This is an 18th century U.S. recipe for bread from Illinois (Kaskaskia). The recipe has been kept in one family since the 1750s. It is very economical and is simple to make. It is so simple that it was no doubt still popular in the early 19th century as well. It was very normal for a lot of early to mid 18th century recipes to still be popular even up till the 1840s.
This recipe was gifted to the 1820 Benjamin Stephenson House by the family whom it originated from. It has been kept in their family since the 1750s when their French-speaking ancestors moved to Kaskaskia. There was a large French population in Kaskaskia, as well as in St Louis, during this period.
I have baked this bread half a dozen times now and it has never failed me once. It is incredibly easy to bake and I am not surprised why it has been a go-to since the 1750s! Let us begin.
In a bowl combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour with 1 heaping tablespoon of active dry yeast. Pour in 1.5 cups of warm (not scalding hot but be sure that it's warm) water and a large dollop of honey. You may use molasses instead of honey. For this recipe today I used honey. Do not use sugar as the honey or molasses will also keep the bread moist. That is it. Flour, yeast, honey, water.
mix until you have formed a dough
Now let us put our dough in a warm place to rise for one hour. I have placed mine several feet away from my hearth. Any warm kitchen will do. If you are unsure if your house is warm enough you may cover the bowl with towels or even a jacket.
After one hour the dough has expanded and is ready to be kneaded. To knead your dough place it on a well floured surface, coat the surface or your hands with a bit more flour then roll your dough a little bit over and over until the dough is no longer sticky.
After kneading shape as desired and place onto a pan. You do not need to butter the pan as long as it is a non-stick pan.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Once the top is a golden brown it is done. If you are baking using a dutch oven as I am be sure to rotate it every 10 minutes so that one side does not burn.
35 minutes later and we have beautiful bread. Wait for 30 minutes before handling and slicing.
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1-2 tablespoons of honey or 1 tablespoon of molasses
1 heaping tablespoon of dry, active yeast
Directions:
Combine 3 cups of flour with 1 tablespoon of yeast in a bowl. Pour in 1 to 1.5 cups of warm water. Be sure that the water is not boiling hot. We only need for the water to be steaming, not boiling. Add your sweetener whether that is honey or molasses and mix until you have formed a ball of dough. Set your bowl aside in a warm room to rise for one hour. You may cover your bowl with a towel or even a jacket to keep it warm. After one hour remove your dough onto a well-floured work surface and knead with floured hands until your dough is no longer sticky. Shape as desired and place onto a cooking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until golden brown as shown in my photos.
Let's combine two recipes from the same book to make an amazing meal! Today's delicacies come from A New System of Domestic Cookery by Maria Rundell. Personally I love the flavor of mushrooms and am confidant that any fellow culinary mushroom enthusiast will find this dish agreeable.
For this dish we will use pork steaks. Do not use pork chops as that is a different cur entirely. You may use whatever quantity of mushrooms or steak that you'd like depending on how many hungry mouths you must satisfy.
Rub black pepper onto your steaks. Rub this on both sides.
We will grill these. I have had a fire going for a while now to gather hot coals for this purpose.
If using your hearth allow a fire to burn until only coals remain. Then place your iron grill over the hot coals. These will cook fast so stay close and flip frequently. When your steaks are nearly done rub butter over them and sprinkle salt. Mine took 10 minutes total to be cooked.
Done! They look and smell amazing. I can hardly resist eating them now but we have to prepare our mushrooms.
Wipe clean your mushrooms then cut into pieces.
Melt a heaping tablespoon of butter onto your hot pan. If you are cooking more mushrooms then I am add more butter. If less then add less.
Add your mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently.
once softened, add salt and a few tablespoons of cream. Add a teaspoon of flour to thicken. Mix and continue to cook.
Once your mushrooms are creamy remove from your heat. Your meal is now done and you may enjoy right away! I know that I sure did.
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pork steaks: rub black pepper onto both sides of your steaks. Grill, being sure to flip halfway through cooking. Once your steaks are nearly done rub melted on them and sprinkle salt to taste.
Stewed mushrooms: clean and cut up your desired quantity of butter mushrooms. On a hot pan melt a heaping tablespoon of butter then add your mushrooms. Stir frequently until soft. Once soft add salt to taste and several spoonful's of cream. Finally add a teaspoon of flour to thicken. Stir and continue to cook for 5 minutes until creamy.
