| the culinary exploits of sariann lehrer

4 October 2012

Indian Pudding

Indian pudding is another American favorite descended from medieval British staple food. Hasty pudding, a dish dating back to at least the 16th century, is essentially wheat flour in boiling milk, similar to what we know as cream of wheat. It is cooked at a low heat till it reaches a thicker consistency, rather like oatmeal. As with a number of traditional British foods that made the long trip across the Atlantic, once it arrived on our shores, cooks adopted the local available ingredients and it became something quintessentially New England, the Indian pudding.

Cooks made the swap from wheat flour to cornmeal, utilising a new, widely available grain, and sweetened the dish with molasses (made available through the Triangle Trade) or maple syrup. The typical spice profile found in a number of New England desserts- cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and mace- were added to the pudding. The dish continued to evolve and began appearing in American cookbooks in the late 18th century. The recipe below, which I have redacted and used, is from an 1840 cookbook. “The Practical Farmer, Gardener and Housewife,” written by Edward James Hooper. In addition to the baked pudding recipe I have chosen to use, Hooper also offers a boiled variety, hearkening back to the British affinity for boiled puds.

Now wholly associated with New England autumn and Thanksgiving, there was a time in the 1700′s, at the height of the Triangle Trade, when there was an Indian pudding recipe in every American cookbook. As tastes, trade routes, and fashions changed, the dish was embraced by New England and forgotten by most. Perfect for the early days of autumn, when the weather starts to cool and the leaves begin to turn. Best served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and a snifter of brandy. Many thanks to Trevor for his indispensable knowledge on the subject of molasses volume.

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28 September 2012

Harper’s Retreat

I (relatively) recently had the opportunity to attend an SCA camping even with a friend who loves historical authenticity as much as I do, if not more. As part of our weekend, we planned to cook our meals from entirely period sources. A number of the dishes were from Libro de Cucina, written by an “Anonymous Venetian” somewhere around the 14th century. While the entire weekend was done in medieval style, Sunday dinner was our high point.

My favorite part of cooking from historical cookbooks is the implied knowledge; at the time of writing, so much more was expected of a cook in the kitchen. There are largely no measurements, cooking times, or temperatures, and it’s up to the cook to determine the best combination of the above. This is where I thrive. Despite being a cookbook author, actually following recipes is not my forte. In fact, my tendency to not measure things was my downfall when adjusting recipes for Feast. Cooking is undeniably an art, and those of us that cannot follow modern recipes are simply a bit…erm…more free handed in our composition.

Our meal included roasted sweet and sour pork, tredura, sprouts of life/health, bread, and candied nuts. I was a bit nervous about the pork, as it called for egg as a thickening agent and I wasn’t sure how that would work out. Turned our phenomenal, and I will absolutely be using the recipe again. The tredura was amazing, as anything cooked in bacon grease is wont to be. I do love a good chopped leek. We did well getting our greens in, a problem I usually encounter whilst camping.

We clearly made far too much food for the two of us, and certainly had to share. We brought our candied nuts to court (ahem), and they were a big hit. This is probably the recipe that I most heavily redacted, as the recipe described a very in-depth and long process. I was personally tickled by the recipe’s use of “six Our Fathers” as a length of time. Find my redaction after the jump.

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19 July 2012

Summer Pudding

Two book signings and 5 exhausting days at San Diego Comic Con promoting A Feast of Ice and Fire later, we’ve made it back to the east coast filled with oysters, avocados, and convention center pretzels. Craving something sweet, summery, and easy to make, I headed to the kitchen. Enter summer pudding.

Summer pudding is a perfect way to use the overflowing bounty of summer berries in your yard (or local fruit stand if you live in the city like I do!). It is a popular misconception that summer pudding used to be called ‘hydropathic pudding’ and was served in health spas. In actuality, the mostly raw fruit contained in summer pudding was considered extremely unhealthy till the mid 20th century, at which time summer pudding as we know it was developed.

The earliest recipe that resembles a summer pudding was published in 1902 by S. Beaty-Pownall in the Sweets No. 6 cookery book, however it still calls for hot stewed fruit. John Ayto tells us that it wasn’t until the 1930′s that the dessert was dubbed ‘summer pudding.’

In the summer months the traditional fruits in the pudding include currants, raspberries, black currants, and occasionally a few strawberries. Blackberries are often added closer to autumn, and they, as well as blueberries, create a more purple hue than the traditional appearance. Whether a red or purple pudding is your plan, be sure to use day-old sliced bread. As in making bread pudding, the slightly stale bread absorbs the berry juice much better, creating a more vibrant presentation.

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