Cranberry Tea (1850) ★★★★


What I love about this recipe is that it is so indicative of place and time. Cranberries are indigenous to North America, and were originally used by Aboriginals as food, medicine, and dye. When settlers from Europe arrived, they too began to utilize cranberries. There are very early references to using cranberries in recipes for sauces, jellies, and tarts.

The inclusion of this recipe in an American cookbook indicates that settlers were recognizing and utilizing native foods in their cooking. Additionally, According to Catharine Parr Strickland Traill, "necessity, no doubt, has taught the old settlers, both in the States and Canada, to adopt certain leaves, roots and berries, as a substitute for the genuine article; and habit has reconciled them to the flavour."

Today we commonly associate cranberries with the holiday season, a tradition which began long ago. It is possible that cranberries were eaten by early English settlers in Massachussets and were used in Thanksgiving feasts. In 1853, Canadian author Traill, wrote of using cranberries as a festive decoration.

Original Recipe:



The Verdict: 

Actually, this turned out better than I thought! Firstly, the cranberries were like impossible to mash. Those things are tough! I think some sort of pestle-like object would work better than my wirey potato masher. Secondly, I was really worried that just pouring hot water over the somewhat mashed berries wouldn't extract very much flavour. But it did! And my water wasn't even as hot as it could be, so I'm really pleased with that. I let it steep for a while (while I finished up the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special! Whee!), maybe 20 minutes? As you can see, the end result was a gorgeous color. I sweetened my tea with honey and added a little nutmeg, but to be honest I liked it better without the nutmeg. Little Y saw it and asked to try some "Jell-O juice" (hahaha) so I let her have a sip and she really liked it! Cranberry isn't my favourite, because its so sour, but I might make this again. Plus if you can employ child labour to mash the berries, its definitely worth the time ;)



Modernized Recipe:

(Adapted from Miss Beecher's Domestic Receipt Book)

The original recipe is easy to follow. Steep the mashed berries in the hot water until it turns a vibrant red-pink color. I think I used maybe 1/2 cup berries to 1 1/2 cups water, roughly.


Sources:


"Cranberry." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Nov. 2013. Accessed 24 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cranberry>.

Traill, Catharine Parr Strickland. The Female Emigrant’s Guide, And Hints on Canadian Housekeeping. Toronto, Canada West: Maclear and Company, 1855.

2 comments:

Under-the-Sea Salad (1931) ★★★


I won't bother giving a history lesson on this recipe, as Yesterdish already has done a stellar job on that front. I'll just summarize by saying the name for this Jell-O salad appeared as early as 1931, but the ingredients are very changeable (see alternative versions here, and here). The recipe does, however, always include lime gelatin. According to Yesterdish, it is possible that this recipe originated from General Foods itself, as it was being advertised by a General Foods employee. The recipe for Under the Sea Salad appearing in a 1931 General Foods Jell-O cookbook is very similar to the version most widely known today - a cream cheese and pear base with a clear lime top. This was reassuring to me, as I really wasn't keen on trying the cabbage or olive versions.


Original Recipe:

  



The Verdict:

It was okay. I wasn't really impressed with the results, and that's not just because I am fail at unmolding Jell-O. I'm not sure I'll finish eating this, and I wouldn't make it again. It didn't really taste bad, but it didn't taste good to me either. My favourite part was the pear chunks in the bottom, because they were fresh and sweet. The rest of it tasted a bit odd, maybe because of the pear juice, salt, and vinegar added to the lime Jell-O. I also discovered that I'm not really a fan of cream cheese unless its sweetened, and although this had Jell-O mixed in, it wasn't very sweet at all. Overall, just kind of "meh", but I gave it 3 stars because it is edible and it more or less turned out as advertised.


Modernized Recipe:

(Adapted from The Greater Jell-O Recipe Book)

1 package LIME JELL-O
1 1/2 cups BOILING WATER
1/2 cup PEAR JUICE (reserved from canned pears)
1 teaspoon VINEGAR (or sub. lemon juice)
6 ounces CREAM CHEESE, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon GINGER
2 cups CANNED PEARS, diced

1. Dissolve the Jell-O in the boiling water. When it has dissolved, add the pear juice and vinegar. Pour a 1/2 inch layer in a loaf pan and leave the remainder to mix with the cream cheese later. Put both in the fridge to chill.
2. Once the remaining larger portion of Jell-O is cold and syrupy, place it in a bowl of ice and beat it until it is fluffy and thick like whipped cream. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese and ginger.
3. Gently fold the whipped Jell-O into the cream cheese, little by little. Fold in the pears. Pour over the first layer of Jell-O, which should be firm. Let all chill until firm before unmolding.


7 comments:

Maple Velvet (c. 1930) ★★★★★


Just a quick and simple recipe today! I couldn't find much history on it, except for two mentions of the recipe in newspapers. The first was in the Bolivar Breeze, October 9, 1947 (New York) and the second was printed in the Freeport Journal-Standard on November 13, 1947 (Illinois). The first suggests the recipe as a party drink for Halloween. In that case, it seems I'm three days too late, whoops!
Its possible this recipe may have been making the newspaper rounds in the mid 1940s. I'm not sure when this Canada Dry pamphlet I found the recipe in was printed, but we can definitively conclude that it wasn't any later than 1947!

Original Recipe:


Maple Velvet
Service for 1
In a tall glass place two tablespoons of pure maple syrup. Add a generous helping of vanilla ice cream. Fill the glass with ice cold Canada Dry and stir until well mixed.


The Verdict:

I don't really know what else to say except that this was freaking amazingly delicious! I've always been so-so about ice cream floats, but I'm in love with this. I felt like none of the flavours were overpowering and instead they all worked together really well. The addition of maple syrup was genius, and I think this wouldn't be as good if it was just ginger ale and ice cream. I hadn't ever heard of this recipe before, but I wish I had. I think this really could have been a great candidate for a Canadian classic, given the use of maple syrup and Canada Dry. 

Modernized Recipe:


2 tablespoons PURE MAPLE SYRUP
1 large scoop VANILLA ICE CREAM
GINGER ALE to fill the glass

1. Pour the maple syrup into a tall glass. Add the ice cream and fill with ginger ale. Stir to mix well. Drink and enjoy!

2 comments: