Historical Food Fortnightly: Challenge #5 Roasts

The Challenge: Roasts

 

The obvious direction for this challenge was meat, but I wanted to do something different. I've always enjoyed baked apples, and decided to look for roast apple receipts; I found a few, but they weren't much different from a modern recipe.

The Recipe: To Roast Apples Another Way from Practice of Cookery and Pastry, Adapted to the Business of Everyday Life by Mrs. I. Williamson

The Year and Region: 1862, United States

How Did You Make It:

"Take as many baking-apples as you require, and with an apple-corer core them half way through, beginning at the top; then fill the hole thus made with fresh butter and sugar, previously mixed together. While roasting, be sure to keep the top up in order to keep in the butter and sugar. Serve on a table-napkin".

Time to Complete: 5 minutes prep time, 30 minutes in the oven.

 

Total Cost: All ingredients on hand, approximately less than $2.00.

 

How successful Was It?

 

 

 

Quite tasty, the butter bastes the apple skin and makes it tender.

 

How Accurate Is It?

 

Granny Smith's are definitely not period correct, but were all I had - we haven't been off Island in over a month, and these were the last two apples we had in the frig. I did NOT serve these on a table-napkin.

 

As roast apples weren't really much of a challenge, I'm doing a "two-fer" again this month.

The Challenge: Roasts #2
The Recipe: To Roast Cheese from "Mrs. Hale's New Cook Book: A Practical System for Private Families in Town and Country with Direction for Carving and Arranging the Table for Parties Etc., also, Preparations of food for Invalids and for Children" by Mrs. Sarah J. Hale

The Year and Region: 1857, United States

How Did You Make It: 

 

"Mix two ounces grated cheese with the yolk of an egg, two ounces of grated bread, and about an ounce of butter; beat them in a mortar, with mustard, pepper, and salt, to a paste, which spread thickly on toast, and warm and lightly brown in a Dutch oven."

 

 

 

 

 

Time to Complete: About ten minutes prep time and 20 minutes in the oven.

Total Cost: Again, everything in the pantry or frig, maybe $1.50 total?

How Successful Was It?: It was...interesting. Not bad, but not what I expected; the paste stayed thick - I had expected it to melt and become saucier. It would make a good light supper or a nursery meal.

How Accurate Is It?: Purchased, sliced bread; I had planned on making bread, but it didn't happen. Not having a mortar, I smashed it all together with a spoon.

Fall = Apples

Apple pie, apple fritters, and especially apple cider - fresh made and NOT pasteurized, at a local cider mill!

We have apple trees here on Mackinac, the long lasting remnants of a time when there were farms here on the Island - can you imagine trying to farm such rocky "soil"?

Apple trees (and lilacs), seemingly out of place in the woods or fields are the sure sign of long ago farmstead, they are amazingly resilient.

Here's one of my all time favorite apple recipes; it's true fall comfort food:

Apple Custard Cake:

1 stick butter, plus more for the pan

1/2 cup flour, plus more for the pan

1 vanilla bean

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

4 large apples

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup milk at room temperature

powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9" square pan with foil, then smear with a think layer of butter. Dust with flour, turn the pan over and tap lightly to remove excess flour.

Melt the stick of butter in a small saucepan. In a bowl, whisk or beat together the eggs and half the sugar. Split the vanilla bean in half the long way; scrape the seeds into the egg/sugar mixture and put the pod in with the melted butter; let the butter cool while you prepare the batter and the apples. continue to beat the eggs and sugar, adding the remaining sugar a little at a time, until thick. Peel, quarter and core the apples, then trim their ends and slice thinly.

Remove the vanilla pod from the butter and beat the butter into the batter, the mixture should form a ribbon when dropped from a spoon. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir it into the egg/sugar mixture alternately with the milk. Add the apples and stir them in well, every piece of apple must be coated with batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and even out the batter.

Bake for 45 minutes, then rotate the pan, bake an additional 25 minutes until the cake pulls away from the pan and is brown on top. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes, then serve long slices, sprinkled with powdered sugar.

We have been trying to eat more seasonally and locally; I just picked eggplant, zucchini, green beans and peppers from my own garden, here on Mackinac - yes, on October 23th!

Right now, we're enjoying apples and I hope you are too.