Chocolate Tarts (1829) ★★★★

8:30 PM 1820s , 19th century , 4 stars , dessert , georgian , Modern Domestic Cookery and Useful Receipt Book , pastry , united states 7 Comments

I felt like the 1820s were being left out, so here's a recipe to fill in that time gap!

Original Recipe:

The Verdict:

Different, but not bad!
The flavour is a bit different from what we normally pair with chocolate today. Lemon and cinnamon is not what my tongue prefers, but I got used to it as I tasted and after finishing one tart, I think I could definitely eat another.
I had an issue with the chocolate filling not setting thickly, as I think it probably should have. That was probably because I didn't cook it enough and/or it needed more eggs. I like to round way down with eggs in historical recipes because I really hate eggy taste.
I used these pre-made puff pastry shells because I was feeling lazy (and Mr. Man picked those up instead of the tart shells haha), but I think puff paste tart shells would have worked way better.
Oh! I should add that I didn't add the diced lemon peel...I forgot about that and only had one lemon. I'm also not sure if the recipe meant fresh lemon peel (since its already in the recipe) or candied lemon peel. I imagine this can't have made much different flavour-wise, as there was already lemon in the filling.
Overall, this is a lovely recipe and although it may be a bit of an acquired taste, its good!

Edit: After sitting out for a while they did get firmer, and after being in the fridge the tarts became quite firm.

Modernized Recipe:

(Adapted from Modern Domestic Cookery, and Useful Receipt Book)

1/4 pound (4 ounces) CHOCOLATE, chopped
1/2 teaspoon CINNAMON
Zest of 1 LEMON
3 tablespoons SUGAR
2 teaspoons FLOUR
3+ EGGS, separated (see above about number of eggs)
1 tablespoon MILK
LEMON PEEL, diced fine
PUFF PASTRY SHELLS

1. In a saucepan whisk together the flour, egg yolks, and milk. To this add the chocolate, cinnamon, lemon zest, and sugar. Whisk together well and cook over medium heat until thick.
2. Add finely diced lemon peel to the cooked filling and let it stand until cold.
3. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. Fill puff pastry shells with chocolate filling and cover with the beaten egg whites. Sift some sugar over the top. Bake for five minutes at 350F, then broil until egg whites are golden on top.

St. Patrick's Day Party (c. 1931)

6:00 AM 1930s , 20th century , holiday , interwar , menu , The Settlement Cook Book , united states 0 Comments

I love that The Settlement Cook Book includes holiday menus like this one for a Saint Patrick's Day party. Its rather rare to find menus like this in early cookbooks, especially for something other than Christmas. The theme here seems to be green + mint - not so different from a menu we might see today! There is also an emphasis on potatoes and shamrocks, two items which have continued to symbolize Irish heritage even today.

Applesauce with red hots (1963) ★★★

6:00 AM 1960s , 20th century , 3 stars , atomic age , Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book , dessert , fruit , snacks 0 Comments

On the recommendation of a reader, I decided to try out this recipe for applesauce with an interesting addition - red hots/imperials/cinnamon hearts! The combination of apples and cinnamon hearts seems to hold a soft spot in many people's hearts and memories, so I was keen to give it a go.

Original Recipe:

The Verdict:

For my "tart apples" I used crispins. I was planning on using granny smiths, but couldn't find any. Although I've just noticed the apple in the picture is red...whatever.
I started cooking my apples in a pot, but found that they weren't cooking evenly, so transferred them to a frypan. I also needed a bit of extra water.
I was frustrated that the recipe listed "bottle of red hots," which was completely unhelpful. I did a bit of quick googling but couldn't find much, except for an old bottle of cinnamon candy decorations being sold on Etsy, which seemed to have a weight of 1.5 ounces. So I decided to start with 1.5 oz and taste.

I thought this recipe was okay, but not amazing. The flavour was a bit blah, but I felt like more cinnamon hearts would have been overpowering. I think maybe using several varieties of apples and/or adding a bit of real cinnamon would improve the flavour. I can't deny that the vibrant red is very festive and fun though!

Modernized Recipe:

(Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book, found at Vintage Cookbooks & Crafts)

The original recipe is easy to follow. Cook apples to your desired consistency.

Caramel Surprise Upside-Down Cake (1953) ★★★

9:00 AM 1950s , 20th century , 3 stars , atomic age , cake , dessert , united states 0 Comments

I wish I had found this recipe around Halloween, because it seems like a great way to use up any leftover caramel candies. Actually, that's what my plan was...yes, I still have Halloween candy. Well - not anymore!
I have to say though, the picture of this cake isn't really appetizing. They could have tried a little harder...

