Edwardian Promenade » Food

A Proper Early Morning Tea

Evangeline Holland — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:40:17 +0000

Early morning tea, brought by a housemaid who lit the bedroom fire while the lady sipped her tea, was accompanied by paper-thin bread and butter, or plain biscuits: these were home-made, or probably Digestives at ninepence a pound, Osborne at sevenpence, or Thin Arrowroot at eightpence. The ritual of early morning tea was strictly observed in even moderately wealthy houses. — Kate Caffrey’s The 1900s Lady

Ty.phoo Tea and McVitie’s Digestives from World Market

A Little Bit of Titanic on Thanksgiving

Evangeline Holland — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:00:52 +0000

On the Memorial Wall at Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at Luxor, next to a list of passenger names is a quote from Jack Foster that reads, “We are all passengers on the Titanic.” The Belfast philosopher understood that The Ship was a small representation of the world; both in its time almost 100 years ago, as well as today. This Thanksgiving, gather with family and friends around a historic meal and remember the human thread that connects everyone. Whether young or old, rich or poor, everyone is grateful for their experience in this world.

Add some flare to your traditional menu and surprise guests with cuisine of the highest standards enjoyed by Titanic passengers in 1912. To fully recreate the lavish Titanic experience, see below for authentic recipes from the book Last Dinner on the Titanic: Menus and Recipes from the Great Liner.

Third Class: Vegetable Soup
2 tbsp butter
1 finely chopped onion
1 cup each sliced celery and carrot
1 potato, peeled and cubed
5 gloves garlic, minced
1 tsp each dried oregano and thyme
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups white kidney beans, drained
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup asparagus tips
2 cups shredded Swiss chard (or spinach)
Salt & pepper

In large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in onion, celery, carrot, potato, garlic, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until onion is translucent.
Stir in stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are almost tender.
Meanwhile, drain and rinse beans. Stir beans, corn, and asparagus into vegetable mixture. Cook for 5 minutes or until asparagus is bright green and tender. Stir in Swiss chard (or spinach) and season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 6 servings.

Third Class: Currant Buns
¼ cup lukewarm water
½ cup granulated sugar
1 pkg active dry yeast (1 tbsp)
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
¾ cup warm milk
¼ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
½ cup currants (or raisins, chopped dates, or other dried fruit)
2 tbsp icing (powdered or Confectioners’) sugar
1 tbsp water

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine warm water and 1 tbsp of the granulated sugar; sprinkle yeast over top. Let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, blend together remaining sugar, flour, and salt. In small bowl, whisk together milk, butter, and eggs. Stir in yeast mixture until combined.
Make well in dry ingredients; using wooden spoon, stir in yeast mixture until soft dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured board. Knead for 8 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
Transfer dough to large, greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch down; turn onto floured surface; kneed in currants (or substitute). Shape into a 12-inch long log. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces.
Roll pieces of dough into smooth, seamless balls. Place buns on greased baking sheet leaving about 2 inches between each bun. Cover loosely and let rest for 30 minutes.
Bake in 400ºF oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Stir together icing sugar and water; brush over warm buns; let cool on rack. Makes 12 buns.

Second Class: Roast Turkey with Savory Cranberry Sauce
One 10 pound turkey
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon crumbled sage leaves
½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Stuffing
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions chopped
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon each crumbled sage, thyme, and marjoram leaves
¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper
½ cup sherry
10 cups cubed bread, lightly toasted
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chicken stock

Gravy
3 cups chicken stock
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper

To prepare turkey and stuffing:
In skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in onions, celery, sage, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until browned. Stir in sherry; bring to boil. Boil for 5 minutes or until liquid is almost completely evaporated. Cool slightly. Gently stir in bread and parsley; drizzle over chicken stock, stirring to combine. Reserve.

Remove giblets and neck from the turkey cavity; reserve for gravy. Rinse turkey inside and out with running water. Pat dry. Stir together butter, sage, salt and pepper; rub over turkey, inside and out. Loosely pack stuffing into neck and body cavities, fold over and skewer neck flap closed over stuffing. Tie legs together. Bend wing tips underneath bird.

Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan. Tent with foil and roast in 325 °F oven for about 1 ½ hours, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast for 1 ¾ hours, basting every half hour, or until instant-read meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of thiegh reads 185 °F. Let rest for 2 minutes before carving.

To prepare gravy:
Meanwhile, in saucepan, bring chicken stock, turkey neck, giblets, onion and bay leaf to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour; strain, reserving liquid. While cooked turkey rests, skim excess fat from roasting pan. Set pan over high heat; whisk in flour until well combined. Gradually whisk in reserved giblet stock. Bring to boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain and serve alongside turkey.

First Class: Asparagus Salad with Champagne-Saffron Vinaigrette
½ lb asparagus
¼ tsp saffron threads
1 ½ tbsp champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch granulated sugar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
½ sweet red or yellow pepper, finely diced
Lettuce

Holding asparagus halfway up stalk, snap off woody ends at natural breaking point and discard. In wide, deep skillet or large pot of boiling salted water, cook asparagus for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender but not limp. Drain and run under cold water until completely cooled; drain well.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir saffron into 1 tsp boiling water; let stand for 2 minutes or until softened. Stir in champagne vinegar, mustard and sugar. Whisking, drizzle in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add asparagus and diced pepper; toss to coat. Arrange on lettuce-lined serving platter. Makes 6 servings.

– Courtesy of Luxor’s Titanic exhibition

Barbecues in Gilded Age America

Evangeline Holland — Mon, 30 May 2011 11:00:19 +0000

The barbecue was an established institution in the Southwest. It had in no other part of the country so many devotees. There was a charm in the name that would at any time call together a large concourse of people, on the shortest notice, and for any occasion. And the savory smell of roasted ox, sheep, shoats, turkeys, rabbits, or whatever else was prepared to appease the appetite of a crowd, would keep them together to hear the longest political speeches, listen to the most protracted school examinations, give their attention to the most elaborate expositions of the importance of some projected turnpike or railroad, and secure a patient waiting and an unbroken audience on any occasion when the ‘barbecue feast was to be the agreeable conclusion.

~ In the brush; or, Old-time social, political, and religious life in the Southwest by Hamilton Wilcox Pierson, 1881

The Strand Magazine, volume 16, 1898

The Art of Composing a Menu

Evangeline Holland — Fri, 20 May 2011 11:00:24 +0000

Hosting a dinner party required more than an elegant setting and congenial guests, it required the host or hostess’s utmost skill in planning a menu. The general serving pattern was hors d’oeuvres, soup, fish, entree, removes, meat, salad, savoury, sorbet, dessert, but the best planners and cooks knew which dishes would complement during a long meal, and how to mix the latest fashions with traditional fare. For the hostess, it was also imperative that the menus be printed in French, and books were published to help ladies with even the slightest knowledge of the language turn plain boiled Artichokes with butter sauce into the more florid Artichauts sauce au beurre.

Here are a few sample menus written in French. Can you decipher the dishes using Nancy Lake’s Menus Made Easy?

Happy Birthday to Coca-Cola!

Evangeline Holland — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:17:26 +0000

In a 1914 issue of Cosmopolitan, Coca-Cola Vice President Samuel Candler Dobbs recounts the history of the drink and the company:

When Coca-Cola was first offered to the trade the soda water business was an insignificant item in both confectionery and drug stores.

Coca-Cola sales in its first year were extremely small, about 25 gallons were sold to local dealers in Atlanta, Georgia, and nearby towns. That was in 1886.

In 1887 small advertisements were run in Atlanta, Columbus, Birmingham and Memphis newspapers, about 1,000 gallons being sold that year. The business grew slowly, but the sales were gradually extended until Coca-Cola could be found in most of the principal cities of the country.

In 1905 The Coca-Cola Company, feeling the need of a nationalized influence, began the use of standard magazines, both monthly and weekly publications. The increase in the sales of Coca-Cola from that time to the present time have been little short of marvelous. The first year showed an increase of nearly a half million gallons; the next year about six hundred thousand gallons.

