Asparagus in Ambush - Wash a quart of asparagus tops and boil for fifteen minutes. Take a dozen stale, light rolls, cut off the tops and take out the crumb; put in a pan and set in the oven to dry. Put a pint of milk on to boil. Beat four eggs and stir in the boiling milk, add a tablespoonful of butter rolled in flour, season with salt and pepper and take from the fire; chop the asparagus tops and add…Click to read all asparagus recipes

The Philosophy of a Sponge-Cake

After many trials and errors, Mary Lawton revealed her recipe in 1893 for the perfect sponge cake.

It has been said some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. It is through the achievements of greatness that one woman points, with wooden spoon, to the cake bowl and baking pan. From her lips come the encouraging words: “There lie the elements of my fame, achieve it too who can!”

There are women who brew,
And women who bake,
Yet women who fail
When they make a Sponge cake!

And so did this self-same woman, though to her, in turn, had been committed her grandmother’s recipe; a true and tried recipe too, that had been handed down with the old gold-rimmed cake platter, through six generations of grand-daughters, “beginning life.”

It was absurdly easy. Nothing was simpler than to put in five eggs; weigh out the half pound of soft sugar; sift the large tea-cup of prescribed flour; add the teaspoonful of baking powder and the same of rose-water.

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Antique recipes for Lemonade, Fruit Punch, Iced Russian Tea and Chilled Chocolate, early 1900s:

A cooling beverage on a hot day is most refreshing, and, when taken slowly and in moderation, is not injurious to the normal stomach. The thoughtful hostess remembers this, and on a hot, sultry day provides some such refreshment, not only for the invited guest and her own family, but also for the “drop-in” caller, who is sure to appreciate the attention. When serving such refreshment it should be remembered that the eye as well as the palate must be pleased. The daintiest glasses should be used and their contents made as attractive as possible. In the case of “thin” drinks, straws should be provided.
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Antique recipes for cold desserts from June 1896.

Date Meringue

This is a delicate dessert, and may be quickly made in a case of unexpected company, if one has at hand the necessary ingredients. Beat the whites of five eggs to a stiff froth, add three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one-half pound of dates, stoned and cut up fine. Bake fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. Serve, as soon as cool, with thick, sweet cream or a custard made with the yolks.

Strawberry Bananas

Select six firm, good-sized bananas, split them open carefully, and remove the pulp. Beat the pulp to a cream, measure, and add half as many strawberries, one tablespoonful of lemon juice, three tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, and one tablespoonful of sherry or orange juice. Mix well together, being very careful not to make the pulp too liquid, then fill the banana skins and stand them on ice. To serve properly, the bananas should be tied with narrow ribbons of green and dull-red. When strawberries are not in season, peaches, cherries, or orange pulp may be used, changing the flavoring accordingly.

Green Currant Pie

Strip currants, two-thirds grown, from the stem; stew until soft. Sweeten to taste and pour into a pie dish. Dredge with flour or cornstarch, and add a half teacupful of seeded raisins to a pie. Bake slowly.  Serve cold.

Caramel Pudding

This is a dainty dessert for a hot day. Place a cupful of light brown sugar in a saucepan over the stove until it browns and has a caramel taste. Add a tablespoonful of butter and half a cupful of sweet milk and let it cook twelve minutes. Add to it nearly a pint of milk and two and a half tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, stirring constantly. When very stiff and well-cooked, remove from the stove, flavor with vanilla and pour into moulds.  Serve with whipped cream.

Coffee Mousse

A teacupful of the strongest and clearest coffee must be made, using a quarter of a pound of coffee to a teacupful of water. Put the coffee, when made, with two yolks of eggs and an ounce of sugar, in a double boiler, and stir over the fire till the mixture thickens; then let it get cold.

Whip a pint of cream quite stiff, and add the coffee to it by degrees so that it is smooth and thick. Serve this either frozen or simply cold in teacups with saucers.

Gooseberry Meringue

Boil two quarts of green gooseberries in a little water and some moist sugar; pulp them through a sieve, and lay the pulp at the bottom of a shallow pie dish. Beat up the yolks of three eggs and add to them three-quarters of a pint of milk; pour this on the top of the fruit, and place in moderate oven to bake. When nearly done, whisk the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, mix in lightly one ounce sugar and pile it on the custard. Return it to the oven to brown.

Strawberry luncheons, festivals, fairs and teas, will be the popular entertainment throughout the month of June, as the berries may be had in abundance, and in their natural state are easily prepared, and without being a tax upon the hostess, and are for most people a tempting and delicious refreshment.

Mrs. Hayes once gave, while in the White House, a luncheon to Washington young people, of which they talked for years. [Hayes 1877-1881]

The table was laid in white linen, with a crimson carnation beside each plate. Strawberry vines and berries filled a low basket in the centre of the table. At either end stood tall crystal dishes heaped with strawberries lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar.

After the salads, rolls, peas, crabs and the usual dainty luncheon menu, strawberry shortcake, with whipped cream, was served. This delicious shortcake was Mr. Crump’s recipe, and was made as follows:

White House Strawberry Shortcake

Into one pint of flour put a large teaspoonful of baking powder, and one-quarter of a teaspoonful of salt. Sift thoroughly. Rub into the flour four large tablespoonfuls of butter. Wet with a teacupful of sweet milk. Bake quickly in a hot oven. When well browned, spread with butter and berries, whole or mashed, cover heavily with sugar, and serve hot, passing a pitcher of whipped cream with the shortcake cut in cubes.

Another White House recipe for strawberry shortcake runs thus: One quart of flour; three teaspoonfuls yeast powder; one teaspoonful salt; half cupful best butter; one pint of sweet milk or water. Bake in four shallow pans; fill with strawberries lightly chopped in sugar with a knife - not bruised, but cut in pieces. Serve with the heated juice of one pint of berries and one cupful of sugar.

At any strawberry entertainment the chief feature of the table is the large dish of crimson berries, served in the French style, with their hulls on, garnished with their own leaves, and, if possible, with their tiny blossoms.

Related Article: Antique Strawberry and Berry Forks

June 1896