This is a Ch’ing Dynasty (1636 – 1912) court recipe.
3 tblsp. Sugar
2 tblsp corn starch
1 cup water
1 tblsp. Butter
10 oz. Bag of frozen peaches (thawed) or ½ lb.. fresh, peeled, seeded and mashed
½ to 1 tsp. Rose water
In a pot, combine dry ingredients and water. Whisk while stirring and bringing to a boil.
Remove from heat thoroughly blend peaches into thick mixture. Add ½ tsp. then taste. Stop there if you like the flavor. Incrementally add more until satisfied.
Serve warm or cold.
Background:
A Japanese Princess related by marriage to the imperial Chinese family compiled a collection of court recipes during a time of great sorrow and grief. (Death of a daughter and her husband and brother being held in China as political prisoners.) Peach Soup is one recipe from the collection in the book Court Dishes of China, Su Ching (Lucille Davis).
The first public screening of a local historical short documentary was an occasion to serve Creole finger foods from a cookbook published in 1885.
Actress Katrina Thompson who portrays Jennie in the film read a book excerpt and spoke about the timeliness of the reappearance of Carters’work.
Jennie Carter was a free black woman who moved to Nevada County, California from New Orleans at the outbreak of the American Civil War. Her essays, published in the book Jennie Carter: A Black Journalist of the Early West, edited by Eric Gardner, were the basis for a seventeen-minute video shown to Nevada County neighbors.
To add to the learning experience, recipes were chosen from a cookbook that originated in New Orleans, La Cuisine Creole. It was food Jennie Carter may have prepared or eaten. While some of the recipes (squirrel or pigeon pie, or suet pudding) were not ones we were willing to attempt, many sound delicious!
For this setting, we chose simple, finger fare and modified ingredients as necessary. (See notes below.)
*Frozen scallops were substituted for oysters. Ground mace was used instead of ‘blades.’ Scallops were sliced thin and placed on slices of buttered baguette, topped with a very small amount of ground mace.
*To French’s mustard, salt, garlic granules, tarragon leaves, and white wine vinegar were added – to taste.
*A specialty squash from one of the neighborhood gardens was substituted for pumpkin. Stop cooking soon after a fork or knife is easily inserted. Let cool overnight. Eat at room temperature.
Resources:
Published in 1885. Click on the book cover for a PDF of the entire cookbook. Courtesy of Michigan State University | Feeding America: Historic American cookbook collection
After a long, hard day in the creek bed shoveling and sifting gravel, the last thing a 49’er miner wanted to do was prepare a meal. This simple fare offered a quick fix as well as a host of health problems.
Shovel Bread
Start a fire. Let the wood burn down to coals. Mix:
2 tbsp butter 1 ½ cup flour water salt onion powder 1 egg
Stir until smooth. *The batter should be thick.
Using a clean shovel, rest it in coals until hot.
A deep fire pit is NOT necessary for this recipe.
Support shovel firmly over coals. Pour batter over the blade. Use a long-handled spatula or spoon to keep it in place until the base sets.
Lightly press against batter to determine doneness.
It’s done when it feels spongy.
Click on the photo to watch a video about malnutrition during the California Gold Rush.
Finely chop potatoes.
Fry in oil till done.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside to cool.
Chop or tear watercress into bite-sized pieces.
Add fresh or sun-dried tomatoes (in oil).
Dress with red wine vinegar and oil.
Top with grated cheese.
Over low heat, saute grated dill pickles in 1 tblsp. butter for 20 minutes. (This removes some of the ‘bite’ from the pickle giving it more of a mild vinegar flavor that adds interest to the soup.)
In a soup pot, combine water, remaining butter and chopped vegetables. Over medium heat, simmer till tender.
Add grated dill pickles, bring to boil & remove from heat.
“I only eat Corn Fritters with butter and syrup – simple and delicious.” Mary Schmidt Schwaller, niece of Betty Wrysinski
This recipe for Corn Fritters came from the 1949 edition of Joy of Cooking. (My mom wrote it out by hand for me as part of a wedding shower gift.)
1 cup cooked green corn or canned corn.
Drain and mash with a potato masher.
Beat until light and add:
2 eggs
Add:
6 tblsp. flour
1/2 tsp. any baking powder
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Melt in a small skillet:
2 tblsp. butter
When it is very hot, add the batter by the tablespoonful. Permit the bottom of the cakes to brown, reverse them and brown the other side.
In the Joy of Cooking, the recipe begins with this story. My mom used to read to me.
When I was a child, one of eight, my father frequently promised us a marvelous treat. He, being an amateur horticulturist and arborculturist, would tell us of a fritter tree he was going to plant on the banks of a small lake filled with molasses, maple syrup or honey, to be located in our back yard. When one of our children felt the urge for the most delectable repast, all we had to do was to shake the tree, the fritters would drop into the lake and we could fish them out and eat fritters to our hearts’ content.
My mother was a good cook and a good helpmate, so she developed the fritter that was to grow on and fall from the tree into the lake of molasses or maple syrup or honey, as the case might be. Mr. William N. Matthews.
Joy of Cooking, 1949 excerpt, reprinted with publisher permission.
