Old-fashioned Sponge Pudding

Sponge Pudding

Occasionally, an old recipe surprises me. A hundred-year-old recipe for Sponge Pudding called for putting the pudding mixture in a casserole dish, sitting it in a pan of hot water, and then baking in the oven, I thought that the Sponge Pudding would be a baked custard-style pudding, or maybe similar to the filling of a sponge pie, and decided to give it a try.

The recipe only had five ingredients – sugar, flour milk, eggs, and butter. Most of the ingredients are first cooked on top of the stove, and then stiffly-beaten egg whites are folded in. The mixture is then put in the casserole dish and baked.

A few minutes after I put the Sponge Pudding in the oven, I took a peek and was shocked to discover that the baking mixture had risen several inches above the top edge of the casserole dish – and that I actually was making a souffle-type dessert rather then a custard. I turned the oven light on, and nervously watched the baking  Sponge Pudding, fearful it would expand so much that it would spill over and go all over the oven. But, fortunately that didn’t happen, and I soon had a lovely very high lightly-browned dessert.

The Sponge Pudding was delightful – though not even close to what I had been expecting.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Sponge Pudding
Source: Cement City Cook Book (1922) compiled by the First Baptist Church, Alpena, Michigan

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Sponge Pudding

  • Servings: 6 - 8
  • Difficulty: moderate
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2 cups milk + approximately 1/4 cup milk

4 eggs, separated

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup butter

Preheat oven to 425° F.  Beat egg whites until stiff; set. aside.

Then in a separate bowl, beat egg yolks until smooth; set aside.

Mix sugar and flour in a small bowl. Gradually stir in the 1/4 cup milk; continue stirring until the mixture is smooth.  Set aside.

Put the 2 cups milk in a sauce pan, bring to a boil using medium heat while stirring constantly. Put a small amount of the hot milk into the flour and sugar mixture and stir until smooth. Repeat several times until the flour and sugar mixture is fairly thin. Then stir into the boiling milk; continue stirring until the mixture thickens and is smooth.  Remove from heat.

Put a small amount of the hot mixture into the bowl with the beaten egg yolks, and immediately stir. Then stir the egg yolk mixture and the butter into the hot thickened milk mixture. Fold the beaten egg whites into the mixture., and then pour into a 2- or 2 1/2-quart casserole dish. Put the dish in a pan of hot water and put in the oven. Bake until the pudding rises and is light brown (about 30 – 40 minutes). Remove from oven and serve.

http://www.ahundredyears.com

Belle De Graf and Her Cookbook

Belle De Graf
Source: Mrs. De Graf’s Cook Book (1922)

Each year I buy several cookbooks off eBay for whatever year is currently exactly a hundred years ago. This year one of the 1922 books I bought was Mrs. De Graf’s Cook Book. One of the front pages has a photo of the author, Belle De Graf. The photo is glued into the book, and beneath it is the printed signature of the author. The opposite page contained information about her.

Description Belle De Graf
Source: Mrs. De Graf’s Cook Book (1922)

Intrigued, I googled Belle De Graf, and a bio of her popped up on a site called Lovely Antique Ladies.  She lived in San Francisco, and married at 18. A few years later her husband went to prison at San Quentin for seven years for grand larceny. The 1900 census lists her as a widow – even though she had a husband in prison. It doesn’t sound like they ever really got back together, and by 1916 she was teaching cooking classes for the Sperry Flour Company. In the 1920 census she is listed as the Director of Domestic Science at Sperry Flour.

It’s fascinating how Belle De Graf  was so resilient and somehow managed to navigate her way through a difficult situation to become a successful cookbook author and Director of Domestic Science.

Concordia Pineapple Salad

Concordia Pineapple Salad

Concordia Pineapple Salad is a lovely old-fashioned individually-served salad that makes a nice presentation. A slice of canned pineapple is put on a bed of lettuce. The center of the pineapple is filled with a mixture of diced cucumber and mayonnaise. The mounded cucumber mixture is then garnished with crossed pieces of green pepper or pimento. The pineapple and cucumber combination is unusual, but surprisingly tasty.

