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!

Ball Cheese III

Finally, it is complete. After over a month of souring, salting, and ripening, the Ball Cheese is finished. And it's actually pretty good! The taste is a little bit like cheddar with a strong, sharp finish. As the original recipe suggested, I ate the cheese with bread, and documented it here:

The verdict: Although the cheese making process is really interesting to me, I don't think I'll attempt this again until I have a farm of my own--or at least a house. I don't think my little apartment was the best atmosphere for souring milk or ripening cheese. Having said that, I'm really happy that I gave this recipe a try and would suggest it for people with an interest in cheese or cheese making. 

Happy adventuring!

A Wedding Cake

Last year today, my grandparents celebrated their 50th anniversary. As the story goes, my grandfather could only take one day away from the army base, so the wedding was simple and modest--they didn't invite friends or relatives and they didn't have a cake. That's why, 50 years later, we asked our grandparents to go through the motions again (at least with the cake, pictured below). Today, instead of finding a recipe to prepare, I am going to dive into the history of the wedding cake, in honor of my grandparents 51st wedding anniversary!

The tradition associated with wedding cakes has always interested me. It is said that a wedding cake represents luck and fertility--some say the more tiers on the cake, the more luck and fertility in a marriage. But in the past and in other cultures, a tiered wedding cake was not always standard. For example, during the Roman era, loaves of bread were broken over the couples' heads to bring luck to the marriage. In the middle ages, biscuits were brought to the wedding by guests, instead of the symbolic loaf of bread. And in 17th century France, wheat rolls were iced with sugar and stacked upon each other, which was the beginning of what we know as the traditional wedding cake.

I assume that each family has their own traditions associated with weddings and wedding cakes. Some believe that each guest at the wedding must eat the cake, lest they bring bad luck to the new couple and themselves. Furthermore, a single woman may benefit from keeping a bit of the cake under her pillow at night--the superstition states that you will dream of your husband-to-be if you do so. Sound crazy? How about the superstition that the bride should keep some of her wedding cake frozen to ensure that her husband is faithful? Sometimes, whole tiers of the cake were saved in the freezer until the baptism of the first child, when it was consumed in celebration.

Interested in learning more about food superstitions like those about the wedding cake? Check out a book like A Dictionary of Superstitions (Oxford Reference) or  the Encyclopedia of Superstitions by Richard Webster. 

Happy adventuring, and happy anniversary to my grandparents!

Eggs Stewed with Cheese

Today I wanted breakfast, plain and simple. So I found a recipe for Eggs Stewed with Cheese in a book called Civil War Recipes: Receipts from the Pages of Godey's Lady's Book. After some research, I learned that Godey's Lady's Book was a popular women's magazine from 1830 to 1898. Although Godey's was an American magazine, it had a international readership. The periodical included 19th century hand-colored fashion plates, fiction pieces, architecture, sewing patterns, poetry, and "receipt" columns, from which this 1864 recipe was taken. Here is the original recipe:

Fry three eggs in a pan with one ounce butter, season with pepper and salt, and when the eggs are just set firm at the bottom of the pan, slip them off onto a dish, cover them all over with some very thin slices of cheese, set the dish before the fire to melt the cheese, and then eat this cheap little tit-bit with some toast.

The verdict: I made a few small changes to the recipe. For instance, I only used two eggs instead of three. Also, I did not have an open fire to lay the eggs next to for melting the cheese, so I used the broiler. But really, how could this recipe go wrong? A perfect egg, topped with melted swiss cheese on top of wheat toast. I will be making this again.


Happy adventuring!

Maryland Mint Phosphate

Whenever I have visitors in Philadelphia I like to show them the little historic tricks and treats of the city. This past weekend, when my mother and stepfather came to visit, one of those historic treats included a Maryland Mint Phosphate at the Franklin Fountain in Old City. I first learned about the Maryland Mint Phosphate (a retro soda) in a guide book for the city of Philadelphia. At first, I was drawn to the Maryland Mint Phosphate purely because of the name--I am a Baltimore girl, after all--and then, it was the florescent green color of the liquid pictured on the glossy page. So when I visited the Franklin Fountain and noticed that there was no Maryland Mint Phosphate on the menu, my heart sank. "Do you possibly know how to make a Maryland Mint Phosphate?" I asked, hopefully. The girl behind the counter stared at me blankly. Then, to my sheer delight, a young soda jerk by the name of Jeff stepped up and said that he remembered the recipe. Thanks, Jeff!

The Maryland Mint Phosphate (pictured here with a chocolate soda) is a mixture of Creme de Menthe and ginger flavored soda water with a little phosphoric acid for pizzazz. 

The verdict: I am not a soda drinker, so the Maryland Mint Phosphate came as a bit of a shock to my system. In fact, the phosphoric acid felt just plain strange going down my throat. Having said that, I can see why people would have fun with these beverages. The Franklin Fountain has a ton of different combinations to make your own soda or you can order pre-designed phosphates like the Japanese Thirst Killer Phosphate, which includes grape juice and Angostura Bitters. If you have a retro soda fountain nearby, maybe you should give it a shot. I know that I'll be going back for more.

Happy adventuring!

Lamb's Wool

It's time for a drink!


Hot beer seems like it should be on a culinary nightmare list but I couldn't pass by this quaintly-named beverage, Lamb's Wool. Lamb’s Wool is a hot punch that is said to have originated in the Middle Ages in England but maintained popularity through Victorian times. The drink was traditionally served at harvest time or at Christmas as a “wassailing” (caroling) punch.  In her book, “Food and Cooking in Victorian England,” Andrea Broomfield describes the popular beverage as enjoyed in the Victorian era:

“Those who retained old-fashioned tastes such as Charles Dickens…enjoyed a wassail punch based on ale or cider that was heated until it formed a foamy, creamy head. Sometimes, the foam was called “lamb’s wool.” While the ale and/or cider were heating, fresh grated nutmeg, ground cinnamon, whole cloves, lemon slices, and finally, hot roasted crabapples were added to the punch” (154).