Later newspapers were added, and today the announcement to the public that ‘Coca Cola is Delicious and Refreshing’ is to be found during the season from the first of April until the first of October, in the principal magazines, and weekly and daily newspapers of this country.

Having no distinctive package to advertise, The Coca-Cola Company has persistently used its peculiar trade mark script, with the catchlines, ‘Delicious and Refreshing,’ usually accompanied by an illustration of a soda fountain or a glass of Coca-Cola, and the curved arrow which has become so much a part of their advertising, linking the name to the product, until to-day wherever observers see an arrow they almost involuntarily think of Coca-Cola.

But this business has not been built up without the expenditure of vast sums of money and a great deal of hard work. Like all great successes Coca-Cola has found its enemies. These attacks have emanated from the misinformed, from the envious, and sometimes from those seeking the natural publicity which comes from attacking a nationalized product.

Recently the mere attacks that have been made against the product culminated in one especially vigorous action brought by the Government to determine whether Coca-Cola was really deleterious, or misbranded under the National Food Law. This attack was defeated, the Circuit Court of Appeals deciding that Coca-Cola was not manufactured, made or sold in violation of the Food Law. That decision can best be summarized in the words of the court:

“No example is so clear as the very one here involved. Every member of Congress has been familiar from childhood, with tea and coffee; perhaps most of them drank it. The average cup of coffee contains more than two grains of caffeine; the average cup of tea, one and one-half grains. A glass of Coca-Cola, as consumed, contains one and one-fifth grains of caffeine. The chemical qualities and the physiological effects of the caffeine which is in the tea or coffee and of the caffeine which is in the Coca-Cola are precisely the same. We are quite convinced that the use in an artificial beverage of a certain element which had been one of its characteristic elements for many years, and when such use was in less proportion than the same element was known to make up in different natural beverages then in universal use and generally thought wholesome— that such an element so employed could not have been within the meaning of Congress when it chose the words ‘added deleterious ingredient’”

The Coca-Cola Company never attempts to take its troubles into the public press. It has never indulged in negative advertising, but persistently and insistently keeps to its story of the virtues of ‘Coca-Cola, Delicious and Refreshing,’ believing that genuine merit, coupled up with efficient selling plans and ample advertising appropriations, was bound to succeed. In the end this judgment has been more than vindicated, as Coca-Cola sales now aggregate about 100,000,000 glasses per month.

Fine Dining in Gilded Age New York

Evangeline Holland — Mon, 02 May 2011 11:00:54 +0000

I’ve already detailed the razzle-dazzle nightlife of the “Lobster Palace Society“, but let’s take a look at an actual menu from one of Broadway’s infamous restaurants: Rector’s.

Click to enlarge - © The New York Public Library

Check out the entire collection of historical menus at the New York Public Library’s online database.

Taste the Past: Tomato Bisque

Evangeline Holland — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:00:11 +0000

Tomato bisque

I’m nuts about soup, but I usually buy it from my local delis or supermarkets because of the perceived time it takes to make a proper soup. When I stumbled on the foodie blog Back to Her Roots, I was floored by the absolutely simple recipe for a delicious, creamy tomato bisque and immediately gathered the ingredients to make this soup! Above is a picture I shot with my equally simple point-and-shoot (a Canon A590 to be more precise) and I can attest that the soup tastes even better than it looks!

After the roasting, blending, and scalding necessary for the recipe, I suddenly wondered about the provenance of tomato bisque—after all, if the first recipe for plain tomato soup was found in Maria Parloa’s 1872 book The Appledore Cook Book, and if Joseph Cambell placed condensed tomato soup on the market in 1897, tomato bisque cannot be far behind. A quick search on Google Books turns up quite a few, and to my surprise, those recipes are not so different from the one I followed.

From the 1899 Snap Shots at Cookery by the Church of the Ascension (Buffalo, N.Y.):

Take one quart of sweet milk; let it come to a boil; have all ready two tablespoonfuls of flour and a small piece of butter thoroughly mixed to a cream, and mix in with the milk while boiling. Just before serving, take one quart stewed tomatoes (or can of tomatoes), mix in one half teaspoonful soda, mix all together, season with pepper and salt to taste. Serve immediately, as any delay will make it curdle.

