Posted by: hearttohearthcookery | June 4, 2011

The Mysteries of Slip

Preparing the red clay

I have used redware earthernware that has been decorated with slip for more years than I want to admit in my food history work.  But just today, at an ALHFAM (Association of Living HIstory Farm and Agricultural Museums) national conference in West Virginia did I learn first hand by slip decorating redware tiles.   Mary Farrell of Westmoore Pottery (www.westmoorepottery.com) conducted an excellent workshop to teach the basics of slipwork on redware.  The first step was to pound, drop and drag, and roll the the iron containing clay to remove all air pockets and have an even thickness for the tiles. 

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Posted by: hearttohearthcookery | June 1, 2011

A Pudding in the Bag! Step Two

Whisking the eggs

In the redware bowl, in addition to the suet,  I have a pound of Currants, and Raisins, and ditto Sugar as well as a Fine penny Loaf of stale Bread grated, Eight eggs.  I am holding my birch twig whisk readying to beat the eggs well prior to adding them to the other ingredients.  If anyone is interested in obtaining a birch twig whisk (as they are hard to find) contact me at foodhxsmp@gmail.com as I have some that I am willing to sell.

 
More steps to follow!
 
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Posted in 18th century foodways, Birch twig whisks, Boiled, culinary history, food, food history, Puddings, receipts, recipes | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: hearttohearthcookery | May 30, 2011

A Pudding in the Bag!

Weighing Suet

There are many different receipts (recipes) for preparing a pudding in a bag.  One category of those puddings are those containing suet.  I have my suet  (of which the best is the fat around the beef kidney) on the board and am in the process of weighing three-quarter of a pound on my balance scales.  This suet will be cut into small pieces with a rocker knife in a large wood cutting trough as the first ingredient in the pudding.  More steps to follow!

 
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Posted by: hearttohearthcookery | May 29, 2011

A Tart of Straw-Berries-Two

The Tart Baked!

I was overwhelmed by the interest in my post on a Tart of Strawberries that I am posting more information.  The  1653 receipt is A Tart of Straw-Berries and the auther is Anonymous.  The strawberries available at that time were the very small wood strawberries.  If I do not have enough of the small berry, I try to find the smallest of the local berries to use.  I put them in past..one by another as thick as you can and then take Sugar, Cinamon, and a little Ginger finely beaten, and well mingled together, cast them upon your Straw-berries.  The actual receipt (recipe) has the strawberries covered with a lid  finely cut into Lozenges.  Because I was using a heart-shaped redware baking dish I opted to leave off the Lozenges for the look that I wanted.

 
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Posted by: hearttohearthcookery | May 27, 2011

A Great Strawberry Tart

Strawberry Tart Ready for Baking

This is a wonderful 17th century receipt for the seasonal strawberries that is very simple.  I have lined my heart shaped red ware baking dish with a paste (pie crust) and then set the strawberries in a single layer in the paste.  I prepared Ceylon cinnamon in a mortar and pestle and grated ginger over the berries.  The white that you see is from grating a sugar loaf which is the last ingredient.  Now the tart is ready for baking and a delight to eat.

 
Enjoy the strawberry season!
 
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Posted in 17th century foodways, culinary history, food, food history, Fruits, receipts, recipes, Strawberries | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: hearttohearthcookery | May 25, 2011

Seville Orange Ice Cream from the Sand

Making Seville Orange Ice Cream

The lemon that is needed for the Seville Orange Ice Cream receipt (recipe) is partially hiding the Seville Oranges which have been stored in sand since December!  Their appearance is not the best but the juice is just fine and that is what I need for the ice cream.  This picture was taken at the beginning of my demonstration and the 20 pounds of ice has yet to be crushed by the visitors so you can see my reproduction pewter sabotiere and I am holding the pewter scraper.  I keep making different ice cream receipts and thinking that I have already made the best flavor until I make the next receipt.  Seville Orange Ice Cream is a winner.

 
Hands-on 18th century ice cream demonstrations are available for sites and organizations.  Visit my website at www.hearttohearthcookery.com

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Posted in 18th century foodways, culinary history, food, food history, ice cream, sabotiere | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: hearttohearthcookery | May 21, 2011

Tulip Plate of Comfits

Comfits in Sweetmeat Glasses

The comfits in the six handblown glass sweetmeat glasses represent 12 days of comfit making.  Each time I use my comfit pan, I apply twelve charges (layers) of sugar syrup to each seed or spice.  My goal is to have 60 coatings of sugar on my carraway seeds.   The center sweetmeat glass contains clove comfits with 24 coatings of sugar.  Starting with the darker colored comfits by my hand and going clockwise are caraway comfits with 12 layers of cochineal colored sugar, caraway comfits with 48 charges of sugar, caraway comfits with 24 layers, caraway comfits with 12 layers, and last clove comfits with 12 charges.  I find the presentation of the comfits on my pewter reproduction tulip plate very pleasing.  See my food history source listing for more information on the plate.

 
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Posted in 17th century foodways, comfits, confectionery, culinary history, food, food history | Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted by: hearttohearthcookery | May 18, 2011

Shad on the Street

To boil a shad

Heart to Hearth Cookery can do programs almost anywhere-including the street!  On the plank is a buck shad about to be prepared to go in the kettle (on the brazier in the background).  The receipt I am preparing is To boil a Shad.  The shad will be boiled in White-wine Vinegar, Salt, Pepper, an Onion stuck with Cloves, a Piece of Butter, sliced Lemon and a Bay Leaf. 

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Posted in 18th century foodways, culinary history, Fish, food, food history, hearth cooking demonstrations, receipts, shad | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: hearttohearthcookery | May 16, 2011

Discomforting Comfits!

Will the sugar ever be first degree?
Will the sugar ever be first degree?

This is a rare picture and the first time you will have ever found me blowing into one section of my barrell bellow into a brazier to try to increase the heat!  I was excited yesterday to use my comfit pan (hanging by the chains in the picture) to start grains of paradise comfits with twelve layers of sugar and to increase the layers by twelve on both some clove and carraway seed comfits.  The “discomfort” of the day was that it was taking forever to get my sugar syrup to the first degree!  My comfit pan is idle as I spent three hours to obtain first degree syrup!!  Now that was a first and I have done this many, many times.  At the end of a long day, I had two charges of sugar syrup on my grains of paradise. 

It seems yesterday I was not destined to make comfits!  But I do find the picture interesting.
 
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Posted in 17th century foodways, 18th century foodways, comfits, confectionery, culinary history, food, food history, Sweetmeats | Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted by: hearttohearthcookery | May 14, 2011

Dinner is ready!!!!

19th Century Hearth Class

Today nine hearth cooking workshop participants (two not pictured) prepared a 19th century dinner meal at my Historic Speedwell class.  Two early to mid-nineteeth century manuscript receipt books were used as the sources for the receipts (recipes).  In the center Rockingham ware plate is A la mode beef surrounded by Spinach garnished with bread fried in butter.  To the right, is the presentation of Onion Ragout with Bran Biscuits on the pewter plate.  Next to the beef on the left (in a deep Rockingham ware dish) is Stewed trout.  The trout was rubbed every part of it well with a seasoning made of black & cayenne pepper, thyme, sweet marjoram, cloves, salt and all spice.  And the Sponge Cake (far left) was baked in turks head molds and the center filled with Lemon Cream. 

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