A fall day- and a lot of soup!

The 10 gallon soup pot

Is there a better way to spend a crisp fall day than with friends? Yes, with friends in funny clothes! This past Saturday I had the great pleasure of hosting some of the best people I know at my site (Bentonville Battlefield) for our annual Fall Festival & Living History. This year there was an added night tour component as well, which meant I was set to cooking for the 100ish people that were coming for that.
So what goes into a pot that big? A lot of soup! I used a combination of beef stew recipes from Elisa Leslies Cooking in its Various Branches. It has become a go-to for me, and when feeding a big crowd- stay with what people like.  So into the pot went 25 pounds of beef, 20 pounds of potatoes, 10 pounds of carrots, 5 pounds of onions, and bit of celery. Whew! That was a lot of cutting!

Veggies ready to be cut up

However, I was lucky to have plenty of help during the day! I am so grateful for their help!

Helping cut the never-ending veggies

The day was not all full of cutting and stewing. We did have a great picnic lunch. What a spread it was too! There was ham, bread, pickles, cake, sausages, cheese, corn fritters, biscuits, slaw, nuts, pickled cauliflower, and lemonade- I am sure that I have forgotten part of what was included- but it made for a great midday meal with friends.

Part of the picnic spread

Morning prep for the big pot of soup!

Some of the guys resting

 It was such a great day to spend with such great friends! These small events are where I really get a chance to see how much the public enjoys period demonstrations.

After hours of cooking a pig pot o' soup it was time to serve everyone! While I am still not sure how many people were served, I do know that there was almost nothing left when were done.

Serving Begins

Out of 10 loaves of bread and 10 loaves of pound cake there was only one left! It was a long day, but worth it!

Of coarse, we also have fun with the hospital props! 

Heritage Festival Demonstration

This past weekend I had the pleasure of cooking for the Cape Fear Botanical Garden's Heritage Festival. It was a fabulous weekend, the first real cool weather we had in NC, which made the fire that more comforting. There were many different demonstrations and activities- butter churning, tobacco tying, candle making, the general store was open & more!
Saturday's menu was simple- Chicken noodle soup. The chicken noodle soup is a easy recipe you can find here- its a go to for an easy meal!

The morning started well, after fighting to get the fire started on a very damp morning. I did have a few volunteers from the site helping as well. We started by getting the chickens in the pot and chopping vegetables. The recipe does not call for carrots- but I like them in my soup, and they add some color! 

Everyone is amazed when I start making noodles on site during demos. It is something that everyone enjoys watching- they are SO easy! Mix, roll, cut, dry. And only 4 ingredients! 

After removing the chicken and taking it off the bone- add chicken and noodles to the pot-and I had a BIG pot! 

The soup turned out great! 

Sunday was even cooler than Saturday- which made me the popular demo for the day.I had hot apple cider ready all day! On the menu with cider- fried sweet potatoes!  

Cider & boiling sweet potatoes

Directions for Cookery and its Various Branches, Eliza Leslie, 1844

These fried sweet potatoes were a hit! It is always a good idea to cook what is in season- and right now sweet potatoes are coming out of the NC fields by the truck-load. For more on sweet potatoes- click here.  I was all by myself on Sunday- so the simple menu really helped, but also reminded me of all of the hard work that is done with cooking. 

I did manage to snap one photo of myself! 

Look for a wrap-up of my Bentonville Fall Festival in a few weeks! 

Mrs. M. E. Hite's Sally Lunn

Sally Lunn has been around, well, forever? I have always seen this recipe constantly repeated in almost anything referencing period cookery (18th & 19th Century) and yet I have never tried it! It seems Sally Lunn may or may not have been a real person- a few legends of her namesake are around, and you can even visit her Bakery in Bath!
A few months ago I was "gifted" with Hearthside Cooking by Nancy Carter Crump, I have soaked in her knowledge! I highly recommend this book. She gives an overview of tools & techniques, followed by a slew of period recipes & hints! Inlcuded in the book is Mrs. M. E. Hite's Sally Lunn- which is actually Eliza Leslie's recipe from Directions for Cookery, in Its Various Branches, 1844.

