Corn Bread

Most of the recipes that I have found for corn bread use milk or vigorous stirring as the leaven. I am not good at those methods. Here is one that I have found for plain corn bread. This is not a sweet corn bread as there is no sugar or other sweetener added. It is also not savory as there are no herbs or seasoning.

From the Cook Book 1855
"CORN BREAD 1 lb corn meal, 1 tablespoonful butter, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoonsful of cream tartar, and 1 of soda, and mix with milk to be a thick batter. Mix the cream of tartar with the meal, mix soda in a little milk and do not add it until you are ready to pour it into the pan to bake. Grease your pans well."

There were several references as to what corn bread should be cooked in. Some called for a round cake tin and others described more of a bread pan type. I prefer to use a round cake tin.

Modern Translation: Pre-heat the oven to 350. Have ready 2 overly buttered cake tins. Beat together 2 tsp cream of tartar, 1 lb corn meal, 1 Tbs butter, 2 eggs, 1 tsp soda and 1.5-2 cups milk. The mixture should be a thick batter. The milk should be added 1/2 cup at a time. Pour half of the batter in each tin. Bake for 45 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick. When it comes out clean, it's done. The corn bread should be pulling away from the sides of the pan. Let it rest for a moment, loosen the edges with a heat resistant spatula, turn out on a cooling rack. Once it is totally cooled, slice in wedges.

If the tins are not buttered enough, it will stick. You could also butter and flour the tins if you like or use paper in the bottom of your pan. This second method is what I will most likely do the next time I make this.

I do not care for the taste of this cornbread, plain. I can only eat it smothered with thick cream butter. Personally, I like modern sweet corn bread. However, I think that would be more like mid-century corn cakes.

Apple or Junk Pie

Since it's apple season, I figured that we could all use a simple recipe calling for them. This is a recipe very similar to the modern one that I use.

Paste or Crust Translation: Cut 2 sticks of softened butter into 4 cups of flour. Add a teaspoon of salt and about 1 cup of water, a little at a time. Mix well and allow to rest for a few minutes, then roll out on floured surface. This makes 2 pie crusts with tops.

Apple Filling Translation: Cut, core, peel and slice 5-7 apples. Line a pie tin with your crust and heap it full of prepared apples. Sprinkle on a bit of salt, drizzle with 2 teaspoons of molasses and shake over with cinnamon. I used a good bit of cinnamon.

To Finish: Wet the edges of the bottom crust and add the top crust. Pinch and trim the edges. Make a slit in the top to allow the steam to escape. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Tongue

"No 12 A Tongue. This is sliced, not very thin, through the thickest and best part, shown by the letters a b. The fat of the root, when it is liked must be carved by turning the tongue, and cutting in the direction c d."

"HAMBURGH PICKLE FOR BEEF HAMS AND TONGUE Boil together for twenty minutes two gallons of water three pounds of bay salt two pounds of coarse sugar two ounces of saltpetre and two of black pepper bruised and tied in a fold of muslin clear off the scum thoroughly as it rises pour the pickle into a deep earthen pan and when it is quite cold lay in the meat of which every part must be perfectly covered with it A moderate sized round of beef will be ready for table in a fortnight it should be turned occasionally in the brine Five pounds of common salt may be substituted for the quantity of bay salt given above but the meat will not be so finely flavoured Water 2 gallons bay salt 3 lbs saltpetre 2 oz black pepper 2 oz sugar 2 lbs 20 minutes."

"ANOTHER PICKLE FOR TONGUES BEEF AND HAMS To three gallons of spring water add six pounds of common salt two pounds of bay salt two pounds of common loaf sugar and two ounces of saltpetre Boil these over a gentle fire and be careful to take off all the scum as it rises when quite cold it will be fit for use Rub the meat to be cured with fine salt and let it drain for a day in order to free it from the blood then immerse it in the brine taking care that every part of it shall be covered Young pork should not remain more than from three to five days in the pickle but hams for drying may be left in it for a fortnight at least tongues will be ready in rather less time Beef may remain from one week to two according to its size and the degree of saltiness desired for it A little experience will soon teach the exact time required for the different kinds of meat When the pickle has been in use for about three months boil it up again gently and take the scum carefully off Add to it three pounds of common salt four ounces of sugar and one of saltpetre it will remain good for many months Water 3 gallons common salt 6 lbs bay salt 2 lbs loaf sugar 2 lbs saltpetre 2 oz boil 20 to 30 minutes."

