Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples

I love candied sweet potatoes, but they can be a bit boring, so I decided to look for another way to serve sweet potatoes. I found a recipe for Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples in a hundred-year-old cookbook and decided to give it a try.

The Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples were delightful. Sliced sweet potatoes and apples were embedded in a buttery brown sugar sauce.

I knew this recipe was a winner when my husband said, “You should make this again for Thanksgiving.”

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples
Source; The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (1923)

And, here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples

  • Servings: 3 - 4
  • Difficulty: moderate
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3 medium sweet potatoes

water

1 1/2 cups  sour apples (Granny Smith, Braeburn, etc.), peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt (if desired, use less)

Put sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil using high heat, then reduce heat and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender when tested by inserting a knife (30-40 minutes). Remove from heat, drain, and cool slightly so the sweet potatoes can be handled. Gently remove the peels from the cooked sweet potatoes, then slice into 1/4 inch pieces.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Put 1/2 of the sliced sweet potatoes into a 1-quart baking dish, then top with 1/2 of the sliced apples. Sprinkle with half of the brown sugar; dot with small pieces of half of the butter and sprinkle with half the salt. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Put in oven and bake for 1 hour.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Are Soups the “Antigarbagepail”?

soupI’ve often heard that leftovers can be turned into wonderful soups, but was taken aback when a hundred-year-old cookbook referred to soups as the “antigarbagepail.”

As I remark in another portion of this work, what won’t go into a salad will go into a soup. It is very true. The soup kettle, if you will forgive me, should be a sort of antigarbagepail. Many a time and oft has my family smacked its collective lips and said, “Um-m-m, that’s good soup. What kind is it?” And when I repeat the component parts they sit aghast – but they don’t stop eating it!

The Calorie Cook Book by Mary Dickerson Donahey (1923)

The author may be right, but personally I prefer to “repurpose” my leftovers to make soup. . . or to use leftovers to “enrich” my soup. . . .or . . .

Old-fashioned Cranberry Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

 

Here’s the original recipe: Cranberry Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

‘Tis the season for cranberries, so when I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Cranberry Pudding I decided to give it a try. The Cranberry Pudding was delightful. The old-fashioned cake-style pudding was embedded with tart cranberries, and smothered in a lovely vanilla sauce. This recipe is a keeper.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Recipe for Cranberry Pudding
Source: Larkin Housewives’ Cook Book (1923)

The recipe says to serve with either hard or sweet sauce. Hard sauce of more of a spread than a sauce. I prefer an actual sauce, so decided to go with the sweet sauce. The cookbook that contained the Cranberry Pudding recipe did not have any recipes for Sweet Sauce. However, it did have a recipe for Vanilla Sauce, so I decided to go with that.

Recipe for Vanilla Sauce
Source: Larkin Housewives’ Cook Book (1923)

I didn’t boil the water that I stirred into the mixture because it didn’t seem necessary, since the mixture is heated to make the sauce.

Cranberry Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

  • Servings: 9 - 12
  • Difficulty: moderate
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1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup raw cranberries

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Put the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs, milk and lemon extract in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Stir in the cranberries. Put in a greased and floured 8″ X 8″ baking pan.  Bake 35 – 45 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Serve warm with Vanilla Sauce.

Vanilla Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup water

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon butter

Mix the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan; add the water gradually while stirring constantly. Bring to a boil using medium heat while continuing to stir, then reduce heat and continue to stir and simmer for 10 minutes (or less if desired thickness is reached sooner). Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Serve warm.

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1923 Lux Advertisement

Lux Advertisement
Source: Cook Book compiled by Bethany Shrine Patrol No. 1 (1923)

I think of Lux soap as a bar soap, not a dishwashing soap. Based upon this 1923 advertisement, it appears that a hundred years ago, Lux came in small pieces in boxes. The advertisement is about using Lux to wash dishes, though the box in the picture says that it is “for all fine laundering.” Apparently back then, the same soap was used both laundry and dishwashing.

Old-fashioned Applesauce Pie (with Meringue)

Slice of Applesauce Pie

I recently came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Applesauce Pie (with Meringue) and decided to give it a try. It is very different from modern Apple Pie recipes because it doesn’t call for any cinnamon, but rather just allows the natural flavors of the applesauce to shine through. The pie filling is made by combining applesauce, sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch. The net effect is that the filling has a consistency somewhat similar to the filling in a custard pie. The meringue topping is a nice change of pace. Today, we generally only see meringue toppings on Lemon Pies; a hundred years ago meringue was much more popular and used on a wide variety of pies.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Applesauce Pie
Source: General Welfare Guild Cook Book (Beaver Valley General Hospital, New Brighton, PA, 1923)

We generally write applesauce as one word. A hundred years ago, it was written as two words – apple sauce. I’m always intrigued by why these minor changes in how words are written have occurred across the years.

The old recipe doesn’t indicate how much cornstarch should be used. I think that how much is needed is dependent upon how thick the applesauce is. It is very important that the filling is fairly thick so that it doesn’t run all over when the pie is cut. I used homemade applesauce when I made this recipe, and it may have been juicier than some commercial applesauces. When I made this recipe, I first used 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. After I cooked the applesauce mixture, it didn’t seem very thick. So I mixed another tablespoon of cornstarch and a little water in a small bowl, and then added it to the cooked applesauce mixture. I then reheated until it boiled. The pie filling ended up being about the right thickness, but the lack of clarity regarding the amount of cornstarch (and it being a key ingredient in regards to the success of the recipe), made this recipe somewhat challenging to make.

And, here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Applesauce Pie (with Meringue)

  • Servings: 6 - 8
  • Difficulty: difficult
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7/8 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups unsweetened applesauce

3 egg yolks, beaten

1 baked 9-inch pie shell

Meringue

3 egg whiles

1/3 cup sugar

Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Stir in the egg yolks and applesauce. Using medium heat, heat until the mixture thickens and begins to boil. Stir constantly while cooking. Then remove from heat, and spoon into the previously baked pie shell.

Preheat oven to 400° F. To make the meringue, place egg whites in a mixing bowl, and beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add sugar while continuing to beat. Then spoon on top of the pie and swirl. Bake for 7 – 10 minutes or until the meringue is lightly browned.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-Fashioned Squash Pudding

Squash Pudding

Winter squash are an ubiquitous fall vegetable, so I was pleased when a found a hundred-year-old recipe for Squash Pudding. This custard-like pudding is slightly sweet, and has a hint of cinnamon. It reminds me a little of the filling in a pumpkin pie – though the Squash Pudding is not as sweet or spicy as the typical pie filling.  I’m not sure whether Squash Pudding is supposed to be a vegetable side dish or a dessert. The original recipe says that it should be served warm, but it is tasty either warm or cold.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Squash Pudding
Source: The Boston Cooking School Cook Book (1923)

And, here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Squash Pudding

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: moderate
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2 1/2 cups steamed and strained winter squash (pureed winter squash)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Pour into an 8″ X 8″ or similar sized casserole dish. Put in oven and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours). Cool slightly before serving.  May also be served cold.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com