Tag: recipe

Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Meringue Pudding

Many fruits and vegetables are available in the dead of winter as a result of amazing modern transportation systems. However, sometimes I get bored with the produce that is available year-round, and crave foods that are available for just a few weeks each year. Rhubarb is one of those foods.

I love the tart, tanginess of rhubarb, and look forward to it each spring. It’s now peak rhubarb season, and I’m enjoying a variety of rhubarb dishes. When I saw a recipe for Rhubarb Pudding with Meringue in a 1926 issue of Good Housekeeping, I immediately knew that I wanted to give it a try.

The Rhubarb Pudding with Meringue was delightful and made a lovely dessert. It is basically a bread pudding topped with stewed rhubarb and meringue.

Rhubarb Pudding with Meringue

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Rhubarb Meringue Pudding
Source: Good Housekeeping (May, 1926)

Borden advertised in Good Housekeeping, and that company’s evaporated milk is specifically listed in the recipe. When I made the recipe, I used evaporated milk and water, though it would work fine to instead use 2 cups of milk.

The recipe calls for stewed rhubarb. During the years when I was posting my grandmother’s diary entries, I posted an old family recipe for stewed rhubarb. I used a reformatted version of that recipe to make the stewed rhubarb.

The ingredient list calls for “1/2 lemon, grated rind.” The directions are unclear, but I interpreted this to mean that the recipe calls for both the juice and grated rind of 1/2 lemon. The recipe directions do not indicate when lemon juice should be added, so I just added it at the same time that I added the lemon rind.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Rhubarb Meringue Pudding

  • Servings: 6 - 8
  • Difficulty: moderate
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1 cup evaporated milk + 1 cup water (or use 2 cups milk)

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (tear bread into 1/2-inch pieces)

1/2 cup sugar + 1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, separated

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

grated rind of 1/2 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cup stewed rhubarb (See recipe below – or use left-over stewed rhubarb made using another recipe)

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Step 2. Put the bread crumbs in a bowl, then stir in the evaporated milk and water (or the milk if that is what is being used). Let soak for 5 – 10 minutes.

Step 3. Add 1/2 cup sugar, slightly beaten egg yolks, butter, salt, grated lemon rind, and lemon juice; stir just enough to evenly disperse the ingredients.

Step 4. Put the bread pudding mixture into a 9-inch by 9-inch (or similar-sized) baking dish.

Step 5. Put in oven and bake until firm in the center and lightly browned (about 1  hour – 1 hour 15 minutes).  Remove from oven.

Step 6. In the meantime, make the stewed rhubarb (see recipe below), or use left-over stewed rhubarb made using another recipe.

Step 7. Also, in the meantime, make the meringue. Place egg whites in a bowl, then  beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the 1/4  cup of sugar while continuing to beat.

Step 8. Spread the stewed rhubarb on top of the baked bread pudding, then spoon the meringue on top and swirl decoratively. Reduce oven temperature to 325° F. Return dish to oven and cook for an additional 12-15 minutes or until the meringue is lightly browned. Can be served hot or cold.

Stewed Rhubarb

This recipe makes approximately 1 cup of stewed rhubarb.

2 cups rhubarb (cut into 3/4 inch pieces)

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Step 1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a saucepan.

Step 2. Using medium heat, heat to boiling, then reduce temperature and simmer until tender (about 5 minutes); stir occasionally. Remove from heat.

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Old-Fashioned Eggs Beauregard

Eggs Beauregard in baking dish

Many recipes evolve across the years. Eggs Beauregard is a recipe that has changed. According to Wikipedia, it historically was hard boiled eggs in a cream sauce, while it now is generally a dish containing biscuits with gravy, fried eggs, and sausage. However, the recipe for Eggs Beauregard that I found in a hundred-year-old cookbook is made by putting spinach in a cream sauce, adding eggs, and then topping it with cheese.Eggs Beauregard on Toast

I don’t know why the old recipe I found is different from the Wikipedia descriptions of both the old and modern versions of Eggs Beauregard, but I’m glad I made this recipe. It’s a keeper. It’s tasty, and makes a beautiful breakfast or brunch dish.

