Papa's Cookies
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Kitchen Poetry
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Graham Cake from Mrs. Owens cookbook - 1884 |
I was exploring the 1884 Mrs. Owens cookbook while contemporizing an Augusta cake recipe and ran across one for Graham Cake written as a poem. I have seen other recipes written as poems while doing my research and gave it a whirl. As you would expect, the cake tastes like graham crackers. You will notice the recipe calls for teacup measures, the solution to that little dilemma is within an earlier article. Here's the poem.
Any reader of this book would like a graham cake,
I give you here a recipe which I quite often make.
First take one cup of sugar white, and butter one half cup,
Together mix, then add an egg, and lightly beat it up.
Then take one cup of pure sweet milk, and well dissolve therein
A teaspoon full of soda so its trace cannot be seen.
Then scatter in a little salt, and flavor it with spice,
A little nutmeg, if you please, or lemon peel is nice.
And then of flour you may put in three even teacups full,
And when you’ve stirred it well around, then quickly pour the whole.
Into your buttered pan, my dear, which ready stands the while,
Then, if you give it a good bake, ‘twill be so nice you’ll smile.
I give you here a recipe which I quite often make.
First take one cup of sugar white, and butter one half cup,
Together mix, then add an egg, and lightly beat it up.
Then take one cup of pure sweet milk, and well dissolve therein
A teaspoon full of soda so its trace cannot be seen.
Then scatter in a little salt, and flavor it with spice,
A little nutmeg, if you please, or lemon peel is nice.
And then of flour you may put in three even teacups full,
And when you’ve stirred it well around, then quickly pour the whole.
Into your buttered pan, my dear, which ready stands the while,
Then, if you give it a good bake, ‘twill be so nice you’ll smile.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
A Matter of Measure
If you work with Victorian recipes long enough, you will run across some units of measure we no longer use. The most common head-scratcher deals with oven temperature and terms like a slow, moderate or quick oven. The last thing you want to do is take your newest culinary masterpiece and incinerate the poor thing. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, let’s cure the oven temperature dilemma.
Very slow (very low) oven: 300-325° F.
Slow (low) oven: 325-350° F.
Moderate (medium) oven: 350-375° F.
Fast/quick (high) oven: 375-400° F.
Very fast/very quick (very high) oven: 400-425° F
Old recipe books also abound with recipes calling for tea cup and coffee cup amounts of ingredients. I use a beautiful old glass measuring pitcher that has these measures embossed on its side. One tea cup equals four ounces, also known as a gill, a coffee cup is eight ounces.
Very slow (very low) oven: 300-325° F.
Slow (low) oven: 325-350° F.
Moderate (medium) oven: 350-375° F.
Fast/quick (high) oven: 375-400° F.
Very fast/very quick (very high) oven: 400-425° F
Old recipe books also abound with recipes calling for tea cup and coffee cup amounts of ingredients. I use a beautiful old glass measuring pitcher that has these measures embossed on its side. One tea cup equals four ounces, also known as a gill, a coffee cup is eight ounces.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Augusta Kohrs
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Augusta Kohrs |
Augusta Kohrs
was not the typical pioneer. After a quick courtship, Augusta
married Conrad Kohrs at the age 19. Augusta left a comfortable life in Iowa to
create a new home in Montana. The trip to Deer Lodge must have been daunting
for the new bride and encompassed a six-week trip floating up the Missouri
River on a steamboat. The river trip was
followed by an overland excursion in a horse-drawn wagon that lasted five days. Augusta had to have been glad to reach her
new home in spite of the rough condition of the headquarters.
Augusta was accustomed to the finer things in life and quickly took on the task of turning the ranch house into a home. She was well versed in Victorian style and was able to apply that style to her home in Deer Lodge. Her 1800s sensibilities were also reflected in her culinary pursuits as is evident in her collection of recipes. Those recipes, so carefully handwritten into her cookbook, are now my journey. You are welcome to ride along.
Augusta was accustomed to the finer things in life and quickly took on the task of turning the ranch house into a home. She was well versed in Victorian style and was able to apply that style to her home in Deer Lodge. Her 1800s sensibilities were also reflected in her culinary pursuits as is evident in her collection of recipes. Those recipes, so carefully handwritten into her cookbook, are now my journey. You are welcome to ride along.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
The Grant-Kohrs ranch is an example of the pioneer spirit. The cattle business was being established in Montanna's Deer Lodge valley as early as 1857 by John Grant and has continued to this day. The original location of the ranch headquarters varied with the current location being established in 1862 when Grant built a spacious ranch house. Conrad Kohrs purchased the ranch in 1866 and continued to use it as headquarters until well into the 1900's. The ranch was designated as a National Parks Service - National Historic Site in 1972.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
The Beginning
I've always been fascinated in the old west, especially in the food. I even had a chuck wagon I used to tote around and gave presentations about cooking in the old west. I collect Victorian cookbooks, recipes and even collect and use utensils from the period. When in comes down to it, I guess it's everything about the old west that I find fascinating. I've spent a lot of time in the west - it's part of me.
I'm involved in a project now. I've been signed on by the National Park Service - Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historical Site to contemporize the recipe collection of Augusta Kohrs. The collection is hand written, in some cases in old German, and only the ingredients are listed. No nice instructions on how to put it all together and make it edible. That's where I come in, I get to figure it all out and bring these wonderful recipes back to life.
Papa's Cookies is the name of the recipe that started this journey, it's the first recipe in Augusta Kohrs hand written book. It seems fitting that it should be the name of my blog. They are pictured below.
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