Food History

Tonight I have a mischmasch of recipes for you, mostly from Mrs Eaton’s book. This is our last look at the early nineteenth century for a while. For the next ten months that section of my life will be in New York in the fabled 1920s.

“BURNT CREAM

Boil a pint of cream with a stick of cinnamon, and some lemon peel. Take it off the fire, and pour it very slowly into the yolks of four eggs, stirring it till half cold. Sweeten it, take out the spice, and pour it into a dish. When cold, strew over it some white pounded sugar, and brown it with a salamander. Or, make a rich custard without sugar, and boil in it some lemon peel. When cold, sift over it plenty of white sugar, and brown the top with a salamander.

CURRIE POWDER*

Dry and reduce the following articles to a fine powder. Three ounces of coriander seed, three ounces of turmeric, one ounce of black pepper, and one of ginger ; half an ounce of lesser cardamoms, and a quarter of an ounce each of cinnamon, cummin seed, and cayenne. Thoroughly pound and mix them together, and keep it in a well-stopped bottle.

CURRIE SAUCE

Stir a small quantity of currie powder in some gravy, melted butter, or onion sauce. This must be done by degrees, according to the taste, taking care not to put in too much of the currie powder.”

*Gillian’s note on curries from this place and time. They are not hot by our standards. The first time we tested them we all wondered where the spices were. To eat those curries you might want to think of them as dishes with interesting spicing, rather than as curries.