - Gerina Dunwich 2000
The Esbat
The Esbat and Miscellaneous Witch Recipes
The Esbat is a monthly coven meeting held 13 times a year during each full moon.
At the Esbat, witches of the coven chant, exchange ideas, perform special rites, work magick and healing, give thanks and/or request help from the gods. A traditional “Cakes and Wine” or “Cakes and Ale” ceremony also takes place.
Natural snacks like nuts, raisins, fruits (fresh or dried) and home-baked cookies or muffins may also be served at the Esbat in addition to the traditional cakes, wine and ale.
“Junk food” snacks that contain artificial flavors, preservatives and unhealthful chemicals are definitely not recommended. Remember: You are what you eat!
The following is a collection of old witches’ recipes for foods and wines traditionally served at Esbats and coven meetings: Esbat cake, coven cakes, acorn cookies, Salem shortbread, graham bread, onion butter (spread), witches’ mix, wild fennel muffins, dandelion wine, divination wine, mandrake wine, sweet tomato wine and nettle ale.
ESBAT CAKE
2¼ cups flour
1½ cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
1¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 egg
½ cup melted butter
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, coriander seeds and cinnamon. Stir in the buttermilk, egg and cooled melted butter and mix well until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into a greased cake pan and bake for one hour or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Place on a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before unmolding.
COVEN CAKES
1¾ cups oatmeal
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
7 teaspoons sugar
1½ tablespoons melted butter
7 teaspoons hot water
Combine the oatmeal, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Add the hot water, one teaspoon at a time, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes a smooth but firm paste. Gather the mixture into a ball and place it on a board or tabletop lightly sprinkled with about one-quarter cup of oatmeal. Roll the ball into the oatmeal until it is completely covered with the flakes. Spread another one-quarter cup of oatmeal evenly over the board and roll the ball out into an eight-inch circle one-eighth inch thick with a rolling pin. With a sharp knife, cut the circle into eight pie-shaped wedges. Sprinkle a bit of oatmeal on a baking sheet and with a large spatula, carefully transfer the wedges to the sheet. Bake the coven cakes in the middle of a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the wedges are light brown. Turn off the oven and open the oven door. Leave the coven cakes in the oven for about five minutes or until they become firm and crisp.
ACORN COOKIES
1¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ pound butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup raisins
1½ cup chopped acorns
Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add the vanilla and sugar and beat well. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients, beating until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the raisins and acorns. Place well-rounded teaspoonfuls of dough two inches apart on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 12—15 minutes.
SALEM SHORTBREAD
1 lb. softened butter
1 cup sugar
4 cups flour
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg
Mix the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the flour and cornstarch and then stir in the egg. Pat onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Smooth with a spatula and prick with a fork. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for two hours. Remove from the oven and cut into squares while still hot.
GRAHAM BREAD
1½ cups graham flour
2 cups flour
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup molasses
2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Pour the batter into a greased 9 × 5 × 3-inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
ONION BUTTER
5 lbs. onions
water
salt
Peel and quarter the onions. Place them in a large heavy kettle and barely cover them with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently for 24 hours, adding more water whenever necessary. After the liquid has concentrated into about 2½ pints of lumpy dark brown “honey,” break it up into a paste of uniform consistency. Add salt to taste and continue to simmer uncovered until the final excess liquid evaporates.
Use on homemade bread and biscuits as a delicious spread.
WITCHES’ MIX (GRANOLA)
4 cups rolled wheat
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup bran
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup hulled sunflower seeds
1½ cups shredded coconut
1 cup raisins
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup oil
1 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Mix together the rolled wheat, oats, bran, chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, raisins and sesame seeds. Heat the oil, honey and vanilla. Combine with the dry ingredients and mix. Bake on an oiled cookie sheet for 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven, turning frequently.
WILD FENNEL MUFFINS
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons softened butter
¼ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup wild fennel seeds
3 peeled, cored and chopped apples
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Sift them together in a bowl and then set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar in a deep mixing bowl until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add one cup of the flour mixture and then beat in one-half cup of the sour cream. Repeat, beating in the remaining flour and then the rest of the cream, and stir until the batter is smooth. Stir in the fennel seeds and chopped apples and spoon the batter into buttered muffin cups, filling each cup almost halfway to the top. Sprinkle fennel seeds on top of each muffin. Insert a slice of apple partway into the top of each muffin, if desired.
Bake in the middle of a preheated 425 degree oven for 15—20 minutes or until the fennel muffins are brown and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.
DANDELION WINE
3 quarts of dandelion flowers
2 gallons spring water
7 lbs. sugar
3 oranges
3 lemons
¼ box of seedless raisins
1 yeast cake (or 1 envelope dry yeast)
(To make Dandelion Wine you will need three quarts of open dandelion flowers, packed tightly with stems removed.)
Cover dandelions in crock with boiling water. Let it stand for three days.
Strain through a colander and discard dandelions. Add the seven pounds of sugar to the liquid. Slice the oranges and lemons, leaving the peels but removing the seeds. Add the fruits to the liquid. Next, add the raisins and stir thoroughly. Boil for 20 minutes and then remove from heat. Let it stand for another 24 hours.
Add the yeast, dissolved in six tablespoons of hot water. Stir and then strain the mixture through a wet muslin or clean dish towel into wine bottles, filling them to the brim. Tie pieces of muslin over the bottle tops or seal with corks. Do not cap bottles too tightly. Small amounts of gas may form and must be allowed to escape.
The wine is ready to drink after fermentation has stopped and no more bubbles appear in the bottles. Store in a dark cool place for up to six months.
DIVINATION WINE
Follow the instructions for dandelion wine, using one quart each of cowslip flowers, dogwood blossoms and rose hips instead of the three quarts of dandelions. Omit the raisins from the recipe.
MANDRAKE WINE
Remove the stems, skins and seeds from 13 medium apples. Boil the apples for about 20 minutes. Drain and mash together with the fully ripe oval lemon-colored fruit of one mandrake (American variety) also known as the May Apple.
CAUTION: Do not use any other part of the mandrake: The fully ripe fruit is edible, but the rest of the plant is very poisonous.
Follow the instructions for making dandelion wine, using three quarts of mashed apples and mandrake fruit in place of the dandelions. Omit the raisins from the recipe.
SWEET TOMATO WINE
Start by removing the stalks from three quarts of ripe red tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces and then mash them well. Drain through a hair-sieve. Season the tomato juice with salt and sugar to taste. Pour into jars and tie pieces of muslin over the tops. Let stand until the fermentation process has ended and there are no more bubbles. Pour off the clear liquid into wine bottles and cork tightly.
Allow the wine to age at least three months in a cellar or other cool, dark place before drinking.
NETTLE ALE
2 gallons young nettles
2½ gallons water
¾ ounce bruised ginger root
4 ounces sarsaparilla
4 lbs. malt
2 ounces hops
1½ lbs. sugar
1 ounce yeast
Wash the nettles and place them in a large pot. Add 2½ gallons of well water or pure spring water, the ginger root, sarsaparilla, malt and hops. Boil for 15—20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain over 1½ lbs. of sugar. Stir well until the sugar dissolves and then add the yeast. Bottle the ale when it begins to ferment. Seal the bottles with corks and tie down with string. (Note: Nettle ale needs no keeping.)