Four Pounds Flour

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2010-03-12T13:06:00.004-05:00

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Snaphot: Pinons

2010-03-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Pine nuts.

My friend Cecile is visiting from Belgium, and she brought me a little gift: pine nuts, collected during a hike in the south of France. I've never even seen a pine nut in it's shell before! I'm going to make something really special with these; perhaps some Pignoli Cookies.

Travelogue: Chickens Cooked in Bladders

2010-03-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Left: My teacher proudly displays a chicken stuffed into a bladder.

The weekend before Pancakes Aplenty, I took a trip down to Pennsbury Manor, the recreated historic homestead of William Penn. I attended a hearth cooking workshop by Past Masters in Early American Domestic Arts to brush up on my skillz.

The featured recipe we recreated was from an 18th century source, "Chickens in Bladders." You essentially take two small chickens, stuff them with a bread crumb and oyster dressing, then tuck meatballs under the skin, then shove the whole thing in a cow's bladder. Our teacher, Clarissa, stretched out the cow's bladders by cutting off one end and forcing her hands inside, in procedure that looked either like a reverse birth or an old timey freak show. The chickens were then coerced inside and the whole thing was boiled for about two hours. When they came out, they looked like human balloons.

Forcing a chicken into a cow bladder. Photo by Carolina Capehart.

The finished chicken. The bladders were cut open, the chicken removed and carved.

The bladders acted like a sausage casing, keeping all the stuffing in place. The chicken meat was very tender, and flavorful, but the flavor was predominantly of oysters (not my favorite food). It was served atop a "Coolio," and I was so distracted thinking about the rapper, that I think I may have missed what it actually was. The full recipe, for your enjoyment, is below. You can see more photos from the class here.

Take Ox-Bladders that are ready dry’d, and put them into warm Water to supple them: Cut off the Necks of the Bladders, to make Room for your Fowl to go in, but be sure to leave Room enough to tie them up close; then let your Fowl be drawn, singed, and truss’d to boil, the Legs* cut off, and truss’d close: Take Oysters, if three Fowls, to each a Quart, to a Chicken a Pint, set them, and beard them; take Lumps of Marrow, Chestnuts blanch’d, or Pistachoe-Nut Kernels; season with Pepper, Salt, and Nutmeg, Thyme and Parsly minc’d, and a little Onion; work this up together with grated Bread, a little Cream, and the Yolks of Eggs, and fill the Bellies full of it, and force under the Skin of the Breast with a little light forc’d meat: Put them in your Bladders, and tie them up fast, leaving Room that the Bladders may not break; boil them well, for they will require as much more boiling as without Bladders; then make a Coolio with a Sweetbread or two, a few Cocks-combs, a few Morelles and Trouffles; do not make it too thick; pout it in the Bottom of your Dish; lay your Fowl on it: You may cut off the Bladders, when they are cut up, the inside Forceing will mix with the Coolio: Garnish with Forc’d- meat and sliced Orange or Lemon, and serve it away hot. (The Complete Practical Cook by Charles Carter; London, 1730)

Events: Pancakes Aplenty! Wrap-up and Recipes

2010-03-08T01:39:00.004-05:00

Cooking Apple, Sour Milk & Molasses Pancakes at Old Stone House yesterday. See more photos from the event here.

I was too immersed in pancake making to know how many people came out to the event yesterday. Take a look for yourself:

Despite a constant flow of pancakes, the line was this long for an hour and a half. I was flabberghasted.

I want to thank everyone who was able to make it out yesterday, and thank you for waiting patiently and amicably while I furiously flipped flapjakes. I simply was not prepared, nor was I expecting, to serve hearth-cooked pancakes for 200 people; I'm so pleased that everyone was able to get a taste, and (hopefully) went home happy.

If you enjoyed yourself, then I encourage you to make these recipes at home! They work just as well on an electric skillet as they do over an open hearth--and it's probably a more efficient method of cooking.

Thank you again for the wonderful day; if you were able to attend, please leave your thoughts in the comments. Enjoy the recipes, and I sincerely hope to see you at another event in the future.

***

Apple Pancakes
Adapted from The New England Economical Housekeeper by Esther Allen Howland, 1845.
Modern recipe adapted from The Old Sturbridge Village Cookbook, 3rd ed. by Jack Larkin, 2009.

The original recipes instructs the cook to deep fry these pancakes in lard, like a doughnut. But I find this recipe works just as well fried with butter on a griddle or in a skillet.

2 cups sour milk or 1 1/2 cups fresh milk with 2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 baking apples
3/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour

1. Combine milk and molasses, whisking until emulsified.

2. Pare and core apples, and dice into 1/4 in. cubes. Add to milk and molasses mixture and set aside.

3. In another bowl, whisk cornmeal, baking soda and flour until combined. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour milk mixture into the well, and mix until combined.

4. Fry in a skillet or on a griddle, with a generous amount of butter. Serve with maple syrup, butter, or a hard sauce.

Clove and Rosewater Pancakes
Adapted from The New England Economical Housekeeper by Esther Allen Howland, 1845

Rosewater can be food in the Indian or Middle Eastern section of your grocery store.

3 tablespoons sugar

½ tsp cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lighten beaten with
½ tsp rosewater

1 cup whole milk

1. Combine sugar, cloves, baking soda, flour and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until combined; set aside.

2. Whisk the milk into the egg and rosewater mixture.

3. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour milk mixture into the well, and mix until combined.

4. Fry in a skillet or on a griddle, using a generous amount of butter. Serve with maple syrup, butter, or a hard sauce.

Pumpkin Cornmeal Pancakes
Adapted from Food, Drink and Celebrations of the Hudson Valley Dutch by Peter G. Rose, 2009.

"Although (the Dutch) continued their own food ways, they did incorporate native foods into their daily diets. They did so, however, in ways that were familiar to them: for example, when they made pumpkin cornmeal pancakes (cornmeal instead of wheat flour) or pumpkin sweetmeat (instead of quince paste)."

-- Food, Drink and Celebrations of the Hudson Valley Dutch by Peter G. Rose

1 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs, lightly beaten with
1 1/2 cups whole milk

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and spices. Set aside.

2. Whisk together egg and milk mixture with pumpkin puree until throughly amalgamated.

3. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour milk mixture into the well, and mix until combined.

4. Fry in a skillet or on a griddle, with a generous amount of butter. Serve with maple syrup, butter, or a hard sauce.

A Hard Sauce

From Miss Corson's Practical American Cookery and Household Management by Juliet Corson, 1886.

1 pound unsalted butter, room tempeature

2 cups sugar
½ cup white wine or brandy
1 tsp nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)

Beat in an electric mixer on medium until evenly combined.

Events: Pancakes this Sunday!

2010-03-02T23:05:00.000-05:00

Do you know there are free pancakes at Old Stone House this Sunday? Pancakes made by me?? The official press release is below!

***

EVENT LISTING: Pancakes Aplenty

DATE: Sunday, March 7^th

TIME: 11am - 1pm.

LOCATION: The Old Stone House in Washington Park, 5^th Ave. at 3^rd St., Brooklyn

DETAILS: Stop by for brunch and a taste of the past at Brooklyn's Old Stone House. Historic gastronomist Sarah Lohman flips flapjacks over an open fire, and will recreate three historic pancake recipes: Pumpkin Cornmeal; Apple and Sour Milk; and Clove and Rosewater. Sure to tickle the modern palate, the pancakes will be served will all the fixins' as well as hot drinks. Music for the little ones will be provided by Ivan Ulz, so bring the whole family. Presented by the New York Nineteenth Century Society and The Old Stone House. FREE

- More -

Sarah Lohman researches and recreates historic food, creating dishes that look, smell, and taste just like they did hundreds of years ago. She opens a delectable window to the past, letting her lucky tasters understand a little bit about another way of life.

Snapshot: Wild Game at Henry's End

2010-02-26T18:03:00.002-05:00

The Mixed Game Grill at Henry's End: Elk chop, venison sausage, and the wild boar belly is buried in back, under some sort of pomegranate chutney.

Last weekend, the Boyf took me out for a belated Valentines. We ate some animals at the Wild Game Festival at Henry's End Restaurant in Brooklyn. I had the Mixed Game Grill, pictured above, which included herb crusted elk chops; venison sausage; and wild boar belly. I found the first two to be a little heavy on the seasoning; if I'm going to eat exotic animals, I want to taste their flesh! The herb crust on the elk was overpowering, but after I scraped it off, I found the meat to be tender, juicy and flavorful. The venison sausage was tasty, but tasted like herbs, not venison. The boar belly had the purest flavor, and was well prepared.

The boyf had ostrich, pictured right, with coos coos.

Cocktail Hour: The Irish Rose

2010-02-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

This beverage is another one from my recent Pre-Prohibition birthday party. Don't be fooled by it's cherry-pop color; the Irish Rose is a manly dose of whiskey perfectly co-mingled with a swig of grenadine. We really don't drink enough grenadine these days.

This has become my favorite beverage for my four-o'clock Judge Judy cocktail break. I think it will become yours, too.

***
The Irish Rose
From The Ideal Bartender by Tom Bullock, 1917.

1 oz. Grenadine
1.5 oz. Whiskey
Seltzer

Fill a glass with ice; a rocks glass or a tumbler will do. Add grenadine and whiskey. Fill glass with seltzer. Stir until condensation appears on the outside of the glass and the contents are thoroughly mixed. Serve and enjoy.

Events: Timeline of Taste at Trade School

2010-02-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, I taught a class at Trade School; it was a brief (but edible) overview of the last 200 years of America's favorite flavors. These photos were taken by my friend Ilana, and I think her description of the class sums it up best:

We feasted on treats from several time periods, "A Rich Cake" by Amelia Simmons from 1796 was by far my favorite. Dense and full of "stuff", it was AWESOME. Not to mention from a 1796 recipe to boot......

Speaking of the Trade School, however, holy moly what an amazing place. As per their website:

"Take a class every night with a range of specialized teachers in exchange for basic items and services. Secure a spot in a Trade School class by meeting one of the teacher’s barter needs."

So the classes are essentially free. Sarah's class cost me two dozen eggs. Can't be beat for such a wonderful range of classes in such a cozy space.

**Note on the above pics, unfortunately I was so engrossed in the class that I completely forgot about my camera till we got to the last recipe - a jokey take on Charlotte Russe, a popular 19th c. street food (ed. note: actually early 20th century street food, but a popular dessert in different forms since the 18th century). We made ours with store bought lady fingers, whipped cream from a can and maraschino cherries......yum? A take on 1950's convienence food.

Assembling Charlotte Russe.

This Charlotte Russe is a little bit sad--the Reddi Whip was warm, so it melted pretty fast.

On the left, "A Rich Cake" and on the right a currant cake from the 1840s.

One of my students brought me this lovely bottle of port as barter for my class. She included a recipe for port wine fudge from her home state of California. So nice!

Trade School is only around until the end of the month, so sign up for a class here. And if you missed this event, never fear! Pancakes Aplenty is on March 7th at Old Stone House.

Menus: Washington's B-day at Niblo's Saloon, Broadway

2010-02-22T12:19:00.001-05:00

Eaten on this day in 1851 at Niblo's Saloon. I think my favorite dishes are the Chicken Sallad and the Beef Tongues, both served in "gelee"; the Pigeons and the Widgeons; and (no party is a party without) Charlotte Russe. I don't know which would have been my favorite ornamental piece; probably the Fruits of Industry.

Retronovated Recipes: Braised Turtle

2010-02-17T00:00:00.002-05:00

I've been doing some research on turtle meat for my upcoming Edible Queens article and I wanted to share a great recipe that won't make it to print. The reason? The article is due out in June, and this slow braised, spicy dish is perfect for winter. The taste of the tender meat will envelop you like a warm hug.

My inspiration was the first printed American recipe for turtle from Amelia Simmon's American Cookery. I actually used veal to test this recipe, and I think it would be equally good with a cut of beef or lamb. This dish is so easy and delicious, you should serve up some turtle meat surprise at your next Sunday dinner.

***
Braised Turtle
Inspired by "How to Dress a Turtle," from American Cookery by Amelia Simmons, 1796

1 lb fresh or frozen turtle, beef, or lamb.

2 c. beef stock

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp mace

½ tsp each dried thyme, marjoram, parsley and savory; mixed.

½ cup Madeira wine or sherry

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Rinse meat and pat dry; cut into one inch cubes. In a bowl, toss turtle meat with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and mace.

3. Add meat to a baking dish or dutch oven. Sprinkle with herb mixture. Pour in Madeira or sherry and beef stock. Cover, and bake for two hours.

Cocktail Hour: A Toast to the Presidents!

2010-02-15T00:00:00.001-05:00

Simon Ford of Liqour.com adovocates the celebration of President's Day with Classic Cocktails:

"Franklin Roosevelt guzzled Martinis, Richard Nixon drank Cuba Libres (you have to love the irony) and Gerald Ford enjoyed the odd Gin & Tonic. Woodrow Wilson, president during the enactment of Prohibition, stashed away supplies so that he could mix his favorite libations in secret while the rest of the nation settled for bathtub gin and moonshine.

I think it’s fair to say that the proper way to celebrate Presidents’ Day (and the long weekend) is with cocktails. Here are a couple of historic drinks to get you started. Cheers!"

Read the full article here, and mix up a few classic cocktails appropriate to the Presidents.

A Preview of Things to Come

2010-02-12T20:34:00.000-05:00

Events: Venus in the Kitchen

2010-02-08T11:36:00.003-05:00

There's a cute event coming up this Thursday in honor of Valentine's day. I'm not affiliated with it, but I am definitely attending!

Time Table presents a Valentine’s cocktail party featuring aphrodisiac food and drink from the 1952 book, "Venus in the Kitchen: Or Love’s Cookery Book". Come single or with a sweetie and spend some time sampling love potions of the early 50’s. We can’t make any promises on the power of these wacky concoctions—but we can promise a good time. Feel free to dress the part, though modern-day attire is just fine.

**Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased at WORD or through our website**

http://www.wordbrooklyn.com/product/venus-kitchen-event-ticket

With a menu like this, be sure not to miss it!

Jessica Reed is a Greenpoint-based artist, writer, and amateur culinary historian interested in the intersections between food, history, art, and culture. Time Table, her most recent project, invites guests to taste the past at small gatherings serving food and drink made from period recipes, and utilizing period serving pieces and decorative elements whenever possible. Her ambition is to bring people together with food as a means of connecting with our shared history.

Cocktail Hour: Apple Toddy

2010-02-03T00:00:00.002-05:00

February is the coldest month in New York City. Although I know that the spring thaw is just around the corner, the bitter wind that whips off the East River makes me die a little bit inside. Every day.

To keep the frigid weather at bay, I've been investigating winter cocktails. Nothing beats the wintertime blues like hot water and alcohol. I've been eyeing up this cocktail for awhile: the Apple Toddy. It comes from my favorite cocktail book, the first cocktail book, Jerry Thomas' How to Mix Drinks.

For my version of this recipe, I used delicate, little Lady Apples, which I found in my local grocery store. Feel free to use a large baking apple, cut into slices. Apple Brandy can be found at most liquor stores or ordered online. Laird's has been making apple jack and apple brandy in America since 1780.

Oh that's good. I feel warmer already.

***
Apple Toddy
Inspired by a recipe from How to Mix Drinks, by Jerry Thomas 1862.

Baking Apples: three small apples or one large
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 tsp mace (or cinnamon, if you prefer)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Unsalted butter
2 ounces apple brandy
Hot water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Core apples and place in a baking dish. Mix sugar and spices. Fill the center of the apples with sugar mixture and sprinkle the remainder around the edges.

2. Bake apples for 30 minutes, or until tender.

3. Scoop one apple (or apple slice) into the bottom of a rocks glass or mug. The bottom of the baking dish should be filled with sugar syrup; add one tablespoon of this syrup to your glass.

