Dinner Recipes through the Centuries

Peterborough Historical Society
Dinner Recipes

The Tastes of the Centuries

 

 
 
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Morison dinner

 

Table of Contents 

Carrot Soup................................................................................... 3
Rye and Indian Bread.................................................................... 3
Pork and Apple Pie with Sage....................................................... 4
Indian Pudding.............................................................................. 5
Mint Flavored Punch..................................................................... 6
Wilted Spring Greens.................................................................... 6
Chicken Cutlets with Mushroom Sauce......................................... 7
Madison Cakes.............................................................................. 8
Likker Pudding.............................................................................. 9
Mary Todd Lincoln’s Vanilla-Almond Cake................................ 10
Bisquick Parkerhouse Rolls......................................................... 11
Pappardelle with Lemon, Artichoke and Asparagus.................... 11
Original Nestle® Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookies.............. 12
 
—1—
 

18th Century

Carrot Soup
 
1 lb bag of carrots
4 Tbsp butter
4 cups beef stock
4 cups milk (or milk and half and half mixture)
Salt and pepper
 
      Scrape, wash, and cut up 1 lb. bag of carrots. Brown in 4 Tbsp butter. Add 4 cups stock (beef consommé) and cook slowly.
When together purée in a food processor.
Return to pot and bring to a boil. Add 4 cups milk, (or a combination of milk and half and half to taste) salt, and pepper. 
 
Rye and Indian Bread                                           Makes one loaf
 
Rye and Indian Bread was often baked in Colonial times in a black Dutch oven with coals piled on the lid so that heat came from all directions. Its name comes from the fact that it features the unusual combination of rye flour and what used to be called Indian meal.

 

 

 

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cornmeal
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup milk
¼ cup molasses
¾ cup rye flour
 
 
      In mixing bowl mix 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, cornmeal, and yeast. In saucepan mix water and cornmeal. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in molasses, lard and salt. Cool till just warm (115°-120°); add to flour mixture in bowl. Beat at low speed of electric mixer for ½ minute, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat at high speed 3 minutes more. Stir in rye flour
and remaining ½ cup all-purpose flour. Cover; let rise in warm place till almost doubled (about 1 hour). Punch down, place in a
greased 1 ½-quart casserole. Cover; let rise till almost double (about 45 minutes). Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 30 minutes; cover top of bread with foil. Continue baking 20 minutes more.
—3—
Pork and Apple Pie with Sage                              Makes 1 9” pie
                                                                                                                                           
2 cups peeled, chopped apples
2 cups chopped cooked pork (center cut chops or leftover pork roast work well but any pork cut can be used)
½ cup chopped potatoes
Pie Crust (see below)
 
Sauce:
1 Tbsp butter                           1 Tbsp chopped onion
1 Tbsp flour                             1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper                             1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 Tbsp boiled cider*                1 cup heavy cream
 
Fill pie crust with apples, pork, and potatoes. To make the sauce, sauté chopped onions in butter. Add Tbsp of flour and cook for 1 minute. Add salt, pepper, sage, boiled cider, and heavy cream and simmer ingredients together for a few minutes. Pour over pork, apples and potatoes. Put top crust on pie and cut slits for steam. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
 
* Boiled cider is available from King Arthur Flour in 1 pint bottles. To make your own, boil one cup of cider down to one tablespoon, the result will be a thick, sweet syrup.
 
Pie Crust:
For two 9” crust pie
1 ½ cup flour
¼ tsp salt
3 Tbsp wheat germ
1 ½ sticks butter (chilled and cut into 9 pieces)
6 Tbsp ice water
 
Crust may be made with a pastry cutter or with knives but is much easier using a food processor. Using a food processor with a metal
blade, put flour, salt, wheat germ and butter in the bowl. Pulse 3-4 times to blend. Begin pulsing rapidly while pouring the ice water through the feed tube (approximately 20-30 times). Stop pulsing just as dough becomes a mass. Dough should not gather into a ball on the blade. Remove and roll out to form two crusts.
 
—4—
Indian Pudding                                                            serves 8-10
 
6 Tbsp yellow cornmeal
½ cup molasses
3 ½ cups hot milk
¾ cup cold milk
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
2 Tbsp butter
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
 
Mix the cornmeal and molasses. Add hot milk and cook over medium heat until the consistency of light gruel, stirring constantly. Add everything except the cold milk and mix well. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring the mixture at 20 minutes. After 45 minutes, stir in the cold milk and mix again. Bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours more. About 20 minutes before the two hours is up, check the pudding. It is finished when it is still moist and jiggly. Overcooking will result in a disastrous pudding!
 

19th Century

 
Mint Flavored Punch                    Makes 13 (4-ounce) servings
 
At Oak Hill, the family plantation in Virginia , President James Monroe sipped this refreshing Mint-Flavored Punch. It was his favorite thirst quenching beverage on hot summer afternoons.

