Old-fashioned Club Sandwiches

I recently was browsing through a hundred-year-old funding-raising cookbook compiled by the Michigan Grand Chapter of the Eastern Star, and was amazed to see a recipe for Club Sandwiches. Somehow I didn’t think that they existed back then – though perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised because I can remember eating Club Sandwiches with my mother years ago when I was a child at a department store restaurant – so they’ve clearly been around for awhile.

The Club Sandwiches were made about the same as modern ones with bacon, chicken or turkey slices, tomatoes, lettuce, and mayonnaise – though they weren’t double decker and crusts were trimmed off the bread. They were perfect for lunch on a hot summer day.

Here’s the original sandwich:

Club Sandwiich Recipe — Source: Order of the Eastern Star Relief Fund Cookbook (Michigan Grand Chapter, 1923)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Club Sandwich

Servings: 1
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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For each sandwich:

2 slices bread

butter

2 slices bacon, cooked

2 slices tomato or dill pickle slices (I used tomato slices.)

1 ounce thinly sliced roasted chicken or turkey

1 lettuce leaf

mayonaise

parsley sprig (if desired)

Trim crusts from bread, then toast the bread. Spread with butter. On one of the slices of bread, place a layer of bacon. Next add a layer of tomato or pickle slices. Then add the chicken or turkey slices; top with the lettuce. Spread mayonaise on the second slice of bread (on top of the butter), then put this slice of bread on the sandwich as the top cover. Cut the sandwich diagonally to create two triangles. If desired, garnish with a sprig of parsley. Serve immediately.

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1923 Directions for Calculating Number of Calories Needed Daily

Calorie calculation chart — Source: Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (1923)

A 1923 cookbook contained directions for calculating the number of calories needed daily. It also provided an example of how to use the chart:

calorie calculation example — Source: Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (1923)

To see if the number of recommended calories has changed across the years, I used an online calorie calculator to estimate the number of calories needed by a 35 year old woman who weighs 125 pounds. The online calculator asked for height. I used 5′ 4″. I also indicated that the woman did moderate exercise 4-5 times per week. The online calculator said that she needed 1827 calories per day to maintain weight which is 423 calories less than the hundred-year-old estimate that 2250 calories were needed per day – but perhaps doing two hours per day of general housework back then required more calories than moderate exercise 4-5 times per week does today.

Old-fashioned Cucumber Salad (Cucumber and Whipped Cream Salad)

Cucumber Salad (Cucumber and Whipped Cream Salad)

Summer’s here, and it’s time to enjoy seasonal salads. I found a hundred-year-old recipe for a cucumber salad made with whipped cream that was delightful. Cucumber slices were coated with whipped cream and a little added sugar and vinegar. This resulted in rich-old fashioned sweet-sour dressing.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Cucumber Salad — Source: General Welfare Guild Cook Book (Beaver Valley General Hospital, New Brighton, PA, 1923)

I sprinkled the cucumber slices with 1 teaspoon of salt. I used 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of vinegar when I made this recipe, and it had a nice balance of sweet and sour. I’m not sure why the recipe says that the whipped cream mixture should be mixed into the cucumber slices using a silver fork. I used a stainless steel spoon and it worked fine.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Cucumber Salad (Cucumber and Whipped Cream Salad)

Servings: 3 - 5
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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3 cucumbers

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

Peel and slice cucumbers; put in a glass bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Let sit for 20 minutes, then drain.

In the meantime, put the cream in a mixing bowl, then beat until firm peaks form. Add sugar and vinegar, beat until blended into the cream. Pour the whipped cream mixture over the cucumbers; stir gently to coat the cucumber slices with the whipped cream mixture. Serve immediately.

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Hundred-Year-Old Suggestions for Making Pies from the First Fruits of Summer

pie Here’s some hundred-year-old advice for making pies using summer fruits:

Pies from the First Fruits of Summer

As the season of abundant fruit approaches, let us not forget that the most delicious pies of the whole year are the juicy, full-flavored ones made from the summer fruits. To be at their best, they should be eaten the day they are baked.

For fruit pies, allow for a larger upper crust. After trimming it evenly, turn the margin over and under the lower crust, pressing the rounded edge firmly upon the pie-plate. This “hem” effectually seals up the juices, for the edge of the pie crisps first before the fruit begins to simmer. Make a pattern of slits over the top, through which the steam may escape.

Never put a pie in the over and forget it. It often needs turning to get an even brownest. Burned piecrust is unsightly and leaves a bad, black taste in the mouth.

In making plain fruit pies of huckleberries or blackberries, the prepared fruit should be thoroughly mixed with sugar and flour to thicken in a separate dish and then turned into the paste-lined pie plate.

American Cookery (June/July, 1923)

Old-fashioned Blackberry Pudding

Old-fashioned Blackberry Pudding is a delightful summer dessert. The recipe I made was from a hundred-year cookbook, and it turned out well. The cake-like topping is flavored with cinnamon, and is very light and fluffy because it contains beaten egg whites. This recipe is a keeper, and I anticipate making again this summer.

Blackberry Pudding

Here’s the original recipe:

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Blackberry Pudding

Servings: 4 - 5
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: moderate
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2 pints (4 cups) blackberries

1/2 cup sugar + 1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 lemon (juice and grated rind)

3 eggs, separated

Put blackberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil using medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the berries soften (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat; set aside.

Put the egg whites in a bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In the meantime, in another pan, melt the butter; stir in the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon. Slowly add milk while stirring. Using medium heat, heat to boiling using medium heat while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the batter thickens, about another minute. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice, and grated lemon rind.

Let cool slightly, then place a small amount (approximately 1 – 2 tablespoons) of hot batter mixture into dish with beaten egg yolk, stir quickly. Repeat with a more of the hot mixture. Then add the egg mixture to the batter; Stir. Fold in the beaten egg whites.

Put the stewed blackberries in a 2-quart baking dish. Spoon the batter over the blackberries. Put in oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned. May be served either hot or cold.

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1923 Food Expense Record Sheet

Food is so expensive today. I don’t do a very good job of keeping track of how much I spend on food. I just know that it’s a lot. Maybe I should use this hundred-year-old food expense record sheet from a hundred-year-old home economics textbook. Here is what it said about the record sheet:

Food Expense Record

All expenses chargeable to the food account may be entered under the general heading of “food.” This does not give as much information as is frequently desired and it is helpful and quite usual to make a few subheadings.

Care should be taken to enter only food items under “groceries.” The bill from the grocery frequently includes other items than food – such as soap, brooms, matches, mouse-traps, etc. Frequently, the man of the household and sometimes school children must secure the noon-day meal away from home. The cost of these meals is chargeable to the food account.

Economics of the Family (C.W. Taber and Ruth A. Wardall, 1923)

Old-fashioned Maple Custard

Maple Custard

I love the old-fashioned goodness of custards, so decided to give a hundred-year-old recipe for Maple Custard a try. The recipe only had four ingredients – eggs, milk, maple syrup, and a little salt, and was easy to make. Maple Custard is a baked custard. It was lovely, and reminded me a bit of Creme Brulé – though the lovely maple flavor was dispersed throughout the creamy custard rather than concentrated in a caramelized top.

Here’s the original recipe:

This recipe made enough to fill six of my custard cups, so I ended up with six servings. Maybe the recipe author had larger custard cups.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Maple Custard

Servings: 4 - 6
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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3 eggs

3/4 cup maple syrup

2 cups milk

dash salt

Preheat oven to 350° F. Put eggs in mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add maple syrup, milk, and salt; beat until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into custard cups, leaving at least 1/2 inch at the top of each custard cup. ( 4 – 6 custard cups will be needed. The number of custard cups needed will vary depending upon the size of the custard cups.) Place the custard cups in a pan with hot water that comes to about an inch below the top of the cups. Bake for 40 – 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in center of the custard comes out clean. May be served warm or cold.

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