4. Add two ounces apple brandy, then fill glass to the top with hot water. Stir gently until the sugar syrup has dissolved.

5. Grate a little nutmeg on top and serve.

***

Events: Save the Dates for Cakes, Pancakes, and Beer.

2010-02-02T17:22:00.006-05:00

Want a mouth full of history? Then mark your calender for these free events!

Sunday, February 21st
A Timeline of Taste: A Brief Overview of the Last 200 Years
4:30pm - 5:30pm
At Trade School
139 Norfolk Street, New York, NY
Free for barter.

I'm offering an hour-long class through Trade School.

Our idea of what “tastes good” is constantly changing. In this class, we will take a look at the constant flux of America’s culinary preferences, from the publication of the first American cookbook in 1796 to the swell of convenience food in the 1940s and 50s. To inspire our discussion, we will be sampling four different cakes from four different eras, and will make one of these desserts in the class. And with your help, we’ll bring our exploration to the present day with a selection of contemporary dishes.

Trade School offers these classes through a barter system; when you sign up, you can choose to bring a small item to trade for the class. There are a limited number of seats available, so reserve yours today! Sign up here.

Sunday, March 7th
Pancakes a Plenty!
11am - 1pm
At Old Stone House
336 3rd Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Free

Brought to you by the New York 19th Century Society.

Old Stone House lights up its hearth for a spring pancake celebration, featuring culinary creations by historic gastronomist Sarah Lohman. Pancakes a Plenty! presents three historic pancake recipes sure to please the modern palate: Pumpkin Cornmeal; Apple and Sour Milk; and Clove and Rosewater.

Pulled from the pages of 18th and 19th century New England cookbooks, these recipes have the flavor of New York life from another era. Prepared over an open fire, the pancakes will be served with all the fixins’ as well as hot drinks.

We'll keep serving pancakes until the pancakes run out. So stop by and sample some slapjacks

Saturday, April 10th
The Boston 19th C. Pub Crawl
Starting at 5:30pm
Meet at Eastern Standard
528 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA
Free, but drinks are additional.

We're taking the 19th Century Pub Crawl on the road to Boston! The evening will start at Eastern Standard, a contemporary bar that "...Breathe(s) life into forgotten cocktails of the past as well as conjuring up new classics." They'll be featuring several cocktails for the Crawl, including their house special the "19th Century," and offering a selection of house-made hors d'oeuvres. From there, we'll crawl to Boston's oldest pubs, some stretching back to the 17th century! Our proposed route (subject to change) can be found here.

Saturday, May 15th
The New York 19th C. Pub Crawl
Starting at 6pm
Meet at Madame X
New York, NY
Free, but drinks are additional.

In the wake of last fall's amazing New York 19th C. Crawl, we're planning a whole new route! This spring, visit some of New York's oldest taverns and most notorious dens of vice on 10th Ave. Formerly along Manhattan's western waterfront, these inns served sailors drinks, drafts and entertainment. Our proposed route (subject to change) can be found here.

History Dish Mondays: Turtle Soup

2010-02-01T17:45:00.000-05:00

Photo by Everett Bogue

Yesterday, I cooked up a batch of a popular 19th century summertime treat, Turtle Soup. It went over surprisingly well with my friends! But you'll have to wait to read more about it: I was testing my turtle recipe for an upcoming article in Edible Queens magazine. The Summer 2010 issue will feature this dish and many more.

In The News: Booze News

2010-01-29T00:00:00.002-05:00

The Secret Bowling Alley: "We recently purchased a building in Queens, and while clearing out the basement we discovered a two lane manual bowling alley in very good condition. We did some research and this basement was most probably a club during the Prohibition era." (The Huffington Post)

Will Bitters Shortage Finally Kill Old Timey Cocktail Trend?: "There has been a shortage. You can't just turn on and off supply of bitters. It's not like producing bottled water - it's a very delicate, intricate process." Invented in 1824 by a German doctor and made from a secret recipe of herbs, barks, roots, spices and rum, bitters became popular in Britain as an additive for gin, partly to conceal quinine in tonic water." (Gothamist)

Depression era cocktails at Depression era prices! Bars specializing in Prohibition era cocktails are now catering to those hit by the recession. (Liqour.com)

The Gallery: Big Cheese in the White House

2010-01-27T00:00:00.002-05:00

"Big Cheese in the White House: Admirers of the President Andrew Jackson presented him with a 1,400-pound wheel of cheese shortly before he left the White House in 1837. Jackson invited members of the public to eat the cheese; it was disposed of within two hours." The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, Andrew F. Smith (Editor).

History Dish Mondays: Bazmaawurd, Mulahwajah and Juudhaab

2010-01-25T19:19:00.008-05:00

Bazmaawurd ready to be rolled.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned the article Cooking with the Caliphs, which analyzed a medieval cookbook from the court of 10th century Baghdad:

"A little over a thousand years ago, an Arab scribe wrote a book he titled Kitab al-Tabikh (The Book of Recipes)... The book has come down to our time in three manuscripts and fragments of a fourth—and what a treasure it is. These are the dishes actually eaten by the connoisseurs of Baghdad when it was the richest city in the world."

Yesterday, I had a few friends over, and we tried some of these 1,000 year old dishes.

To begin, I presented Bazmaawurd: chicken, walnuts, fresh herbs and lemon (it was supposed to be citron, but I couldn't find one fresh) rolled up in a Lavash. I think this was everyone's favorite. The flavors were so fresh, light and zesty. I found it to be a little dry--but it went nicely with some labneh.

Next I dished up a seasoned lamb dish called Mulahwajah, of which I neglected to take any photos (tipsy). I stewed lamb meat with leeks, onions, a cup of water, and a fascinating spice blend: coriander, cinnamon, caraway, pepper, and galangal. The latter is a spice with a light, flowery, almost citrus taste. And this recipe calls for a lot of spice: 5 1/2 teaspoons for a 1/4 pound of meat. It covered the meat completely, but lamb has such a pungent flavor it stands up well to heavy spicing. The result was a dish that blurred the boundary between sweet and savory with flavor unfamiliar to western tongues.

Lastly, I made Juudhaab: "The supreme roast meat dish was juudhaab (or juudhaabah), where the meat was served on a sweet pudding which had been baked at the bottom of the tannur to catch its dripping juices." This dish is vaguely similar to Yorkshire Pudding, in that a soft bread is cooked using fat from the meat it is served with. But the resemblance is remote; in fact, I have never heard of a food prepared quite this way before.

***

Juudhaab

From Kitab al-Tabikh by Abu Muhammad al-Muzaffar ibn Sayyar, approx. 945 AD

Translated by Linda Dalai Sawaya for Cooking with the Caliphs.

1 whole chicken
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons rosewater
ground saffron
1 pound dried apricots
2 fresh lavashes, pitas or other flatbreads, 12" in diameter (or more, if smaller)
½ cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place apricots in small saucepan, add water to cover apricots by ½ inch. Bring to a boil and stew until apricots are soft and the water has reduced to a thin syrup, about 15-20 minutes.

2. In a baking pan or bottom of a broiling pan, place one lavash. Strew with apricots in syrup, sugar and 1/4 cup rosewater in which pinch of saffron has been dissolved, then cover with remaining lavash. Cover with a wire rack or top of the broiling pan.

3. Wash chicken and pat dry. Mix 2 tablespoons rosewater with pinch of saffron and rub on chicken, inside and out. Place on rack or on broiling pan.

4. Bake at 500 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn heat down to 325. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 160-165.

5. Carve chicken and serve in slices over the lavash and apricot pudding.

***

The result was interesting: I wasn't thrilled with the slightly greasy taste and texture of the sweet pudding. But my guests tore into it with grunts and "mmm"s. The lone vegetarian was mortified. But we still love her.

Check out all of these recipes and more in the original article here.

In the News: Meat, Meat, MEAT

2010-01-21T20:47:00.001-05:00

A pig's head made from newspaper, wire mesh, and clay. Not your grade school craft project. (historicfauxfood.com)

Head's up! The Brooklyn Beefsteak is back February 20th. Stay tuned into their blog for updates here, and read my write up of their fall event here.

The New Age Cavemen and the City: A group of New Yorkers swear by the Paleo Diet, which involves eating and exercising like a caveman. (nytimes)

Historic Faux Foods: "Sandy Levins researches the foodways of bygone eras to create historically-accurate individual faux foods as well as entire period table and room settings. " Rendered in astounding accuracy--check out her website.

Cocktail Hour: The Original Mojito

2010-01-20T00:00:00.002-05:00

Illustration by Zachariah Durr.

It was my birthday last weekend, January 15th to be exact, which also happens to be the day before prohibition went into effect in 1920. So I decided to throw a "Drink Like Prohibition Starts Tomorrow" party.

I selected pre-prohibition cocktail recipes for gin, rum, whiskey, applejack, absinthe, champagne and beer. I provided a table full of mixers, tools, garnishes--everything my guests would need to shake up their own classic cocktails.

Most of the recipes I selected came from Tom Bolluck's 1917 book The Ideal Bartender. But two of the more interesting recipes I pulled from Sloppy Joe's Bar Guide. Published in 1932 (originally 1931), the book features recipes from Sloppy Joe's, a bar located in Havana, Cuba that was freqeunted by the likes of Clark Gable and Ernest Hemmingway. I first learned about this book while researching the origins of the Mojito; the first printed recipe for a Mojito appears in this book.

An interesting note, this drink appears in the section labeled "Bacardi Drinks." Barcardi was preferred for this drink because it was a filtered rum: it had a light flavor and was clear.

***
Mojito
From Sloppy Joe's Bar Reprint Season 1932-1933 by Jose Abeal and Ross Bolton

I served this drink in a rocks glass; should you want to make a full 8 oz. drink, I recommend doubling these proportions.

1 tsp sugar or simple syrup
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
1.5 ounces rum
Seltzer Water
Fresh Mint
Shell of Lemon

Fill a glass with ice. Add sugar, and lemon juice. Add rum, and fill glass with seltzer water. Add 4-6 leaves of fresh mint. Stir cocktail until condenesation appears on the outside of the glass. Add the lemon shell and serve.

***

This drink was a real standout for me over the evening: I felt like it was a revelation in drinking and a vast improvement over contemporary Mojitos. The flavor is light, refreshing, and just the right amount of sweet. It reminded me of the fresh squeezed lemonade I used to get at the county fair--but boozier.

However, I read through the modern introduction to Sloppy Joe's after the party, and found this:

"Note that in this book any mention of lemon, may actually be lime. This mess up is proven in the bilingual Bar La Florida Cocktails Guide that translates lime incorrectly from Spanish."

So in retrospect the drink probably should have been made with lime--but the lemon juice was delicious.

History Dish Mondays: Charlotte Russe

2010-01-18T14:06:00.006-05:00

I work part time as an educator at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum (Wednesday and Saturday if you ever want to stop by and see a tour). While studying information for a new tour, I came across a mention of "Charlotte Russe." Charlotte Russe, it said, was sold from pushcarts on the streets of the Lower East Side in the 1920s. "What the hell's Charlotte Russe?" I wondered.

Charlotte Russe, in it's simplest form, is whipped cream adorned with lady fingers. The fanciest version I've seen involves mace-flavored whipped cream, mixed with isinglass, and pressed into a mold lined with almond sponge cake. Sounds pretty good, right? I plan to give this latter recipe a whirl in the near future.

Left: Image from Miss Corson's Practical American Cookery and Household Management. by Juliet Corson, 1886.

For this experiment, I selected a recipe of middling complexity that was close to the time period I was learning about. It comes from Fannie Farmer's infamous Boston Cooking School Cookbook, one of the most popular cookbooks of its time because it was the first to offer standardized measurements.

***
Charlotte Russe

From The Boston Cooking School Cookbook (Seventh Edition) by Fannie Merritt Farmer, 1941.

1 packet gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

1/2 cup whole milk

1/3 cup superfine sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 package (about 20) ladyfingers

1. Line a mold with the ladyfinger cookies. A medium-sized bowl works just fine.

2. Beat cream with an electric mixer until it forms stiff peaks. Set aside.

3. Dissolve gelatin in cold water. Heat milk in a microwave for two minutes on high, then add to gelatin. Add sugar and vanilla, whisk until sugar is dissolved.

4. Set in a pan of ice water, stirring constantly until the mixture just begins to thicken. Or, you can place the mixture in the freezer, stirring every minute. But be careful! If the mixture gels too long, you'll end of with tapioca-like lumps in the final product.

5. Beat with an electric mixer on high for five minutes; then add in 1/3 of the whip cream and mix until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in the remaining whip cream with a spatula until just combined.

6. Pour into the ladyfinger mold, using a spatula to smooth out the top. Refrigerate for at least two hours, or until set. Turn out onto a plate and serve.

***

I served this at a dinner party and we all agreed it was tasty, but a little plain. It was like inside-out angel food cake. I think although it was a little boring for our modern day pallets, it probably would have tasted like heaven to a kid on the streets in the 1920s.

Update: After a little poking around on the internet, I found a few descriptions of what Charlotte Russe would have looked like in New York. I has assumed it was a simple version, just whipped cream and lady fingers, but it was held in a cardboard contraption that made it easy to eat on the go. From The Food Timeline:

"Charlotte russe. A French dessert (supposedly created by Marie-Antonin Careme) made in mold with ladyfingers and Bavarian cream...While this confection is known and made in the United States, a simple version consisting of a square of sponge cake topped with whipped cream (sometimes with chocolate sprinkles) and a maraschino cherry was also called a "charlotte russe"...This was a standard item in eastern cities, particularly among urban Jewish Americans (some of whom pronounce the item "charely roose" or "charlotte roosh"), who made it at home or bought it at a pastry shop, where it was set on a frilled cardboard holder whose center would be pushed up as to reveal more cake as the whipped cream was consumed."
---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999

"...But to old-time Brooklynites, a charlotte russe was a round of sponge cake topped with sweetened whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, and sometimes a marashcino cherry, surrounded by a frilled cardboard holder with a round of cardboard on the bottom. As the cream went down, you pushed the cardboard up from the bottom, so you could eat the cake...these were Brooklyn ambrosia."
---The Brooklyn Cookbook, Lyn Stallworth and Rod Kennedy, Jr. [Alfred A. Knopf:New York] 1994 (p. 386)

So you pushed the whole thing up like a cake and cream push pop.

Up and Coming

2010-01-12T17:06:00.001-05:00

Ok, yes. I should be posting more often. I know.

But please don't think I've abandoned this blog; in fact, my silence has come for all the right reasons. I've got some great projects in the works.

I'm putting together some exciting events for the spring, including another New York 19th Century Pub Crawl in May, AND I'll be taking the Pub Crawl on the road to Boston this April. I'm also continuing my relationship with the Old Stone House in Brooklyn; we'll be presenting some fun, free events in the near future.

I'm working on an article for the summer issue of Edible Queens Magazine, featuring an historic menu you can make yourself and dazzle your friends. I'm also shooting a short documentary with PBS Japan--so if you have Japanese cable, or if you are in Japan, you can see me there.

I'm also working with two talented friends, Ben Kinsley and Peter van Hyning, to redesign this blog. We'll be launching a whole new look in the coming months.

So stick with me. We'll have some fun.

Video: Longing for a Simpler Time

2010-01-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

Although I am history enthusiast, I have never once longed to live in a time other than my own. In fact, I've never quite understood those who want to go back to the "simpler time" of the Victorian era. Before germ theory?? Before Antibiotics?? I don't quite get it.

Luckily, The Daily Show agrees with me, and produced this hysterical segment which beautifully illustrates my point. It features Great Depression Cooking star Clara Cannucciari recounting her tough times in the 1930s (try the Poor Man's Meal! It's delicious!).

I think we need to appreciate the time that we live in, while keeping the past in our hearts and minds.

