Walnut Cake (1897) ★★★★★

12:00 AM 1890s , 19th century , 5 stars , cake , canada , dessert , The Jubilee Cook Book , victorian 3 Comments

Original Recipe:

Walnut Cake
One cup sugar, half cup butter, two eggs, half cup sweet milk, one and one half cups flour, one and one half teaspoons baking powder, one large cup chopped walnuts.
Frosting - One and one half cups white sugar, half cup water, white of one egg.

Mrs. D. Farquharson

Rys (c.1420) ★★★

12:00 AM 1420s , 15th century , 3 stars , british isles , dessert , gluten-free , late middle ages , rice 1 Comments

This recipe comes from a book called Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, which was published in 1888. This book contains recipes which were copied from manuscripts in the British Museum, so even though the recipes come from a book published in the late nineteenth century, they are still written in Middle English. This recipe for "Rys" is taken from the manuscript Harleian MS. 279. I've seen dates ranging from circa 1420 to 1439, so I just went with the earliest one.


Original Recipe:
.lxxxvj. Rys. Take a porcyoun of Rys, & pyke hem clene, & sethe hem welle, & late hem kele; þen take gode Mylke of Almaundys & do þer-to, & seþe & stere wyl; & do þer-to Sugre an hony, & serue forth.


The Verdict:

Baked Rice with Cheese (1923) ★★★★★

12:00 AM 1920s , 20th century , 5 stars , interwar , rice , united states 0 Comments

Here's a tasty side dish that dresses up plain old rice a little bit. I chose to add the tomato for some freshness.


Original Recipe:
2 c. boiled rice
1/2 c. cut cheese
1 large tomato, sliced, optional
milk to moisten, about 1/2 cup
buttered breadcrumbs to cover*
sprinkle of paprika

Arrange rice and cheese in alternate layers in buttered baking dish. A layer of tomatoes may be added if desired. Pour milk over. Cover with buttered crumbs and paprika. Bake at 450F until crumbs are brown, 10 - 15 minutes. 

Buttered Breadcrumbs (1932)
*Allow 1/8 as much butter as crumbs. To prepare crumbs, use 1 c. dry bread. Dry thoroughly in oven, then roll to crush. Melt butter, add crumbs, and stir until every crumb is coated.

The Verdict:
So good! Seriously, we had to restrain ourselves from eating the whole dish. This makes enough for about 4 servings, but I recommend you double the recipe because I wish I had more to eat! Mr. Man wanted salt on his, but he likes things really salty. I thought it was perfect just the way it was. I'll definitely make this again, even though it was slightly time consuming to make the breadcrumbs.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Farmer's Wife)

The original recipe is easy to follow. If you like the crunchy topping, I would suggest doubling the amount of breadcrumbs to 2 cups, because 1 cup juuuuust barely covered everything.

Banana Split (1907) ★★★★

7:22 PM 1900s , 20th century , 4 stars , dessert , edwardian , frozen dessert , gluten-free , united states 0 Comments

 August 25th is Banana Split Day!

Corn Fritters (1912) ★★★★

12:00 AM 1910s , 20th century , 4 stars , breakfast , edwardian , snacks , united states , vegan , vegetables 0 Comments

Here's a way of getting some vegetables into your breakfast!


Original Recipe:
1 c. corn, cut off the cob
2 c. flour
pinch salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
enough water to make thick batter dough

Mix all together and drop by spoonfuls into a pan half full of hot oil. Cook until nicely browned on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve with maple syrup.

The Verdict:
I was surprised to find that these were actually pretty good! With just water and flour, the dough was a little tough, but not so bad that it was gross. With the maple syrup these fritters could almost be dessert! Little Y liked hers so much that she used one to play the piano (okay, so maybe that's just strange). Mr. Man thought they were okay, but he tried them with mustard and said they were even better as a savory treat.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Farmer's Wife)

1 cup CORN
2 cups FLOUR
A pinch of SALT
1 tablespoon SUGAR
1 1/2 tablespoons BAKING POWDER
WATER
OIL

1. In a fry pan, heat the oil on medium-low heat.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Add the corn. Add in water, a little at a time, to make a thick dough.
3. Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, drop about a tablespoon of dough into the hot oil at a time. Fry until browned on both sides. Let the fritters drain on paper towels. Serve with maple syrup (or mustard!)

