Old-Fashioned Blackberry Roly Poly

Blackberry Roly Poly

It’s berry season – and time to make berry desserts. I recently came across a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Blackberry Roly Poly and decided to give it a try. Rectangles of pastry are topped with a sauce made from fresh blackberries, and then rolled and baked. The roly polys are served hot, smothered in additional raspberry sauce.

Blackberry Roly Poly

The BlackBerry Roly Polys were delightful. The pastry was flaky and lovely with the embedded blackberry sauce and topping.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Blackberry Roly Poly

Servings: about 12 roly poly
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes active prep time
Difficulty: moderate
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2 pints blackberries

1/2 cup water +1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups sugar + additional sugar

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg, separated (lightly beat, separately, the yolk and white)

Put the blackberries in a saucepan and add 1/2 cup water. Using medium heat, bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until the berries are very soft; stir periodically. Remove from the heat and press the cooked berries through a sieve. (I used a Foley mill.) Rinse out the saucepan, then put the strained pulp back into the pan. Stir in 1 1/2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil using medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens while stirring periodically (about 20-30 minutes). Remove from heat and cool.

In the meantime, Preheat oven to 425°. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then cut in the shortening. Add beaten egg yolk and 1/2 cup water; mix using a fork until dough starts to cling together. If needed, add additional water. (If desired, a food processor can be used to make the dough.) Knead dough slightly then roll part of the dough into a rectangle 1/4 inch thick. Cut into small rectangles each about 4″ by 2″. Spread the cooled blackberry sauce onto the small rectangles, and then roll. (Reserve about a quarter of the sauce to use when serving.) Put on a baking sheet. Brush with egg white, then generously sprinkle with sugar. Bake until lightly browned (about 1/2 hour).

Serve hot with the reserved blackberry syrup that has been reheated .

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Old-Fashioned Honey Muffins

Honey Muffins in Plate

I’m a fan of muffins, so when I saw a recipe for Honey Muffins in a hundred-year-old cookbook I decided to give it a try. In addition to honey, the recipe called for graham flour. Graham flour is a coarsely ground whole wheat flour that contains the endosperm, the bran, and the wheat germ. It is traditionally considered a health food.

The Honey Muffins were not very sweet, but tasted good in a “healthy way.” They are a fairly dense muffin. They were lovely when served with jelly or jam.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Honey Muffins — Source: The New Butterick Cook Book (1924)

Graham flour is sometimes difficult to find. Whole wheat flour, preferably coarsely ground whole wheat flour, can be substituted for the graham flour.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Honey Muffins

Servings: approximately 18
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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4 cups graham flour (whole wheat flour – preferably coarsely ground – can be substituted for the graham flour)

3 teaspoons baking powder

4 tablespoons honey

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 400° F. Sift the baking powder and graham flour into a mixing bowl.

Put the honey, egg, salt, and milk in a separate bowl; stir to combine. Then add to the flour mixture and stir to combine.

Grease muffin pans (or use paper liners). Spoon batter into muffin cups; fill each cup about 3/4ths full. Place in oven. Bake 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned and the muffins spring back when lightly touched.

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Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding and Berries

Rice Pudding with Berries

It’s berry season, so when I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Rice Pudding with Berries, I decided to give it a try. The Rice Pudding is molded, and served with a berry sauce. I used strawberries, though the recipe says that raspberries (or a mixture of strawberries and raspberries) could also be used.

The Rice Pudding with Berries turned out well, made a nice presentation, and was very tasty.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Rice Pudding with Berries — Source: The New Butterick Cook Book (1924)

The recipe directions indicate that sugar is needed for both the Rice Pudding and the Berry Sauce, yet the ingredients list only has “powdered sugar” and does not list an amount. It appears that an ingredient (or at least amounts) is missing for this recipe. I decided to use 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in the Rice Pudding, and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar in the sauce. The sauce I made was a bit tart – but I thought that it was lovely. If a sweeter sauce is desired, use more sugar.

Some of the liquid evaporates while cooking the rice, so the cooked Rice Pudding mixture has less volume than the sum of volume of the ingredients. I used a 2 1/2 cup mold. When the mold was filled, I still had a little extra Rice Pudding which I put into custard cup. A 3 or 3 1/2 cup mold would work better.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Rice Pudding and Berries

Servings: 6 - 8
Time: 1 hour active prep time
Difficulty: moderate
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4 cups milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup rice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

butter or cooking oil

1 pint strawberries or raspberries (or a mixture of both strawberries and raspberries) (I used strawberries.)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 cup water

Put the granulated sugar, milk, and salt in a large heavy saucepan. Stir to combine, then heat using medium heat until the mixture just begins to simmer. Stir in the rice, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice mixture is thick (approximately 35-45 minutes). Remove from heat and then stir in the vanilla.

Grease a mold with butter or cooking oil (a 3 – 3 1/2 cup mold works well), then firmly press the rice pudding into the mold. Refrigerate until cold (at least 3 hours).

In the meantime, make a berry sauce by slicing the berries (raspberries can be left whole) and then putting them into a saucepan. (Reserve several berries to use as a garnish.) Stir in the powdered sugar, cornstarch and water. Bring to a boil using medium heat while stirring. Reduce heat; continue cooking and stirring until the strawberry pieces are very soft and the sauce has thickened. (Add a little more water if the sauce it too thick.) Remove from heat and strain. Keep the liquid and discard the cooked berry pieces.

To serve: Losen the edges of the Rice Pudding with a knife or other cooking tool. Dip the mold in hot water, then unmold onto serving plate. Pour the sauce over the Rice Pudding, and garnish with berries.