Enjoy.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Even Better Than the Real Thing

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

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Health Care Crisis

Origin of a Dish: Macaroni and Cheese

2010-01-07T11:47:00.000-05:00

An American classic.

Macaroni and Cheese is largely thought of as a modern dish, thanks to the "Kraft Dinner," introduced in 1937 and used as rations during WWII. But good 'ol Mac n' Cheese has a much longer history. In fact, I've already cooked up two different versions of this classic dish on this blog: a simple, 19th century version I ate during the Tenement Diet, and a more decadent recipe using neufchatel cheese during the Kellogg Diet.

Macaroni was possibly invented by the Romans, and was served with cheese sometime in the Medieval era (source). The first documented occasion on which Macaroni and Cheese was served in America was at the White House in 1802, during Jefferson's presidency. A guest at one of Jefferson's dinner parties recounts his first experience with the dish (source):

"...A pie called macaroni, which appeared to be a rich crust filled with onions or shallots, which I took it to be, tasted very strong, and not very agreeable. Mr. Lewis told me there was none in it; it was an Italian dish, and what appeared like onions were made of flour and butter, with particularly strong liquor mixed in them."

The earliest known American recipe for macaroni and cheese appears in The Virginia Housewife, first published in 1824. This is the recipe that we shall attempt today.

It seemed decadent to boil the macaroni in milk, but I gave it a whirl to stay true to the recipe. While the pasta was cooking, it smelled sweet like a rice pudding; however, upon tasting it, I could discern no noticeable difference. I think that this step could be left out, if you desire.

I used a Queso Blanco, an un-anged, simply made Mexican cheese. I choose it for it's similarity to farmer's cheese, and other fresh cheeses used in the 19th c.

***

Macaroni and Cheese

from The Virginia Housewife: or, Methodical Cook By Mary Randolph, 1838 ed.

1/2 lb macaroni

1 quart whole milk

12 oz sliced farmer's cheese, queso blanco, or queso fresco

1 stick unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring one quart milk and an equal amount of water to a rolling boil. Add macaroni and cook, uncovered, until al dente, about 6 1/2 minutes.

2. Drain in a colander. While still in the colander, sprinkle pasta with about a 1/2 tsp salt, shake to combine, then sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp more (or to taste).

3. Our about 1/3 of the pasta into a casserole or baking dish. Cover with 1/3 of the cheese and butter. Repeat, ending with a layer of cheese and butter on top.

4. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

***

My roommate and I took two bites and then made frowny faces at each other. I don't think this is the best incarnation of Mac and Cheese. It tasted like buttery noodles. And then...something was OFF with the cheese I bought. It had an odd bitter/fishy taste. I don't know if was the brand of cheese, or if the cheese was bad. But I would take Kraft over this any day.

Starting from Scratch

2010-01-03T22:43:00.001-05:00

Do you think I can survive for one week on only foods that I hunt, forage or find?

Let me remind you that I happen to live on a fourth floor walk up in Queens.

Let's find out together: I've volunteered to become part of a project called Starting from Scratch. Along with four other family groups, I'm going to attempt to be entirely self-sufficient for one solid week in July.

Following along as we prepare ourselves at http://startingfromscratchchallenge.blogspot.com/

Read through my game plan (and give me some feedback) here.

Cocktail Hour: Green Tea Punch for your New Year's Party

2009-12-30T00:00:00.002-05:00

It tastes like the best cup of tea you've ever had.

New Year's is one of my favorite holidays, primarily because of the level of drunken debauchery it allowed in 19th century New York. According to Lights and Shadows of New York Life by James Dabney McCabe, published 1873:

""Punch is seen in all its glory on this day, and each household strives to have the best of this article. There are regular punch-makers in the city, who reap a harvest at this time. Their services are engaged long before-hand, and they are kept busy all morning going from house to house, to make this beverage, which is no-where so palatable as in this city."

During the course of the day, ladies remained at home to receive guests, and gentleman went from house to house visiting friends and, apparently, sampling the punch:

"Towards the close of the day, everything is in confusion--the door-bell is never silent. Crowds of young men, in various stages of intoxication, rush into the lighted parlors, leer at the hostess in a vain effort to offer their respects, call for liquor, drink it, and stagger out, to repeat the same scene at some other house...Strange as it may seem, it is no disgrace to get drunk on New Year's Day. The next day one half of New York has a headache..."

So in the spirit of this great day, I present to you Jerry Thomas' recipe for Green Tea Punch; a cold weather favorite that's sure to please at your New Year's Eve get together, or your New Year's Day visiting hours.

***
Tea Punch
From How to Mix Drinks by Jerry Thomas, 1862

"To make punch of any sort of perfection, the ambrosial essence of lemon must be extracted by rubbing lumps of sugar on the rind, which breaks the delicate little vessels that contain the essence, and at the same time absorb it. This, and making the mixture sweet and strong, using tea instead of water, and thoroughly amalgamating all the compounds....is the grand secret, only to be acquired by practice."

1 lemon
1/2 cup super fine sugar
1 quart boiling water
1 ounce loose leaf green tea
1 pint brandy
1 pint rum

1. Add the sugar to a large punch bowl, rub the sugar on the rind of the lemon.
2. Remove the lemon, slice in half, and juice. Add lemon juice to the punch bowl.
3. Wrap one ounce of loose leaf green tea in cheese cloth (or other method of infusing), and brew in boiling water for at least three minutes or to taste.
3. Add brewed tea to the punch bowl; stir until sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Add brandy and rum, stir to combine. Serve hot.

This is the way that I make it; Thomas' recipe actually calls for a bit more flair. Follow steps 1-3, above. Add alcohol, then "Set these a light, and pour in the tea gradually mixing it from time to time with a ladle; it will remain burning for some time and is to be poured in that state into the glasses." I've never attempted this method before, but perhaps this is the year.

Taste History Today: Clear Toys and Cleveland's Early Ethnic Groups

2009-12-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share with you two interesting, culinary history Christmas presents I received this year. My mom tucked a pair of "clear toys" into my stocking; made by Timberlake Candies, these little treast were popular gifts in the Victorian era:

Twisted sticks of Barley Sugar were originally made in the 17th century by boiling down refined cane sugar (a new product at that time) with barley water, cream of tartar, and water. During the 18th century metal molds were used to create the wonderful variety of shapes known as Barley Sugar Clear Toys. These became a popular Victorian Christmas treat.

"Clear Toy Candy" refers to the molding of hard candy into various three dimensional shapes without sticks (not a lollypop). The term does not imply the use of Barley Candy, though traditionally Barley Sugar and Barley Candy were used to make clear toy candy.

Timberlake Candy has hundreds of antique molds appropriate for any holiday or season, but they only make the traditional barley candy for a few weeks around Christmas. Buy barley sugar candy here.

My aunt gave me a tin of spices from The Olive and The Grape , a local business in Cleveland. The tin contains a collection of seasonings "...Reflecting the history and foods of the ten major ethnic groups who were first to settle Cleveland--African-Americans, Chinese, Czech, German, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Polish, Slovenian and Ukrainian." I'll have to cook a traditional Cleveland area dish appropriate to each of these ethnic groups!

Events: The Cleveland Pre-Prohibition Pub Crawl

2009-12-20T22:01:00.000-05:00

"This wall is over 100 years old." Inside Cleveland's oldest continually operating bar, the Harbor Inn.

I'm in my hometown of Cleveland for the holidays, a city I love very much. My heart breaks to see it looking so threadbare in this recession. My friends and I decided to celebrate our city via a journey into Cleveland history: a crawl of Cleveland's oldest pubs and bars that tip their hats to a bygone era.

Our first stop was Edison's Pub, a local bar that pays tribute to Thomas Edison. We started there mostly because it was a convenient meeting spot for the attendees, but the $2.50 happy hour drink special wasn't bad either. Cleveland, you truly are the land of plenty!

Next up was the Prosperity Social Club. Although it resides in what was a 1938 ballroom, the atmosphere was more 1950s VFW hall. However, as someone pointed out, it was very traditional, old-school Cleveland. We dug it. It was easy to picture iron workers coming in from the cold for a drink, and the bar is still warmed by a vintage wood-burning stove. I drank a hot whiskey, a comforting combination of Jameson, honey, lemon and clove. Good for what ails 'ya. I recommend it, as well as the pierogies, the next time you're there.

Right: Hot Whiskey at the Prosperity Social Club

We jumped in a cab and headed north, stopping at Cleveland's new mixology sensation, the Velvet Tango Room. From their website:

"At the Tango Room, we believe in craft. We believe that the right combination of ingredients can take you back in time, to a porch in Key West, a beach in Bermuda, a shadowy speakeasy in New York, or a glittering bar in Paris. When you sit at our bar, we want you to connect to those places and that history, so we carefully research old cocktail recipes, lovingly resurrecting classic drinks with historically accurate ingredients."

Sounds right up my alley, doesn't it? It's pricier than most Cleveland bars, at $15 a drink, but it's worth it. The cocktails taste like a sip of history, respectfully revived and celebrated. I had a pisco sour (Peru's national drink!) and I plan on returning soon for one of their carefully crafted Manhattans.

This bar is incredibly popular in Cleveland: five years ago, when I was working on my thesis, everyone said a venue like this could never survive locally. As it turns out, perhaps a historically innovative place like the Tango Room is exactly what Cleveland needs.

Next we walked a few blocks past the Westside Market, and into the Great Lakes Brewery. GLB is know for its beers named after famous Clevelanders and events from the city's history. It's housed in what was once the Market Tavern, est. 1865.

"Its most famous patron was Eliot Ness, the man credited with taking down Al Capone's gang. The Taproom retains much of the charm and mystique from the 1930s era in its grand Tiger Mahogany bar (Cleveland's oldest) and intriguing bullet holes said to have come from Eliot Ness himself."

The bar in the Taproom at the Great Lakes Brewery. There is a pen sticking out of a bullet hole put in the bar in the 1930s.

Ness' time in Cleveland is a fascinating one, marked by his fruitless search for a serial killer known as the Torso Murderer that stalked the city streets. The killer would dismember his victims and leave their remains on the banks of the Cuyahoga. The case was never solved.

We cabbed it again, heading for the lake front and the Harbor Inn, Cleveland's oldest continually operating bar, est. 1895. We were apprehensive about this joint, having heard it was both a dive and a college bar. But upon arrival, it was exactly the kind of place I'm comfortable in: a little worse for the wear, but roomy and convivial. We had a great time playing on the vintage bowling machine and downing $2 PBR tall boys.

Last, we crossed the river and entered the Flat Iron Cafe. Established in 1910, it's Cleveland's oldest Irish Bar:

"The building, which was formally a four story hotel, had a fire in the late 1800's in which the top two floors were destroyed...The first floor was used as a blacksmith's shop and the rooms on the second floor were used as lodging over the years by the sailors and longshoremen working on the lakes.”

Exterior: Flat Iron Cafe

I don't remember much at this point...someone was solving a mystery. I ate a gyro from a street cart. Somebody else may have gotten married. At any rate, a good time was had by all. I'm certainly thankful for my Cleveland friends who joined me on my historic antics. And I'm thankful to have grown up in such great town with a fascinating history. I love you, Cleveland!

Check out our route here.

And see more photos below!

In The News: Historic Gastronomy 'Round the World

2009-12-17T19:35:00.005-05:00

From December 27th - January 3rd, the Hampton Court Palace kitchens in London will be open to the public and cooking up historic Tudor cuisine:

"The Tudor kitchens at Hampton Court Palace are famous throughout the world for being those of King Henry VIII.

In fact they continued to be used as Royal Court kitchens for a further two hundred years, feeding the tables of Tudor, Stuart and Georgian monarchs and their many courtiers...For the last five years, they have been home to a fascinating research project run by Historia food archaeologists who regularly bring the kitchens to life experimenting with traditional recipes, ingredients and cooking methods to prepare feasts fit for a king!"

The New York Times follows in the footsteps of famous French gourmand Alexandre-Balthazar-Laurent Grimod de la Reynière, and takes us on a culinary journey through 19th century Paris

"Starting in 1803, Grimod, whose family fortune had largely been lost during the Revolution, financed his voracious appetite by writing a series of best-selling guidebooks to the culinary wonders of Paris — its famous delicatessens, pâtissiers and chocolatiers — including the first reviews of an alluring new institution called le restaurant...One of the most exciting things about the Almanachs is that they include detailed gastronomic walking tours of Paris, called “nutritional itineraries” — each one a vivid window onto the past."

Grimod's favorite chocolate, Debauve & Gallais, can be acquired this side of the Atlantic at their shop in New York City.

Cooking with the Caliphs analyzes a medieval cookbook from "the court of 9th century Baghdad":

"A little over a thousand years ago, an Arab scribe wrote a book he titled Kitab al-Tabikh (The Book of Recipes)... The book has come down to our time in three manuscripts and fragments of a fourth—and what a treasure it is. These are the dishes actually eaten by the connoisseurs of Baghdad when it was the richest city in the world."

The recipes in the article sound amazing. They're fascinating because they use ingredients common to 19th century American cooking, like citron and rosewater. I think I'm going to have an ancient Middle Eastern dinner party before too long.

History Dish Mondays: The Original Christmas Cookie

2009-12-14T11:53:00.012-05:00

There are two very interesting aspects to this recipe. It comes from Amelia Simmons' book American Cookery, the first cookbook of American authorship, published in 1796. It's one of the earliest printed uses of the word cookie or "cookey," an Americanism derived from the Dutch word koekje, a little cake that was offered as a treat to New Year's day visitors in New York City.

Secondly, this recipe was published at a time when Christmas was not uniformly celebrated. Santa Claus wasn't invented for another thirty years, and the domestic, gift giving Christmas we're familiar with today did not exist. There was a great debate as to whether Christmas should be celebrating piously, in quiet prayer and devotion; or in a more traditional Solstice celebration, with a focus on drinking and mischief. "The Antics" were roaming the streets of Boston, a rowdy gang who burst into the houses of the wealthy, and acted out bawdy plays for a reward of money or alcohol. "Callathumpian bands" paraded around the streets of New York, their purpose to make as much noise and cause as much chaos as possible.

For more on the origins of modern Christmas, read Stephen Nissenbaum's amazing book, The Battle for Christmas. I don't know more about this recipe in particular, but I was intrigued to taste the earliest American Christmas cookie recipe that I know of.

This recipe is essentially a sugar cookie flavored with coriander, which is the dried seeds of cilantro (and technically, cilantro is fresh coriander). Simmons' receipt is vague, so I searched for a modern recipe I could retronovate, and found the perfect solution in Martha Stewart's Old Fashioned Sugar Cookie. This recipe appealed to me because it uses an interesting modern technique of applying a double layer of sanding sugar, which gives the cookie a sweet glaze. I altered the batter so it would be closer to Simmons' original recipe. For a slightly more authentic Christmas Cookey, I recommend using a recipe for Springerle cookies, a traditional Dutch treat, and replace the anise flavor with 1-2 tsp. of ground coriander.

***
Christmas Cookeys
From American Cookery by Amelia Simmons (1796)
Modern recipe derived fromMartha Stewart's Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
2 large eggs
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk flour, baking soda, coriander and salt into a bowl; set aside.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat sugars and butter at a medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until mixed. Scrape down bowl with a rubber spatula

3. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

4. Scoop dough into a ziploc bag or sheet of plastic wrap. Form into a ball and refrigerate for at least an hour.

5. Break off a 1/4 of the dough ball. On a generously floured surface, roll out dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. "Cut or stamp in shape and size you please (Simmons)," and place on a baking sheet. "Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar (Stewart)."

6. Bake for 7 minutes, turning half way through.

***
I really like these cookies; they're a simple sugar cookie, with a kick of fresh citrusy flavor form the coriander. I've boxed them up with some Chocolet Puffs and Cayenne Gingerbread, and they'll make a lovely Christmas gift.

.