"BEEF TONGUES A Suffolk Receipt For each very large tongue mix with half a pound of salt two ounces of saltpetre and three quarters of a pound of the coarsest sugar rub the tongues daily and turn them in the pickle for five weeks when they will be fit to be dressed or to be smoked 1 large tongue salt J lb sugar J lb saltpetre 2 oz 5 weeks."

"TO DRESS BEEF TONGUES When taken fresh from the pickle they require no soaking unless they should have remained in it much beyond the usual time or have been cured with a more than common proportion of salt but when they have been smoked and highly dried they should be laid for two or three hours into cold and as much longer into tepid water before they are dressed if extremely dry ten or twelve hours must be allowed to soften them and they should always be brought very slowly to boil Two or three carrots and a large bunch of savoury herbs added after the scum is cleared off will improve them They should be simmered until they are extremely tender when the skin will peel from them easily A highly dried tongue of moderate size will usually require from three and a half to four hours boiling an unsmoked one about an hour less and for one which has not been salted at all a shorter time will suffice."

"BORDYKE RECEIPT FOR STEWING A TONGUE After the tongue has been soaked trimmed and washed with extreme nicety lay it into a vessel of fitting size and place round it three or four pounds of the neck or of any other lean cuttings of beef with some bones of undressed veal and pour in sufficient cold water to keep it covered until it is done or instead of this use strong unseasoned beef broth made with the shin and any odd bits or bones of veal which may be at hand Let the tongue be brought to boil very gradually that it may be plump and tender Remove the scum when it first rises and when it is quite cleared off add a large faggot of parsley thyme and winter savoury three rrots a small onion and one mild turnip After three hours and a half of gentle simmering probe the tongue and if sufficiently done peel off the skin and serve it quickly If not wanted hot for table lay it upon a very clean board or trencher and fasten it down to it by passing a carving fork through the root and a smaller one through the tip drawing the tongue straight with the latter before it is fixed in the board let it remain thus until it is quite cold It is much the fashion at present to glaze hams and tongues but this should never be attempted by a cook not well acquainted with the manner of doing it and the proper flavour and appearance of the glaze For directions to make it see page 104 Where expense is not regarded three or four pounds of veal may be added to the beef in this receipt or the tongue may be stewed in a prepared gravy made with equal parts of beef and veal and vegetables as above but without salt this may afterwards be converted into excellent soup A fresh or an un smoked tongue may be dressed in this way but will require less time for the former salt must be added to the gravy."

From Modern Cookery for Private Families 1860

 

It is mentioned in Every Lady's Cook Book 1856, that "Cold biscuit sliced thin and buttered and a very thin slice of boiled ham, tongue, or beef between each two slices of biscuit is best" for sandwiches. There is also mention of mustard in these. So, I decided to provide tongue and biscuit sandwiches at our next picnic. I have made boiled tongue before and it is good but doesn't really have any taste. I wanted to try a pickle recipe this time and then boil it. So, I needed to pickle/brine the tongue that I picked up from The Family Cow.

 

I used a modified version, combining several of the above listed recipes. I only had one tongue to make so I really didn't need a lot of pickle/brine. I combined 1/2 gallon of water, 1/2 lb of kosher salt and 3/4 lb of raw sugar. I slowly brought this to a boil and then held it for 20 minutes. Once it was cool, I soaked the tongue for 4 days, covered in the fridge.

 

Once the pickling/brining was done, I  boiled it with carrots and herbs until it was tender, about 3 hours, and laid it out to cool. It was then peeled and sliced and arranged on a plate with mustard.

