Julienne Soup

Potage a la Julienne was/is a soup of broth with vegetables evenly cut in long thin square shapes, like wooden matchsticks or shoesting potatoes. Two recipes from 1759 and 1846...

Horse Cakes

A Civil War treat sold in Alexandria, Virginia stores for a penny was a gingerbread cookie "cut in the flat, rude shape of a prancing horse with very prominent ears and very stubbed legs. 

Food History Symposiums 2012

There are 6 historic food conferences and symposiums in the next three months:

Muffin Rings, Muffin Pans and Recipes

Initially muffins were what we call "English Muffins" - a yeast dough prepared on a griddle in muffin rings.  Later American recipes for a cake-like muffin used pans or cups.  Recipes for both types of muffins, below.

Grated Pumpkin Pie

Early pumpkin pies were made from pureed or sliced pumpkin.  A third option was to use grated pumpkin. It is important to remove the excess liquid from the grated pumpkin, as described below, before making any of the pie recipes...

Oranges filled with Jelly

Filling emptied orange rinds with jelly was a surprising change in serving 18th and 19th century jellies.  Here are a few recipes...

Monroe Plateau Exhibit

The 14 1/2 foot mirrored plateau in 7 sections was bought by President Monroe in 1817 from Matelin in France.  It had "...16 Figures presenting wreathes for receiving lights [candles] and 16 cups for changing at will, composed of 7 pieces altogether 13 [14] feet 6 inches long, over 2 feet wide, set with its mirrors."  ...

Ham 'n Hay

When boiling ham, hay would be placed in the bottom of a ham boiler. Ham cooked with hay would “…greatly improve the flavor” [Leslie, Eliza.  New Cookery Book.  Phila: 1857], and according to the Detroit Free Press cookbook in 1881, it “…mellows the taste, and keeps it from being burned.”   A third reason given was to absorb impurities ...

Stuffed Pigs Ears - Forced Hogs Ears

There were several ways 18th century cooks prepared hog's ears. Two recipes to stuff the ears are given below.

Gingerbread Rolls and Nuts

John Murrell, 1621 in his receipt for White Gingerbread said to "...roule it in round cakes and print it with your moulds..."  The gingerbread seller from the Cries of Paris, left, has some moulded cakes. In 1749, Charles Carter [below] suggested to shape the gingerbread dough "...into long rolls or cakes, as you please..."

Flowers - To candy, to make paste, a conserve

While looking through Queen's Delight. London: 1683 in the LofC rare books room, I came across these interesting receipts using flower petals - a paste, conserve of Piony, and candied Rosemary flowers...

Mary Foote Henderson's castle

There is an interesting illustrated article HERE about cookbook author Mary Foote Henderson's entertaining and her huge mansion, Boundary Castle, built in 1888 in DC. Not your average cookbook writer's home. 

National Archives talks and other July events

7 activities...

Cup Cake

Some early cakes, such as "Queen's Cakes" [ more info here] were baked in small containers such as cups or small pans.   The name could have come from the measured ingredients 1,2,3,4 cups of butter, sugar, flour and 4 eggs. Much more information and recipes below...

What's Cooking Uncle Sam? exhibit at National Archives DC

What's Cooking Uncle Sam?  was an exhibit at the National Archives in Washington DC.  The Archives just hired a "Wikipedian in Residence"...

Food History Symposium, Workshop - 2011 - part 3

4 events...

Easter Monday egg roll, egg cracking & throwing

Cracking eggs competition in 1836 New York, a White House Egg Roll of 1874, and English Monday egg games in early 1800 are detailed.  Eggs have been decorated for centuries, with some intricate or memorable examples "preserved very carefully in the corner-cupboard ; each egg being the occupant of a deep, long-stemmed ale-glass...

Cries of London on fore-edge painting

Wheatley's picture of a street seller carrying strawberries in pottles is actually on the fore-edge of a book of poems by William Cowper.  What's even more remarkable is there is a different picture if seen from back to front.

Food History Symposiums 2011 part 2

4 symposiums

Queen Cakes and patty-pans

Queen's Cakes are little pound cakes with currants baked in small fluted pans.
So how did they get the name  - was there a particular Queen? Petty or Patty Pans could be large or small, china or tin, and huge numbers. Recipes given for the cake and icing...