Milk Punch

I came across this awesome recipe for Milk Punch on the Massachusetts Historical Society website. The recipe, which dates back to 1763, is from Ben Franklin himself! Check it out:

source

If you can't read his beautiful script, here is the transcription:

To make Milk Punch

Take 6 quarts of Brandy, and the Rinds
of 44 Lemons pared very thin; Steep the 
Rinds in the Brandy 24 hours; then strain 
it off. Put to it 4 Quarts of Water, 
4 large Nutmegs grated, 2 quarts of 
Lemon Juice, 2 pound of double refined 
Sugar. When the Sugar is dissolv'd, 
boil 3 Quarts of Milk and put to the rest 
hot as you take it off the Fire, and stir 
it about. Let it stand two Hours; then 
run it thro' a Jelly-bag till it is clear; 
then bottle it off. --

Wow, Ben, that sounds intense! 

I pondered making this incredibly interesting sounding punch, but the idea of peeling the rinds of 44 lemons made me reconsider. Plus, I don't own a Jelly-bag. In fact, what is a Jelly-bag? Anyone? So I decided instead to find an easier, smaller-batch version under the same name but more feasible for someone that doesn't want to buy six quarts of brandy.

Here's the updated recipe:

2 oz bourbon whiskey

3 oz half-and-half

1 tsp superfine sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

source

The verdict: Milk Punch is good. It's yummy and creamy and oh so decadent. I think this is the kind of drink that one should sip in front of a roaring fireplace, wrapped in red flannel, so I'll stash this recipe until late Fall or Winter. You should try it then too!

Happy adventuring!

Hygienic Way of Preparing Onions?

Hygienic Way of Preparing Onions? I didn't realize my way of preparing onions was unhygienic! It's amazing how much food preparation, cookbooks, even food language has changed over the years.

This selection is from the Inglenook Cook Book from 1911. My edition of the book is from 1927 and is in poor form--the spine is cracked and duck-taped, the pages are torn and heavily yellowed--but I love that when I open the book, faded, handwritten recipes fall from between the pages. It seems like every time I open the cookbook new, mysterious pages present themselves to me. For instance, today when I was looking for a new recipe to write about, this little memoranda fell onto my lap:

This recipe is for pepper relish. It's hard to read, but it looks like the recipe calls for red peppers, green peppers, onions (put through a grinder--what's a grinder?), boiling water, vinegar, salt, and a whopping 2 cups of sugar! The real mystery is the note written in pencil at the bottom. I can make out the words "out of my book you copy," "send back" and "Mother." I wonder if the recipe ever made its way back to Mom. Hmm... Anyway, I'm off to the farmer's market with hopes of finding some red and green peppers to make this relish for a later post!

Do you have any old cookbooks? Find anything special between the pages?

Happy adventuring!

What's that?

Most of the time I feel pretty comfortable talking about food--ingredients, techniques, equipment, etc. But this little tool (pictured below) really stumped me. We have a fork, a knife, and a...what is that? A chipped spoon? A spork wanna-be? What is it!? Matt and I found this pretty little piece of silver at Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia, a place where it would be totally uncool to ask how to use cutlery, let alone what it should be used for. So naturally, we ignored it. Never used it. And then (discreetly) took a picture of it.

Well, thanks to the wonderful world wide web, I've got an answer! It's a saucier spoon--a flattened, notched spoon used for saucing food like fish. Despite the completely ridiculous notion that we need a separate spoon to sauce our fish, I'm kind of sad that much of the tradition and ritual has been taken out of meals. I'm not saying that dinner needs to be formal. In fact, I prefer informal, rustic meals shared between loud and laughing friends and family. But there is something about the idea of taking the time to set the table with the utmost care in preparation for a long, loving meal that I find so alluring. Maybe if we spent more time preparing for our meals we'd feel the need to spend more time together at the table. So no more eating dinner on the couch in front of the television! I'm buying a saucier spoon.

Happy adventuring!

A Substitute for Meat

I couldn't resist posting this little tip courtesy of Sister Cora Sell Brubaker of Hollidaysburg, Pa, from the Inglenook Cook Book, 1911. A substitute for meat that "will taste just as good"? Well sister, I guess since the beans, cabbage, and turnips are browned in lard (pig fat) they would taste just as good! I don't think this will be showing up as a side dish on my plate any time soon but give it a shot if you're feeling lard-venturous!

Do you keep lard in your kitchen?

Happy adventuring!

Absinthe

Recently, my friend Mandy of Married up with Wine inspired me to get back into the blog game. She's made a mark in the blog world and encouraged me to continue with A Pot in Time, which was once a true passion of mine. So here we go--jumping back into the strange and delicious world of food and drink.