Baked Beans

"Baked Pork and Beans
For a family of six or seven take a quart of white beans, wash them in several waters, and put them into two or three quarts over night. In the morning, when it will be easier to cull out the bad ones than before they were soaked, pick them over and boil them until they begin to crack open, then put them into a brown pan such as are made for the purpose. Pour upon them enough of the water they were boiled in almost to cover them. Cut the rind of about a pound of salt pork into narrow strips, lay it on the top of the beans and press it down so that it will lie more than half its thickness in the water. Bake several hours, four or five is not too much. Where a brick oven is used it is well to let beans remain in it over night. If they are baked in a stove or range more water may be necessary before they are done.

Many persons think it a decided improvement to put in a large spoonful or two of molasses. It is a very good way.

Those who object to the use of pork can have a very good dish of beans by substituting two table spoonfuls of nice beef drippings and adding two teaspoonfuls of salt.

To heat over baked beans, put them in a spider with a little water heat them slowly at first and cover close. If they are too moist remove the cover and stir them often."

From The Young Housekeeper's Friend 1862

I made this for a picnic. I'm not a fan of molasses but used it anyway.

Modern Translation: Use the modern directions for quick soaking the beans by boiling them in water for 2 minutes, removing them from the heat and covering them for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans.  In fresh water, simmer them until they started to crack, about 1 hour. Drain the beans but save the water. Put the beans in a bean pot or casserole dish with 2 tablespoons of molasses, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons of beef drippings and enough of the cook water to cover them. Bake at 350 for 3 hours.

They turned out great. I served them in small bean pots and they looked great.

Green Tomatoes

Our tomatoes are just not turning red. We have loads of green ones just staying green with no sign of change. Here are a few recipes for green tomatoes that I have found. I will probably update this next week as we have a picnic to cook for.

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"Green Tomato Pie - Scald green tomatoes, peel and slice them thin, lay them in a deep plate and plenty of sugar, a little lemon peel. Cover with a thick crust. Bake one hour."

From The Practical Housekeeper 1855

 

Green Tomato Pie Translation: Plunge large, green tomatoes in boiling water until the skins peel back. Take out of the boiling water and plunge into cold water. Peel off the skins, slice them thin, drain them and lay them in a deep plate. Add a cup of sugar and some lemon. Cover with your favorite pie crust and bake for an hour at 350 degrees.

 

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"Green Tomato Pickle Cut in thin slices one peck of green tomatoes sprinkle them with salt and let them stand a day or two. Slice ten or twelve small onions. Mix together one bottle or small tin box of mustard, half an ounce of mustard seed, one ounce of cloves, one ounce of pimento, two ounces of turmeric. Put in the kettle a layer of tomatoes, then one of onions and spice till all are in. Cover it with good vinegar and let it simmer till the tomatoes are quite clear."

From Mrs Hales Recipes For The Million 1857

 

"GREEN TOMATO PICKLES Take any size, but those ready to ripen are the best, place them in a vessel and throw on a hand full of salt, cover with boiling water and let them stand till cold then slice them through transversely once or twice, according to the size, then lay them in a crock with thin sliced onions. Prepare the vinegar with cloves, cinnamon, and allspice, and pour on hot. Cover and set away for a few days. They will be found very delicious and will keep all winter. Those who dislike onions may omit them."

From Practical American Cookery 1860

 

 

  

Potato Soup

"Potato Soup - Put over two quarts of water, peel and slice eight potatoes and put in as soon as the water boils; a small piece of red pepper, a teaspoonful of salt, just before you take it off. Take a piece of butler the size of an hen's egg and scorch it on a round tin. Sprinkle in some flour to thicken it, and then scrape it into your broth. Let it boil up a few minutes, and then pour it in your tureen on a slice of toast."

From The Practical Housekeeper 1855

This is essentially the way that we make potato soup at our house and we like it very much.

Modern directions: Chop 1 - 2 potatoes for each person. Potatoes should be in nice bite sized pieces. Boil in salted water for 5 minutes or until just soft enough to mash with a fork. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside. Melt a good amount of butter in a pan. Mix 2 tablespoons of flour in one cup of milk. Add this to the butter. Heat until thickening starts. Stir constantly. Add the cooked potatoes. Add more flour mixed in milk until it covers the potatoes. Set heat to high and stir every 1-2 minutes. When thickening becomes frothy it is done. Salt and pepper to taste. You may use broth instead of milk. Onions sauteed in the butter at the beginning is also very good.