The Gallery: What if Your Fruit Was Large and Terrifying

2009-12-11T00:00:00.002-05:00

Eva has provided me with further evidence that Victorians had too much time on their hands. She directed me towards this book: Fruit Figures, and How to Make Them.

The first is a giant, disembodied hand, made up to resemble an old woman.

However, these images do seem to be the inspiration for some contemporary artists.

The Historic Gastonomist's Gift Guide

2009-12-08T23:20:00.003-05:00

Curious where to find the best Christmas gifts for the culinary history enthusiast in your life? Look no further: I've put together this list of gifts for the antiquated cook and contemporary gastronome alike..

Vintage and Historic Cook Books:

Kitchen Arts & Letters
1435 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10128
(212) 876-5550
http://www.kitchenartsandletters.com/

"Nach Waxman is owner of one of the largest food bookstores in the country, Kitchen Arts & Letters, in Manhattan. From his perch behind the counter, he sees customers—famous chefs, not-famous line cooks, and civilians alike—streaming in to peruse his bountiful, unusual collection. Waxman shows us the basement, where he’s got some truly rare books. (chow.com)"

Joanna Hendricks Cookbooks
488 Grennwich Street, New York NY
tel. 212-226-5731
http://joannehendrickscookbooks.com/

"Located downtown, on Manhattan’s far west side, the tiny unique shop is filled with a variety of vintage cookbooks, menus, photographs and tableware. There isn’t a lot of foot traffic on this part of Greenwich Street and it’s easy to miss the store. Look for a small copper plaque that reads cookbooks, affixed to a very old and heavy wooden door. (findeatdrink.com)"

Cookware:

Measuring Spoons
Anthropologie.com
$24

Cast Iron Cookware from Lodge Cast Iron
http://www.lodgemfg.com/
$10 and Up

"Nestled alongside the Cumberland Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains is the town of South Pittsburg, Tennessee (population 3,300). Yet out of this tiny community comes the finest cast iron cookware in the world. Lodge Cast Iron began making cookware during the first presidential term of William McKinley. Amazingly, some of the first cast iron skillets,griddles and dutch ovens made over 100 years ago are still being put to good use."

Food:

Economy Candy
108 Rivington Street
New York, NY 10002
(800) 352-4544
order online: http://www.economycandy.com/
photo: petervh

This mega candy store on New York's lower east side carries a plethora of hard-to-find historic cooking ingredients such as preserved citron peel, dried currants, and almond paste. Additionally, they carry "Old Time Favorites," vintage candy bars like the Cherry Mas h.

Deborah's Pantry
327 Sumneytown Pike
Harleysville, PA 19438
215-256-4615
order online: http://www.deborahspantry.com/

Deborah's Pantry specializes in obscure 18th century cooing ingredients and apparatus, including isinglass and pearlash. The 18th Century Tea Sampler ($16) makes a great gift for the casual enthusiastic.

Cheese of the Month Club
$275-$775
Murray's Cheese
254 Bleecker St.
New York, NY 10014
888.MY.CHEEZ
http://www.murrayscheese.com/

The Cheese of the Month club is on everyone's wish list: "Murray's Cheese of the Month is a 1½ pound selection of 3 varied and delicious cheeses, sent to your door for 4, 6 or 12 consecutive months. Each selection includes a variety of milk types, textures and flavor profiles, with a special focus on seasonal cheeses."

Menus: St. Nicholas Society Anniversary Dinner, Dec. 6th 1851

2009-12-06T14:43:00.002-05:00

The St. Nicholas Society of New York was founded by a man named John Pintard. Pintard was largely responsible for the invention of our modern Christmas traditions, along with society members Washington Irving and Clement Clark Moore. These men were obsessed with the Dutch history of New York, and they appropriated St. Nick as New York City's patron saint.

I'm reading a fascinating book on Christmas traditions, The Battle for Christmas by Stephen Nissenbaum. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and is a wonderful read this time of year. Nissembaum outlines the transition of the Christmas holidays from a time of gluttony and drunkenness to a celebration of domesticity. On the St. Nicholas Society and its members, Nissenbaum has this to say:

...It was John Pintard who brought St. Nicholas to America, in an effort to make that figure both the icon of the New York Historical Society and the patron saint of New York City....In the 1810s, Pintard organized and led elaborate St. Nicholas' Day banquets for his fellow members of the New York Historical Society...

In Holland, St. Nicholas brings toys to children on his saint's day, Dec. 6th. Historically, this tradition was observed by upper class Dutch families. The working class Dutch that immigrated to New Amsterdam did not bring this tradition with them.

...Nobody has ever found contemporaneous evidence of such a St. Nicholas cult in New York during the colonial period. Instead, the familiar Santa Claus story appears to have been devised in the early nineteenth century...It was the work of a small group of antiquarian minded New York gentlemen--men who knew one another as members of a distinct social set. Collectively, those men became known as the Knickerbockers...

In short, the Knickerbockers felt that they belonged to a patrician class whose authority was under siege. From that angle, their invention of Santa Claus was part of what we can now see as a larger, ultimately quite serious cultural enterprise: forging a pseudo-Dutch identity for New York, a placid "folk" identity that could provide a cultural counterweight to the commercial bustle and democratic 'misrule' of early 19th century New York.

St. Nicholas evolved into Santa Claus with the aid of Clement Clark Moore's poem A Visit from St. Nicholas.

In the above menu, note the special "Knickerbocker" recipes, various traditional Dutch dishes. Additionally, take note of the "Ornamental Confectionery." These would have probably been sculpted out of marzipan.

For another piece of fascinating holiday ephemera, check out Charles Dickens's original manuscript of A Christmas Carol currently housed at the Morgan Lib rary and Museum. The New York Times has a high-resolution scan of the full manuscript online, and "The reader who spots the most intriguing textual change will be invited to tea at the Morgan Library and Museum."

Today is also the one year anniversary of this blog. Thank you all for your support, encouragement, and enthusiasm. This year has been so meaningful and wonderful, and I can't wait to see what the next twelve months will bring!

Events: Emily Dickinson's Birthday Bash!

2009-12-03T20:41:00.002-05:00

You are invited to celebrate Emily Dickinson's birthday on Thursday, December 10th, at the Bowery Poetry Club in NYC. The event starts at 6pm, and is free!

It's a particularly special night for me because it is the premiere of Emily: Her True Self, a short film I'm working on with artist Flash Rosenberg and the Lower East Side Girls Club.

And like any good birthday party, there will be CAKE! Emily Dickinson's "Black Cake," a fruitcake recipe found amongst the poet's papers. I'm not baking it, but I will be there eating it.

Read more about the event here. And if you can't make it down to the Bowery for a night of poetry and premieres, then celebrate at home with a slice of Miss Dickinson's cake. It's a traditional fruitcake, so it's perfect for the holidays. A recipe adapted for modern kitchens is printed below; try as I might, I couldn't track down a copy of Dickinson's original recipe online (although if anyone out there attends Harvard, you could get your hands on a copy).

Like any good fruitcake, you should let it sit in the back of your fridge for about a month before serving. And don't forget the 179 birthday candles.

***
Emily Dickinson's Black Cake
From Emily Dickinson: Profile of the Poet as a Cook by the Guides at the Dickinson Homestead.
As reprinted on Down the Rabbit Hole

2 cups sugar
1/2 lb. butter
5 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp clove
1 tsp mace
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg, ground
1/4-1/2 cup brandy
1 lb. raisins
2/3 cup currants
2/3 lb. citron (buy citron here)

Directions:

Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom of the oven. Preheat oven to 225 F. Add sugar gradually to butter; blend until light and creamy. Add unbeaten eggs and molasses. Beat well. Re-sift flour with soda and spices. If you're using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp salt. Beat sifted ingredients into mixture, alternately adding brandy. Stir in raisins, currants, and citron.

Pour batter into two loaf pans lined with waxed paper. Bake at 225F for 3 hours. Remove pan of water for last 1/2 hour. Let loaves cool before removing from pans. Remove paper and wrap in fresh paper.

In the News: Bring Back Butter!

2009-12-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Through my experiments in historic gastronomy, I have come to appreciate the beauties of butter, particularly when it's fresh from the churn.

Apparently, I share this dairy fetish with installation artist Tim Eads, who "...Aims to reinvigorate our appetite for the long-standing table staple by crafting a pedal-operated machine that churns butter while simultaneously operating a toaster..."

"About a year ago I was thumbing through a 1905 Sears catalog I found in a used book store. It was humorous to see how everything was so bulky and strange looking and only performed simple tasks. It occurred to me that in 100 years our machines will look silly and inefficient.

...The reason I chose butter was it seemed like one of the most basic ways to connect to people. Because much of our brain activity is dedicated to finding and eating food we all connect with it on some level."

If you'd like to support Eads in his butter dreams, then stop by his Kickstarter page, where he's raising funds to make the butter bike a reality. I wish him all the best.

And on a similar note, a novel gift idea: handmade butter, presented in a decked-out mason jar. Visit slowchristmas.org for the recipe.

Cocktail Hour: Egg Nogg Cocktail

2009-11-30T13:04:00.000-05:00

I've often been asked where I get the ideas for the recipes I cook. It goes a little like this: throughout the course of my day, thought bubbles appear with a pop above my head. They waft through the air, trailing behind me, gently enfolding images of food I would like to devour: whole roasted pigs; booze flavored jell-o; fatty dairy products. Recently, I've been dreaming of egg nog.

My roommate whipped up a batch based on this recipe, from the NPR article "More Evidence that Egg Nog Goes Better with Booze." It's made with raw eggs and an entire bottle of rum. The Nog has to sit around and mellow for a month in the refrigerator. There's a cute video about it here, where scientists test the Nog for signs of salmonella. Preliminary tests indicate that the alcohol kills any bacteria present in the eggs. It's hardly surprising--the nog is so boozey it tastes like creamy astringent.

The scientist's findings inspired me to test out a 19th century egg nog recipe, from Jerry Thomas' wonderful book How to Mix Drinks. On the subject of "Egg Nogg," Thomas has this to say:

Egg Nogg is a beverage of American origin but it has a popularity that is cosmopolitan. At the South it is almost indispensable at Christmas time and at the North it is a favorite at all seasons...Every well ordered bar has a tin egg nogg shaker which is a great aid in mixing this beverage

The Egg Nogg chapter of his book offers a variety of recipes for egg nogg as we know it, in punch form. But the very first recipe is for what I would call an egg nogg cocktail: a single serving drink of eggs shaken up with milk and alcohol. Perhaps this is the way egg nogg was first served, well before it filled holiday punch bowls.

***
81. Egg Nogg
From How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion by Professor Jerry Thomas

1 tablespoon superfine sugar
1 tablespoon cold water
1 medium egg
2 ounces brandy
1 ounce rum
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup shaved ice or two ice cubes

1. The first step depends on what kind of cocktail shaker you have: If you have a Boston shaker, you're going to want to put your ice in the bar glass. If you have a cobbler shaker, put the ice in the shaker. (what kind of shaker do I have?)

2. Dissolve sugar in the water in a bar glass; add egg and beat slightly. Add milk and alcohol.

3.Cover and shake (or add to cobbler shaker) until all ingredients are thoroughly amalgamated.

2. Strain into a pint glass and garnish with grated nutmeg.

***

I am drinking this right now, and I love it. It's not as heavy as a cream-based egg nog, but it is still satisfying my nog cravings. And the best part--it's a single serving! So I can enjoy it anytime without having to mix up large batch.

I also suspect this recipe would be good with bourbon instead of brandy. Either way, I highly recommend it. It's just delicious.

If you need some training for your cocktail shake, I recommend the Hard Shake. And if you're interested in more holiday cocktails with egg, try LeNell's Mae West Royal Diamond Fizz.

And now that I've reached the end of this post...I'm a little tipsy. Congratulations, me.

Menus: Thanksgiving in 1845

2009-11-26T00:00:00.001-05:00

A menu from The New England Economical Housekeeper by Esther Allen Howland.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Enjoy the holiday weekend.

Events: A Revolutionary Thanksgiving Photos!

2009-11-23T22:20:00.004-05:00

If you took any photos at the event, please add them to the Revolutionary Thanksgiving group here.

Events: Revolutionary Thanksgiving Recipe Extravaganza!

2009-11-23T14:12:00.005-05:00

Preparing Four Pounds Flour "signature" apple tart.

The event yesterday at Old Stone House was a huge success: all the food was cooked and delicious! We had a big turnout, thanks in part to some great press leading up to the event, including a listing on Grub Street, an article in the Village Voice and, my favorite, a wonderful feature on Brokelyn. I'm going to be posting photos from the event photos soon!

Thanks to everyone who came out; also a big thanks to D'Artagnan for donating the wild turkey and the venison; and to Red Jacket Orchards who donated historic baking apples, the Newtown Pippin.

Many of those who attended requested my recipes, so I thought I'd share them with you here. They are all incredibly simple and delicious, and perfect for your Thanksgiving table.

All three of these receipts were adapted from the first American cookbook, American Cookery by Amelia Simmons. A hearth is not necessary to prepare them; you'll do just fine in a modern kitchen.

***
Stuffing for a Turkey

This recipe makes enough for one stuffed bird. If you plan to serve it as a side; bake it in a casserole at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

1 loaf bread or cornbread
1 stick butter
1/4 lb salt pork or fat back; or 4 slices bacon.
2 eggs
1 tsp savory
1 tsp marjoram
1 handful fresh parsley, torn
10 leaves fresh sage, torn
1 tsp each Salt and pepper, or to taste.

1. Tear bread into small pieces and put in a large bowl.

2. Melt butter and pour over bread.

3. Finely chop pork and add it to the bread mixture.

4. Add remaining ingredients. If the mixture seems too dry, add another egg.

5. Stuff into a turkey.

***
Squash Pudding

This recipe is a bit labor intensive.

2 small or one large squash. (I used 2 butternut squashes)
3 baking apples
Juice of 1/2 an orange
1/2 cup sugar
2 slices bread or 3 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
1 cup cream
1 tablespoon rosewater
1/3 cup wine
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon flower

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Peel and core apples. Slice into 1/2 in - 1 inch chunks. Add orange juice to prevent apples from browning. Add to a skillet with 1/4 cup sugar. Cook on a high heat until apples bubble and steam; turn heat down to medium, and stew for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

3. Cut squash into quarters; peel and cut into one inch cubes. Boil in a large stock pot, in lightly salted water, until tender.

4. Strain squash and add to a large mixing bowl. Mash to desired consistency with a potato masher, wine bottle, or other heavy implement.

5. Combine with remaining ingredients.

6. Bake from 45 minutes- 1 hour, until mixture is hot and bubbly around the edges.

***
Pumpkin Pie

2 cups pumpkin (canned or fresh)
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup real maple syrup (fresh pumpkin may need an additional 1/3 cup of maple sugar.)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon mace

1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 eggs, well beaten

¼ cup brandy

1. Preheat oven to 325. Combine pumpkin, sugar, maple syrup, salt and spices in a mixing bowl.

2. Beat together milk, eggs, cream and brandy. Add to pumpkin mixture.

3. Pour into an unbaked pastry shell and bake for 1 hour.

***

Taste History Today: Jefferson's Favorite Apple

2009-11-18T00:00:00.003-05:00

Photo by Brandon Miller

The premiere issue of Edible Queens has a feature on the Newtown Pippin apple, a heritage breed with it's origin in the New York area. From the U.S. Apple Association:

"Also known as Albemarle Pippin, a favorite variety of Thomas Jefferson. Discovered on Long Island in 1759, this apple is one of the oldest original U.S. varieties, helping to launch the U.S. fruit export industry. Newtown Pippin is a distinctive green, often with yellow highlights. Its aromatic, tangy flesh makes the Newtown great for use in pies and applesauce. Primarilly a processing variety, most U.S. supplies are used commercially. Newtown Pippin is typically available from September through December."