Guest Post by Mary Schmidt Schwaller
Adrian (Bud) and Virginia (Ginger) Windus Schmidt
While researching genealogy, I found Lisa’s Shared Tastes blog. It had pictures of my Aunt Betty as well as some of her recipes. It was clear that she left her mark on her family. I wish I had known her. We both entered apple pies in contests. She won first place, I won second.
Adrian (Bud) and Virginia (Ginger) Schmidt on their wedding day. (Mary Schmidt Schwaller’s parents.)
There is a picture of a birthday celebration; the meal was pork roast and sauerkraut. My dad Adrian, Betty’s younger brother, loved that meal. He used to say, “If I die today, I will die a happy man,” after eating it. This tradition lives on in Park Falls as this meal is served at most restaurants for “Sunday supper.”
We didn’t have much money so my parents had to be inventive when trying to create special treats. I clearly remember Sunday evening Disney movies on the TV and the dining room table full of homemade deep fried potato chips and French fries. The recipe would be as you would expect, fresh potatoes, boiling oil, and lots of salt.
I was asked to share a Wisconsin Schmidt recipe. Every recipe I considered was already there from Grandma Betty. Potato dumplings,casseroles, pork roast, etc.
Through the blog, I was able to connect with my California family. I have gotten to know my cousin Mary and was lucky enough to meet my cousin Peggy in October, 2016. It is odd how similar our lives have been even though we lived so far apart.
__________________
Lisa’s Notes about Names:
I asked my Aunt Mary (family historian) to help sort out the names for this post. Her response clarified why the confusion exists:
“I asked Uncle Bud (Adrian Schmidt) once if anyone was ever called by their given name. He said the German community in Park Falls had nicknames for a lot of people. Below is part of an article he wrote for 100 Years on the Flambeau, a local history book about the Price County area in upper Wisconsin. Apparently nicknames were a tradition.”
Meat based liquids with thickening agents. Start with simple pan sauces or gravy and extend it into soups and stews.
Basic Brown Sauce
2 tblsp. Butter
3 tbslp. Flour
1 cup beef stock
½ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper
Melt butter in pan. Stir in flour and cook until browned, stirring continuously.
Little by little, add beef stock. Stir until it boils and thickens, continue to cool three more minutes.
Add any desired seasonings.
Pan Gravy
Approximate the amount of flour needed to thicken the volume of meat drippings available. Place flour in a dressing / gravy shaker or whisk with cool water and shake or blend till smooth.
To meat drippings (fat) [from a turkey, chicken, bacon, or roast] in a deep pan over medium heat, slowly add flour and water mixture. Stir continuously. After the mixture has thickened, continue cooking for a few more minutes to make sure that the raw flour taste has been dispelled.
Peanut Sauce
¾ cup organic creamy peanut butter
¼ cup + 2 tblsp. Water
½ tsp. Hoisin sauce
2 tblsp. Freshly squeezed lime juice (approx. 1 ½ medium limes)
4 ½ tsp. soy sauce
3 tblsp. Maple syrup
1 ¼ tsp. chile-garlic paste
1 med. Clove garlic, mashed to paste
½ tsp. toasted sesame oil
Blend, whisk or stir all ingredients together till smooth. Store in refrigerator, but let warm to room temperature before using.
Can be used a dipping sauce, over noodles, as a salad dressing or in spring rolls.
(can be stirred directly into fat – butter, meat drippings, etc. If mixing with water first, it must be cooked for a while to eliminate the raw, starchy taste)
Instant Blending Flour – Wondra or Shake & Blend
Can add to liquids without lumps
Kneaded Butter (Beurre Manie) – equal parts butter and flour – kneaded till smooth and rolled into teaspoon sized balls (can be frozen for storage). Drop a ball or two into sauce when needed.
Cornstarch – smooth – glossy – clear
Mix starch with equal parts water, then add to warm liquid
Arrowroot flour | tapioca flour, rice flour
Gums – Xanthum gum, agar agar, pectin, and guar gum
Egg Yolks – velvety – smooth
Add to heated liquids (no hotter than 190 degrees) slowly and stir constantly – or scrambled eggs will be the result
Approximate the amount of flour needed to thicken the volume of meat drippings available. Place flour in a dressing / gravy shaker or whisk with cool water and shake or blend till smooth.
To meat drippings (fat) [from a turkey, chicken, bacon, or roast] in a deep pan over medium heat, slowly add flour and water mixture. Stir continuously. After the mixture has thickened, continue cooking for a few more minutes to make sure that the raw flour taste has been dispelled.
Hollandaise Sauce
2/4 cup butter
1 ½ tblsp. Lemon juice
3 egg yolks, well beaten with dash of salt
Cayenne pepper
Divide butter in the three parts. Place one piece in top of a small double broiler, add lemon juice and egg yolks. Place over hot water (not boiling) and cook slowly, whisk constantly.
When butter is melted, add second piece. Keep whisking. As mixture thickens, add the final piece of butter.
Once the mixture is about as thick as gravy, remove from heat, add salt and serve immediately.
Can be used over vegetables (asparagus), fish, shellfish and poached eggs.
Lightly finish with cayenne pepper.
Makes: ¾ cup
Trouble shooting: If sauce is curdling, dilute by the teaspoon with hot water while constantly whisking.
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