The main difference is that we make it with milk or broth instead of using the cook water. We also generally make this in very large batches and do not serve it over toast. The toast idea is very interesting and tasty if you have stale bread that needs to be used up.

Rice Custard

This was listed as a desert in Peterson's Magazine, January 1863

Rice Custard - Sweeten a pint of milk with loaf sugar, boil it with a stick of cinnamon, stir in sifted ground rice till quite thick. Take it off the fire; add the whites of 3 eggs well beaten; stir it again over the fire for 2 or 3 minutes, then put it into cups that have lain in cold water; do not wipe them. When cold, turn them out, and put them into the dish in which they are to be served; pour round them a custard made of the yolks of the eggs and a little more than a half-pint of milk. Put on the top a little red currant jelly or raspberry jam. A pretty supper dish.

Research/questions for this project:

1) What is "loaf-sugar"?
According to Lessons on Common Thing, published in 1857, the qualities of loaf-sugar are: "it is soluble, or dissolvable in water. fusible, or may be melted by heat. brittle. hard. sweet. white. solid. opaque." and is used "To sweeten our food".
Here is a wonderful resource on sugar Essay On Sugar and Treatise on Sugar Refining, 1864

2) Was there white rice or rice flour?
Searching on Google Books from 1860-1865 there are many references to white rice as well as red rice and rice flour.

3) Needed recipe for Raspberry Jam - From The Royal English and Foreign Confectioner, 1862
Raspberry Jam without seeds
Ingredients: 12lbs of raspberries, 12lbs of sugar, 2 lbs of red currants.
Time: twenty minutes
Bruise the currants in the preserving pan, with a pint of water, then add the picked raspberries; stir the whole on the fire for a few minutes, and then rub the pulp through a cane sieve into a large pan. Boil the sugar with just water enough to dissolve it, to the pear, add the pulp, boil sharply for twenty minutes, stirring the jam the whole time, and as soon as it drapes on the edge of the spoon, pour it into the pots.

Raspberry Jam with seeds.
Ingredients: 12lbs raspberries, 12lbs of sugar.
Time: twenty minutes
Boil the sugar to the ball degree, add the fruit, stir over a brisk fire for twenty minutes, when the jam will be ready to pour into the pots; finish in the usual manner.

4) Need recipe for "a custard made of the yolks of the (3) eggs and a little more than a half-pint of milk" -  Mrs. Beeton's Dictionary of Every-Day Cooking 1865
Custard Sauce, for Sweet Puddings or Tarts
Ingredients - 1/2 pint of milk, 2 eggs, 3 oz. of pounded sugar, I tablespoonful of brandy.
Mode - Put the milk in a very clean saucepan, and let it boil. Beat the eggs, stir to them the milk and pounded sugar, and put the mixture into a jug. Place the jug in a saucepan of boiling water; keep stirring well until it thickens, but do not allow it to boil, or it will curdle. Serve the sauce in a tureen, stir in the brandy, and grate a little nutmeg over the top. This sauce may be made very much nicer by using cream instead of milk; but the above recipe will be found quite good enough for ordinary purposes.

Conclusion: The custard is quite good and creamy. Most people will probably want to add more sugar but it was sweet enough for my household. It was relatively quick to make, with the exception of beating the eggs by hand. According to the last statement in the recipe, "A pretty supper dish", this would be served at the evening meal.

Modern translation: Chill custard cups in the refrigerator. Beat the whites of 3 eggs until stiff peaks form. In a double boiler, heat 2 cups of milk with 1/4 cup sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add a cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Remove the cinnamon and stir in sifted rice flour until it becomes thick. Take this off your heat and fold in the egg whites. Return to the stove and heat, stirring for 2 or 3 minutes. Spoon the custard into the chilled cups and set aside to cool. When completely cool, turn out onto serving dishes and top with currant jelly or raspberry jam.