History is Served

Doughnuts – A Yankee Cake

administrator — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:40:03 +0000

Doughnuts, pretzels, coleslaw, and the treats that became “cookies” are all of Dutch origins. These yeast-leavened bits of dough were dropped from the end of a spoon to form irregularly shaped balls. The Dutch served these at Christmas and other special occasions.

18th Century

Dry half a pound of good brown sugar, pound it and mix it with two pounds of flour and sift it; add two spoonfuls of yeast, and as much new milk as will make it like bread; when well risen, knead in half a pound of butter, make in cakes the size of a half dollar, and fry them a light brown in boiling lard.

– Randolph, Mary. “The Virginia Housewife”

21st Century

½ pound of light brown sugar
2 lbs. all purpose flour
2 packages of active dry yeast
½ lb. unsalted butter
2 cups

To Make Carrot or Parsnip Puffs

administrator — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:00:15 +0000

Carrot puffs are fritters made with carrots or parsnips. Carrot puffs are more like hush puppies, although they’re leavened with eggs instead of yeast or baking powder. They can seem dense if the oil isn’t hot. A deep fat fryer works well with this recipe.

18th Century

Scrape and boil your carrots and parsnips tender; then scrape or mash them very fine, add to it a pint of pulp, the crumb of a penny loaf grated, or some stale bisket, if you have it, some eggs, but four whites, a nutmeg grated, some orange-flower water, sugar to your taste, a little sack and mix it up with thick cream; they must be fried in rendered suet, the liquor very hot when you put them in: put in a good spoonful in a place.

– Smith, Eliza. “The Compleat Housewife”

21st …

Asparagus Forced in French Rolls

administrator — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:00:34 +0000

In the 18th century, the words “dining” and “entertainment” were interchangeable. Individual dishes were referred to as entertainments. The visual appeal of asparagus spears “growing” out of the dinner roll might have been the catalyst for a lighthearted conversation that further enhanced the dining experience.

18th Century

Take three French Rolls, take out all the crumb, by first cutting a piece of the top-crust off; be careful that the crust fits again the same place. Fry the rolls brown in fresh butter; then take a pint of cream, the yolks of six eggs beat fine, a little salt and nutmeg, stir them well together over a slow fire till it begins to be thick. Have ready a hundred of small grass boiled; then save tops enough to stick the rolls with, the rest cut small and put into the cream,
…

Beef Olives

administrator — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:23:06 +0000

The British term for wrapping meat around a stuffing, browning it and finishing it in a brown sauce is called an “olive,” although there are no olives in it. Perhaps the word referred to the final “olive-like” shape the meat took when it was tied up and cooked. Beef, veal and even fish olives have been part of the British cuisine since the 16th century.

18th Century

Cut slices of a fat rump of beef six inches long and half an inch thick, beat them well with a pestle, make a forcemeat of bread crumbs, fat bacon chopped, parsley, a little onion, some shred suet, pounded mace, pepper and salt; mix it up with the yelks of eggs, and spread a thin layer over each slice of beef, roll it up tight and secure the rolls with skewers, set them
…

To Make a Rich Cake

administrator — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:26:59 +0000

This is the cake of cakes, served at weddings, balls, and birthdays. The ingredients are expensive and the recipe time-consuming. Typically, a large cake like this was baked several months in advance of the actual date and then doused in brandy to prevent mold from growing. The result was spectacular!

18th Century

Take four pounds of flour dried and sifted, seven pounds of currants washed and rubbed, six pounds of the best fresh butter, two pounds of Jordan almonds blanched, and beaten with orange flower water and sack till fine; then take four pounds of eggs, put half the whites away, three pounds of double-refined sugar beaten and sifted, a quarter of an ounce of mace, the same of cloves and cinnamon, three large nutmegs, all beaten fine, a little ginger, half a pint of sack, half a pint of
…

To Force Cucumbers

administrator — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:22:46 +0000

This unusual recipe uses the cucumber in a way that is a clear departure from modern practice. In the eighteenth century, vegetables were generally cooked or pickled, as opposed to eaten raw. Here, the cucumber is stuffed, stewed and sliced, along with being stitched with thread. The result is quite pleasant.

18th Century

Pare your Cucumbers, core out the Seed, and then force them with a light Force-meat, and stove them in Broth or Gravy. When they are tender, cut two in Slices, and let the other be whole; squeeze in a lemon, and serve them.

– “Adam’s Luxury and Eve’s Cookery”

21st Century

3 medium cucumbers (about 8 inches long)
1 egg
1 ¼ cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup onions, finely minced
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley, thyme, basil and/or sage (choose any or all of these)
½ tsp.

Eggs President Fashion

administrator — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:44:13 +0000

The French excelled at egg recipes and came up with seemingly endless varieties of egg combinations. This recipe, along with the omelet, was probably used as a side dish at dinner, and not served at breakfast.

18th Century

Poach as many eggs as will make a dish; when properly done, dip them in yolks of eggs, strew rasped Parmesan cheese over, and bread crumbs; fry them in a very hot hog’s lard and garnish with fried parsley.

– Dalrymple, George. “The Practice of Modern Cookery adapted to Families of Distinction as well as to those of The Middling Ranks of Life” Edinburgh, 1781, pg. 419

21st Century

6-8 eggs plus two egg yolks
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups bread crumbs
Lard, olive oil or vegetable oil

Combine the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs in a shallow dish.
Whip

To Make an Onion Soup

administrator — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:52:52 +0000

If you are familiar with French onion soup, you might like this English variant. Both versions rely on dairy combined with onions to carry the flavor, but the English recipe uses an egg yolk liaison and a splash of vinegar to add richness and depth.

18th Century

Take half a pound of butter, put it into a stew pan on the fire, let it all melt, and boil it till it has done making any noise; then have ready ten or a dozen middling onions peeled and cut small, throw them into the butter, and let them fry a quarter of an hour; then shake in a little flour, and stir them round; shake your pan and let them do a few minutes longer; then pour in a quart or three pints of boiling water, stir them round; take a
…

To Make an Apple Pie

administrator — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:13:11 +0000

Contrary to popular belief, apple pie isn’t American, it’s British. There were no apple trees or pies in America before the British settled. The spice most often called for was cloves, as it is in this recipe.

18th Century

Put a crust in the bottom of a dish, put on it a layer of ripe apples pared and sliced thin, then a layer of powdered sugar; do this alternately till the dish is full; put in a few tea-spoonsful of rose-water and some cloves; put on a crust and bake it.

– Randolph, Mary, “The Virginia Housewife” p. 152

21st Century

Pastry (homemade or store bought)
8 Granny Smith applies
¼ – 1 cup granulated sugar or castor sugar
1 tsp. rose flower water (optional)
2 tsp. whole cloves

Preheat the oven to 425°.
Remove one piece of dough from

Loaf Spanish-Fashion

administrator — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:24:37 +0000

This recipe actually might get you arrested because anything this rich and decadent is probably illegal. We use the chocolate cream filling, but it could work with a fruit filling or even fruit preserves.

18th Century

Cut off the tops of six rolls, take out all the crumbs, fill them with a ready made [chocolate] cream, and cover them with the tops that were cut off, soak them in sweet Spanish wine, about a quarter of an hour; then wipe and flour them; fry of a good colour, and glaze them with sugar.

– Dalrymple, George, The Practice of Modern Cookery adapted to Families of Distinction as well as to those of The Middling Ranks of Life, Edinburgh, 1781

21st Century

6 dinner rolls, preferably a few days old
1 750 ml. bottle of sweet white wine
1 pound of