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New Year's Day Menu (1887) ★★★★★
Ending my 4 Weeks of Yuletide is a menu for New Year's Day, which comes from The Whitehouse Cookbook. Since this cookbook comes from the President's kitchen, this was probably a pretty elite menu for the time period. Even today, this is a lot of food, and is fairly carb-heavy - I mean, hominy, potatoes, rolls, doughnuts, AND toast all at breakfast?!
As much as I would love to make this entire menu (haha - not - can you imagine one person making all this food?!) I decided to pick a selection of the breakfast recipes.
Original Recipe:
NEW YEAR'S DAY.
BREAKFAST.
Baked Apples 515.
Hominy 274.
Boiled White Fish 59.
Ham Omelet 233.
Potatoes á la Crême 193.
Parker House Rolls 253.
Crullers 317.
Toast 276.
Coffee 458.
SUPPER.
Cold Roast Turkey 82.
Boston Oyster Pie 76.
Celery Salad 174.
Baked Sweet Potatoes 198.
Rusks 256.
Fruit Cake 290.
Sliced Oranges.
Tea 460.
DINNER.
Oysters on Half Shell.
Julienne Soup 33.
Baked Pickerel 51.
Roast Turkey 82, Oyster Stuffing 83.
Mashed Potatoes 192.
Boiled Onions 198.
Baked Winter Squash 212.
Cranberry Sauce 163.
Chicken Pie 89.
Plain Celery 175.
Lobster Salad 171.
Olives.
Spiced Currants 189.
English Plum Pudding 396, Wine Sauce 417.
Mince Pie 338.
Orange-water Ice 380.
Fancy Cakes 310.
Cheese.
Fruits.
Nuts.
Raisins.
Confectionery.
Coffee 458.
BREAKFAST.
Baked Apples 515.
Hominy 274.
Boiled White Fish 59.
Ham Omelet 233.
Potatoes á la Crême 193.
Parker House Rolls 253.
Crullers 317.
Toast 276.
Coffee 458.
SUPPER.
Cold Roast Turkey 82.
Boston Oyster Pie 76.
Celery Salad 174.
Baked Sweet Potatoes 198.
Rusks 256.
Fruit Cake 290.
Sliced Oranges.
Tea 460.
DINNER.
Oysters on Half Shell.
Julienne Soup 33.
Baked Pickerel 51.
Roast Turkey 82, Oyster Stuffing 83.
Mashed Potatoes 192.
Boiled Onions 198.
Baked Winter Squash 212.
Cranberry Sauce 163.
Chicken Pie 89.
Plain Celery 175.
Lobster Salad 171.
Olives.
Spiced Currants 189.
English Plum Pudding 396, Wine Sauce 417.
Mince Pie 338.
Orange-water Ice 380.
Fancy Cakes 310.
Cheese.
Fruits.
Nuts.
Raisins.
Confectionery.
Coffee 458.
BAKED APPLES.
Get nice fruit, a little tart and juicy, but not sour; clean them nicely, and bake in a moderate oven—regulated so as to have them done in about an hour; when the skin cracks and the pulp breaks through in every direction they are done and ready to take out. Serve with white sugar sprinkled over them.
HAM OMELET.
Cut raw ham into dice, fry with butter and when cooked enough, turn the beaten egg over it and cook as a plain omelet.
If boiled ham is used, mince it and mix with the egg after they are beaten. Bacon may be used instead of raw ham.
POTATOES Á LA CRÊME.
Heat a cupful of milk; stir in a heaping tablespoonful of butter cut up in as much flour. Stir until smooth and thick; pepper and salt, and add two cupfuls of cold boiled potatoes, sliced, and a little very finely chopped parsley. Shake over the fire until the potatoes are hot all through, and pour into a deep dish.
The Verdict:
The baked apple was perfectly cooked, and really delicious. It probably didn't even need the sugar because the baking really brought out the sweetness. I think cinnamon would have made it even better, but it really was quite tasty as it was. A super simple recipe, too, and it made my kitchen smell incredible. I cut out the core from the center, because it seemed logical, even though the recipe didn't specifically mention to do so.
The omelet was, well, a bacon omelet. I used bacon because I had that on hand. Admittedly, I didn't follow the directions for making "a plain omelet", because it didn't occur to me to find that recipe until I had mixed up the eggs. Oops. Anyway, Mr. Man said it was "amazing."
Mr. Man and I liked the potatoes, although they were a bit plain. Some cheese on top or some garlic powder would have been nice, but they were certainly edible and I would eat them gladly.
The omelet was, well, a bacon omelet. I used bacon because I had that on hand. Admittedly, I didn't follow the directions for making "a plain omelet", because it didn't occur to me to find that recipe until I had mixed up the eggs. Oops. Anyway, Mr. Man said it was "amazing."
Mr. Man and I liked the potatoes, although they were a bit plain. Some cheese on top or some garlic powder would have been nice, but they were certainly edible and I would eat them gladly.
Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Whitehouse Cookbook)
Baked Apples
APPLES
WHITE SUGAR
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Scrub the skin of the apples well. Cut out the cores. Place in a baking dish and bake for about 1 hour, or until the skin splits and a toothpick easily pierces the fruit. Let cool slightly and serve sprinkled with sugar.
Ham Omelet
3 slices BACON or UNCOOKED HAM, diced
2 EGGS
1 tablespoon MILK
SALT
PEPPER
1. Dice the bacon or raw ham. Fry in a skillet, using butter if using ham. If using bacon, drain off most of the grease, leaving a little for cooking the egg in.
2. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the cooked meat and cook over medium heat until just firm.
3. Use a spatula around the edge of the pan to make sure the omelet isn't stuck and flip one side over the other. Carefully flip onto a plate. Makes 1 omelet.
Potatoes a la Creme
2 cups of boiled, sliced POTATOES
1 cup MILK
1 tablespoon BUTTER
1 tablespoon FLOUR
SALT
PEPPER
PARSLEY
1. In a skillet, heat the milk until boiling. Rub the butter into the flour until crumbly. When the milk is boiling, whisk the butter mixture into it. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cook the sauce until thickened. Fold in the sliced potatoes and heat through. serve with parsley sprinkled on top.
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Love the entire menu :-)
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