Today's simple yet delicious recipe is brought to us by the 1807 cookbook A New System of Domestic Cookery by Maria Ketelby. This is a fantastic recipe book which is easy to follow and is full of economic dishes. The preparation for today's dish is both of those, simple and economical. It is an especially popular dish during the Fall season when cabbage is plentiful.
As you can see, stewed red cabbages can be served with either cold cuts or sausages. I found sausages to pair nicely and that is what we shall thus prepare.
Firstly we shall cut up either one small red cabbage or half of a large one.
Cut your cabbage into strips.
Once your cabbage has been cut into strips melt a tablespoon of butter on a hot pan then add your cabbage. Allow to cook for 10 minutes on medium heat while stirring frequently.
Once your cabbage has softened after 10 minutes add a generous spoonful of salt and pepper to taste and stir well. Then add two tablespoons worth of vinegar. You may use either white vinegar or apple cyder vinegar. Mix again and allow to cook for another 10 minutes.
Once your cabbage is done remove from your heat and place onto the bottom of a fine dish.
Now we shall shift our attention to preparing the sausages. You may cook them at the same time as you are cooking your cabbage in a separate pan or you may reuse the pan once your cabbage is done. I am using bratwursts for this dish. You may use whatever form of sausages that you prefer.
Fry the sausages with a teaspoon of butter until done.
Now that the sausages are cooked place over your cabbage. It is ready to be served!
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Mashed potatoes with parsnips is a rather simple side dish that can be enjoyed by those of all classes. I discovered this economical recipe in the bestseller The Cook's Oracle; And Housekeeper's Manual. The author, William Kitchiner, was a bit of a renaissance man having spread his talents across a number of fields. His primary means of employment was as an optician however he also dabbled in the patenting of new telescopes. He was also an amateur musician and an excellent cook. While The Cook's Oracle was first written in 1822 I am using an 1830 edition for reference.
William Kitchiner (1775-1827)
Here we are instructed to prepare the parsnips similarly to carrots by splitting them down the middle and boiling. Also, in order to reduce the carrot-like sweetness from the parsnips we may mix in mashed potatoes.
Begin by gathering your desired parsnips and potatoes. I recommend having more potatoes than parsnips. This will help to cut out the natural sweetness from the parsnips. Personally, I prefer my mashed potatoes to have the skin so I retained it however if you wish to have a skinless mash feel free to peel off the potato and parsnip skins at this point.
Split your potatoes and parsnips down the center for faster cooking times.
Cover your vegetables with water.
Hang the pot over your fire. Parsnips need extra time to soften so it may take around an hour in a gentle boil for your vegetables to be ready for mashing.
Once your vegetables are soft mash as you normally would with mashed potatoes. As you beat it, add salt to taste and a generous tablespoon of softened butter.
Plate and enjoy.
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Split your potatoes and parsnips down the center then boil in water for an hour or until very soft. Mash together as you would regular mashed potatoes. Add salt and butter to taste. Plate and serve.
Today's supper comes from the recipe book The Virginia House-Wife by Mary Randolph. The Virginia House-Wife, or The Methodical Cook, was one of the best selling cookbooks of its age and ensured Mary her stardom.
Mary Randolph (1762-1828)
While the majority of Mary's recipes seem sure to satisfy, one stood out to me for its absurd ingredients. That being the crust enough to make one savory pie top and bottom. Her directions are quite simple, simply combine butter, water and flour. However, the quantity of butter is what makes this crust formidable. Mary directs us to add one pound of butter into the dough. That is correct. One pound of butter in just one moderately sized crust. Formidable I'd say. Of course, I had to try it. Though skeptical one needs to have an open mind as well.
I borrowed three recipes from the same book to make this steak pie. Mary's gravy recipe, steak pie and savory crust.
Firstly, let us start by preparing the gravy. It will need to simmer for at least an hour so it is best to get this started first.
Lay several pieces of bacon on the bottom of a sauce pan. 3-5 will do nicely. Next add in chopped celery, carrots, a turnip and a diced onion. You may also add a tablespoon or two of chopped up beef steak if you desire a stronger flavor. With or without the gravy is fantastic.