Luckily, Crump already did all of the hard work for me....us..... and 'converted' the recipe to a modern measurement. Crump says to bake the bread/cake in a tube pan, though Leslie says a square tin pan. I went with the tube thinking this would be more of a cake batter....nope. Very much a dough, after rising for 2 hours,  it was hard to form in the tube pan, next time I will use a regular bread pan for it. I completely forgot to get any photos of the mixing process. But did manage to get an after shot out of the oven.

Fresh Sally Lunn

Mine does look a bit uneven- but I did say it was hard to get around in that tube pan!! Maybe next time will result in a prettier bread. This was excellent served fresh out of the oven with some butter- just as Eliza Leslie suggests. DH was even a fan! It was not a "cake" as some recipes suggest- or at least not a cake for our 21st Century tastes. It is not sweet, since there is no sugar, but a savory, buttery bread!
While this will not replace my ever-popular & loved white bread at events, I think it will make an appearance on the menu occasionally.

A Rainy Day with Great Friends!

Saturday started gray & rainy. It was a great window into the past, since I could hardly see anything in the dark kitchen that morning, even with the fire going.  I had chosen to make Eliza Leslie's "To Stew Beef".
I had a pretty large hunk of beef too! It was put in the pot early, around 9:30am & covered with water.

It was great to have fun in the kitchen with some of my dearest friends! We mostly enjoyed watching the kids run around in the morning, in the midst of peeling potatoes & cutting carrots. 

Morning fun in the Kitchen

 The day turned out to be busy, despite the gray skies, and periods of light rain. Visitors could take wagon rides, play period games of townball, tour the Harper House, or visit with us in the demonstration area.

Speaking to visitors about period cookery. 

 The stew turned out wonderfully!! The broth was some of the best I had ever tasted, I had only seasoned the stew with salt & some kitchen pepper!  I cooked some carrots & onions on the side, but I added them into my bowl of wonderful beef!  There was also fresh bread & butter to go along with the wonderful meal!

A Stew of Beef

The girls playing

All of the toys neatly lined up on the well. 

For even more photos of the event: http://www.newsargus.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=749175

To Stew Beef

I always get excited when I get to cook on an open fire! It's something about the cool air, the crackle of the fire, the smell of cider! The fact that fall is my favorite season probably has a lot to do with it as well.  

This year for Bentonville's Fall Festival (yes, I have the best job) I will be cooking once again in our lovely kitchen. I have decided that a meal of "Stewed Beef" with some veggies is perhaps one of the most wholesome meals I could make & all of those veggies are so pretty sitting in baskets waiting to be cut up!

I have pulled a few different receipts from the books. I am sure that I will be following one of them this weekend! Stay tuned to see the finished meal! 

"Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches" Eliza Leslie, 1844

"The Frugal Housewife: or, Complete Woman Cook" Susannah Carter, 1796

"The Kentucky Housewife" Lettice Bryan, 1839

Indian Pound Cake

So I recently acquired Hearthside Cooking by Nancy Carter Crump. It is a book that I have had my eye on for a while, and would you know that WAHLAH it was on my shelf at work (a perk of the system I must admit).  I perused the pages for days soaking in what Crump has to say; and as one who is constantly trying to find better, more accurate ways to do things, this was a wealthy of knowledge and I highly recommend it to anyone.
Back to the food- where this particular recipe comes from I am not too sure. Crump credits Eliza Leslie with the recipie for Indian Pound Cake on pg. 202. I have found at least two references to such a cake- in Seventy-five receipts for pastry, cakes, and sweetmeats, 1836, under "Indian batter cakes". Also found in Directions for Cookery, in Its Various Branches, 1844. 

Recipe as seen in Directions for Cookery, 1844.

