Showing posts with label condiments. Show all posts

Chocolate Syrup/Refreshing Drinks for Summer (c.1909) ★★★

I was browsing historical cook books online and I came across this recipe for "Refreshing Drinks for Summer." Even though the first day of summer isn't officially for another month or so, it certainly feels like it's here already in Canada! This seemed like a simple yet tasty recipe for a nice warm-weather beverage.
The cookbook today's recipe comes from was written by Miss Parloa and Mrs. Hill as an advertisement for the Walter Baker Chocolate Company, which many of you might recognize as simply "Baker's chocolate", still widely used in baking today. The company has had remarkable longevity, having been established in Massachusetts 1764. Perhaps their advertising tactics worked!


Original Recipe:
Into a granite-ware saucepan put one ounce—three tablespoonfuls—of Walter Baker & Co.'s Soluble Chocolate, and gradually pour on it half a pint of boiling water, stirring all the time. Place on the fire, and stir until all the chocolate is dissolved. Now add one pint of granulated sugar, and stir until it begins to boil. Cook for three minutes longer, then strain and cool. When cool, add one tablespoonful of vanilla extract. Bottle, and keep in a cold place.
Put into a tumbler about two tablespoonfuls of broken ice, two tablespoonfuls of chocolate syrup, three tablespoonfuls of whipped cream, one gill of milk, and half a gill of soda-water from a syphon bottle, or Apollinaris water. Stir well before drinking. A tablespoonful of vanilla ice-cream is a desirable addition. It is a delicious drink, even if the soda or Apollinaris water and ice-cream be omitted. A plainer drink is made by combining the syrup, a gill and a half of milk, and the ice, shaking well.


The Verdict:
Although this tasted fine, I was kind of disappointed. All this really is is homemade chocolate milk. I thought it would be more like a float, but with only 1/4 cup of soda water, the fizz is pretty much nonexistant. The chocolate syrup is good, but it's a fairly basic recipe to begin with. The amount of vanilla was a tiny bit too much, and I think if possible a vanilla bean boiled in there would have been much tastier than extract. If I were to make this again I would go fancier - forget the ice altogether, mix the milk and chocolate syrup with more soda water, and add the whipped cream and ice cream on top, perhaps with a drizzle of syrup. I give this recipe 3 stars, not because it tasted bad, but because was pretty average and tasted just like chocolate milk which could have been made without the ice, whipped cream, and soda water. Anyway, the rest of the syrup will make a yummy ice cream topping!


Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Chocolate and Cocoa Recipes By Miss Parloa and Home Made Candy Recipes By Mrs. Janet McKenzie Hill)

Chocolate Syrup
1 ounce COCOA POWDER
1 cup BOILING WATER
2 cups SUGAR
1 tablespoon VANILLA EXTRACT

Refreshing Drinks for Summer
2 tablespoons BROKEN ICE
2 tablespoons CHOCOLATE SYRUP
3 tablespoons WHIPPED CREAM
1/2 cup MILK
1/4 cup SODA WATER
1 tablespoon VANILLA ICE CREAM (optional)

1. To make the chocolate syrup: boil 1 cup of water, dissolve the cocoa in it when boiling, add the sugar, simmer about 3 more minutes, remove from heat, and add vanilla extract. Let cool before using.
2. To make a refreshing drink: Essentially mix all ingredients together. See "The Verdict" for serving suggestions.
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National Peanut Butter Day

The internet is telling me that today is National Peanut Butter Day in the United States!
...Okay, so I'm not in the USA, but Canada is close enough, right? Plus, any excuse to celebrate peanut butter is okay with me.
So here's a retro advertisement for Peter Pan peanut butter, from 1954. Is it just me or does that little girl look a bit...off?
(From The Gallery of Graphic Design)

Here's another advertisement, this time for Ann Page peanut butter and dated 1949. This one is of a little more interest as it lists some lovely ways to use peanut butter...
(From The Gallery of Graphic Design)