From the 1912 The Helping Hand Cook Book by Marion Harland & Christine Terhune Herrick:

Cook a can of tomatoes over the fire until soft, with a sliced onion. If ripe tomatoes are plentiful use the equivalent of a can. Rub through a colander. Cook together two tablespoonfuls of butter and two of flour until they bubble and put with them a quart of milk. Stir until milk and thickening are well blended. Add to the strained tomato a heaping teaspoonful of white sugar and salt and pepper to taste, put with the milk and serve at once. If it stands it is likely to curdle.

From Volume 24 of American Cookery (1920):

Scald one quart of milk with a stalk of celery and two slices of onion. Press enough cooked tomatoes through a sieve to make one pint; add half a teaspoonful of salt and pepper as desired. Stir one-third a cup of flour and a teaspoonful of salt with milk to make a smooth batter; dilute with a little of the hot milk, stir until smooth, then stir into the rest of the hot milk. Continue stirring until smooth and thick; cover and let cook fifteen minutes. Strain into the hot puree, mix thoroughly, and serve at once with croutons.

Interesting isn’t it? My attention caught on the first two recipes, which called for quick serving to keep the milk from curdling. I used skim milk and wondered if it was invented in the Edwardian era. Back to Google I went, and a 1912 book aptly titled The Milk Question championed the use of skim milk, as there seemed to be a prejudice against it around the turn of the century (the book even said skim milk was banned in some cities). I don’t know if I’d actually those these old recipes, but in the meantime, bon appétit!

New Years and Hoppin’ John

Evangeline Holland — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:00:31 +0000

Why Some Folks Eat Collard Greens on New Years'

One of the traditions which arose from America’s culinary melting pot is the consumption of Hoppin’ John and collard greens. Deriving from the Gullah people of coastal Georgia and South Carolina–by way of West African cuisine and the French and Spanish Middle Ages custom of eating beans on New Years Day–the dishes are thought to bring good luck to the new year, with the black-eyed peas in Hoppin’ John symbolizing pennies, and the collard greens symbolizing money. Regional variations of the tradition included the use of grits and peas in Alabama, the use of rice and peas in South Carolina, and some adding rice (for health) and cornbread. Either way you choose to fix them, they are a reminder of the unique, but shared heritage of African-Americans.

Further Reading:
Hog and Hominy: Soul Food from Africa to America by Frederick Douglass Opie
Stirring the Pot: A History of African Cuisine by James McCann
What the Slaves Ate: Recollections of African American Foods and Foodways by Herbert C. Covey & Dwight Eisnach

A Few Thanksgiving Menus

Evangeline Holland — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 02:58:49 +0000

From Mrs. Rorer’s Vegetable Cookery and Meat Substitutes (1909):

Mock Oyster Soup
1 bunch salsify
1 pint milk
1 quart water
1 sliced onion
1 bay leaf
1 tbs butter
1 tbs flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Scrape the salsify; throw it at once into cold water to prevent discoloration; ; cut it into slices about half an inch thick; throw these into a kettle, with the water, onion, and bay leaf; cook slowly half an hour. Put the milk in a double boiler; add the butter and flour, rubbed together; stir until the milk is thick and smooth. Then add it to the salsify and water in the saucepan; add the seasonings, and serve with oyster crackers.

Crackers
Celery
Olives

Mock Turkey
1 pint breadcrumbs
1 pint mixed nuts
1 pint boiled rice
6 hard-boiled eggs
3 raw eggs
1 tbs grated onion
1 tbs salt
1 tsp pepper

Put the breadcrumbs in a saucepan with a pint of water; cook for a few minutes; add the hard-boiled eggs, chopped; take saucepan from the fire and add the nuts (a mixture of peanuts and pine nuts is best), and the rice. When this is well mixed, add the raw eggs, slightly beaten. Form this into the shape of a turkey, reserving a portion for the legs and the wings. Take a tablespoon of the mixture in your hand and press it into the shape of a leg; put a piece of dry macaroni into it for the bone and fasten it to the turkey. Brush the turkey with butter and bake for one hour. Serve with cranberry sauce.