My husband said that I should make Eggs Beauregard again, which is a high compliment from him.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Eggs Beauregard
Source: Mrs. Peterson’s Simplified Cooking (1926)

When I made this recipe, I assumed that it called for 2 cups of cooked spinach. A 9-ounce bag of fresh spinach makes about 2 cups of cooked spinach. (Frozen or canned spinach could also be used.) It is important to heat whichever type of spinach is used; otherwise, this dish would need to be baked for more than 20 minutes.

The recipe doesn’t call for salt and pepper, but I sprinkled a little on the eggs since eggs are often topped with salt and pepper.

I did not want the eggs to spread out over the spinach, so for each egg, I pushed the spinach aside to make a hole. I used canning jar rings to keep the hole open until I put the egg in it. Once I placed the eggs in the holes, I removed the rings.

Making Eggs Beauregard

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Eggs Beauregard

  • Servings: 2 - 4
  • Difficulty: moderate
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2 cups cooked spinach, chopped (A 9-ounce bag of spinach makes about 2 cups when cooked.  Frozen or canned spinach could also be used.)

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 tablespoon flour

1 cup milk

4 eggs

salt and pepper

1/2 cup grated cheese

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Step 2. If using fresh spinach, wash and chop; then put in a pan with the water that is clinging to the spinach. Using medium heat, cook until the spinach wilts. (If using frozen or canned spinach, heat the spinach.) Remove from heat; and, if needed, drain to remove excess liquid.

Step 3. In the meantime, in another pan, using medium heat, melt  butter, then stir in the flour. Gradually, add the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the white sauce begins to thicken.

Step 4. Stir the white sauce into the spinach.

Step 5. Put the spinach mixture in a flat baking dish. (A 9 inch by 9 inch works well.)

Step 6. Make four holes in the spinach where the eggs can be placed, then put an egg in each hole. (I used canning jar rings to keep the holes open. Once the eggs were placed in the holes, I removed the rings.) Sprinkle salt and pepper on each egg.

Step 7. Sprinkle with grated cheese, then bake in the oven until the egg whites are opaque and set (about 20 minutes). Remove from oven and serve.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Apricot Torte (Apricot Upside Down Cake)

Apricot Torte (Apricot Upside Down Cake)

We had friends over for dinner last week-end. I wanted to make a tasty dessert that made a lovely presentation, and that was relatively easy to prepare (and, of course, it had to be a hundred-year-old recipe). I flipped through my old cookbooks and found a recipe for Apricot Torte (Apricot Upside Down Cake) in a church cookbook from Culbertson, Nebraska that looked like it might fit the bill.

This recipe is a winner. I feel certain that I will make it again. The Apricot Torte (Apricot Upside Cake) looked wonderful, and tasted even better. It only took me a few minutes to prepare the cake batter and arrange apricot halves and chopped walnuts for the topping, and then it baked in the oven while I set the table and did other things to prepare for the dinner.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Apricot Torte (Apricot Upside Down Cake)
Methodist Ladies Aid Cook Book (Culbertson, NE: 1926)

I’m clueless how much butter is in a “cube” of butter. I decided to use 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, and that worked well.

I interpreted a “heaping teaspoon baking powder” to be 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Apricot Torte (Apricot Upside Down Cake

  • Servings: 8 - 10
  • Difficulty: moderate
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1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 can apricots (15 – 16 ounce can), drained

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

Step 2. Melt 1/2 cup butter in an oven-proof skillet that is about 10-inches in diameter; add brown sugar and stir. Remove from heat, and evenly space the apricot halves (cut side facing up) in the skillet. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts around the apricot halves. Set aside.

Step 3. Put the egg, sugar, and 2 tablespoons melted butter in a mixing bowl; beat until mixed. Add the milk, flour, and baking powder; beat until smooth.

Step. 4.  Evenly pour the batter over the apricots and walnuts.