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Old-Fashioned Rice and Peas

Rice and Peas in bowl

When browsing through a hundred-year-old cookbook, I came across a recipe for Rice and Peas, and decided to give it a try. This recipe is easy to make, and was very tasty. I served it as a side dish, though it would also work well as a meatless entree.

Here’s the original recipe:

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Rice and Peas

Servings: 4 - 6
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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1 cup rice

2 cups green peas

2 onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter or cooking oil

Prepare rice following the directions on the package.

In the meantime, cook the peas.

Also, heat the butter or oil in a skillet, then add the chopped onions and sauté until the onions are tender and translucent. Add the cooked rice and peas; gently stir.

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Old-Fashioned Prune Souffle

Prune Souffle

There are lots of food trends and fads. Some foods become more popular over time; other decrease in popularity. Prunes are a food that were much more popular a hundred years ago than what they are now – though personally, I like them. So when I saw a recipe for Prune Souffle in a 1924 cookbook, I decided to give it a try while recognizing that prunes are not trendy.

The Prune Souffle didn’t puff up like the typical souffle. It was very rich, and contained chopped walnuts which added a nice crunch. The dominant flavor was the prunes, though there was a hint of cinnamon. I’m not sure exactly how I’d rate this dessert. It’s definitely different than what I expected, and it’s richer than I’d like; but in an old-fashioned way, it was tasty.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Prune Souffle — Source: The Metropolitan Cook Book (Published by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 1924)

I’m not sure why the souffle did not puff up. It called for several fairly heavy ingredients – the chopped nuts and prune puree which may have weighted it down. Also, since the old recipe calls for a “slow oven,” I baked the souffle at 325° F. but maybe it would have worked better if it had been baked at a higher temperature.

When I made this recipe I wasn’t sure how many prunes were needed to get 1 cup of pulp, but I estimated that I’d need about 1/2 pound of prunes. I cooked the prunes for about 30 minutes get them nice and soft, and then put them through a Foley Mill. (Another option would be to puree them.) I ended up with a little less than 1 cup of pulp, but went with it.

Here is the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Prune Souffle

Servings: 4 - 6
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: moderate
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1/2 pound prunes

water

2 eggs, separated

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts.)

1/2 cup grated bread crumbs (I grated 1 slice of bread.)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/6 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

grated rind of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 325° F. Put prunes in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil then reduce heat and gently simmer until soft. Remove from heat and drain; reserve 1/2 cup of the prune juice. (If there is less than 1/2 cup of prune juice, add water to make 1/2 cup.) Puree the prunes or use a Foley Mill to press through a sieve. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until fluffy and stiff. Set aside.

Put the chopped nuts, bread crumbs, sugar, salt, cinnamon, lemon juice, grated lemon rind, pureed prunes, 1/2 cup of prune juice, and egg yolks in a mixing bowl; stir to combine. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Put in a 1-quart baking dish, and bake until the top is lightly browned and starting to crack (30-40 minutes). Can be served warm or cold.

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Old-Fashioned Variety Marble Cake (Marble Cocoa Cake)

Marble Cocoa Cake

Marble Cake has always been one of my favorite types of cake, so when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe for Variety Marble Cake, I decided to give it a try. The old recipe had lots of options, including options for Marble Cocoa Cake and Marble Spice Cake. I went with the Marble Cocoa Cake option.

The cake was easy to make and tasty. This recipe makes a small 8″ X 8″ cake, which is perfect for a small family.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipes for Variety Marble Cake — Modern Priscilla Cook Book (1924)

When I made this recipe, I needed to add about 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the eggs to get 1/2 cup. I used vanilla for the flavoring.

The recipe says to alternate putting spoonfuls of light and dark batter into the pan. I followed this direction – though if I made the cake again, I’d also lightly swirl the batters using a knife to get a more even marbleing.

The recipe says to bake the cake for 45 minutes. When I made this cake, it took significantly less time (more like 35 minutes).

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Marble Cocoa Cake

Servings: 6 - 8
Time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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1 1/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons cocoa

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan. Put all ingredients (except for the cocoa) in a mixing bowl. Beat until well blended.

Put 1/3 of the batter into another bowl; then add the cocoa to this batter. Beat until well-blended. Alternate putting the light and dark batters into the prepared pan, then lightly swirl with a knife.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Frost, if desired.

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Old-Fashioned Baked Eggs (Eggs in a Hole)

two baked eggs on plate

When my children were young they used to enjoy making Eggs in a Hole where a hole is cut out of a slice of toast and an egg is dropped into the hole. So when I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Baked Eggs that looked similar to Eggs in a Hole, but with a twist, I had to give it a try. Instead of just cutting one circle in the toast, two circles are cut to create a ring of toast. The egg is then dropped into the ring. It gave an old classic a new twist -though that’s not quite right. Maybe I should say that I found an old twist for a classic recipe.

I enjoyed making this recipe, and anticipate making it again when children or grandchildren visit.

recipe for Baked Eggs — Source: The Metrolpolitan Cook Book (published by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 1924)

The old recipe says that the hole the egg is put into is created by removing a little of the center. I interpreted this to mean that a small circle should be cut out of the center of the toast.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Baked Eggs (Eggs in a Hole)

Servings: 1 egg
Time: 18 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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For each egg:

1 slice toast

1 egg

butter

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon milk or cream (I used milk.)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease an oven-proof skillet with butter. Cut a large round circle out of the toast. (I used an inverted champagne glass to cut the circle). Then cut a smaller circle out of the center of the circle. (I used a round cookie cutter to cut the small circle. A small inverted juice glass would also work.) Put the resulting toast ring in the skillet, then gently break the egg and put the contents in the hole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dot with a few small pieces of butter. Spoon the milk over the egg. Put in oven and bake until the egg is cooked (about 10-15 minutes).

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