Sauce Soubise
Peel and cut in slices three large onions. Put them into a saucepan with one ounce of butter, cover, and simmer gently about three-quarters of an hour; the onions must be colored. When tender and soft, add a tablespoonful of flour, mix and press through a colander. Add one gill of stock and one gill of cream, stir continually until it boils. Add a half teaspoonful of salt, a dash of pepper, a grating of nutmeg and it is ready to serve.

Cranberry Jelly
Canned Peas
Sweet Potatoes

Thanksgiving Pie

Mock Mince Pie
1 cup seeded raisins, chopped fine
1 egg
2/3 cup molasses
1/2 cup cider or grape juice
4 Uneeda biscuits
1/2 cup washed currants
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shredded citron
1 tbs vinegar
Juice and rind one lemon

Roll the crackers, put them in a bowl, and add all of the fruit. Beat the egg until light, add the molasses, grape juice or cider, sugar and lemon. Mix, and, if you like, add a half teaspoon of cinnamon.

Pie Crust
2 tbs nut butter
1 pint flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup ice water

Rub the nut butter into the flour, add the salt, and gradually the ice water; the crust must not be too wet. Roll this out as you would other pastry. Line a pie-tin; put in the mock mince meat, cover with an upper crust; bake 45 minutes in a moderate oven.

Coffee

From The Boston Cooking School Cook Book (1896):

Oyster Soup
Crisp Crackers

Celery
Salted Almonds

Roast Turkey
Cranberry Jelly

Mashed Potatoes
Onions in Cream
Squash

Chicken Pie.
Fruit Pudding
Sterling Sauce

Mince, Apple, and Squash Pie
Neapolitan Ice Cream
Fancy Cakes

Fruit
Nuts and Raisins
Bonbons

Crackers
Cheese

Cafe Noir

From The Delmonico Cook Book (1890):

Shrewsbury Oysters
Giblet à l’Ecoissaise
Mortadella
Celery
Codfish, Egg sauce
Lamb chops à la Robinson
Croquettes of Macaroni
Curry of Chicken à l’Espagnole
Mushrooms on Toast
Punch en Surprise
Roast Turkey, Cranberry sauce
Celery Salad
Mince Pie
Strachino Cheese
Coffee

Fannie’s Last Supper

Evangeline Holland — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:00:23 +0000

About the Book

Before The Joy of Cooking, there was The Boston Cooking School Cookbook. Written by Fannie Farmer, principal of the school, and published in 1896, it was the best-selling cookbook of its age – and like any classic, it is ripe for reevaluation. And who better to conduct such an examination than Chris Kimball, founder of Cook’s Illustrated and host of PBS’s America’s Test Kitchen?

Fannie’s Last Supper is the result. In it, Kimball describes the experience of recreating one of Fannie Farmer’s amazing menus: a 12-course Christmas dinner that she served at the end of the century. Kimball immersed himself in the full experience of managing close to twenty different recipes – including Rissoles, Lobster a l’Americaine, Roast Goose with Potato Stuffing, and Mandarin Cake — all in an authentic Victorian home kitchen. The recipes required mastering many now-forgotten techniques, including regulating the heat on a coal cook stove and boiling a calf’s head without its turning to mush – all sans food processor or oven thermometer. Sourcing the unusual ingredients and implements led to some hilarious scenes, bizarre tastings, and an incredible armchair experience for any reader interested in food and the Victorian era.

Fannie’s Last Supper is also a working cookbook, including the dishes from the dinner and revised and updated recipes from The Boston Cooking School Cookbook. It is a culinary thriller in which one travels back in time to take a fresh look at something that most of us take for granted – the American table.

I consider myself an amateur cook, and I love both food and history (and food history) and Fannie’s Last Supper fulfills my every requirement in a book combining American social history, food, cooking, and eating habits. And better yet, a TV special accompanies the book, which will air on local U.S. public broadcast networks this Fall. Visit the official website, FanniesLastSupper.com for more information on both the book, the author, and the TV program.

buy from: Indiebound | Powell’s | Borders | Amazon | B & N