PEANUT BUTTER SPREADS
1. Combine Ann Page Peanut Butter with chopped crisp cooked bacon.
2. Combine equal parts Ann Page Peanut Butter with Ann Page Orange Marmalade.
3. Combine equal parts Ann Page Peanut Butter with Ann Page Chili Sauce.
4. Combine equal parts Ann Page Peanut Butter and Ann Page Sweet Garden Relish.
What is with peanut butter and bacon?! It seems to be a popular combination - and one that is experiencing a revival today as well with the whole bacon fad. I'm wondering how peanut butter and orange tastes together. Unfortunately I don't have any of these ingredients on hand to try out the combinations!
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Buffalo Cake/Lemon Honey (1914) ★★★

I couldn't dig up much information on this oddly named cake. I found one modern blogger who has a very similar recipe. She labels it "retro" and says:
"This is a cake I remember fondly from my childhood. I have no idea where it came from, it’s a handwritten recipe in my mum’s recipe folder. Searching online brings no answers either!
It’s a simple sponge with a lemon & coconut icing. Resist eating it for a day or so if you can as it improves with age – it gets heavier and denser. I loved it when I was a child – my mum used to cut it into squares about 2″ x 2″." 
It seems that this blogger is from the United Kingdom. That shows an interesting link between what was eaten in New Zealand and what was eaten in the British Isles. 
On a completely different note, I also found a North American "Buffalo Cake" which has sour cream, nuts, and melted chocolate chips in it. Interesting!
I'm quite surprised by this cake, really. Considering the amount of eggs, butter, and sugar - not to mention fresh lemons! - it must have been very expensive to make, especially in wartime. That said, The Sure to Rise Cookery Book was originally published in 1908, so this is very likely a pre-war recipe. I wonder how much use it got in the coming years.


Original Recipe:


The Verdict:
I wasn't sure if "sponge sandwich tins" meant to just cook two layers, or if these are supposed to be mini cakes. I went with 2 large layers, just because the recipe is called "Buffalo Cake", singular. I used all purpose flour. The recipe was easy enough to follow, but I wish it had included milk in the ingredients list. The cake is okay - not spectacular, and quite plain on its own. With the filling and icing it was good, though.
The lemon honey (which is ironic, because there is no honey in it) didn't really thicken as much as I had hoped. I cooked it for a while, but it didn't get any thicker than runny honey (ha ha). It stayed inbetween the layers well enough, but it was still a little runnier than I would have preferred. Taste-wise it was good. There was also a ton of it left over, so the recipe should be halved, at least.
There was no recipe in the book for icing, so I just went with powdered sugar and lemon juice. Simple enough.
Mr. Man thought it was tasty, but too sugary. I feel like this was probably because of the icing. Overall, I don't think I'd make this again, just because of the effort in making the curd for just an average taste. I would eat it voluntarily, though, so it's not all bad. I just feel like I've made better historical and modern lemon cakes.


Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Sure to Rise Cookery Book)

Buffalo Cake
1/4 pound UNSALTED BUTTER
3/4 cup SUGAR
2 EGGS
1 1/4 cups FLOUR
2 teaspoons BAKING POWDER
MILK, to thin

Lemon Honey
1/2 pound SUGAR
2 LEMONS, juiced and zested
2 ounces UNSALTED BUTTER
2 EGGS

Lemon Icing
POWDERED SUGAR
LEMON JUICE

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour two sponge tins or cake pans.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs. Add the flour and baking powder. Little by little, add enough milk to make a thin batter.
3. Evenly divide the batter among the two prepared pans. Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Meanwhile, make the lemon honey by mixing all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and cooking over low to medium heat until thickened.
5. When the cake and the lemon honey are cool, but together. Mix together enough powdered sugar and lemon juice to make an icing and spread over the top of the cake. Serve.
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Pacific Red Pineapple Sauce (1939) ★★★★★

This recipe for a sweet sauce comes from the portion of the cookbook dedicated to the Southwest and the West. The section doesn't really make distinctions between the states, but considering the recipe calls specifically for Oregon strawberries, I think it's fair to make a guess that this is a recipe from Oregon.
I love the name of this recipe - something about the phrase "pacific red" makes me think of a vibrant sunset over the Pacific ocean.