Jefferson dubbed the Newtown "The Prince of Apples" and grew them on his Monticello estate. The Newtown is making a comeback in the New York area thanks to Erik Baard, a Long Island City–based environmentalist.

"Since 2006, Baard has spearheaded a local movement to plant Newtown Pippin saplings across the city and state. “I’m trying to remind New Yorkers of our agricultural heritage one tree at a time,” explains Baard, the borough’s own Johnny Appleseed.

The Newtown Pippin—a pippin is an apple grown spontaneously from seed—first took root in the Newtown section of Queens, now Elmhurst, in the 1700s, and was almost universally lauded as one of the best-tasting apples ever grown. (Edible Queens)”

You can get your hands on Newtown Pippins in New York at the Red Jacket Orchard stand at the Union Square Greenmarket on Mondays. They sell other heirloom breeds including Baldwin, Staymen Winesap, 20 oz pippin and Northern Spy.

I'm going to be featuring the Newtown Pippin at the Old Stone House event this Sunday: stop by to see the apples for yourself and for a taste of apple-rosewater tart.

Origin of a Dish: Green Bean Casserole

2009-11-16T10:41:00.005-05:00

I want to stick my face in it.

The most recent issue of Martha Stewart's Food magazine contains an abomination: a recipe for Green Bean Casserole in which all of the components are made from scratch. Shallots are hand-breaded and pan-fried. Mushrooms are seasoned and sauteed in cream. Ridiculous!

My mom and I got into a heated debate over the legitimacy of this recipe. Mom thought it might be good; I conceded that it might. However, this recipe takes a dish that was designed to be extraordinarily simple and makes it incredibly complicated!

I say don't fix what ain't broke. Green Bean Casserole was created in the 1950s during an era of canned convenience food. It has survived as a traditional Thanksgiving side dish not only because of its simplicity, but because it happens to be delicious.

From the Campbell's Kitchen webpage:

"Deemed the 'mother of comfort food,' Dorcas Reilly led the team that created the Green Bean Casserole in 1955, while working as a staff member in the Home Economics department of the Campbell Soup Company.
...She says the inspiration for the Green Bean Casserole was to create a quick and easy recipe around two things most Americans always had on hand in the 1950s: green beans and Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup. Like all great recipes, the casserole requires minimal number of ingredients (just five), doesn't take much time, and can be customized to fit a wide range of tastes.
In 2002, Mrs. Reilly appeared at the National Inventor's Hall of Fame to donate the original copy of the recipe to the museum. The now-yellowed 8 x 11 recipe card takes its place alongside Enrico Fermi's invention of the first controlled nuclear reactor and Thomas Alva Edison's two greatest hits: the light bulb and the phonograph."
(Editor's Note: I can find no evidence that this recipe card is actually in the Inventors Hall of Fame.)

This Thanksgiving, reenact a tiny bit of American history, and make the classic Campbell's Green Bean Casserole.

***

Classic Green Bean Casserole
from Campbell's Kitchen

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions

1. Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cuponions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

2. Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions.

3. Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Events: A Revolutionary Thanksgiving at Old Stone House

2009-11-13T12:00:00.005-05:00

I've often said that any object your heart desires can be found within the boundaries of New York City; however, that comes with a short list of items that are extraordinarily hard to track down in the city limits. At the top of that list is a working hearth. So you can imagine my amazement when, about a month ago, the executive director of Old Stone House in Park Slope dropped me an email to let me know that the museum owned an outdoor, working hearth.

Naturally, my first impulse was to cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner. Which is utter insanity, considering that my hearth cooking experience up until this point has been fairly limited. But I was excited by the challenge: our foremothers did it, therefore there's no reason I should be incapable of doing it too.

This Sunday, November 22nd I am going to be cooking up a storm at the Old Stone House in Brooklyn. I've got a traditional, Revolutionary Menu in the works. There is a chance that everything will come out burnt on the outside, and raw in the middle. But either way, you're invited to join me in my culinary adventure! The event is free and open to the public; I'll be serving tasting portions of hot-off-the-hearth food from 12-3pm.

I want to mention that the fine folks at D'Artagnan are donating some of their exemplary meats for the occasion.

The official press release is below. I hope to see you there!

***

The Historic Gastronomist demonstrates:

An 18th Century Thanksgiving
Join Sarah Lohman at the Old Stone House Hearth
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Limited tastings will be available.

Preparations will include:

Turkey with Gravy

Stewed Squab
Venison Roast

Sourdough Bread

Squash Pudding
Onions in Cream

Seasonal Vegetable

Plum Pudding
Apple Tarts
Pumpkin Pie

www.theoldstonehouse.org
336 Third Street, bet. 4th/5th Avenues
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-768-3195

Events: Brooklyn Beefsteak Wrap-up!

2009-11-12T23:12:00.005-05:00

"The Unbridled Enthusiasm of Sarah Lohman." Photo by Doan Buu.

I know this post is belated, but I must to take the time to say something about the amazing event I attended in Gowanus last weekend, the Brooklyn Beefsteak.

The mood at the event was nothing less than euphoric: a room full of hungry carnivores, subdued by the ever-flowing pints of McSorely's, and finally satiated by course after course of beef. And oh, the beef! We started with tiny hamburgers, then slices of tenderloin, then there was pot roast, and some sort of BBQ Beef. Too many beefs for me to count or remember, and each one masterfully prepared.

My favorite course was the strips of tenderloin, grilled over charcoal and drizzled with butter. It's the most traditional preparation of beef at a beefsteak, and arguable the best.

And now I know a thing or two about the history of the beefsteak, thanks to the two lectures at the event: one on the tradition of the beefsteak in New York (a manly 19th century gathering) and one on the survival of the beefsteak in the VFW halls of northern New Jersey. Both talks were entertaining; however, I don't envy the speakers for trying to give a history lesson to a room full of drunks. We were an enthusiastic crowd, to say the least.

You can see a bajillion photos from the event here. And if you would like to learn more about the tradition of the beefsteak, I encourage you to read the classic New Yorker article All You Can Hold for Five Bucks. It was published in 1939 and survives as the source of most of our contemporary beefsteak knowledge. Don't be dismayed by the first two paragraphs, were he talks about how terrible women are. It gets better after that.

The Historic Gastronomist: Giving Recipes an Afterlife

2009-11-10T10:58:00.005-05:00

Liza di Guia, a local food journalist, recently shot a short documentary about my work--and here it is! This is my first experience with being on camera, so I am simultaneously horrified and delighted.

And if you like what you see here, come see more in person at the Old Stone House in Brooklyn! On Sunday, November 22nd, from 12-3, I'm going to be cooking an entire Thanksgiving dinner over the hearth. Stop by to tour the museum, chat, and get some free tastes of what's cooking. More information soon...in the meantime, please enjoy the video!

The Historic Gastronomist: Giving Recipes an Afterlife from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.
Welcome to food. curated.

Meet Sarah Lohman. She's not a professional cook, nor a historian, yet what she is passionate about involves both cooking and history.

Sarah is a rare breed of hobbyist. A "historic gastronomist". She rediscovers and recreates American recipes that went out of style hundreds of years ago. For her, it is the closest thing to time travel...reawakening her senses and opening doors to old flavors and ideas that had once been pop culture.

And it's a hobby not without purpose. She uses these discoveries to introduce new ingredients and techniques into her cooking today. A trend, she says, that is catching on with chefs all over New York City.

food. curated. spent an afternoon with Sarah in her "kitchen lab" and at Brooklyn's Old Stonehouse to see what a typical day of recipe testing is like...

Read more about Sarah and her projects in her blog http://www.fourpoundsflour.com.

Thanks for watching http://www.foodcurated.com

Shot & Edited by Storyteller: Liza de Guia
Follow my food obsessions on Twitter: SkeeterNYC

History Dish Mondays: Huguenot Torte

2009-11-09T11:36:00.000-05:00

You are gonna love this torte.

I first heard about the Huguenot Torte when paging through my most recent issue of Cuisine at Home. The photos promised a luscious-looking apple and pecan treat, that "...Hails from the Ozarks, but was popularized in South Carolina by French Protestant immigrants known as the Huguenots." An apple dessert that also has a historical provenance? Excellent.

Then I came across the same recipe in the pages of The First Ladies Cookbook, who listed it as one of Martin van Buren's favorite dishes. "Well, if MVB likes it," I thought, "It has to be good!"

As it turns out, this dish had little to do with the Huguenots, and nothing at all to do with our eigth president.

While researching a little further into the history of the Huguenot Torte, I can across t his article in the New York Times. The article is part of a larger feature called Recipe Redux, wherein the author revisits recipes that were printed in the Times in years past. Huguenot Torte first appeared in the paper in 1965: "The Times’s recipe came from “The First Ladies Cook Book,” where it is featured in the chapter on Martin Van Buren — a historical impossibility because the dessert was created nearly 100 years after his term."

According to culinary historian John Martin Taylor:

"...The torte descends from a more recent Midwestern dessert called Ozark pudding. Huguenot torte, Taylor said, first showed up in print in 1950 in “Charleston Receipts,” a successful community cookbook in which the torte recipe was attributed to Evelyn Anderson Florance (then Mrs. Cornelius Huguenin). In the 1980s, Taylor tracked her down in a nursing home and discovered that she had eaten Ozark pudding on a trip to Galveston, Tex., in the ’30s. After fiddling with the recipe, she renamed it Huguenot torte after Huguenot Tavern, a Charleston restaurant where she made desserts. The tavern became known for the torte."

I don't hold the untruths that have been propagated about the Torte against it, because in actuality, this torte is one of the most amazing desserts I've ever had. It takes advantage of the fall apple harvest and is incredibly simple to put together. It has very little flour and a lot of eggs and sugar, which results in the most fascinating texture combination after it is baked: the top is the crustiest, crispiest meringue, while the inside is gooey, buttery caramel.

This dessert is astounding and due for a revival; in fact, I bet Martin van Buren would have loved it, had he been alive when it was created.

***
Huguenot Torte (1930s)
Ingredients taken from The First Ladies' Cookbook (1965)
Directions inspired by Cuisine at Home magazine (2009)

2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup peeled and chopped tart cooking apples
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, mixed with
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup heavy cream, whipped with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon almond extract.

1. Preheat over to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish; or line it with parchment paper.

2. Beats eggs and vanilla at high speed. Add the sugar a little at a time, until the eggs are light and creamy, about five minutes.

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix into egg mixture until just combined.

4. Fold in apple and pecans.

5. Pour into baking dish. Baked torte 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Cool five minutes and serve warm, cut into squares. Don't get stressed out when the Torte crumbles as it is dished out; that's it's nature. A dollop of lightly sweetened, almond flavored whipped cream is an excellent compliment. This Torte tastes even better the next day, after being warmed a few minutes in the oven.

Menus: Roast Bear for Charles Dickens

2009-11-05T23:45:00.007-05:00

I recently spent some time rifling through the New York Public Library's extensive menu collection, and I came across this gem from 1842:

Some of the dishes served included: Larded Sweet Breads and Larded Fillet Beef; Plum Puddings, blazing; and, my favorite, Roast Bear. I think the hosts tried to American things up for Charlie D: "Look at us! We're so wild in the States! We're eating a bear!" I hope Mr. Dickens had a good time.

I think this menu has planted the seed of an idea for a future dinner party.

Events: Brooklyn Beefsteak

2009-11-02T09:45:00.002-05:00

I'm going to an exciting event this weekend: The Brooklyn Beefsteak, a revival of the 19th century tradition of an "all-you-can-eat-and-drink beef and beer feast." Would anyone like to come with?

GROUP TICKETS - SOLD OUT / $35 Advance Tickets / $50 Door

Ticket includes…
+ All-you-can-eat naturally raised aged beef
+ Ever flowing McSorley’s Light and Dark Ale
+ Your own McSorley’s pint glass
+ LIVE MUSIC by Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.
+ Presentations by Beefsteak scholars Paul Lukas (ESPN.com Page 2 Columnist) and Bill Wander
+ Eating Contest, Raffles, and More!

All tickets are general admission - general seating.

We expect guests to bring the shenanigans. For more information or press inquiries please e-mail brooklynbeefsteak@gmail.com.

On a Personal Note: Showered with Gifts!

2009-10-30T00:00:00.002-04:00

I treasure my new nutmeg grater.

On Wednesday, I braved the rain and the wind to go to Whisk, a delightful kitchen supply store in Brooklyn. I won a $25 gift certificate earlier this month, so I arrived with a list of small items I needed for my kitchen.

It warmed my heart to be able to pick out some tiny treasures. I got: A beautiful roll of brown parchment paper, which I think I may use to wrap my Christmas presents; a cookie cutter in the shape of an oak leaf and a jar of silver sanding sugar (also for Christmas presents); a candy thermometer, a tea ball, and (best of all) a nutmeg grater. I have wanted a nutmeg grater for years, and the one I got at Whisk is truly special. This nutmeg grater is the same make that I used in my other life in 1848. Hanging on a rack of completely modern and ordinary kitchen utensils, its punched-tin design seemed terribly out of place. I snatched it up and cradled it; I love it so.

When I returned home, a package had come for me in mail. A reader of this blog had mailed me some cookbooks: a two-volume set of 15th Century recipes called Take a Thousand Eggs or More by Cindy Renfrow. This reader had bought them several years ago at a renaissance festival, and never got around to using them. She decided they needed a new home.

I haven't done much work with Medieval or Renaissance cookery, but upon scanning the index, the heading "Spectacle Foods" caught my eye. The first entry: "Appraylere: a false pitcher made of pork, cheese and bread." What??? Meat Pitcher? Awwwwwesome!

Box of meat! Sarah Lohman, your ship has come in.

Lastly, yesterday morning the Fed-Ex truck arrive with a box of free meat. How this free meat came to be is a long story, but it's from D'Artagnan, a local purveyor of elegant products. I got two tiny chickens, heritage breed bacon, buffalo steaks, duck foie gras, and two types of truffle butter. I've never even owned a truffle before!

I feel truly fortunate to have received all of these wonderful gifts; they are going to take me on some wonderful food adventures.

The Gallery: Eating What the Presidents Ate

2009-10-29T12:00:00.004-04:00

Left: Wine Jelly.
Recently, I've been reading The First Ladies Cookbook: Favorite Dishes of all the Presidents of the United States. It was printed sometime around 1976, in the history-loving fervor surrounding our bicentennial. I'm always a little suspicious of historic books printed in this era, as the research often seems a tad sketchy. But TFLC (as it shall hereby be known) seems fairly trustworthy, and has footnoted its references. I always appreciate a good footnote.

I learned a few interesting facts after glancing over the introduction, "Notes on Early American Cookery." It speaks of the early housewife, who regulated "...the temperature (of) the Dutch oven so that she would not have a 'sad cake...'" Meaning: a cake that was baked unevenly, so that it was tragically lopsided and irrevocable burnt. A sad cake! Aw.

I also discovered a thing or two about Gelatin: "Gelatin was made from calves' feet, or from a product called isinglass, taken from the swim bladders of fishes...In the elaborate molded desserts they gave a meaty or fishy flavor to the pudding." Jee-sus.

Additionally, I found out Thomas Jefferson was not only quite the gourmand, but also a consummate host. I've added this new knowledge to my list of reasons to love Jefferson--in fact, thinking of him makes my heart flutter.

Being a widower, Jefferson would occasionally call upon the aid Mrs. Dolley Madison, the wife of his secretary of state. She seems like she was a real firecracker--she saved all those paintings and popularized ice cream!

A guest at one of Jefferson's dinner parties recounts his first experience with Macaroni:

"...A pie called macaroni, which appeared to be a rich crust filled with onions or shallots, which I took it to be, tasted very strong, and not very agreeable. Mr. Lewis told me there was none in it; it was an Italian dish, and what appeared like onions were made of flour and butter, with particularly strong liquor mixed in them."

What was this strong liquor? I need to seek out a recipe contemporary to this account; I've become very curious about the evolution of macaroni and cheese in America. After all, "He stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni."