 

 

 

2/3 cup sugar
½ cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves,
         snipped
2 cups red grape juice chilled
2 cups orange juice chilled
¾ cup lime juice, chilled
Crushed ice
Fresh mint leaves
 
      Combine sugar, mint, and 2 cups boiling water, stir till sugar dissolves. Chill. Strain, reserving liquid; discard leaves. Stir together reserved liquid, grape juice, orange juice, and lime juice. Serve over crushed ice. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
 
 
Wilted Spring Greens                                          Yield: 4 servings
 
8 cups loosely packed greens (spinach, swiss chard, arugula, dandelion, purslane, lamb’s quarters, baby lettuces)
 
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Thoroughly wash greens and remove any tough stems. Leave some water clinging to the greens. Heat olive oil in large pan, add prepared greens. Cover and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Greens are done when barely wilted and still bright green. Drizzle with dressing, garnish with chopped egg whites, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
 
 
—6—
Dressing: (make ahead)
2 hard boiled eggs, thoroughly chilled
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp powdered mustard
3 Tbsp vinegar
 
In food processor, grind up hard boiled egg yolks with 1 Tbsp water, add oil and mix well, add salt and mustard, mix well. Add vinegar very gradually until completely incorporated. Chop the egg whites finely to use as garnish on top of the wilted greens.
Store dressing chilled but allow to warm to room temperature before using.
 
 
 
Chicken Cutlets with Mushroom Sauce                         serves 8
 
4 large chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and halved lengthwise
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 beaten eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
¼ cup cooking oil
Mushroom Sauce
 
      Pound halved chicken breasts to ½-inch thickness. Coat with flour. Dip in a mixture of eggs and milk. Coat with fine dry bread crumbs. Fry cutlets, four at a time, in hot oil till golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to warm platter; keep warm. Serve with Mushroom Sauce.
 
Mushroom Sauce:
Cook ½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms and ¼ cup chopped onion in 2 Tbsp butter till tender. Stir in 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour. Add 1 cup milk, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Cook and stir till boiling. Stir in ½ cup dairy sour cream. Heat through; do not boil. 
 
—7—
Madison Cakes                                                                          
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1 cup sliced potato
3 ¼ to 4 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
Butter, melted
 
      In saucepan cook potato, covered, in 1 cup water till tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Mash potato; set aside. In large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the flour and the yeast. In saucepan heat the reserved potato liquid, 3 Tbsp butter, sugar, and 1 ½ Tbsp salt just till warm. (115°-120°); stir constantly. Add to dry mixture; add egg and mashed potato. Beat at a low speed of electric mixer for 30 seconds, scraping sides of a bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. By hand, stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
      Turn out into lightly floured surface; knead till smooth (5 to 8 minutes). Place in lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover; let rise in warm place till nearly double (about 35 minutes). Punch down. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Roll dough to ½-inch thickness. Cut with floured 2 ½-inch round cutter. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover; let rise nearly double (about 20 minutes). Bake at 350° for 18 for 20 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter. 
 
 
—8—
“Likker Pudding”                                                            Serves 6
Mrs. W. T. Hartman (Betty Blaydes)
 
2 ½ cups milk
3 medium sized yams
2 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
¼ stick butter
½ cup blanched, slivered almonds
½ cup whisky or rum
                                                                                                     
      Put milk into 2-quart casserole. Grate yams, adding milk as you grate to prevent potatoes from turning dark. Beat eggs well and add sugar gradually. Add cinnamon and almonds and mix well with potatoes. Dot generously with butter and bake in a 300° oven for two hours. Just before serving, pour whisky or rum over pudding. Delicious with turkey. May be used without “likker.”
 
—9—
Mary Todd Lincoln’s Vanilla-Almond Cake
 
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¾ cups sifted cake flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/3 cups milk
1 cup finely chopped almonds
6 stiffly beaten egg whites
White Frosting
 
      Cream together sugar, butter, and vanilla. Stir together the cake flour and the baking powder; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in almonds. Gently fold in the egg whites. Pour into two greased and lightly floured 9x 1 ½ inch round baking pans. Bake at 375° for 28 to 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Fill and frost with White Frosting.
 
White Frosting:
In a saucepan combine 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, ¼ tsp cream of tartar, and dash salt. Bring mixture to boiling, stirring till the sugar dissolves. In the mixing bowl place 2 egg whites, very slowly pour the hot syrup over, beating constantly with electric mixer till stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla.
—10—

 

20th Century

Bisquick Parkerhouse Rolls                                             12 rolls
To 2 cups of Bisquick, and 1 well beaten egg, and stir in 1/2 cup milk. Beat dough until smooth. Turn dough on well-floured, cloth covered board, and knead gently. Roll 1/4 inch thick, cut in 3 inch rounds, brush with soft butter and fold in half, like Parkerhouse Rolls. Bake 10 to 15 minutes in a hot oven 450° F.
Pappardelle with Lemon, Artichoke and Asparagus
 
12 oz uncooked pappardelle pasta (wide ribbon pasta)
Juice of 2 lemons
1 Tbsp grated lemn rind (grate the lemon before you squeeze it)
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces
2-3 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black papper
1 cup Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
 
  • Cook pasta according to direction. Reserve ¼ cup cooking liquid and drain the rest.
  • Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp butter in a large sauté pan.
  • Drain artichokes, cut in half vertically and pat dry with paper towel.
  • Add cut artichokes and asparagus to pan and sauté until they have a nice golden color.
  • Add rest of ingredients including cooked pasta, reserved pasta cooking liquid, and the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil.
—11—
 
Original Nestle® Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12 oz pkg) Nestle® Toll House® Semi-Sweet                   Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts
 
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded Tbsp onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes, remove to wire racks to cool completely.