She goes on to describe that there were several traditions associated with the punch. For example, farmers would make the drink on Christmas Eve and toast to their apple trees, as a way of giving thanks. Another tradition involves the apple tree being “wassailed” by pouring the beverage around the roots of the tree and then bowing and singing around it in order to secure a good harvest the following year.

Today, Lamb’s Wool is not as frequently made, but there are still plenty of recipes floating around if you want to give it a shot and taste a bit of history. Now I will be making a version of Lamb’s Wool to celebrate the harvest that can easily be replicated. If you want to make the drink too, here is a simple recipe to follow:

Gather about four apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, a few whole cloves, ginger, brown sugar, and about six pints of dark ale. Cut the tops off of the apples and bake them at 400 degrees F until soft. Then, scoop out the soft insides and set aside. Warm the ale and the spices (about a half teaspoon or to taste) with about a third cup of brown sugar. Then add the apple pulp to the mixture. Serve in big mugs with a spoon.

Fresh apples, tops removed

Cooked apples!

Mixing beer with spices and sugar

Does this resemble lamb's wool?

The finished beverage

The verdict: I think the most important thing to remember with this recipe is to season to taste--if you want more cinnamon, sugar, or ginger, then add more! This is definitely a cold weather drink. It took me a few seconds to get used to the hot beer taste, but I can understand why people used to make this as a holiday drink. Drinking Lamb's Wool makes me wish that I had an apple tree to "wassail" with this brew!


Happy adventuring!

Indian Pudding

While researching food articles for inspiration, I came across an article about Indian Pudding. The writer discussed Indian Pudding as a classic popular dessert that fell off the culinary radar which he describes as, "something of an American tragedy." Those are strong words to use to describe a dessert--this stuff must be good! So today I made a traditional Indian Pudding. The first place I looked for a recipe for the pudding was in my Encyclopedic Cookbook, and of course, the nearly 1,000 page cookbook had a traditional Indian Pudding recipe! It is as follows:


1/2 cup corn meal
1 quart milk, scalded
2/3 cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cold milk


Add corn meal slowly to hot milk, stirring constantly until thick. Add molasses and salt. Pour into greased baking dish and add cold milk. Bake in slow oven (325F.) 3 hours. Serve hot with hard sauce, ice cream or plain cream. Serves 6


Once again, I began my culinary journey, stumbling through a recipe that I felt could be more detailed. First, I scalded the milk. I learned that to scald milk you must heat the milk until little bubbles form around the sides without letting it boil. Then, I added the cornmeal to the mixture--which became lumpy--and I stirred like a madwoman until the milk began to thicken. As I was stirring, I realized that I didn't know how thick "thick" should be. I wondered if women in the 1950's (when this book started circulating) knew the precise thickness of a proper Indian Pudding. Probably. 

My lumpy milk and cornmeal mixture

A beautiful measure of molasses

Molasses being mixed into the pudding

Topping the pudding with cold milk before putting it in the oven for three hours

The finished product, topped with cream

Inside the Indian Pudding!

The verdict: This stuff is good. While it isn't the most beautiful dessert on Earth, it is truly American. I cannot understand why it has disappeared from the table--especially at Thanksgiving, when it was most popular. I'm going to make it my goal to bring this one back onto the table and into the mouths of Americans everywhere!

Happy adventuring!

Burnt Sugar Dumplings

Tonight I am making a recipe from The Encyclopedic Cookbook from the Culinary Arts Institute, published in 1949. The story behind this book is that it was the only cookbook that my maternal grandparents used. How is this possible, you ask? Well, the book is over 950 pages long--one hardly needs another! Of course, today these recipes seem a bit dated. For example, not many dinner tables are graced with a molded chicken aspic. (An aspic, if you are wondering, is a transparent jelly made from the juices of meat or meat stock that has been firmed with gelatin.) In fact, not many dishes are served in a mold at all--what a shame. In lieu of going to a kitchen store and finding an amazing mold to use for one of these retro recipes, I decided to make something that also caught my eye: Burnt Sugar Dumplings. The recipe from The Encyclopedic Cookbook follows:


SIRUP
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups hot water
DUMPLINGS
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped walnut meats
3/4 cup milk


Heat 1/2 cup sugar in skillet until it melts to a golden brown sirup. Add butter, salt, and remaining sugar. Add hot water gradually, stirring constantly. Heat to boiling and cook until sugar is dissolved about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Sift flour, baking powder,m sugar and salt together. Cut in butter with pastry blender. Add walnuts; stir in milk all at once, mixing only enough to moisten flour. Drop by tablespoons into gently boiling caramel sauce. Cover tightly and simmer gently 12 to 15 minutes without removing cover. Serve at once with sauce, for 6

Bubbling, browned sugar with two tablespoons of butter added.

Moistened flour mixture with added walnuts.

The first dumplings added to the mixture!

A close-up of the cooking dumplings.

The final product!

The verdict: These are great! I am so pleased that I decided to make Burnt Sugar Dumplings. This recipe is all about timing--making sure that the sugar mixture is being stirred constantly while you simultaneously cut butter into the flour mixture. It would be helpful to have two sets of hands for this one but even if you can't find a friend to help out, these dumplings are worth a try. The flavor is fantastic and it's always fun to try something new.

Happy adventuring!