One of Jefferson's favorite recipes was Wine Jelly, which is exactly what it sounds like: booze-flavored Jell-o. I think I'm going to try out the recipe, although I will probably use unflavored gelatin for simplicity's sake, instead of extracting isinglass from the swim bladders of fishes.

Right: Turban of Chicken.

Below: "Sausage Rolls."

Other presidential favorites: Martin Van Buren loved Huguenot Cake, an apple torte I've been jonesing to bake. Grover Cleveland was fond of "Turban of Chicken, Cleveland style," a molded pate-style ring made from mushrooms and mushed chicken pieces. And Benjamin Harrison's favorite dish? Pigs in a blanket. Who can blame him?

History Dish Mondays: The Common Ale

2009-10-26T00:54:00.000-04:00

A post for you brewers out there: my friend Pete recently recreated a long-lost 19th century brew fermented from corn. He writes:

"Behold, beer fans. The beer pictured to the left is the Cream Common or Present Use Ale, a beer
brewed with lager yeast (bottom fermenting), but at ale temperatures (55-75 degrees). This is not uncommon for a style of the 1800's -- in fact, the Steam beer, known as the California Common to non-Anchor breweries is done the same way. I believe this was done to give beer fans something to drink while waiting for their lagers, the favored beer style of the time. This beer was very popular in the midwest, and was known as a "common" due to the ordering style of the time. If you asked for an Ale, it was likely that this was what you got, unless the establishment also made their own beer. In that case, you got a "Rare Ale", which was completely different than the "Common" style of the region.

The recipe taken from here and interpreted into a much more readable recipe was a very simple brew. With 7 lbs. of base malt -- in this case, American two row malt, a very simple, clean tasting malt -- added to 3lbs of flaked maize gave a very corny scent. If you've ever smelled the water left over after making steamed corn on the cob, you've smelled how this beer smelled while mashing, and understand why I didn't want to drink something that smelled that terrible.

Thankfully, when hops were added (another American hop that would have been around at that time, Liberty, a noble hop with a very balanced smell as well as aroma. It's not too hoppy as an IPA would be, and it's not so weak as to just blend into the background.) the smell changed, considerably. The sweetness of the sugar in the corn took over, and mixed with the hops, the beer turned from boiled corn water to a delicate corn flan, with notes of cornbread in the boil.

Two weeks later, I put it in a keg and forgot about it for a week and half, to allow the beer to come up to gas, as well as give it time to mellow. Beer taken directly from the fermenter into a keg is drinkable, but, tastes green. The flavor profile never has time to develop, and as a result, the beer is a mishmash of what it's flavor is going to end up being, the notes of the chord so to speak, woefully out of tune.

Now that it's come together, the taste is wonderful. I imagine this as what the Busch, Miller and Coors families were inspired by in the Midwest. The nose is sweet, very unbeerlike with an effervescence not unlike a champagne. The taste is very earthy, and there's a piquant balance of the hop, maize and malt which swirl on the tongue in an almost sweet way. This is definitely not a savory beer, something strong and manly. At just 4.8% ABV, the beer is smooth, and quaffable, and with each sip, I almost hear a horse whinny as Sam plays something on the piano in some midwestern tavern somewhere down near Cincinnati.

This beer will very likely become my lawnmower beer -- that is to say the beer that I do some yard work and reward myself with a somewhat weak but tasty nonetheless beer that's just a bit better for me than water. It's likely that if you're at my house between May and October and ask for an Ale, you'll feel as though you've bellied up to the bar in 1863, too."

Pete adds as an addendum: "There's a book called American handy book of the brewing, malting and auxiliary trades. It's out of print, but freely available on Google books. Unfortunately, the Common vs. Rare bit is anecdotal from a brewing forum I go to. One of the gentlemen is in his seventies, and his grandfather would take him to his local tavern and order the "Common Ale", and when he had an extra dollar in his pocket, the "Rare Ale". It could be local to where he grew up (Northern Kentucky) rather than something that was done everywhere.

Here's another site, which jumpstarted the research on the recipe -- http://www.surrealstudio.net/ODanielsBlog/?cat=15 -- This could also be the difference between the Common and the Rare -- The Kentucky Common is a darker beer, and could have been brewed at different times to make it more "rare". Unfortunately, lots of the history of this stuff is lost to the aether, thanks to prohibition."

Thanks for sharing, Pete! I can't wait to quaff some the next time I'm in Cleveland.

Events: 1865 Funeral Reenactment

2009-10-23T11:39:00.003-04:00

The Merchant's House funeral reenactment processes down The Bowery.

I'm attending an interesting event this week at the Merchant's House Museum called From Parlor to Grave: 1865 Funeral Reenactment.

The parlors will be draped in black crape as we recreate the 1865 funeral of Seabury Tredwell. After the service, mourners are invited to follow the coffin to nearby New York City Marble Cemetery – rarely open to the public – for a tour. 19th-century mourning attire encouraged; black crape armbands will be provided. $15, MHM Members $10.

I went several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed myself: there is a fake corpse of Mr Seabury Tredwell; visitors are asked to participate in the period appropriate funeral ceremony; and then (my favorite part) the casket is carried from the from door of the museum, down the Bowery to the cemetery. The juxtaposition of the 1860s funeral processionand the hustle and bustle of modern day New York is mind-blowing.

Thinking about the funeral got me interested in doing some research on Funeral Cakes. Also known as Doed Kokes, funeral cakes were a large, hard cookie that was given out as a memento of a funeral (Zanger, 45). The cookies were molded much like a Springerle cookie and were flavored with caraway seeds. Although they were largely a Colonial Dutch tradition (Zanger, 45), their recipe appears under the name "seed cakes" in many 19th century cookbooks.

I had one of these cookies at a funeral reenactment in Ohio and remember it tasting awful. The caraway seeds gave it a taste distinctly reminiscent of pepperoni. Then again, the cookies probably weren't ever intended to be eaten, but rather preserved for years as a testament to the memory of a loved one.

On a similar note, I wanted to share with you a little treasure my Mom found at a flea market over the summer: a collection of funeral cards for the 1850s and 60s. They were a memento distributed in the same way as a doed koke. I've scanned these cards and made them available on Flickr. Take the time to browse them: each one is unique and different, and several of them are truly beautiful in their level of detail and intricacy.

UPDATE 10/25/2009: I took a bunch of photos at the reenactment today, take a look!

Retronovated Recipes: Chocolet Puffs

2009-10-21T12:00:00.002-04:00

A few weekends ago, I was awarded Best in Show at the Havemeyer Sugar Sweets Festival, a fundraiser for the City Reliquary. I was especially proud of my prize because the recipe that won, Chocolate Puffs, is one of my favorite creations.

I first came across the recipe for Chocolate Puffs in The American History Cookbook, an excellent resource by Mark H. Zanger that uses food to teach cultural history. That's right up my alley.

The recipe, which is from a 1750s manuscript, is fascinating because it is "one of the first recipes in English for any use of chocolate other than drinking."

Take a pound of Loaf Sugar, beat and Sifted very fine, 2 Ounce of Almonds blancht and beat very fine with a little Orange Flower water or any other, to keep them from Oyling, but not to make the same too thin, take 2 ounces of Chocolet and grate it, then mix it well together, the take the wfite of an Egg and beat it to a froth, if one be not Enough take a little more, then beat it well to a paste & Squert it, and do it on Slight paper and Set the same in an oven after Bread, of Chocolett Ditt it up a while but not for White ones, for fear of making them brown.

I realized this recipe was the perfect vehicle to try out the block of American Heritage baking chocolate I had picked up on my recent trip to Washington DC. American Heritage is chocolate produced by the Historic Division of Mars, Inc.

"The Historic Division of Mars was established in 2006, with the vision of becoming the undisputed leader in chocolate history. Our mission is to relentlessly pursue and share chocolate's rich past, by creating authentically historic chocolate experiences that allow our consumers to enjoy the fusion of chocolate history and Mars Chocolate excellence."

It's "Handcrafted chocolate made from an authentic colonial recipe...only with ingredients available during the 17th century. " I'm a huge nerd, so when I discovered that there was an authentic historic chocolate being produced, I was beside myself with excitement.

Early chocolate was produced sweetened cakes and sold as a spice. Until the later half of the 19th century, it was primary served as what we know of as hot chocolate. My block of American Heritage chocolate is about 5 oz of pressed cocoa, delicately spiced with anise, red pepper, nutmeg, orange and cinnamon. It seemed only fitting to feature the unique taste of this chunk of chocolate history in my recipe for Chocolet Puffs.

If I'm reading the Chocolet Puffs recipe correctly, it gives you an option of melting the chocolate before adding it to the whipped egg whites, but primarily advises you to simply grate it and stir it in to the meringue, much like you would use a spice. I searched for a comparable modern recipe to use as a jumping point for my baking process: I came across a wonderful recipe for Chocolate Meringues in Martha Stewart's Cookies that stirred shaved chocolate into a Swiss meringue; a concept incredibly similar to my 18th century recipe.

***

Chocolate Puffs (1750s)

From a manuscript housed at Tyron Place, as published in the American History Cookbook.

Modern recipe inspired by "Chocolate Meringues" from Martha Stewart's Cookie Book.

4 large eggs whites
1 cup sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar
Pinch of Salt

1/2 tablespoon Orange Flower Water*

1/4 cup grated American Heritage chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Combine egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, salt and orange flower water in a heat proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set in a double boiler. Cook on a low heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch.

2. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; beat starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes.

3. Gently fold in chocolate, taking care not to crush the meringue.

4. Transfer meringue to a pastry bag, or (like I did) a Ziploc bag with one corner cut off. Pipe quarter sized, "kiss" shaped cookies onto a non-stick cookie sheet, or parchment lined cookie sheet.

5. Bake cookies for two hours.

*Orange Flower Water can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores; I live in an ethic neighborhood, so my local grocery store carries it, along with three different brands of Rose Water. It is a historic gastronomist's paradise.

***

And that's all there is to it. The process is time consuming, but simple. The results: a depth and intensity of flavor I would not have thought possible from these crispy, sweet little puffs.

Events: Havemeyer Sugar Sweets Sale Wrap Up!

2009-10-18T14:49:00.011-04:00

Jumbles, stacked and ready to eat!

This post is belated, but I wanted to share the results of the Sugar Sweets Festival last weekend.

I made about 300 cookies, wrapped in snazzy packages of three, and 90% of them sold! I was thrilled, not only to make a little money for the Reliquary, but because I was afraid the recipes I selected would be too strange for the modern pallet. On the contrary, they were a big hit.

I worked on a simple, professional package design.

I made four kinds in total. The Cayenne Gingerbread was the best seller. In Mrs. Beeton's Book Of Household Management, she says: "...a great

authority in culinary matters suggests the addition of a little cayenne pepper in gingerbread. Whether it be advisable to use this latter ingredient or not, we leave to our readers to decide." I say YES, Mrs. Beeton! The gingerbread cookies I baked from her recipe were familiar, yet spicy and complex, with a little kick to the aftertaste. They received rave reviews at the bake sale.

I also baked up a batch of Jumbles, a mid-19th century butter cookie, that are rolled in a loop and sprinkled with powdered sugar. The recipe comes in endless variations; I decided upon a batch flavored with lemon and mace.

I attempted a few dozen Almond-Rosewater Macaroons as well. Although I thought they were the tastiest, the cookie was too delicate to survive transport to the bake sale. Most of them crumbled upon arrival, and did not look as fetching as they could have. The recipe needs work, but I think it still has potential.

The most pleasant surprise of the day was finding out the my Chocolet Puffs, an 18th century meringue cookie, won Best in Show in the baking contest!

Yay!

My prize was a $25 gift certificate to Whisk, a cooking supply store in Brooklyn. I think I might use it to invest in a pair of cookie sheets; I've been baking on borrowed sheets!

I was delighted to be a part of the Sugar Sweets Festival. It allowed me to work the kinks out of my recipes and to develop sensible packaging for my product. Most importantly, I discovered that people actually liked these cookies and were interested in their story. I don't know where these lessons will take me next, but I'm willing to keep going.

Next: The story behind my award-winning Chocolet Puffs.

Tonight I Met John Cleese.

2009-10-16T00:03:00.004-04:00

My friend Rich introduced us: "This is my friend, Sarah Lohman."

I shook Mr. Cleese's hand. He waggled a bacon-wrapped hors d'oeuvre at me.

"...Angels on Horseback have a date in the middle. Devils on Horseback have chicken liver." He commented.

"That's what's in these?" I asked, shocked. The tray had been labeled 'Devils on Horseback.' I was amazed I had been so delighted by a part of the chicken I normally throw away.

"No, a date. A date."

"Ah." I said. Mr. Cleese excused himself. I got another gin and tonic.

Events: The City Reliquary's 1st Annual Haveymeyer Sugar Sweets Festival

2009-10-09T14:15:00.003-04:00

A quick post to let you know some of my baked goods will be on sale tomorrow, during Open House New York, at a fundraiser for The City Reliquary.

Four types of delicious historic cookies will be available: Cayenne Gingerbread, Spiced Lemon Jumbles, Almond Rosewater Macaroons, and Chocolet Puffs. The Puffs are made with authentic American Heritage Chocolate.

In addition, there will be sweets for sale from great bakeries all around the city, and all the prophets go to support the City Reliquary. I'll be hanging out at the sale tomorrow afternoon; so swing by and get yourself some treats!

***

October 10 / 12pm – 6pm / Havemeyer & Grand

Eat Sweet Treats! Support The Reliquary!

The Sugar Sweets Festival is a bake sale, baking competition and celebration of NYC’s best desserts past and present! Stroll on by or bring a baked good to sell–it will be a tasty afternoon on Havemeyer. The Fest will feature:

A Bake Sale

An army of Civic Bakers is donating homemade cookies, brownies, cakes, pies and more to a giant bake sale, proceeds of which will directly support The Reliquary.

Think you are NYC’s best baker? Bring your tastiest treats to the Fest! We will be awarding prizes for:Baking Competition

• Best Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Best Pie
• Best Brownie
• Best Cake
• Mr. or Ms. Civic Baker

Baking Activities
Bring your whole family and enjoy:

Cookie Decorating
Homemade Playdough Making
The History of Sugar in Brooklyn
Ask The Baker
19th Century Urban Cookies

And Goodies From Local Merchants

Oslo Coffee (free!)
Brooklyn Kitchen
Whisk
Salties Bakery

Travelogue: Mt. Vernon

2009-10-06T20:18:00.009-04:00

The Whiskey Distillery at Mt Vernon.

On day two of my travels in our nation's capitol, I piled in the car with my friends Bryan and Katie, and made the drive to George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon.

It was a spectacularly beautiful fall day, and there was no where I would have rather been that driving along the Potomac with the windows down. The three of us lunched at the Mt . Vernon Inn, which offers "...six intimate dining rooms, two with fireplaces, all with colonial charm, colonial servers, and delicious regional and colonial cuisine."

I had the "Colonial Turkey Pye," (the "y" makes it old timey) which was ok, but unimpressive. I think the vegetables were from a frozen bag mix, and it had a giant Ritz cracker hat. Bryan had a cup of peanut soup, which I had tried before at the cafeteria at Gettysburg. I had liked it at Gettysburg, but here it tasted like warm peanut butter. Gross.

The main disappointment was that the menu had foods that could have been eaten in the 18th century, like roasted chicken and corncakes, but the foods weren't at all different from what we eat today. There wasn't even an effort to use spices appropriate to the 18th century. It's dull; I never understood why "historic" restaurants never make the effort to offer interesting, delicious historic food.