I came across this recipe in a 1922 cookbook. A hundred-years-ago, an attractive presentation was an important aspect of many salads. And, they were often served on individual salad plates on a bed of lettuce.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Concordia Pineapple Salad
Good Housekeeping’s Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries (1922)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Concordia Pineapple Salad

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
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1 cup diced cucumber (peeled and diced into 1/4 inch pieces)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

8 slices of canned pineapple

16 canned pimento strips  or narrow green pepper strips (each approximately 1 1/2 inches long) (I used green pepper strips.)

lettuce

additional mayonnaise, if desired

Put the diced cucumber and 1/4 cup mayonnaise in a bowl, gently stir to coat the cucumber pieces with the mayonnaise. Set aside.

To assemble salad: Each serving should be put on a separate plate. Arrange a serving of lettuce on plate, then lay a slice of pineapple on top of the lettuce. Fill the cavity in the center of each pineapple slice with a spoonful of the diced cucumber and mayonnaise mixture. Cross two strips of pimento or green pepper on top of the mounded cucumber and mayonnaise mixture.  If desired, may be served with additional mayonnaise.

Old-fashioned Cinnamon Prunes

Stewed prunes are delicious, so when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe for Cinnamon Prunes, I decided to give it a try. The recipe called for adding both stick cinnamon and lemon or orange slices to prunes and water, and then stewing. The Cinnamon Prunes were tasty with a sunny citrus undertone and a hint of cinnamon. The recipe’s a keeper. I’ll definitely make it again.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Cinnamon Prunes
Source: Good Housekeeping’s Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries

When I was flipping through a hundred-year-old recipe book published by Good Housekeeping, I was intrigued by this recipe – and then when I saw that the recipe author was from Danville, Pennsylvania, I just knew that I needed to make it. I grew up about 20 miles from Danville – and I seldom see recipes from this area of central Pennsylvania in hundred-year-old cookbooks. The cookbook doesn’t give the author’s name – and maybe it’s a stretch – but could my ancestors have known the author?

When I made this recipe I skipped the overnight soaking of the prunes. I have vague memories of prunes being very dry years ago – and that they needed to be soaked for a long time before cooking; however, modern prunes are generally moist, and just heating them with a little water is sufficient to get prunes that are nice and soft.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Cinnamon Prunes

  • Servings: 4 - 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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1 pound (16 ounces) prunes

water

1 stick (approximately 3 in.) stick cinnamon

2 lemon or orange slices (I used lemon slices.)

Put prunes in a saucepan and cover with water; add stick cinnamon and lemon or orange slices. Using medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Can be served warm or cold.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-fashioned Almond Loaf

Almond Loaf

Loaf cakes are easy to make – and a nice size for our small family, so when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe for Almond Loaf, I decided to give it a try. I was also intrigued that the old recipe did not call for any baking powder or baking soda – nor it call for any fat. Instead of leavening, beaten egg whites cause the Almond Loaf to rise a small amount.

The recipe made a small loaf cake that was only about two and a half inches thick. Each slice of the Almond Loaf had just the right amount of sweetness, was chockful of chopped almonds, and was lovely with coffee. The slices reminded me a little of biscotti – though it was much softer. Is there such a thing as a soft biscotti?

Here’s the original recipe:

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

I don’t know where to get unblanched almonds so I just bought a bag of sliced almonds at the store. I then coarsely chopped the sliced almonds to use in this loaf. I also didn’t have pastry flour, so I used all-purpose flour, which worked well.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Almond Loaf

  • Servings: 8 - 8
  • Difficulty: moderate
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4 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

1 cup pastry or all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup almonds (I used sliced almonds that I coarsely chopped.)

Preheat oven to 335° F. Put egg whites in a mixing bowl, and beat until the whites are stiff. Set aside.

Put egg yolks in a mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Add sugar, all the flour except for 2 tablespoons, and salt; stir until combined. The mixture will be very dry and crumbly. Fold in the beaten egg whites and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Gently stir until combined, then stir in the chopped almonds. Put the mixture in a loaf pan that has been greased and floured. Bake until the loaf is lightly browned, and an inserted wood pick comes out clean (approximately 1 hour).

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com