Raspberry, Strawberry, Currant or Orange Effervescing Draughts (1875) ★★

12:00 AM 1870s , 19th century , 2 stars , beverages , british isles , fruit , victorian 2 Comments

I decided to make the orange version of this drink, since oranges yield a fair amount of juice. I halved the recipe and 8 oranges gave me 2 cups of juice. I also substituted cream of tartar for the tartaric acid, which I wouldn't really advise, but it was difficult for me to find tartaric acid.


Original Recipe:
Raspberry, Strawberry, Currant or Orange Effervescing Draughts. - Take 1 quart of the juice of either of the above fruits filter it and boil it into a syrup with 1 lb of powdered loaf sugar. To this add 1 1/2 oz of tartaric acid. When cold put it into a bottle and keep it well corked. When required for use fill a half pint tumbler three parts full of water and add 2 table spoonfuls of the syrup. Then stir in briskly a small tea spoonful of carbonate of soda and a very delicious drink will be formed. The colour may be improved by adding a very small portion of cochineal to the syrup at the time of boiling.

The Verdict:
Making this as indicated made a super salty drink. As in, I immediately spat it out of my mouth because it was like drinking salt water. The cream of tartar I used made the orange syrup a little salty, but adding the baking soda really put it over the top. Also, this was not "effervescent" at all. The baking soda made a few bubbles, but it obviously needs more acid to react with. I tasted the syrup alone and it was okay. I mixed 4 tablespoons of syrup with about a cup of water and it was drinkable. Something about the flavour was off, though...possibly because of my tartaric acid substitution? Anyway, I'm not sure if I will finish this or not. I might just use it in a smoothie or something to hide the taste.


Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Things a Lady Would Like to Know)

4 cups FRESH FRUIT JUICE
1 pound SUPERFINE SUGAR
1 1/2 ounces TARTARIC ACID

1. Juice the fruit of your choice so that you have 4 cups of fresh juice.
2. In a medium saucepan, boil the juice and sugar for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves. Add the tartaric acid.
3. When cool, mix the syrup with water to taste.

Frozen Passion (1972) ★★★

12:00 AM 1970s , 20th century , 3 stars , dessert , frozen dessert , post-modern , united states 5 Comments

Original Recipe:
World’s simplest recipe: Pour 2 cans of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk and two 28 oz. bottles (or four 12 oz. cans) of soda pop into freezer drum and let the Proctor-Silex Freezer do the rest. Makes two quarts of Frozen Passion in minutes.

If you don’t have an electric ice cream freezer, make Frozen Passion in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator. Pick up a recipe at your supermarket. For small families, cut the recipe in half.

Here's a more recent version of the recipe, from Quick & Easy Desserts (1986), an advertising cookbook for Eagle Brand:


The Verdict:

Potatoes

12:00 AM 1860s , 1890s , 1900s , 1910s , gluten-free , vegetables , victorian 0 Comments

The Potato Harvest by János Pentelei Molnár (1901)

August 19th is Potato Day! Potatoes have played  a huge role throughout history, especially in Ireland. I won't bore you with a long history lesson (you can look that up for yourselves on Wikipedia - seriously, does anybody NOT like reading those articles?!), but today I've got some unique potato recipes to share. Alas, I wasn't able to cook any this time!


Potatoes (1864)
(From A Poetical Cook-Book)

Leeks to the Welsh, to Dutchmen butter's dear;
Of Irish swains, potatoes is the cheer.
—GAY.

Wash them, but do not pare or cut them, unless they are very large. Fill a saucepan half full of potatoes of equal size (or make them so by dividing the larger ones), put to them as much cold water as will cover them about an inch; they are sooner boiled, and more savory than when drowned in water. Most boiled things are spoiled by having too little water; but potatoes are often spoiled by having too much; they must be merely covered, and a little allowed for waste in boiling, so that they may be just covered at the finish. Set them on a moderate fire till they boil; then take them off, and put them by the side of the fire to simmer slowly till they are soft enough to admit a fork. Place no dependence on the usual test of their skins cracking, which, if they are boiled fast, will happen to some potatoes when they are not half done, and the insides quite hard. Then pour the water off (if you let the potatoes remain in the water a moment after they are done enough, they will become waxy and watery), uncover the saucepan, and set it at such a distance from the fire as will secure it from burning; their superfluous moisture will evaporate, and the potatoes will be perfectly dry and mealy.

You may afterwards place a napkin, folded up to the size of the saucepan's diameter, over the potatoes, to keep them hot and mealy till wanted.