We spent a few hours touring the grounds, and took a fairly boring tour of the Mansion itself. The house sees a high volume of visitors each year, and the staff handles this by scooting a continuous line of tourists along a velvet-roped route through the interior of the building, while reciting the interpretation for each space on a continuous loop. You would enter the room at the beginning of the interp, and leave approximately when it would start repeating. It was weird. One fact did catch my attention: Washington died suddenly of an inflammation of the throat, that suffocated him in 36 hours. I got a little freaked out when I felt a cold coming on a few days later.

Next, we went to Mt. Vernon's second site which features a reconstruction of Washington's Gristmill and Distillery. I had been looking forward to visiting the recently opened distillery for awhile, and it really was a treat. A knowledgeable interpreter talking us through the distilling process while we toured a truly beautiful building. I learned that in the 18th century, whiskey was made from rye, with a little corn. It was not aged; the entire distilling process took only two weeks before it was casked and sold. The liquor was clear, and our guide described it as tasting surprisingly sweet. Mt. Vernon will begin selling its whiskey sometime in the next year, and I am excited to try it when they do.

The gristmill was also neat, as gristmills are. Every time I stand before a spinning water wheel, and all those gears and grindstones, I'm impressed by human ingenuity. Who thinks of these things??

Looking down from the second floor of the gristmill, to the stream below.

I picked up a little souvenir treat for myself: a 5-ounce block of American Heritage Chocolate, a product of the Historic Division of Mars, that is made from an authentic Colonial recipe. I'm going to use it to make "Chocolet Puffs," a receipt from a 18th century manuscript that is one of the earliest instances of chocolate being used in another manner than for drinking. If the recipe turns out well, they will be sold at The City Reliquary's 1st Annual Haveymeyer Sugar Sweets Festival on Saturday. But more on that tomorrow.

See more images from my trip below.

Travelogue: Mitsitam Cafe

2009-10-06T19:21:00.013-04:00

This is what $27 gets you at the Mitsitam Cafe.

Over the weekend, I spent a lovely couple of days with friends in Washington, D.C. Aside from general revelry (it was so good to laugh again), I couldn't resist the opportunity to go on a few historic food adventures.

My first stop was the Museum of the American Indian, which houses the Mitsitam Cafe, a lunch-time spot with an interesting concept. The Cafe offers food inspired by the traditional dishes of five different Native American regions: Northern Woodlands, The Great Plains, Northwest Coast, Meso-America and South America. Pretty neat, huh? The Cafe came highly recommended, so I trudged over to the Mall to check it out.

Interior: Mitsitam Cafe

Each of the regions is set up as a separate station, with a selection of entrees and sides. I selected a bison steak from the Great Plains, which was made to order on a fancy grill and served with a cherry chutney. For my sides, I opted for pan fried bread from Meso-America and a pumpkin spoon bread from the Northern Woodlands. Also from the Woodlands, I got a cup Jerusalem artichoke and chestnut soup.

My steak is cooked to order.

Although I was excited by the variety that the Cafe offered, I had to stand in a separate line for each station. And I happened to get to the cafeteria behind a rush of very old men and very small children, neither of which could make of their minds. By the time I got to the cash register, I was hungry and impatient--and then imagine my surprise when my meal totaled $27.

27!! Twenty-Seven Dollars!! For lunch! This is a recession! The best restaurants in New York are offering pre-fixe lunches for thirty bucks a pop. How did I manage to spend that in a cafeteria in DC?

Disgruntled, I took my tray to a seat, and began sampling the dishes. The steak had a good char on it, but was ice cold. While it was being cooked to order, the chef had told me to come back in a few minutes. When I did, he had sliced it into nursing home slivers and covered it in cherry chutney. The result--ice cold steak covered in fruit. The Jerusalem artichoke soup was so salty it was inedible, and the texture of the chestnuts was appalling. The pumpkin spoon bread was ok, with a taste that resembled pumpkin pie, but with a grainy texture. The best thing on my plate was my fried pan bread, and even that was so chewy I think I got TMJ.

To be fair, I may have just come on a bad day, or made bad selections. But I would never go the Mitsitam Cafe again.

Feeling ripped off, I went next door to the Air and Space Museum and spent a few moments in the foyer gazing at some of man's most spectacular achievements. Then, I comforted myself with a bag of Spaceman Ice Cream.

I have very fond memories of Spaceman Ice Cream. I would get a package every time I visited the Cleveland Museum of Natural History as a kid. I continue the tradition by purchasing a bag whenever I can, and the flavor never fails to bring me back to my childhood. My thoughts travel far off into space, where I think of astronauts chewing away on the same neapolitan block.

I actually don't know if Spacemen eat, or have ever eaten, Spaceman Ice Cream. But I think enjoying this crispy sweet as a kid was the first time that food helped me understand another way of life.

Day two of my adventures tomorrow.

On a Personal Note: Reality TV, 1940's Style.

2009-10-01T00:00:00.001-04:00

I've been watching 1940s House, the 2001 BBC series in which a family recreates the living conditions during war time Britain. It's a really excellent show; I find the British versions of the "House" shows to be much more fascinating. They cast people with a sincere interest in history, and I think it makes for a better show than the American version, which leans more towards reality tv and drama drama drama.

The shows also features several appearances by Marguerite Patten, and a focus on rationing and food prep in the '40s. The show is well worth adding to your Netflix que.

On Wednesday, I baked three more loaves of sourdough bread. I still don't quite have my technique mastered, but I'm getting close. It let it rise longer, and I baked two loaves at 450 with the lid on for 20 minutes, and the lid off for 30 minutes. I also tried using a loaf pan, instead of the Pyrex casserole I have been using. It was still dense--I think I'm going to have problems getting the bread to rise until my steam heat gets turned in. My apartment is chilly is the fall. Additionally, the bread tasted more like a classic sourdough than the cheesy bread I made last week. It's from the same starter, so I don't get. I guess when you're cooking and eating living animals, their always going to be some variation.

The prettiest loaf of them all will be traveling with me to our nation's capital, where I'm visiting my friend Bryan this weekend. We're going on a historic food adventure which includes a trip to the cafe at the Museum of the American Indian and a visit to George Washington's distillery. More on that next week.

Retronovated Recipes: 400 Years of Apple Pie -- Bonus Feature!!

2009-09-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

I want to follow up on my apple pie exploration with this little gem: my roommate reading aloud the 1615 Pippin Pie recipe.

Enjoy.

The Sourdough Battle: The Great Bake Off

2009-09-28T12:00:00.006-04:00

Astoria Sourdough: highly recommended.

The time has come to bake bread from the starters I have so laboriously cared for!

After poking around for a simple bread recipe, I can across the video from the New York Times.

I selected this recipe because I had seen this photo from Simply Sourdough the Alaskan Way, of two turn-of-the-century gentleman making sourdough in cast iron pots. The recipe is so simple, I figured it had to be relatively similar. I found the recipe adapted for sourdough here.

***

Simple Sourdough Bread

Method Adapted from Mark Bittmans' The New York Times feature on Jim Lahey

Ingredients from eliminatetheimpossible.com

1 cup starter

1 cup water
3 cups flour
2 tsp salt

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. "Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic)" in oven to preheat. In a large bowl combine ingredients. Cover bowl and "let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees."

2. "Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself..." (reference video for this technique)

3. Carefully pick up the dough, and drop into the preheated pot. Cover with lid and bake 20 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, "until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack."

***

When I busted out my Astoria (nee New York) Sourdough Starter and gave it a sniff, the smell had definitely mellowed from stinky cheese to almost imperceptibly sour. After scooping out a cup of starter for my dough, I added a cup of flour and 3/4 water back into the starter, mixed it up, and let it sit out for about 6 hours before I put it back into the fridge. Use distilled or bottled water; tap water could be chlorinated and will kill your yeast friends.

I prepared the bread according to the recipe above, starting with the Astoria starter. The loaf came out of the oven a little weird looking: shiny, burnt in places, and lopsided. The latter is the fault of my oven, which, like my floor, slopes to the center of the room. Despite its suspicious looks, the bread smelled delicious. Like Parmesan cheese.

I really should have let the bread cool, but I was excited, and my roommate talked me into slicing it open. It was incredibly dense, and I deduced that I had not let it rise long enough.

We tasted it anyway: it was wonderful. Like a Parmesan cheese bread, that occasionally also tasted like baked macaroni and cheese. It was delicious. I could have eaten it all day. I was amazed. I had literally created this bread from nothing. How can so much flavor come from a mason jar full of flour and water on my windowsill? After having to throw away so many starters to get here, the whole thing just seemed like magic.

"I made this from the air," I pointed out to my roommate. "You're eating a piece of New York City. Literally."

I put the Alaskan sourdough into the oven next; it rose slightly better, and the result was slightly less dense. But nowhere near as flavorful as the Astoria Sourdough. The New York bread was hands down our favorite.

Both loaves came out too dense. I don't think I let either loaf of bread rise long enough: I hit closer to the 8 hour mark instead of 12. Bittman even recommends letting the dough rise for another 2 hours after you pull it out of the bowl and fold it over, which may be worth a try. Bittman also suggests cooking at 450 for 30 minutes with the lid on, the 15-30 minutes with the lid off. I am going to try his cooking temperature next time, to see if it prevents burnt bits.

The flavor of Sourdough bread varies by the region in which it is baked: sourdough was baked in San Francisco and Alaska because itinerant men needed to start their own yeast cultures; the sourdough from these regions became famous because of the particularly tasty local strains of yeast. New York yeast apparently tastes like mac and cheese.

I declare this experiment a success, although the technique will need to be tweaked. I will definitely be baking another loaf of delicious, cheesy, Astoria Sourdough. And I feel much closer to being able to survive on the frontier, just like so many other women had to do, long ago. Next week: I learn how to slaughter a buffalo.(just kidding)

(or maybe not...)

P.S.: For a little more science behind sourdough, here's Alton Brown:

In The News: Bacon Beer Hits the Nation

2009-09-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

The New York Times ran this infatuating article on different bacon brews across the country.

The Times also had a rather inspiring article about vacationing in my hometown of Cleveland. Two items of interest in the article are the Velvet Tango Room, a Tremont bar housed in an old speakasy that features home-made bitters and a bevy of classic cocktails; and L'Abatros, the new French restaurant housed in a 19thc carriage house on the Case Western Reserve University campus.

Edible Manhattan reminds us that the Bloody Mary is turning 75 on October 5th; head over to it's origin point at the St. Regis hotel to get one.

I did a video with The Feedbag at the annual, South American-style pig roast at Il Buco. The prized pigs in the spotlight? An 150 lb Ossabaw and 250 lb Crossabaw (ossabaw crossed with a modern breed). Watch the video to learn more about these breeds, and to see some serious pig fat action.

The 19th Century Pub Crawl a Great Success!

2009-09-21T15:00:00.006-04:00

Downing the Original 1864 House Ale at Pete's Tavern. Photo by Ilana Kohn.

I am pleased to report that the 19th Century Pub Crawl was a rousing success! Over forty people turned out and we covered five bars, from E 4th st. to E 55th. A small group even made it all the way to PJ Clark's.

We were a motley crew, all ages and backgrounds, brought together by our mutual love of history. Additionally, there were some impressively costumed ladies sporting full 19th century garb, corsets and all. A couple fine gals even came straight from their jobs as historic interpreters at Old Bethpage Village. I don't think a more convivial group could be found anywhere on the streets of New York that night.

We began our crawl at Swift, a modern bar whose decor and cocktail menu are inspired by the writings of Jonathon Swift. I tried one the bar's original cocktails, the Captain Gulliver, a combination of Jameson, Ginger beer, and lemon. I had wanted to try the ginger beer, which is so 19th century, but it was non-alcoholic. This cocktail was the perfect solution.

Left: The Captain Gulliver

Next I led the group to McSorely's, who have been serving their light and dark house brew since their establishment in 1854. The light beer allegedly tastes like cream soda. I ended up not going in: McSorely's is a cornerstone of drinking at NYU, so the bar was already packed by the time we arrived at 6:30. Half of the crawl decided to stop in, and met up with us later, while the rest of us continued to our third stop, Pete's Tavern.

Pete's is also known for the house brew they have served up since 1864. It looks like a dark beer, but tastes like Miller Light. This beer marked a definite turn in my sobriety and in the sobriety of my cohorts.

The interior was beautiful, the bartender gracious, and the staff incredibly tolerant of our drunken antics. I'd stop in Pete's any day.

Next, we headed down the street to nearby Old Town Bar. At this point, we were famished, so several of us gorged ourselves on the bar's delicious burgers and fries. I also sent my friend Marc to gather reconnaissance in the men's bathroom. The marble urinals, "made by Hinsdale in 1910," are impressive enough that Old Town mentions them on their website. The tavern's dumbwaiter is also the oldest one operating in the city, and pretty cool to see in action.
Right: The infamous urinals. Overall, a beautiful bathroom.

Lastly, we grabbed a cab and headed uptown to our final destination: PJ Clark's. After gorging ourselves (again) on a plate of onions rings so crispy they taste like green bean casserole, I noticed that they had an oyster bar. I was thrilled. "How Victorian!" I squealed. In every period source and novel I have read, haughty men are slurping down bivalves by the plateful.

I'd never had an oyster before, so I ordered one for myself and one for Marc. To be honest, I was expecting something squishy and revolting, and misery loves company. We loaded up with condiments and sucked them down, and were surprisingly not disgusted. They just tasted like salt. Or maybe I was wasted.

The spread at PJ Clark's.

Eating my first oyster. I look enthused.

My evening ended by climbing into a cab bound for Queens. Upon arriving home, I left a trail of my clothing and personal items from my front door to my bed, where I promptly passed out. The next morning, I felt as though I had been struck by a moving carriage. If this were the 19th century, I'd be one step away from McGurk's.

To see more photos from the event, swing by our group on Flickr here. And if you're a Flickr member, and attended the event, feel free to add your own photos to our group pool.

We're already planning another crawl this spring, following the bars on Manhattan's west side that formerly served the harbor's sailors, seamen, and other rugged sorts. And is New York the only city where a woman can wear an 1860's dress with punk-red hair and not be looked at twice? We're going to find out, because we're bringing the Crawl to Boston. Stay tuned for more news.

The 19th Century Pub Crawl is TOMORROW!

2009-09-18T00:00:00.005-04:00

The 19th Century Pub Crawl is TOMORROW, Saturday, September 19th at 5pm. Join us for the perfect combination of binge drinking and historic nerdery. We've gotten a lot of great listings including the New York Times, the Daily News and my personal favorite on Shecky's:

"If ye haven't yet succumbed to consumption or polio, lace on your opera boots and joine some fyne folke on this 19th Century Pub Crawl through the rapscallion-infested streets of downtown NYC. This traipsing tippling tour takes you to some of New York City's oldest bars and most notorious dens of vice. Visit www.19thcpubcrawl.com for a full itinerary and map of the route, including Swift, which is offering $1 off draughts to anyone dressed in garb of the era. $1? In the 19th century, that was like, $100!"

We will meet promptly at 5 PM at Swift, then proceed to Death & Company; McSorely's Old Ale House; Pete's Tavern; Old Town Bar; Keen's Steakhouse; and, should we still possess the fortitude and sobriety, P.J. Clarke's.

Nineteenth century dress is encouraged, but by no means required.

This event is brought to you by myself, Ilana Kohn, and The New York Nineteenth Century Society.

See you tomorrow!

Retronovated Recipes: 400 Years of Apple Pie

2009-09-17T16:59:00.005-04:00

I believe apple pie is one of the greatest pleasures of the fall, second only to all things pumpkin flavored. Over the weekend, I baked three apple pies from three different centuries: the 17th, 18th and 21st. In each recipe, the flavours are so distinctive, so apropos of their respective time periods, that I've felt an unrelenting urge to make them at once and let my palette travel back through time.

I baked these pies with the assistance of my mother. I hope that through our experiment, you find inspiration for your own fall pies.

To Make the Basic Pie

In preparing these pies, I decided to keep the method for making the pie consistent, and let the flavorings be the variable. This approach is historically accurate: most old recipes are only a list of ingredients; after years in kitchen, cooks would already know how to prepare something as simple as a pie.