Original Recipe:







The Verdict:
Full disclosure - I did use frozen strawberries. It's just more economical, I mean, I already had them in my kitchen. I also only had 3/4 cup of pineapple juice, so I added some crushed pineapple to reach the full 1 cup amount. I love how simple this recipe is, though - three ingredients, 1 cup of each. I was pretty sure this would turn out super yummy, and I was right! This sauce is really lovely. My only complaint was that it was a tad sweet. Next time I would add a bit of lemon juice to cut the sweetness a bit. I also had to boil mine a little harder, just because the frozen berries released a lot of liquid. It will thicken a little bit when it cools. I half-mashed my berries, because I like to have chunks. Actually, the crushed pineapple I added made some nice crunchy bits too. I love having that texture, but Mr. Man shuddered when he looked at it, so I guess if you don't share my enthusiasm for lumpy sauce, it can be pureed. I would definitely make this again - in fact, I might keep this as my go-to strawberry sauce.


 Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from New York World's Fair Cook Book: The American Kitchen)

The original recipe is easy to follow.
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Caramel Sandwiches (1915) ★★★★★

Perhaps its my Dutch roots showing, but I'd prefer a deliciously sweet sandwich like this over a savory one any day!

Original Recipe:
1 tablespoon of butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 tablespoon of water
Melt the butter with the light brown sugar, and the water; cook for a few moments, till well incorporated, then spread between slices of buttered bread.

The Verdict:
This tastes exactly like sucre a la creme! And for those who aren't familiar with this Canadian treat, sucre a la creme is a traditional fudge from Quebec which is made with, well...pretty much the exact same ingredients as this sandwich filling. It was a delicious and decadent spread which seemed perfect for tea time sandwiches. I used whole wheat bread because it's just what we eat, but I think white bread would make this prettier and would really let the caramel flavour shine a little more. The caramel itself was a bit grainy, but that's probably just my impatience. It didn't bother me at all, but if you want a smoother spread, make sure the sugar completely dissolves (234 - 240F) and stir constantly as it cools so that large sugar crystals won't form.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Suffrage Cook Book)

1 tablespoon BUTTER, unsalted
1 tablespoon WATER
1 cup BROWN SUGAR
BREAD

1. In a small saucepan, heat the butter, water, and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved (234 - 240F). Once the sugar has dissolved, heat to boiling. Remove from heat and stir briskly until thickened and cooled.
2. Butter slices of bread and sandwich the cooled caramel between two slices. The caramel will solidify quickly, so only do one sandwich at a time and make sure the caramel is still warm enough to spread. Remove crusts and cut into fancy shapes if desired.
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Black Butter (1839) ★★★★★

I picked this recipe because I was really intrigued by the name. The recipe claims that it is healthier than salt butter....but I'm not really sure how sugary fruit is any better than salty butter...? Anyway, this is a great 2-ingredient recipe for some quick jam. I bet this would even be great used as a sauce on pancakes or ice cream or as the filling for a cake.


Original Recipe:

The Verdict:
I used cherries and I really liked this! It was sooo yummy. Little Y liked it too :)
The only thing is that I overcooked it a little too much, so it was very thick and a bit tough to spread. It didn't effect the taste at all though. Also, I added a tiny bit of water, because the cherries weren't super juicy. Other fruits like berries might not need the extra water, especially if they're from frozen.