This method of managing potatoes is in every respect equal to steaming them, and they are dressed in half the time.
There is such an infinite variety of sorts and sizes of potatoes, it is impossible to say how long they will take doing: the best way is to try them with a fork. Moderate sized potatoes will generally be done enough in fifteen or twenty minutes.

The Potato Eaters by Vincent Van Gogh (1885)

Potato Apples (1896)
(From The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book)

2 cups hot riced potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup grated cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
few grains cayenne
slight grating nutmeg
2 tablespoons thick cream
yolks 2 eggs

Mix ingredients in order given, and beat thoroughly. Shape in form of small apples, roll in flour, egg, and crumbs, fry in deep fat, and drain on brown paper. Insert a clove at both stem and blossom end of each apple.

Potato Harvesting at St.Annes in 1927

Potato Pears (1900)
(From My Pet Recipes, Tried and True)

6 or 8 large potatoes
butter
cream
pepper
salt
cloves
beaten egg

Boil potatoes, when well done mash thoroughly, adding a little butter, cream, pepper and salt. Mould into shape of pears, putting a clove into stem and brush over with beaten egg, and put into the oven to brown slightly.

'Digging and bagging potatoes', the Warrnambool potato harvest 1881

Mock Fish Balls in Curry or Cream Sauce (1898)
(From The Golden Age Cook Book )

5 ounces of plain boiled potatoes
3 ounces of butter
1 slightly heaping tablespoonful of Groult's potato flour
2 eggs
onion juice
salt
pepper

Plain Blanc Mange (c.1928) ★★★★

11:10 AM 1920s , 20th century , 4 stars , dessert , gluten-free , interwar , united states 1 Comments

Apparently today is Vanilla Custard Day. I don't know who decides these things, but there you go. I figure it might be fun to do some themed posts, so today I have a historical variation on vanilla custard. Custard typically uses eggs to thicken it. Blancmange is a custard, except instead of eggs it uses starch. It is a recipe which appears often in historical cookbooks, and it has been around in some form or another since the Middle Ages. In fact, the precursor to modern blancmange included chicken and rice!

Chocolate Puffs (1847) ★★★

12:00 AM 1840s , 19th century , 3 stars , dessert , eggs , gluten-free , united states , victorian 0 Comments

Original Recipe:

The Verdict:
I burnt these! Every single one of them...There was like a 2 second moment between not quite done and burnt. I did manage to salvage the middles out of some of them, and I did enjoy the flavour, although the texture was "like bubblegum", in the words of Mr. Man. I thought these were supposed to be like meringues, and if that's the case I failed epically. However, despite the extra chewy texture, I would have eaten these had they not been burnt!

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Lady's Receipt-Book)

2 EGG WHITES
1/2 pound POWDERED SUGAR
1 1/2 ounces COCOA POWDER
POWDERED SUGAR, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until very stiff.
2. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until all of it is incorporated. Do the same with the cocoa powder. Beat until smooth.
3. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, drop batter the size of a quarter. Use a wet spoon to smooth out the tops and edges. Immediately before baking, heavily sprinkle powdered sugar on top.
4. Bake for a few minutes, waiting until just after they puff up to remove. They will burn quickly. Let cool completely before removing from the paper.

Grape-Pudding (1886) ★★

12:00 AM 1880s , 19th century , 2 stars , dessert , fruit , pudding , united states , victorian 2 Comments

I had some grapes in the fridge...you see where this is going...

Original Recipe:

The Verdict:
Well, Mr.Man thought it was too sweet, and I thought it was too sour. Oddly, the cooked grapes lost a lot of their sweetness. Some issues here which led to the low rating were that the pudding was mushy and fell apart and the top layer of crumbs was dry and nearly burnt. I think it needed some butter or something to help the top cook as well. However, I didn't mind the overall taste when I ignored the texture. But this recipe was a mess...literally.


Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Miss Corson's Practical American Cookery)

BUTTER
GRAPES
SUGAR
BREADCRUMBS
POWDERED SUGAR

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish with butter.
2. Fill the baking dish with alternate layers of grapes, sugar, and bread crumbs, ending with a top layer of crumbs.
3. Bake for about 30 minutes. Serve it hot with powdered sugar.