Use the crust recipe of your choice, or get a store bought crust. For the filling, use a mixture of softer apples that will break down with cooking, and firmer apples that will keep their shape. I used a combination of Ginger Gold, Gala, and Paula Red apples, about three pounds in total.

To prepare the filling, I followed Pam Anderson's recipe from her book, The Perfect Recipe.

"Apple Filling: ...Heat butter (1/2 stick) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple slices, sugar and (spices) and when they start to sizzle and steam, reduce heat to low. Cover pan and simmer until apples soften and release their juices, about 8 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until softer apples start to fall apart and juices thicken to thin syrup consistency, about 5 minutes longer...Refrigerate of set in a cool place until apples cool to room temperature."

After the filling is cooled, fill the crust, and don't forger to cut vents in the top. Brush the top crust with a half and half mixture of cream and egg yolk to get a nice golden brown color in the oven. Bake it for 15 minutes at 375, then 20-30 minutes at 350. The pie is done when the filling begins to bubble up through the crust.

1615: Pippin Pie

The oldest recipe in my pie time machine is from The English Housewife, published in 1615. I came across it in the book 1,000 Years Over a Hot Stove in a chapter on colonial cooking.

The Modern Recipe: The original recipe uses whole apples, whole cloves, chunks of orange peel, and shattered bits of cinnamon stick. In the 17th century, grinding spices would have been a laborious process, and not economical for making an everyday dessert. I updated the recipe by using ground spices and orange zest, which make the pie easier to ingest, while still maintaining the original recipe's unique flavor profile. I cooked the chopped dates in with the apples; they began to disintegrate and thicken the sauce. A coffin, by the way, is the pie pastry.

3 lbs apples

1/2 tsp clove

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Zest of one orange

1 -1 1/2 cups dates

1/3 c sugar

The Results: While the pie was baking, the combination of spices made the house smell like Christmas. But when it came time to eat, the orange and clove made the pie taste exactly like a pomander. I think if I were in the 17th century I would have loved it, but nowadays I hate eating potpourri. On the contrary, my friend Sarah Tea loved this pie. It was her favorite of the three.

1796: Apple Rosewater Pie

This recipe is from the first American cookbook, American Cookery by Amelia Simmons.

The Modern Recipe: Mace is an extremely zesty spice and can over power a dish in a large quantities. Conversely, I added a hearty dose of rosewater, which adds a bright, cirtusy flavor instead of a perfumee one. A recipe appropriate to the 19th century can be made by substituting cinnamon with nutmeg.

3 lbs apples
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp mace
1 tsp rosewater
2/3 c sugar

The Results: My dad thought this pie tasted like Sara Lee, and this was my mother's favorite. Despite it's unconventional seasonings this pie tasted the most "normal."

2006: Bob Evan's Bourbon Apple Pie

This recipe comes from Amy Sedaris' book "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence." I won't include the entire recipe here, due to copyright issues. My recipe was inspired by hers, but stuck to my own methods.

The Modern Recipe:

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2/3 cup sugar, divided.

1 cup bourbon.

Caramelize 1/3 cup sugar over a medium-low heat. When it is a little darker than the color of honey, remove from heat and slowly add the bourbon. Return to heat to dissolved the sugar, and reduce into "a thin sauce." Stir into the apple pie filling after the filling has been cooked, but before it has cooled.

The Results: My mom loathed this pie and claimed "the taste was burning her tongue." This pie was actually my favorite. The flavor seemed the most modern, and was the easiest for my pallet to accept. And I do love a glass of bourbon.

There you have it: Three pies. Three centuries. All apple pie in spirit, but all distinctly different.

On a personal note...

2009-09-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

I want to let you in on a few things going on in my life. First, I wanted to show off my gorgeous new pinner apron, made for me by Eva of Circa 1850 and The New York Nineteenth Century Society. She hand-sewed my golden pinner using a pattern from a period source, The Workwoman's Guide, published in 1840. I am so excited to break this baby in. I love pinners. They look so smart.

Second, here's my second video with Eric at Fancyfastfood.com. We visited New York's Miss. Softee, one of the few ice cream gals in the city. You can follow here on Twitter to get updates on her current location and specials for the day: http://twitter.com/miss_softee Stop by her truck soon, she's only open until the end of September!

Lastly, the 19th Century Pub Crawl is next Saturday, the 19th.

The Sourdough Battle: After Three Days

2009-09-09T20:30:00.002-04:00

After three days, the Alaskan Sourdough was ready to rock. It smelled sweet and yeasty. But I'm not really surprised, since the yeast culture is actually the result of the beer. Still, I'm looking forward to baking with it.

What I'm really excited about is the New York Sourdough. As promised in the S cience of Cooking Recipe, after three days the bread was dry on the outside, but inside it was bubbly with the arrival of transient yeasts making a home! And the best part? It does not smell like cat puke. It smelled "slightly sour," the way it should.

Continuing to follow the recipe, I added 1/2 cup of flour and enough water to work it into a dough. I placed it back into the mason jar for another two days, and when I came back it was a blob of yeast bubbles.

And the best part? IT STILL DOES NOT SMELL LIKE CAT PUKE. It smells like a ripened cheese.

The only disheartening bit: after I pulled off the dried outside, there was a mysterious greyish spot in the center. I decided to continue the experiment, at a possible risk to my personal health. I added another cup of flour and a cup of water, and let it rise another twelve hours.

Mike, who comments here, made a very astute observation. He suggested that perhaps the reason bakeries keep the same starter for a hundred years is that is may be difficult to grow a starter that is appropriate for baking. Additionally, even the Science of Cooking notes "Working with starters takes practice. Many variables—for example, the amount of yeast in the air and the temperature of the room—will affect the fermentation process. It might take a few tries before you get the flavor you like."

Both of the starters are ready for baking, but unfortunately I am leaving town for the weekend. I plan on baking two loaves of bread, one from each starter, when I return.

I feel as though I am one step closer to surviving on the Oregon Trail. Next, I'll practice typing BANG really fast.

In the meantime, I'll be baking apple pies with my mother in Ohio, using 17th, 18th, and 21st century recipes.

Alaska Sourdough vs. New York Sourdough

2009-09-03T21:06:00.001-04:00

Let the competition begin!

I am giving this sourdough starter thing one more chance. Please bare with me. I'm obsessed with making sourdough for two reasons: 1. Because I feel like a magician. Making bread appear--out of thin air!-- in my mind is akin pulling a rabbit out of a hat. 2. Because I know it was done in the past, so I am determined to figure out how it was done. My mother thinks that some 19th century knowledge, like wild yeast starters, have just been lost to the ages. But I'm determined to rediscover it. So off I go to grow some pet yeasts.

This time, I'm attempting to make a yeast starter using two different methods. The first is courtesy of my friends Kristina and Chris in Alaska, who discovered a local woman who makes bags of pre-packaged yeast starter. They cornered her with questions on my behalf, and purchased a bag of her started as a gift to me.

I don't know what the ingredients in her dry starter mix are, but I followed her instructions added a 1/4 cup of luke warm water and 6 ounces of beer. I had a Sam Adams Boston Lager in the fridge, so I poured half of it in a mason jar (I poured the other half of the beer in my roommate), and mixed it thoroughly with the dry ingredients . I placed the cover loosely on the mason jar, and set it on my windowsill to warm up and catch some yeast. In three days, it should be ready to roll.

The second method I'm trying is from The Science of Cooking. It's slightly different than other wild yeast starters I've tried: you take a small mound of flour and mix it with a little water until it turns into a paste. Continue kneading it, 5-8 minutes, until it become a springy ball of dough.

I tossed that in a mason jar and covered it with a damp towel. In a few days, it should start to get yeasty, and I'll add more flour. It will hopefully catch some New York yeast, so I'm calling it New York Sourdough.

A little ball of love.

So, we'll see what happens. I learned recently that the bacteria present in sourdough is actually named Lactobacillus sanfrancisco, after the gold mining region in which sourdough bread was born. The Boudin Bakery is the oldest in San Francisco:

"In 1849, the Boudin family struck culinary gold. Wild yeasts in the San Francisco air had imparted a unique tang to their traditional French bread, giving rise to “San Francisco sourdough French bread.” Today, the Boudin family's initial recipe lives on in the hands and hearts of our expert bakers, with a portion of the original mother dough still starting each and every sourdough loaf we make."

They still use the same recipe as they did in '49, and little molecules of 1849 yeast are still awash in their starter! Awesome! I am really looking forward to visiting the bakery someday.

New York's Best Wedding Cakes and Fancy Fast Food

2009-09-02T01:49:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share with you two videos that I am particularly proud of. I did them both recently for The Feedbag.

The first profiles Sylvia Weinstock, New York's premiere wedding cake maker. She's been in the biz over thirty years and is completely adorable. Her wares come at a price, however. She quoted $600 for a two-layer shower cake.

The second video I made with Erik Trinidad of Fancyfastfood.com. While I can't direct relate it to historical cookery, I wanted to share this video with you because watching Erik transform Chicken McNuggets into a high-end confit is just plain fun.

Cocktail Hour: Peach Brandy

2009-08-31T01:19:00.000-04:00

Ok, I have to say upfront that I was underwhelmed, and a little disappointed, by the results of my Peach Brandy experiment.

Upon my return from the 49th state, I took my mason jar filled with mashed peaches and brandy out of the fridge. Things look good, so I strained it: first through a colander, then through a double layer of cheesecloth. I began straining it through a coffee filter, but eventually lost patience, and decided what little sediment was left could remain in the brew without an adverse affect.

At this point, the brandy was surprisingly thick and syrupy, and did have a slightly sweet, slightly peachy taste. Master bartender Jerry Thomas' recipe recommends sweetening the infusion with simple syrup, but I decided against it. The cocktails I planned to mix already included a sweetener, and I've heard before (from IMBIBE! author David Wondrich) that Victorians liked their drinks very, very sweet. So I left it.

I capped my mason jar and slipped it in my purse, heading off to meet my test audience at a gathering at my boyfriend's house. I mixed two cocktails, both from Thomas' book: The Original Georgia Mint Julep, which I mixed using two parts Kentucky bourbon and one part peach brandy; and the Peach and Honey.

I had suspected the flavor of the peach brandy would come alive with a bit of sweetness, so I was really looking forward to the Peach and Honey. I dissolved the honey in a bit of water at the bottom of a rocks glass, added ice cubes, and poured the brandy over top. I tasted it--and I really wasn't thrilled. It was ok, but I felt the taste of the honey was overwhelming, not complimentary.

And tragically, the peach flavor was almost undetectable in the Julep. The brandy was served best simply over ice, where the gentle peach flavors could be fully appreciated. But even then...I'm not yet certain why the liqour was a let down for me. I think I would try this project again with bourbon instead of brandy.

The Great Alaskan Meat-Off

2009-08-28T00:26:00.013-04:00

I just came back from a two week trip to Alaska, where I staid with my friends Chris and Kristina in Girdwood, a suburb of Anchorage. I wanted to share with you some of the food I consumed.

Because of my continuing obsession with sourdough bread, Kristina took me to the local bakery, The Bake Shop. As we arrived, so did a busload of tourists: The Shop seems to be the go-to breakfast stop for locals and tourists alike. I purchased a loaf of sourdough bread, which was surprisingly mild and delicious. Sourdough is associated with gold mining regions, like Alaska and San Francisco, because the miners could make it without taking a "sponge," or yeast culture, with them. It could be created from yeast spores in the air.

Kristina gifted me with a bag of locally-made sourdough starter, which gets going after you add a can of beer. I'm excited to try it, but I still want to try to create a starter from air-borne yeast.

I also had "Sweet Roll with a Side of Butter," also made of sourdough, and also delicious. It had cinnamon and almonds, but also mysterious notes of brandy and anise. I had two over the extent of my stay.

Kristina, who was a vegetarian when I knew her in college, took me on a shopping trip to Indian Valley Meats. Another local vendor, they specialize in breaking down and preparing carcasses for local hunters, and sell a variety of locally raised game meats. Kristina selected and prepared a menagerie of local animals for me to ingest:

Clockwise, from left to right: Moose, Buffalo, Caribou, Elk, and Reindeer. Caribou and Reindeer are actually the same thing, the latter being wild and the former being farmed.

I also ate wild boar jerky, which was covered in some sort of garlic glaze I wasn't too keen on, and salmon that Chris had pulled from the river days earlier. This fish was delicious--and I hate fish.

In my second week, while on our way to Denali National Park, I finally acquired the object of my true desire: The Mc Kinley Mac. I had seen a poster for it as soon as I stepped off the plane, and had fantasized about it since. The Number 12 on the menu, this double-stacked McKinley Mac is only available in this state. Which is ok, because as I excited as I was to sample it, it just turned out to be a big gross burger.

The McKinley Mac and I zoom towards Mt. McKinley, on our way to Denali national Park.

On the way back from Denali, we stopped at a Burger King in Wasilla. The BK menu included a Sourdough Whopper, but after a week in the wild, I wasn't in the mood to take a risk.

Lastly, I made up a batch of Spruce Tea, after harvesting a few limbs from Alaska's State Tree. It did not just taste like pine needles, but had a richer, spiced flavour. The batch I brewed was fairly weak, and I wanted to make a proper pot of tea when I returned to New York, but I forgot my bag branches in Girdwood. Perhaps Kristina will be kind enough to ship a few stateside--I'm curious to pass some along to my beer brewing friends, so they can make an authentic Sp ruce Beer.

At every restaurant we went to (three in the small town of Girdwood alone) the food was excellent, something I definitely didn't expect when coming to Alaska. Additionally, there were very few chain restaurants; the ones that were there hadn't even popped up until the last decade. Alaska's relative isolation seems to have resulted in a bevy of independently owned restaurants with excellent food.

If you're interested in my non-culinary Alaskan adventures, you should look at my photos here.

You Have Scurvy!

2009-08-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

I just learned about 826 National, a non-profit tutoring center founded, in part, by Dave Eggers. The first center opened in San Francisco:

"When they looked into the building they wanted to use at 826 Valencia Street, the landlord was open to the idea of a tutoring center, but he told Dave that the address was zoned for retail. They had no choice, the landlord said: at the front of the building, they had to sell something. (TheDieline.com)"

Their solution? Open a (beautifully designed) nonsense store.

"To raise funds, inspire creativity, and advertise our programs to the local community, most of our centers include a street-front retail store filled with unusual products, entertaining signage, and, of course, our books for sale. San Francisco’s pirate supply store sells glass eyes and one-of-a-kind peglegs, 826NYC’s Superhero Supply Company offers custom-fit capes, Seattle’s Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company sells all your space commuting appurtenances, 826michigan's Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair Shop specializes in must-have mechanical conveniences, while 826LA features a time travel store, there's a secret agent supply store in Chicago, and the Cryptozoology shop in Boston is now open! (826 National)"

Below, some of the products sold at The Pirate Supply Store in San Fran, via TheDieline.com. I think my favorite is the pine needle tea because of its obscurity, and that it is a factual 19th century remedy for scurvy. Pine needles, especially white pine, are high in vitamin C.

I plan on visiting the Cryptzoology store in Boston this fall.

(Thanks for the tip, Doan!)

The Gallery: Gilded Fruit Centerpiece; Hawaiin Sunset Supper

2009-08-19T00:00:00.006-04:00

Another wonderful collection of images thanks to Betty Crocker. "Hawaiian Sunset Supper," from Betty Crocker's Party Book: More than 500 recipes, menus, and how-to-do-it tips for festive occasions the year 'round, 1960. I'm pretty sure this is the ancestor of Amy Sedaris' I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence.

A spread for a bridal shower.

Some sort of fish theme for Father's Day.

And my favorite: Thanksgiving Gilded Fruit Centerpiece. I fucking love that gold pineapple.