For my first post back, I'm going to talk about absinthe--a beverage that completely fulfills the "strange and delicious" aspects of this blog. My first experience with absinthe was in Prague when I watched my stepdad drink it. At this point it was illegal pretty much everywhere except the Czech Republic. For some reason, absinthe terrified me--it was a completely mysterious beverage that I believed would send me down the rabbit hole if I so much as smelled it. So I instead of trying it for myself, I sat, watched, and waited for my stepdad to see the Green Fairy, who never showed. (The bartender later told us that it would take about twelve shots of the stuff to start experiencing the symptoms that writers and artists like Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, and Ernest Hemingway supposedly experienced while drinking the bohemian liquid.)

After some time passed and absinthe became legal in the states, I decided to give it a try at Jose Garces' bar and restaurant Village Whiskey in Philadelphia. The bar specializes in vintage cocktails, liquors and prohibition-style ingredients like house made bitters and creme de violette. I was impressed with the set up--absinthe spoons, cubes of sugar, a slow ice-water drip over the glasses. It was all very intriguing.

After waiting a considerable amount of time for the sugar to melt and watching the bright green liquid become a murky, foggy yellow, the absinthe was ready to drink. The flavor was bright, like sweet fennel and star anise, and cold yet warm like most strong alcohol. It was good and I enjoyed the whole process, but upon finishing my glass, the mystery and allure faded slightly. I'm sure when the brilliant struggling artists were getting sloshed at the Lapin Agile in Paris around the turn of the 20th century it was all far more grande. Maybe next time I'll pair the bottle with a type writer or paint brush and see what happens.

Have you tried absinthe? What did you think?

Happy adventuring!

Revolutionary War Balls

I am lucky to live in Philadelphia, a city so rich in history that one can walk down a street and see Benjamin Franklin's grave, Betsy Ross's house, and the Liberty Bell within a few blocks. Since many of the buildings are original (a lot of them dating from the late 1700's), I cannot help but wonder what the city looked like when our nation was just beginning--when Ben and Betsy were still kickin' and the Bell had yet to crack. All this musing prompted me to think about the Revolutionary War, and therefore research the food of that time. I found a few interesting recipes, and although Bannock Cakes (a mixture of cornmeal and water) sounded super, I decided to go with a recipe called Revolutionary War Balls. According to my sources, militia men carried these in their pockets. Cooks.com, foodista.com, and wikianswers.com all agree that the recipe is as follows:

1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1 pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 big dash nutmeg
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Powdered sugar
Cinnamon sugar

Mix 8 ingredients. Drop by tablespoon in hot fat. While warm, roll in sugar or cinnamon mixture.

The verdict: Revolutionary War Balls are essentially fried dough--something that you might find at a carnival, like funnel cake. Because they are so delicious, I find it hard to believe that militia men carried them in their pockets during the Revolutionary War. Having said that, I can imagine a soldier's sweetie tucking a few of these in a handkerchief for her man before he left home. If you're going to attempt this recipe, make sure you keep the dough in the fat (canola oil will do just fine) until they are golden brown. A few of my Revolutionary War Balls came out a little undercooked because I had to experiment with the timing since many old recipes don't give certain specifics (such as temperature and times). Other than some missing details in the recipe, these were pretty simple and in my opinion, worth a shot.

Happy adventuring!

Krupnik Polski

A few years ago I took a trip to Poland where I was introduced to a whole new culinary world. Of course, I ordered the popular pierogie--although this time it was covered in what was translated as "lard droppings"--as well as cold beet soup and traditional borscht. In addition to the delicious meals, I was introduced to vodka. Yes, vodka--and its many preparations. For instance, one night after finishing dinner at a local restaurant, the waiter brought over complimentary cherry vodka shots (as if they were after-dinner mints). Then, the next night, I was served a hot vodka tea, which was quite shocking (I'm an Earl Grey girl, myself).

A few months ago, I was reminded of my trip to Poland during the Pulaski day parade, where Polish families flooded the streets to celebrate in the name of Kazimierz Pulaski, who was a Polish soldier that emigrated to Philadelphia to help in the American Revolutionary War. (Eventually, because of his efforts in the war, Pulaski became known as Father of the American Cavalry.") Seeing all of the Polish-American citizens celebrating in the streets inspired me to post a Polish recipe. Since I found it so shocking before, I decided to look for something similar to the vodka tea I tasted in Poland. What I found is called Krupnik Polski, or Polish Honey Vodka. It is as follows:

1-1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
8 sticks cinnamon
2 whole cloves
3 strips lemon peel
1 bottle vodka

Combine honey with the water, vanilla, spices and the lemon peel in a large saucepan. Bring this to a boil cover, and simmer for about 5 min. Add vodka, remove from the heat serve hot or cold.

The verdict: First of all, let me say that I cut this recipe in half. Unless you are Kazimierz Pulaski and have an entire calvary to serve, you don't need an entire bottle of vodka. Secondly, I'll admit to you that although I was introduced to vodka in Poland and have fond memories of the experience, I don't really like it. But, if I were to drink vodka, this would be the way. Krupnik Polski is super sweet and spicy--perfect for a cold winter day. Since it can be served hot or cold, I chose to drink it warm like the tea I had in Poland. It reminded me very much of the beverage. Lastly, let me recommend this drink only to those who will be staying in for the rest of the night. Although it’s sweetened and spiced, it is essentially a glass of vodka. Be responsible!

Happy adventuring!

A Flour Pudding

I was drawn to “American Cookery” (1796) by Amelia Simmons because it is rumored to be the first American cook book.  Upon closer examination of the book (provided by Project Gutenberg) I saw that Simmons' "American Cookery" is not only a culinary gem, but a historical one. Simmons, an American orphan, wrote a lengthy introduction to her cook book explaining the reasons for its publication. The cook book was "for the improvement of the rising generation of Females in America" especially those that had been orphaned and those that "are reduced to the necessity of going into families in the line of domestics, or taking refuge with their friends or relations, and doing those things which are really essential to the perfecting them as good wives and useful members of society." The rest of Simmons' cook book reads more like a piece of literature than a recipe book. She details the intricacies of making the best bacon, of preparing a good Gooseberry Tart, and mixing the perfect syllabub. (A syllabub is an English desert in which milk or cream is curdled with wine or cider. Traditionally, the cow was milked directly into the bowl of wine! I hope to attempt a syllabub in the future.)

When I came across Ms. Simmons' Flour Pudding recipe, I decided it was worth a shot. The ingredients were simple enough and although there were some details missing (for instance, at what temperature to bake the pudding) I thought I'd go with my instincts. The recipe is as follows: 

Seven eggs, one quarter of a pound of sugar, and a tea spoon of salt, beat and put to one quart milk, 5 spoons of flour, cinnamon and nutmeg to your taste, bake half an hour, and serve up with sweet sauce.

The verdict: So I've come to realize that when old--very old--recipes say to bake for a "half an hour" that really means bake for as long as it takes. It took me about an hour and a half for the small ramekins and slightly longer for the larger ones. But the wait was worth it! Flour pudding is good. It's simple enough but warm and yummy. Since I wasn't quite sure what "sweet sauce" consisted of, I used a bit of maple syrup on top which, I felt, was a good choice. 


Even if you do not feel like attempting an hours-to-bake pudding like this, I would definitely suggest taking a look at Amelia's cook book, "American Cookery." It has a lot of interesting recipes and the introduction (a lengthy message for orphans, women, and wives) makes this cook book stand out from the rest.


Happy adventuring!

Zabaglione

Zabaglione, Zabaione, or Sabayon--however you spell it or say it, I'm making it today! Zabaglione is an Italian dessert that consists of a mere three ingredients: wine, sugar, and egg yolks. Although the dessert is much like a custard, it is technically classified as a caudle. Originally, a caudle (as described by Merriam-Webster) was "a drink (as for invalids) usually of warm ale or wine mixed with bread or gruel, eggs, sugar, and spices." Today, caudles are no longer used as a beverage for invalids, but are used as sauces or for filling pies, tarts, and the like. To create your own Zabaglione, use the following recipe:


1 cup white wine
1/2 cup sugar
6 egg yolks


Combine all of the ingredients. Place mixture in a double boiler (or heat resistant bowl) over boiling water. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Continue to mix with a hand mixer until the Zabaglione is thickened to the consistency of whipped cream. Serve alone or as a sauce with berries or cake.

The verdict: Let's hear it for the Italians! This dessert may be simple, but the taste sure isn't. The Zabaglione is light and creamy with a sweet subtle taste of wine. I'll definitely make this again. In fact, I may make this a staple dessert in my kitchen.


Happy adventuring! 

Bacon Rolls

"Almost anything you like can be rolled in bacon, oven or pan-broiled and served on picks."

-The Encyclopedic Cookbook

How could I pass by a recipe that starts with a quote like that? Today I will be making Bacon Rolls, an appetizers fit for the fifties. I followed a recipe like the following:

8 strips of bacon

4 tablespoons of peanut butter

Spread the peanut butter on the strips of bacon. Roll tightly and secure with a toothpick. Broil until crisp.

Eight strips of bacon ready to be spread with peanut butter

Little bacon and peanut butter rolls

The finished product, broiled to a crisp

The verdict: Here's a tip--soak the toothpicks in water before you put them in the broiler! I made a smokey mess of my apartment because I didn't remember to do this. Even so, these appetizers turned out just like I expected. They were really tasty, but--I can't believe I'm saying this--it was just a little too much bacon for me. Because the bacon is rolled up tightly, only the outside gets crispy leaving the inside with a texture more like deli ham, which I don't really like. I appreciate the bacon and peanut butter idea so maybe I will try it again sometime in a sandwich version, which I hear is quite nice.

Happy adventuring!