Step. 5. Put in oven and bake until a wooden pick comes out clean (about 35-45 minutes). Remove from oven. Let partially cool for 10 minutes, then invert the skillet on the serving plate.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-Fashioned Tuna Souffle

Tuna Souffle

I recently came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Tuna Souffle, and decided to try it. The recipe called for separating the eggs and stiffly beating the egg whites, then folding them into a white sauce and tuna mixture which is baked.

The Tuna Souffle was tasty. When I made this recipe, the tuna became the bottom layer of the souffle. It was topped by a light souffle topping. My husband said it was “good” which is a high compliment from him.

Here is the original recipe:

Recipe for Tuna Souffle
Source: Pennsylvania State Grange Cook Book (1926)

I used one can of tuna when I made this recipe. That is less tuna than the original recipe called for, but the recipe turned out fine. The size of tuna cans have decreased over the years. I think that a can of tuna in 1926 may have contained about 1 cup of tuna. Today, many cans of tuna contain 5 ounces, which is less than 1 cup.

The recipe called for a “hot” oven. I interpreted this to mean 400° F.

Tuna SouffleHere’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Tuna Souffle

  • Servings: 2 - 3
  • Difficulty: moderate
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2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1 can (approximately 5 ounce) tuna

3 eggs, separated

Step 1. Preheat oven to 400° F.

Step 2. Melt the butter in a skillet using medium heat. Stir in the flour and salt, then gradually add the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring and cooking until the mixture comes to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add tuna, flake and stir to combine.

Step 3. Put egg yolks in a small bowl; stir until smooth. Place a small amount (approximately 1 – 2 tablespoons) of hot mixture into dish with egg yolk, stir quickly. (The egg is first combined with a little of the hot mixture to prevent it from turning into scrambled eggs when introduced into the hot combination.)  Add egg mixture to the remaining hot mixture in the saucepan; stir. Set aside.

Step 4. Put egg whites in a bowl; beat until stiff peaks form.

Step 5. Fold the beaten egg whites into the tuna mixture.

Step 6. Pour into a 1-quart baking dish. Put into the oven and bake until set and lightly browned (about 30 minutes.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Rice Caramel Pudding (with Apples)

Rice puddings are a classic comfort food, so I was intrigued when I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Rice Caramel Pudding. I decided to give it a try. The recipe made a baked rice pudding that contained apples. It called for using brown sugar rather than the more typical white sugar.

The Rice Caramel Pudding was rich and sweet with lovely caramel undertones. I used coarsely chopped apples. The apple variety I used softened and lost their shape when cooked. This worked well, though for the apples to be more prominently featured in this recipe, an apple variety could be selected that keeps its shape when cooked and they could be sliced rather than chopped.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Rice Caramel Pudding (with Apples)
Source: Westminster Cook Book 1926 (Cherokee, Iowa)

The recipe called for 1 cup of water. It does not list when the water should be added to the pudding, except to say that water should be added after the rice pudding was put in a baking dish. I found this confusing. It seemed like the 1 cup of water should be stirred into the pudding mixture before it was put in the baking dish (which is what I did), and that the “add water” referred to setting the baking dish in a pan with water so there would be a water bath while it baked. That said, I may not have understood the recipe writer’s directions.

For this recipe, I interpreted a “slow oven” to mean 325° F. I cooked the pudding for about 45 minutes.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Rice Caramel Pudding (with Apples)

  • Servings: 5 - 7
  • Difficulty: moderate
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1 large apple (2 medium apples), peeled and coarsely chopped or sliced (I chopped the apples.)

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons butter, softened

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup water + additional water

Step 1. Preheat oven to 325° F.

Step 2. Put apples in a saucepan; add a little water so the apples won’t stick to the pan, then heat with medium heat. Cook until the apples they soften (about 5 – 7 minutes), then remove from heat.

Step 3. Put the brown sugar and flour in a mixing bowl; stir to combine. Then add the butter, rice, cooked apples, water, salt, and vanilla; stir to mix the ingredients.

Step 4. Put the mixture in a 1-quart baking (or similar-sized shallow) baking dish.

