Some ideas that seemed promising in 1922 just never happened. The November, 1922 issue of Good Housekeeping had an advertisement for the current issue of another magazine called Hearst’s International Magazine. The ad listed the feature articles, including one article titled “A ‘Dry’ World?”.
When it comes to planning my Thanksgiving menu I always struggle with getting the right balance between traditional foods and new recipes. New recipes that are variations of traditional foods can be a nice way to strike that balance. I recently came across a new recipe (well, actually a hundred-year-old recipe – but it was new to me) for Coconut Pumpkin Pie, and decided to give it a try.
The coconut gave the pie a lovely milky sweetness that blended nicely with the pumpkin. The recipe called for two spices – nutmeg and cinnamon. My standard pumpkin pie recipe does not use nutmeg, so the flavor was noticeably different from many typical pumpkin pies, but it was lovely. The verdict – this recipe is a keeper and I may make it again for the big day.
Here’s the original recipe:
What is the correct way to spell “coconut:”? The old recipe spells it “cocoanut” though I usually see it spelled “coconut,” so I went with the latter spelling when I updated the recipe.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup shredded coconut
1 9-inch pie shell
Preheat oven to 425° F. Put the eggs in a mixing bowl; beat until smooth and lemon colored. Add pumpkin, brown sugar, white sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg: beat until combined. Stir in the coconut, and pour into the pie shell. Put into oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° F and continue baking until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
People have known for a long time that fruit is an important part of a healthy diet. Here’s what it said in a hundred-year-old cookbook:
Fruit Essential in the Daily Diet
Fruit is really indispensable in a well regulated diet. Formerly it was considered an accessory, rather than an essential food, and was eaten mainly for its flavor and refreshing qualities. The food value of most fruits is not high, but the mineral salts they contain are necessary to good health. A person who eats quantities of fruit is usually in excellent health, and has a clear complexion, due to the body regulating qualities of the various mineral salts and organic acids contained in fruit. These organic acids import an agreeable acid flavor and help to keep the blood in good condition. Most fruits contain a large proportion of water, also of value in the diet.
If the family does not care for fruits between meals, which is really one the best times to eat them, see that fruit in some form is furnished for at least one meal a day, for it is a necessary part of the daily diet. Do not consider fruit an extravagance and accessory. If we are to have healthy bodies, fruit is an essential, and although its actual food value, if fresh, is not high, its health-giving properties are a necessity.
Mrs. DeGraf’s Cook Book (1922)
Fresh cranberries are only available for a short time each year, and each Fall I look forward their arrival on the produce aisle. I was pleased to see them this week. I then looked through my hundred-year-old cookbooks and found a simple but very tasty recipe for Cranberry Applesauce. The recipe turned out well. The Cranberry Applesauce wasn’t as tart as Cranberry Sauce, but it wasn’t as sweet as Applesauce. In other words, it was just right.
Here’s the original recipe:
Even though the old recipe spelled “applesauce” as two words, I think that it is usually spelled as one word today, so that’s the way I spelled it. Apparently, it was at least sometimes spelled as two words a hundred years ago.
‘Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
1 1/2 cups apples, sliced (peel and core before slicing) (use Gala, Honeycrisp, or other apple that makes a good sauce)
1 1/2 cups cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Put all ingredients in a large saucepan, then using medium heat bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking until the apples are soft are tender and the cranberries have burst. Periodically stir. Remove from heat. May be served hot or cold.
H
Here’s some information in a hundred-year-old cookbook about making cocoa and chocolate. Not quite sure how cocoa differs from chocolate.
Cocoa and Chocolate
Theobromine is the stimulating element in cocoa beans, and is much less pronounced in its effect than the corresponding principles in tea and coffee. The high percentage of fat, together with other food principles, places this bevarage in the class with foods. As a rule, when making cocoa or chocolate, follow the recipes found on the package. It will be well to bear in mind, however, that boiling will greatly improve it. Beating constantly with an egg beater while cooking will thoroughly mix the ingredients and prevent a thin skin from rising to the surface.
Mrs. DeGraf’s Cook Book (1922)
Cooks are always looking for tasty recipes that use left-overs. A hundred-years-ago croquettes were a popular way to use left-over vegetables, meats, and other foods. Often the croquettes were shaped into balls or small cylinders, and then fried.
I don’t make croquette recipes very often because I worry about whether fried foods are healthy. But I recently came across a recipe for Rice and Celery Croquettes that called for baking the croquettes rather than frying them, so I decided to give the recipe a try. The croquettes had a nice breaded coating, and a delicate onion and celery flavor.
Here’s the original recipe:
500° F. seemed like a very high temperature and I was concerned that the top of the croquettes would burn before the centers got hot, so I baked the croquettes at 425° F.
The ingredient list called for strained tomatoes, but the directions referred to tomato juice, so I used tomato juice. Rather than grating the onion, I finely chopped it.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato juice
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoon beef extract or bouillon powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fine plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 425° F. Put the beef extract powder or bouillon powder and tomato juice in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve the extract/bouillon powder Set aside.
Mix together rice, celery, onions, 1 egg, salt, and tomato juice with beef extract/bouillon. Shape into croquettes. I made round croquettes that were about 1-inch in diameter.
Put bread crumbs on a plate, then roll the croquettes in the breadcrumbs. Dip the coated croquettes in a beaten egg that has been mixed with two tablespoons water, then roll again in the bread crumbs.
Put the croquettes in a ovenproof baking dish or skillet. (I used a cast iron skillet). Dot top of croquettes with small pieces of butter. Place in oven and bake until the croquettes are lightly browned (about 35 minutes). If they are not sufficiently browned, increase oven temperature to 500° F. and bake for several additional minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
www. ahundredyearsago.com
Sunsweet Prunes have been around for at least a hundred years. I’m always surprised when I see hundred-year-old advertisements for brands that still exist.