Lemonade.--To Carry in the Pocket (1864) ★★

12:00 AM 1860s , 19th century , 2 stars , beverages , united states , victorian 0 Comments

Original Recipe:

Burnt Leather Cake (1914) ★★★★

12:00 AM 1910s , 20th century , 4 stars , cake , dessert , united states , WWI 2 Comments

Burnt leather cake. At first I thought it was a strange name for a recipe, and kind of unappetizing actually. And then I realized that this was just a caramel layer cake with a funny name. Further research showed that this cake goes by many names - brownstone front cake, burnt sugar cake, and other regional names derived from the caramelized sugar that flavours both the cake and the filling (although brownstone front cake often uses chocolate to deepen the brown color of the cake). I found some modern versions of the recipe, sometimes with only minor differences from this version. In fact, here's a version by another blogger, using a recipe from 1938. And if you're nervous about eggs in the filling, you could try a modern butter-based version, like this one.
By the way, I'm not sure how exactly I did it, but one of my layers turned out like the death star, which I thought was hilarious.

Original Recipe:
 Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Neighborhood Cook Book)

Caramel
2/3 cup SUGAR
1/2 cup WATER

Cake
1 1/2 cups SUGAR
1/2 cup BUTTER
3 EGGS, separated
1/2 cup WATER
3 tablespoons CARAMEL
2 teaspoons VANILLA
3 teaspoons BAKING POWDER
2 1/2 cups FLOUR

Filling
1 1/2 cups SUGAR
2/3 cup WATER
2 EGG WHITES, beaten
1 tablespoon CARAMEL
1 teaspoon VANILLA

1. Make caramel by browning the sugar in a small saucepan on medium-low heat. Eventually the sugar will melt and turn brown. Next, add the water, being very careful because it will splutter and puff up. The sugar will harden, but continue to cook it for about 20 minutes and it will melt. Let it get to the thickness of very soft honey and remove from heat. Don't be afraid to let it get dark, but be careful of burning. Keep the heat at medium or less. It will become thicker as it cools.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour two nine inch cake pans. Separate the eggs and beat the whites until stiff.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, water, caramel, and vanilla. Add the baking powder and the flour. Gently fold in the stiff egg whites. Divide between the two prepared pans and bake for about 20 - 30 minutes. Let cool.
4. To make the filling, beat the egg whites until stiff. In a small saucepan, boil together the sugar and water until a small amount drizzled in cold water forms thin threads (225-235F). Pour the cooked sugar over the stiff egg whites. Add the caramel (I added mine to the boiled sugar so it would melt) and vanilla and beat until slightly stiff and shiny. Let the filling cool in the fridge before use.

Beef a la Mode (1875) ★★★★★

12:00 AM 1870s , 19th century , 5 stars , beef , british isles , victorian 1 Comments

Original Recipe:
2. Beef a la Mode.- Procure about ten pounds' weight of buttock, and cut it into bits of about a quarter of a pound each. Chop a couple of large onions very fine, and put them into a large stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, or fresh and well clarified beef dripping. Whilst this is warming, cover the pieces of beef with flour; put them into the pan, and stir them for ten minutes, adding a little more flour by slow degrees, and taking great care the meat does not burn. Pour in, a little at a time, a gallon of boiling water, then add a couple of drachms of ground allspice, one of black pepper, and a couple of bay leaves. Let all this stew, on a low fire and very gently, for three hours and a quarter; ascertain with a fork if the meat be tender: if so, you may serve it in a tureen or deep dish. A well dressed salad is the proper accompaniment of Boeuf a la Mode.

The Verdict:
Er, well, I didn't want to buy 10 pounds of meat, so I used more like 2 pounds, but I also forgot to reduce the amount of butter haha. Oops. Anyway, it all worked out because this tasted great! Mr. Man even said, and I quote, "This is so good, I'm about to fight you for your portion." It did need salt, however, and I think some carrots or other vegetables in the stew would have been nice, but then again we didn't have any salad with this because I didn't have the ingredients. We ate ours over rice, by the way, which probably isn't authentic, but it was yummy. I'm posting the recipe with the amounts as written, so if you make this, you'll probably want to divide the recipe in half or quarters.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Things a Lady Would Like to Know)

10 pounds BEEF ROUND
2 ONIONS, chopped
1/2 cup BUTTER or BEEF DRIPPINGS (bacon grease might be tasty!)
FLOUR
16 cups BOILING WATER
2 - 3 teaspoons ALLSPICE
1 teaspoon PEPPER
2 - 3 BAY LEAVES

1. Cut the beef into 4 ounce portions. Lightly coat each piece in flour.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot and lightly fry the onions. Add the floured beef and cook on medium-high, browning both sides of the beef.
3. When the meat is browned, add a little flour to thicken the butter and pour in the boiling water, a little at a time. Mix well.
4. Add the allspice, pepper, and bay leaves and stir to combine. Let it all simmer for 3 hours and 15 minutes, or until it is easily shredded with a fork. Stir occassionally, especially near the end when the sauce is cooking down. Serve it in a deep dish, accompanied with salad.