Original Recipe:

The Verdict:

Two things had me worried about this recipe. Firstly, the caramel "sauce" was pretty much just brown water. I don't know if I added too much water (I eyeballed it) or if it was really supposed to be that liquidy. Secondly, even though I used the appropriate sized skillet, it was nearly overflowing from the batter plus the pineapple and caramel. I was worried about the structural stability once the cake rose.
In the end, I was a bit disappointed with this cake. The pineapple pieces didn't really embed into the cake and the caramel sauce congealed into chunks. The cake was a bit too much for the skillet, but it all came out more or less in one piece, so I guess that was okay in the end. Taste-wise, it was just okay. Mostly just boxed cake flavour. I'm not sure I would make this again, as I think its not super great for a pineapple upside-down cake. It is edible, though, so three stars.

Modernized Recipe:

(Adapted from McCall's, July 1953, found here and here)

1/2 pound CARAMELS (28 caramels)
1/2 cup HOT WATER
6 slices PINEAPPLE (one whole, others halved)
1 package YELLOW or WHITE CAKE MIX

1. In a small saucepan, melt the caramels in the hot water. Stir frequently until the sauce is smooth.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 10 inch cast iron skillet. Pour in one cup of the prepared caramel sauce. Arrange the pineapple slices in the sauce - the whole slice in the center and the halves around the outside.
3. Prepare the cake mix according to directions. Pour into the skillet.
4. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Invert the cake onto a plate or serving dish and let cool.

Recipes for Red Hots (1929-1972)

10:16 AM 1920s , 1930s , 1960s , 1970s , Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book , candy , holiday 4 Comments

Still hanging on to those spicy cinnamon hearts from Valentine's? Also known as Red Hots (brand name) or cinnamon imperials (generic name), cinnamon hearts hold a fond place in my childhood memory. As a child I often accompanied my mother on long car trips, so there was nearly always some sort of candy or snack close at hand. Around Valentine's Day, cinnamon hearts made an appearance, and I can still recall the addictive, spicy sting of their flavour on my tongue. This year, Mr. Man brought some home for me, but oddly I found that I couldn't quite tolerate the flavour as much as I could when I was younger. I wondered if I could find some strange historical recipe so that I could use them up rather than waste them. Amazingly, recipes using cinnamon candies date back to at least 1929, which was before the Red Hots brand was trademarked. These candies are almost always paired with apple(sauce) and/or Jell-O, and often seems to hold a special place on holiday tables, as a symbol of family heritage and tradition.

So, compiled for your convenience, some recipes using cinnamon heart candies:

Applesauce with red hots 

From: Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book (1963)
Source

Apple Sundae

From: Reynolds Wrap advertisement (1972)
Source

Imperial Salad/Cinnamon Apple Salad

From: The Parker Cook Book (1932), updated by Laura Gutschke
Source

IMPERIAL SALAD
Cox's cinnamon apple salad called for an usual mix of ingredients that includes cottage cheese, walnuts and red cinnamon candies, famously known as Red Hots. (Another generic name for the candy is cinnamon imperials.) Surprisingly, they work well together.
The candy's intense cinnamon flavor reduces to a subtle hint when cooked in the sugar syrup in the following recipe.
The original instructions called for cooking cored apples whole in the red syrup and stuffing them with a mixture of cottage cheese and walnuts. I instead sliced the apples. I also eliminated the lettuce and mayonnaise that was included in the serving directions.
The apples also can be enjoyed without the cottage cheese.
CINNAMON APPLE SALAD
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar1/2 cup water
1 cup red cinnamon candies
4 crisp apples, sliced
Cottage cheese
Chopped walnuts
Directions
1. In skillet, cook sugar, water and cinnamon candies over medium-high heat to make a syrup. Stir often to blend well.
2. Add apple slices to the syrup mixture and reduce heat to medium. Cook until apples are tender but not broken, about 10 to 15 minutes. Gently stir occasionally.
3. Remove cooked apples from syrup and place slices skin side down on serving platter. Chill in refrigerator about one hour.
4. In a separate bowl, mix about 2 tablespoons walnuts into 1/2 cup cottage cheese for each serving.
5. Place 5-6 apple slices on a plate and top with serving of cottage cheese mixture.

Applesauce Salad

From: Recipe collection, undated
Source

Cinnamon Candy Jell-O Salad

From: unknown (1961)
Source

1 pkg. Cherry Jello
1/4 C. cinnamon candies (Red Hots)
1 C. hot water
2 C. applesauce
Dissolve candies in hot water and add Jello. Stir into applesauce and chill.

Cinnamon Apple Salad Dessert

From: The Evening Independent (1929)
Source

Blushing Snowballs

From: Westinghouse recipe pamphlet (1950s)
Source

Alphabet Pie 

From: 250 Superb Pies and Pastries, Culinary Arts Institute (1941)
Source

Cinnamon Creme

From: Eugene Register-Guard (1959)
Source