The cake does have a simple list of ingredients; flour, cornmeal, sugar, butter, eggs, etc. This is a great option for making a cake when you don't have a chance to run to the store, most of these items are pantry staples. I warn you, make sure you have enough time to put this cake together (about 30 minutes). I try to do everything manually- not using electric mixers, etc.- so that I can get more accurate time if it is something I want to try in a camp setting. This cake also took about 4 bowls to mix- but I am a messy baker!

Start by combining your dry ingredients. The recipe suggest 2 tsp of grated nutmeg, I tend to think it is a bit overpowering, so I only used about half of a nutmeg.

Beating the eggs "until foamy" will take some time. You can use an electric mixer if making this at home- if not, pull out your trusty whisk and get to it....then when you get tired- make your husband whisk as well! Remember the eggs are the leavening for this recipe so this is a vital step.

Check out his lovely Regency Sideburns! 

When those eggs are nice and foamy- start creaming your butter, adding a little sugar at a time until well incorporated, beat until  nice and fluffy.

Now, there are three different elements to the cake- dry ingredients, eggs, and sugar/butter. Time to combine these.  Add about one third of the dry mix to the butter, incorporate well, then add about one third of the eggs, combine well- continued until well mixed.  This will be a very thick batter, more like a dough, but don't worry!
Put batter into a well buttered tube pan-

Cake batter in my great-grandmothers pan. 

Place in a 325* oven- this cake will take about a hour and half to bake.  During this time, sit, rest your arms, this has been a workout of a cake!
Check your cake- when a knife comes out clean, it is ready. Turn it out of the pan, and TA-DA...CAKE! I am amazed every time my cake falls right out of that pan perfectly.

This cake turns out to have a great flavor! It tastes like very sweet corn-bread. It is a nice cake when it is fresh out of the oven. But, as Eliza Leslie suggests, its does become very dry and hard and almost like sawdust if left sitting out. I made this particular cake for an event I was attending, and forgot it :(, and when we got home it was too dry to eat.

I must say that I think this has been my most successful cake to date, good flavor, not too heavy.


Happy Cooking!!

Strawberry Cakes

This sweet recipe comes from The Ladies Reciept Book, Eliza Leslie, 1847. When searching through various books for a fruit tart, I found this splendid little treat.  I was so excited to make after I found it. I like to think of it as a 19th Century Strawberry Shortcake!

Start by making the dough for the cakes. 4 cups of flour mixed into 2 sticks of nice sweet butter. Mis until crumbly (think pie crust). In a separate bowl beat 3 eggs light, and add sugar and mix well. Add the egg mixture to the flour until well blended. My dough felt dry, so I added about 1/2 cup of very cold water (again, think pie crust). 

Mix this well together (works best when using hands to mix). I rolled my dough out and cut it with the "tumbler", I actually used a shrub glass.   The cakes get placed in a 400* oven, about 20 minutes, watch them closely. 

The filling is so easy to make! Mush some nice strawberries, I used a fork and squished them nicely in a bowl and added about 1/3 cup of powdered sugar and placed the mix in the fridge until the cakes were done and cool.

Since the recipe states "have ready some icing" I had no idea what to use! I had missed this part in the initial reading. So I whipped up some icing using a cup of powdered sugar and some heavy cream. This makes a very nice sweet icing!! 

After the cakes come out of the oven and cool, slice them in half, to have a top & bottom. Spread the strawberry filling on a bottom, "quite thick". Place the top on like a sandwich.   The recipe suggests icing the tops and sides, but I found this to be really messy, so after one, I just iced the tops of the cakes. Then add a strawberry or slices for decoration. 

They turned out great!!! They tasted wonderful. The filling and icing are sweet, but the cake is more like a cookie, but not too sweet, so it forms a good balance. In the future I will cut the cakes thicker so they are easier to slice, and maybe larger. In the end, this is a great dessert!

Enjoy!!