For seasonings sprinkle in thyme and a generous tablespoon of allspice.
Cover this with water till just the vegetables are submerged then hang over your fire.
Now we shall prepare what makes this dish so unique. Gather 4 cups of flour, setting half a cup aside for flouring your work surface. Mix enough cold water into this flour to make a thick paste. Now add one quarter pound of softened butter at a time until you have incorporated an entire pound.
I found the dough to be unusually sticky and delicate for a pie crust, possibly explaining why Mary recommends being gentle when touching the dough. Roll out the dough using both a rolling pin and your your hands to flatten it. Be careful as this dough is particularly delicate and prone to cracking. Roll out only enough dough to make the bottom crust. Set aside your remaining dough for the top crust which we will make later.
Once it is to your liking spread it onto the bottom of a baking tin and place it inside of your oven to cook until the pastry has slightly puffed up and the butter has been at melting for at least 5 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. Watch it carefully as you do not want it to burn. You only need to cook the lower crust in this manner. Save your remaining dough for the upper crust which we will prepare later.
Now that your gravy is on the fire and your bottom crust is baking let us focus on the filling. This is a beef based pie so you will need cuts of steak that suite your preference. However, Mary also recommends sprinkling pork into the pie's filling. She recommends adding boiled ham. Since I used bacon in the gravy I found it economical to use the remainder of my bacon in the pie however if you have ham all the better add it. I trimmed off the excess fat from the bacon. Ensure that your meat is cut up into manageable pieces.
Set your meat onto your fire and cook till the meat is half done.
If an hour has passed since you set your gravy on your flame remove it and strain all of the contents, leaving behind only the broth. Now add a tablespoon of flour and set again onto your fire. This will help to thicken up the gravy.
Our meat is cooking away now. Be sure to check if your bottom crust is done.
Once your meat is half cooked remove from the flame and set aside.
Your bottom crust should be ready by now. It is expected to find a layer of bubbling butter on top. Once you set it to cool the butter wool reabsorb. As you can see it has only browned slightly.
Add an even layer of your half-cooked meat onto the crust.
Once your gravy has thickened over the fire (should not take more than 5 minutes) pour it over the meat.
Finally we may add the top crust. Be sure to cut a hole in the top center to let steam escape.
Bake with a healthy fire for around half an hour. The crust will not brown. It is certainly a strange crust which is good for curiosity seekers but I would recommend a dozen crusts over this one. The filling however is divine. The gravy recipe is a keeper and is among the best gravies that you can make.
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Butter: one pound, unsalted (usually amounts to 4 sticks)
All-purpose flour: four cups
Cold water: half a cup
Filling:
Beef steak: one pound
Bacon or ham: half a pound
Gravy:
bacon: 3-5 strips
beef steak: two tablespoons if desired
carrots: three large
turnips: one regular
onion: one large
celery: 5 stalks
all-purpose flour: one tablespoon
thyme: one teaspoon
allspice: one tablespoon
Directions:
Gravy: Lay your bacon on the bottom of a pot. Toss over it diced carrots, turnip, celery and extra beef steak if desired. For spices add a teaspoon of thyme and a tablespoon of allspice. Cover with water just high enough to cover your vegetables. Put on your stove on medium-low heat for one hour. Once an hour has passed strain your solids from the broth and return the broth to the stove. Stir in a tablespoon of flour and let sit on a low flame for 5 minutes to thicken.
Crust: Add 3.5 cups of flour into a mixing bowl, setting half a cup of flour aside for later rolling the dough. To this add half a cup of cold water and stir. This should create a thick paste. Now add one stick of butter at a time till you have added four sticks, or one pound. Divide this dough into two even portions, one for the top and the other for the bottom crust. Gently roll out the bottom crust dough and place into a tin. Bake for 10 mins in a 300 degree oven. Set out to cool. You do not need to pre-bake the top crust.
Meat filling: Combine one pound of your choice of beef steak with half a pound of either lean bacon of ham. Cook on your stovetop till the meat is half done then remove from the heat and set aside.
To combine: Place your half-cooked meat into the baked bottom pie crust. Pour your gravy on top. Try to make this as even as possible. Roll out your top layer of crust and press it on top. Cut a small hole on the top to allow for steam from the gravy to escape. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