Queen-Cakes (1861) ★★★★★

12:00 AM 1860s , 19th century , 5 stars , british isles , cakes , dessert , fruit , Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management , snacks , victorian 2 Comments

Original Recipe:
QUEEN-CAKES.

1773. INGREDIENTS – 1 lb. of flour, 1/2 lb. of butter, 1/2 lb. of pounded loaf sugar, 3 eggs, 1 teacupful of cream, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, essence of lemon, or almonds to taste.

Mode.—Work the butter to a cream; dredge in the flour, add the sugar and currants, and mix the ingredients well together. Whisk the eggs, mix them with the cream and flavouring, and stir these to the flour; add the carbonate of soda, beat the paste well for 10 minutes, put it into small buttered pans, and bake the cake from 1/4 to 1/2 hour.

Grated lemon-rind may be substituted for the lemon and almond flavouring, which will make the cakes equally nice.

Time. 1/4 to 1/2 hour.

Average cost, 1s. 9d.

Seasonable at any time.

The Verdict:
Yum! Seriously, yum. Mr. Man loved these too. I wasn't quite sure what "small buttered pans" were, so I cooked this up in my mini cheesecake molds and it made jumbo muffins! This cake is really bready like a muffin, with a nice fluffiness, even though I only beat the batter for like 3 minutes instead of 10. I think using a muffin pan would be a good idea, but I also wonder how these would turn out if baked smaller like cookies. The batter is really thick. I love currants, because they give this fresh burst of tartness, and it really goes well with the sweet, slightly lemon-y cake. I do think some lemon zest would have been delicious too....Don't know why I didn't add that!

Pork Kabob (1875) ★★★★★

12:00 AM 1870s , 19th century , 5 stars , british isles , gluten-free , pork , victorian 1 Comments

I realize I'm a few days late here, but I thought that in celebration of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, I would try and feature some British fare this week. I tend to focus mainly on North American recipes, just because they're prolific. In the future I'm going to try and contribute some more international recipes as well.
By the way, I'm not sure what a "dumpling apple" means in this context, but I discovered that there is a (are?) species which originated in the United Kingdom. I found both a Norfolk Dumpling and a Scotch Dumpling. The Norfolk Dumpling apparently went extinct sometime around 1920, but an old tree was recently found growing in the garden of a former rectory in north Norfolk.
And did you know that since 1903, approximately 93 percent of the varieties of crops we had have become extinct? For example, in 1903 there were 497 varieties of lettuce; by 1983 there were just 36.


Original Recipe:
2. Pork Kabob. - Select 4 pork chops, not too fat; peel 2 dumpling apples, and cut 2 slices from the centre of each, avoiding the core; a Spanish onion into slices, select 4 of the largest; attach small skewers to each chop a slice of apple and a slice of onion; fasten them together with twine, and roast before a bright fire for half an hour, basting well. Serve them quite hot, with some fresh mustard, soluble cayenne, salt, and mashed potatoes.

The Verdict:
Mr. Man said this was really delicious. He even ate the slice of apple on top, and this was right after I asked him to eat the leftover fresh apple and he stuck up his nose at it! He loved the sauce too, but that's no surprise because he loves mustard and cayenne. I thought it was delicious as well, although we slightly overcooked it.


Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Things a Lady Would Like to Know)

4 PORK CHOPS
2 APPLES
1 SPANISH ONION
MUSTARD
CAYENNE
SALT

1. Peel the apples (I didn't, just because it looked prettier). Standing the apple upright on its bottom, slice off the smaller end pieces. Then cut thin slices from each side, making sure to avoid the core. Do the same with the onion, being careful to keep the rings intact.
2. Use toothpicks to skewer 1 slice of onion and 1 slice of apple to each pork chop. Tie each bundle up with butcher's twine to hold everything together.
3. Grill over medium to medium-high heat for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 170F (Note: I didn't baste these, but if you want to, using the mustard might be good). Alternately, You could try doing this in the oven. Serve with mashed potatoes and mustard in which cayenne and salt have been mixed to taste.