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from The Good Housekeeper)

1 pound BERRIES, CURRANTS, or CHERRIES
1/2 pound SUGAR

1. Wash and pit fruit, if needed. Mix sugar and fruit in a medium saucepan. Add a small amount of water if needed, but remember the fruit will emit some juices.
2. Boil fruit until it has reduced to 1/4 the original amount and is thick enough to spread on bread.
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Picnic Lunch (c. 1905) ★★★★





Summer is the perfect time for picnics, so I thought I would share this bill of fare for a picnic lunch from a circa 1905 California cookbook. I also decided to include some lemonade with our picnic. It isn't listed in this menu, but it was included in another picnic menu from the same cookbook. Also, I didn't make the salad dressing because I just used mayonnaise.
Overall, it seems like picnic food hasn't changed much over the years!












Original Recipes: 
The Verdict:
Veal Loaf: It was good, but I overdid the celery salt just a bit. It's very strong stuff, so you only need a pinch. Other than that it was yummy.

Cheese Sandwiches: Well...it's just mustard and cheese in bread, so....yeah, it was good.

Olive Sandwiches: Mr. Man really liked these, but our olives had apparently gone off, so he threw it out. He said otherwise the sandwich would have been delicious.

Potato Salad: Mr. Man LOVED this. But he loves anything with cayenne, so I wasn't surprised. He practically licked the bowl clean.

Wafers: At first I thought these were super weird and didn't really like them, but the more I ate the better they tasted. They cooked up with domes in the centers and were really spongy like mini pancakes. I am assuming you are supposed to eat these with jam, since the menu says to bring along some jelly. They taste very buttery and are alright on their own, but really delicious with jam.

Overall, a lovely picnic and all the recipes were edible!










Modernized Recipes:
(Adapted from The Times Cook Book, No. 2 )

Veal Loaf
1 1/2 pounds GROUND VEAL or BEEF
1/4 pound BUTTER, softened
1/4 cup CRACKERS, crushed, or BREAD CRUMBS
1/4 cup MILK
1 EGG
SALT
PEPPER
SAGE
THYME
CELERY SALT
BUTTER

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix together ground veal (or beef; I used ground beef), butter, crackers/bread crumbs, milk, egg, and spices to taste.
3. Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place in the middle of the lined cookie sheet.
4. Bake the loaf for about 1 hour, basting occasionally with some butter which has been melted with a little water.

Cheese Sandwiches
BREAD
BUTTER, softened
SWISS CHEESE
MUSTARD

1. Butter slices of bread. Fill sandwiches with cheese and mustard.





Olive Sandwiches
BREAD
LETTUCE
OLIVES
MAYONNAISE or SALAD DRESSING

1. Dice olives and mix them with enough mayonnaise to spread on the number of sandwiches you want. I think I used about 5 olives and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise for 1 sandwich.
2. Spread the mixture on crisp lettuce leaves and place between two slices of bread.

Potato Salad
12 medium POTATOES
3 tablespoons PARSLEY, minced
3 tablespoons CELERY, minced
2 tablespoons ONION, minced
SALT
CAYENNE PEPPER
3 HARD BOILED EGGS, diced
1/2 pint MAYONNAISE or SALAD DRESSING

1. Peel and dice 12 medium potatoes. Boil until tender.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients.

Salad Dressing
2 EGG YOLKS
1 tablespoon BUTTER, softened
4 tablespoons VINEGAR
1 teaspoon SALT
1 teaspoon SUGAR
1 teaspoon MUSTARD
1/2 cup CREAM

1. In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolks and the butter. Mix in the vinegar, salt, sugar, and mustard. 
2. Put boiling water in a larger bowl or pot and float the smaller bowl with the dressing in the boiling water. Whisk until it thickens.
3. When the dressing has thickened, take it off the heat and let it cool. Mix in the cream.

Wafers
1 cup UNSALTED BUTTER, softened
1 cup SUGAR
2/3 cup BUTTERMILK
1 teaspoon BAKING SODA
2 EGGS
1/2 teaspoon SALT
FLOUR
JAM, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until combined. Mix in the buttermilk, baking soda, eggs, and salt.
3. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. I think I used 2 cups, or maybe less.
4. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 7 - 10 minutes, or until firm and golden around the edges. Serve with jam if desired.
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