Step 5. Set the baking dish in a pan with 1-inch of hot water, then place in oven and bake until the rice pudding is hot and has thickened (approximately 45 minutes).

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old Fashioned Egg and Olive Sandwiches

Egg and Olive Sandwich on plate

HAPPY EASTER!

A few days ago, I colored hard-boiled eggs with my grandchildren. We had lots and lots of fun coloring and decorating the Easter eggs, but we ended up with lots of them. I then needed to figure out how to use all those eggs, which (me being me) sent me to my hundred-year-old cookbooks.

I found two versions of recipes for Egg and Olive Sandwiches, and concluded that they must be good if the cookbook author liked them enough to provide two options. Here are the original recipes:

Egg and Olive Sandwich Recipes
Source: The New Winston Cook Book of Guaranteed Recipes

I decided to make the first option. The Egg and Olive Sandwiches were wonderful. The egg salad was nicely seasoned, and the olives added additional zest and tanginess.

The recipe does not say whether green or black olives should be used. I decided to go with green olive that were stuffed with pimento. The recipe also does not provide guidance regarding the amounts of olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. I used 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, about 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2  1/2 tablespoons of vinegar. When I made this recipe, I tasted the egg mixture after putting in a little vinegar and thought it seemed a bit bland, so added a little additional vinegar to make it tangier. Similarly, the original amount of olive oil and vinegar that I used was insufficient to make the mixture cling together, so I added a little more.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Egg and Olive Sandwiches

  • Servings: 2 - 4 sandwiches
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

4 hard-boiled eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt (If the olives are very salty, use a little less salt.)

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil + more, if needed

2 1/2 tablespoons vinegar + more, if needed

2 tablespoons chopped green stuffed olives

bread slices

butter, if desired

Step 1. Mash or finely chop the hard-boiled eggs.

Step 2. Add the salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar; stir to combine.

Step 3. Taste the egg mixture. If it does not taste as tangy as desired, add a little more vinegar. If the mixture is not clinging together, add a little additional olive oil and vinegar.

Step 4. Stir in the chopped olives.

Step 5. Spread on slices of bread (buttered, if desired), and top with additional slices of bread.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-Fashioned Carrot and Celery Salad

Carrot and Celery Salad in dish

Occasionally, a hundred-year-old recipe brings back vivid memories. I recently came across a recipe in a 1926 cookbook for a Carrot and Celery Salad. Suddenly long forgotten memories flowed back. Easter dinner and other family gatherings were often held at my parents’ home, and my mother generally served a Carrot Salad. When my brother and I were in elementary school, we assisted in preparing the big meal. Mom always found fun, but easy tasks for us. A favorite kid task was to grate carrots for Carrot Salad.

For some reason, I can’t remember much about those Carrot Salads. I don’t know what the other ingredients were or what they tasted like. I just know that it was fun grating carrots.

In any case, when I saw the old recipe for a Carrot Salad that contained carrots and celery, I immediately knew that I wanted to make it, and I’m glad I did. The Carrot and Celery Salad was quick and easy to make. It only contained three ingredients: grated carrots, chopped celery, and a little mayonnaise to bind everything together.

This salad is a winner. The slight sweetness of the carrots combined with the crunchiness of the celery, and the rich, tanginess of the mayonnaise was delightful.

Here’s the original recipe:

Carrot Salad Recipe
Source: Pennsylvania State Grange Cook Book (1926)

I decided to put the salad in a bowl rather than on lettuce leaves. The recipe does not provide any details about the salad dressing. The same cookbook also contained another recipe for “Carrot Salads” which suggests that mayonnaise should be used as the salad dressing, so I went with that when updating this recipe. Here is the old Carrot Salads recipe:

Recipe for Carrot Salads
Source: Pennsylvania State Grange Cook Book (1926)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Carrot and Celery Salad

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

2 cups grated carrot

1 cup celery, chopped

1/4 mayonnaise

Put all ingredients in bowl; stir to combine, then put in serving dish.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com