Blueberry-Cake (1870) ★★★




While I was searching around for blueberry cake recipes, I came across some short story about a pet fly named John. Completely unrelated, but amusing nonetheless!
Anyway, this cake is probably a little out of season, but for some reason I have a TON of blueberries in my freezer, so of course the natural solution is cake!

Original Recipe:


The Verdict:

This cake turned out very dense; like a bread. I also undercooked it, which was because I piled all the batter into one 9" cake pan and it was way too much. Silly mistake. I tried some of the cooked outside, and it wasn't bad. It was very plain, though. Overall, it was an easy recipe. I would eat it by choice as is, but it could definitely do with some improvements. I give it 3 stars.


Modernized Recipe:

(Adapated from A Helping Hand for Town and Country: An American Home Book of Practical and Scientific Information)

1 cup SUGAR
3 EGGS
1/2 cup BUTTER, melted
1 cup MILK
1/2 teaspoon CREAM OF TARTAR
1 teaspoon BAKING SODA
4 cups FLOUR
BLUEBERRIES, lightly coated in flour
Optional: vanilla extract, cinnamon, lemon zest, orange zest, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour two 9" cake pans or a 9x13 pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and the eggs. Add the melted butter and milk. Add any optional flavouring at this time.
3. Separately, mix together the cream of tartar, baking soda, and flour. Stir into the batter. Add the blueberries last and gently fold in.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes (just an estimate, check doneness with a toothpick). My suggestion is to serve with frosting between layers and/or on top.

3 comments:

Washington's Birthday Luncheon (c.1931)

Unless you're a new reader, you might already know that I'm Canadian. But I get a kick out of American holidays too! That's probably because I've spent a few years living there - in California for a year and later in Ohio for 4 years. So yes, Presidents' Day is today! Also called Washington's Birthday. If you want to get all festive and historical, try out this 1930s menu for a luncheon from The Settlement Cook Book! I've also done the work of finding the referenced recipes, so they're also included below the menu itself.

Original Recipe:










 So let's break down this menu.

Orange halves with maraschino cherries: Washington is often associated with cherries, and while some "cherry tree chopping" story has been debunked as myth, he did apparently like to eat the fruit.

Chicken a la Maryland: I'm not really sure where they're going with this one, as Washington is well-known to have been very fond of fish, not chicken.

Southern Sweet Potatoes: I'd guess this is a nod to Washington's southern heritage.

Virginia Corn Bread: There was no such recipe, but there were recipes for plain old "Cornbread." Since Washington was born in Virginia and lived there at Mt. Vernon, I assume this is a convenient re-naming.

Cherry Salad: Again, the association of Washington with cherries. I found it interesting that this recipe actually specifies in the instructions that it is good for celebrating his birthday.

Boston Brown Bread: Boston is a place that is really steeped in American heritage. During the American Revolution, Washington forced the British out of Boston, which saved the city from an ongoing siege.

Chocolate Roll: Again, this seems like an odd choice. Why not Washington Cake?!?! I mean, really...It's an obvious choice...

Nuts, Raisins, Coffee: GW apparently loved nuts, especially hazelnuts and shellbacks (similar to pecans).

If you're extra curious, there's lots more information on what Washington and other Presidents liked to eat here!

5 comments:

Macaroni with Tomatoes (1919) ★★★★★

I think the last recipe I made from Vaughan's Vegetable Cook Book was Cooked Muskmelon, which...didn't exactly turn out as I had hoped. But this was a recipe I was keen to try!



Original Recipe:

MACARONI WITH TOMATOES.
Remove from each tomato the pips and watery substance it contains; put the tomatoes in a saucepan with a small piece of butter, pepper, salt, thyme and a bay leaf, and a few tablespoonfuls of gravy or stock, keep stirring until they are reduced to a pulp, then strain through a sieve, and pour over macaroni already boiled soft and cover with grated cheese; bake until a light brown.


The Verdict:

Gotta love vague recipes. I decided on using 5 roma tomatoes with about a tablespoon or two of butter. I chose roma tomatoes because they have less seeds and wateryness than other varieties. However, note that this did not make enough sauce to cover an 8x8 dish of pasta, since the tomatoes cook down quite a bit.
So this was tasty! Which I wasn't surprised about, because tomatoes + pasta + cheese is a classic combination. It did take a while for the tomatoes to simmer down, but overall this recipe is easy to make - its just a bit time consuming.
Also, this recipe calls for pushing the cooked tomatoes through a sieve. Honestly, I would rather have the chunks of tomato in my pasta, so if I ever made this again, I would dice the tomatoes and cook until soft and then just toss with the pasta.
Overall, though, very yummy! Five stars for this recipe.


Modernized Recipe:

(Adapted from Vaughan's Vegetable Cook Book)

TOMATOES, seeds and pulp removed and diced
BUTTER
PEPPER
SALT
THYME
1 BAY LEAF
Few tablespoons GRAVY or STOCK
MACARONI, cooked
CHEESE, grated

1. In a saucepan, add all ingredients except macaroni and cheese. Cook until the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp. Rub the tomatoes through a sieve, if desired.
2. Heat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a pan. Add the cooked macaroni to the pan. Pour the strained sauce over the macaroni and toss to coat. Cover with grated cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted.


1 comments: