Old-fashioned Quick Creamed Potatoes

Quick Creamed Potatoes

Creamed Potatoes are a delightful comfort food, so I was pleased to find a hundred-year-old recipe for Quick Creamed Potatoes.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Quick Creamed Potatoes
Source: Mrs. DeGraf’s Cook Book (1922)

I am unclear whether this recipe calls for raw potato slices or previously cooked potato slices. When I made this recipe, I used raw potato slices and had issues with the milk scorching on the bottom of the pan. I tried to gently stir the potato mixture while it was cooking, but it took about 15 minutes for the potatoes to soften and it was really difficult to stir well enough to prevent scorching.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Quick Creamed Potatoes

  • Servings: 3 - 4
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

2 cups potatoes, sliced

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoons salt

dash pepper

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped (fresh or dried)

Put potato slices in a bowl; dredge with flour and toss until the potato slices are partially coated with flour. Put in a saucepan and add milk. Gently cook using medium heat until the milk is hot; reduce heat to medium low and continue cook until the potato slices are soft while frequently gently lifting the potato slices and stirring. (Be sure to stir to the very bottom of the pan, since the milk will easily scorch). Remove from heat.  Add butter, salt, and pepper; gentry stir to combine. Put in serving dish and sprinkle with parsley.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-fashioned Oatmeal Waffles

Oatmeal Waffle on Plate

I often get requests for gluten-free recipes, so I was excited to find a hundred-year old recipe for Oatmeal Waffles. The waffles are made with oatmeal and cornmeal. The Oatmeal Waffles were hearty, and delightful with syrup.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Oatmeal Waffles
Source: Good Housekeeping’s Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries (1922)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Oatmeal Waffles

  • Servings: 4 - 6
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

1 1/2 cups finely ground oatmeal (about 1 3/4 cups minute oatmeal or old-fashioned oatmeal)

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 1/2 cups milk

1 egg

Finely grind the oatmeal. (I used a blender.) Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat until thoroughly combined. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow the mixture to thicken a little as the oatmeal absorbs the liquids, then bake in a hot waffle grill.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

1922 August Menus

Week of August Menus
Source: American Cookery (August/September, 1922)

A hundred-year-old magazine had seasonal recipes for various days of the week. Here are the August menus. Some suggestions still work (Savory Meat Loaf); others not so much (Lamb’s Brain and Tongue).

Old-fashioned Marshmallow Custard

marshmallow custard

I love old-fashioned baked custards. They are easy to make, and make a delightful dessert, so I was intrigued by a hundred-year-old recipe for Marshmallow Custard. The recipe called for putting a marshmallow in the bottom of each custard cup. The marshmallows floated to the top of the custard mixture, and then melted while baking. This resulted in a lovely sugary top layer on the custard that reminded me a bit of Crème Brûlée.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Marshmallow Custard
Good Housekeeping Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries

I think that the custard cups that I used were larger than the ones used by the recipe author because there was only enough of the custard mixture to fill 4 custard cups rather then the 6 indicated in the recipe. Because of the larger size of each cup -they also took longer to bake than indicated in the old recipe.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Marshmallow Custard

  • Servings: 4 - 6
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

2 eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups half and half

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 – 6 large marshmallows

Preheat oven to 325° F. Put eggs in mixing bowl and beat slightly. Add sugar, half and half, and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined. Put a marshmallow in the bottom 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.) Pour the custard mixture over the marshmallows. Leave at least 1/2 inch at the top of each custard cup.  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.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-fashioned Grape Punch Beverage

grape punchin glass

There are very few pictures in hundred-year-old cookbooks and magazines. As a result, the few photos suggest which recipes the authors or editors considered the most enticing. So when I saw a photo with a pitcher of Grape Punch in a 1922 magazine that looked awesome, I decided to give it a try.

ingredients to make grape punch
Source: American Cookery (August/September, 1922)

The Grape Punch contains grape juice, lemon juice, and orange juice with cucumber peel (rind). I’ve previously had cucumber infused water which I associate with spas and hotel lobbies (and healthy eating), so was intrigued by the inclusion of cucumber in this recipe – though it called for the use of the peel rather than slices of cucumber which seemed a bit odd.

The verdict: The Grape Punch was tasty with lovely citrus undertones and the added smoothness of cucumber.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Grape Punch
Source: American Cookery (August/September, 1922)

I thought that 1 cup of sugar seemed like a lot, so used less. And, I was surprised how attractive thin slices of cucumber peel looked in the punch.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Grape Punch

  • Servings: 10 - 14
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

1 quart (4 cups) grape juice

1 cup sugar (If desired, use less sugar.)

juice of 4 lemons (about 1 cup lemon juice)

juice of 6 oranges (about 1 1/2 cups orange juice)

1 quart (4 cups) water

1 large cucumber (peel only)

Mix grape juice and sugar together. Add lemon juice, orange juice, and water; stir.

Peel cucumber thinly. (I used a vegetable peeler.) Cut peel into 2-4 inch pieces, then add to the Grape Punch. Chill, then serve.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com