HFF 5.11: Comfort Food

Yep, I did these challenges out of order. The cake receipts experienced technical difficulties, so some comfort food was in order.

The Challenge: Comfort Food. Make a dish that you are comfortable with, or that is comforting to eat. 

The Recipe: Brandy Cocoa from The Mendelssohn Club Cook Book

Brandy Cocoa--Three tablespoons cocoa; 1 1/2 cups boiling water; 1/4 cup sugar; 4 cups milk; 3 teaspoons cooking brandy. Prepare as Reception cocoa, then add brandy before beating. 

[Scald milk, mix cocoa, sugar, and salt, adding enough boiling water to make a smooth paste, then add what water remains, and boil 1 minute; pour into scalded milk and beat 2 minutes with egg beater.*]

*The reception cocoa differs from the brandy cocoa by having half as much water, no brandy, and "a few grains of salt".

The Date/Year and Region: 1909; Rockfort, Illinois

How Did You Make It: I boiled water (in my electric kettle, very much cheating), while scalding the milk over the stove. I added 1/4 cup of the water into the sugar and cocoa, whisking it into a thin paste (I probably should have used less water to get a proper paste). I then whisked in the other 3/4 cup of water, having accidentally measured out 1 cup rather than 1 1/2 cup. I brought the cocoa-water up to a boil for another minute, then poured it into the scalded milk, added the brandy and spent two minutes whisking it together thoroughly.

Time to Complete: 19 minutes

Total Cost: Literally everything was left over from other projects.

How Successful Was It?: It tastes a little more tart than I usually make cocoa, but it's warm, and chocolatey, and I'm drinking it in quantity. It didn't taste as rich as I expected to, what with the whole milk, but that might be a combination of the water, and the relatively low amount of sugar. I didn't really taste the brandy at all. Normally when I make hot chocolate, I use heavily pre-sweetened mix in skim milk without any water, so this was a bit different.

I found it interesting that the recipe on the cocoa box eleven decades later is very similar to the "reception cocoa" in the 1909 cookbook: for the same 4 cups of milk, it uses 1/3 more cocoa, twice as much sugar, the same amount of salt, and about half as much water. It would seem that either this cocoa powder is a bit off from the period version or that modern tastes run rather sweeter and a little more chocolatey.

How Accurate Is It?: I used 1 cup of water instead of 1 1/2 cups, but considering the reception cocoa used that amount, I daresay it's within period norms. For a more representative 1909 cooking experience, a coal or gas range would be better, but the main difference I'd expect in this instance is cooking time. I used whole milk (which is probably closer than the skim I usually have on hand), and unsweetened 100% cocoa powder (which seemed to fit the cook book's description of 'cocoa' on page 28). Considering the recipe on the cocoa container is so similar, I think the modern product was actually a pretty good analog of the period one. I did use a whisk, having no egg beater, but it mixed the cocoa adequately.

It begins...

One disadvantage of this method is the amount of dishes it dirties.

A single batch does make a solid 4-5 mugs of cocoa.

H.F.F. 5.9: Fear Factor

I ended up putting this one off for a bit longer than intended. I was busy....and intimidated, seeing as that was the challenge.

The Challenge: Fear factor. Try using an ingredient or technique that intimidates you. 

The Recipe: Boiled Custard from Domestic Cookery, Useful Receipts, and Hints to Young Housekeepers

The Date/Year and Region: Baltimore, 1859

How Did You Make It: Half scale. I peeled one lemon, added the peel to 1 pint of whole milk, and set it on the stove over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, I beat 2 eggs with 2 Tbsp of granulated sugar. [Rounded down to from ~2.5 eggs to 2, because I was using large modern eggs.] When the milk just barely started to boil, I removed it from the heat, lifted out the peel, and then slowly poured in the eggs while stirring vigorously. I set the egg-milk mixture back on the burner at medium-high, stirring it carefully for 5 more minutes until it began to thicken, then removed it from the heat, poured it into a ceramic pitcher, and continued stirring it for 25 more minutes as it cooled.

I spent a lot of time stirring this mixture.

It actually seemed to get thinner as it cooled, not thicker, so I heated it again for 20 more minutes on medium-high (not allowing the mixture to boil) until it looked to be thickening again, and stirred it for 20 more minutes as it cooled.

After two attempts, the 'custard' had the
consistency of eggnog. Or a very melted milkshake.

Still being a liquid, I gave up and threw the whole pitcher in the refrigerator to deal with the next day.

Success through giving up?

After some 18 hours of cooling, it had thickened to passable custard consistency. [And I should have sprinkled with nutmeg.]

Time to Complete: A day. Prep: 5 min pre. Heating: 30 min to boil milk + 5 min to thicken. Cool: 25 min. Then another 20 each of heating and cooling. Then refrigerating  ~18 hours.

Total Cost: $2.25 

How Successful Was It: Delicate lemon flavor, and not too sweet. Custard-consistency was eventually reached, but there were some unpleasant lumps lingering in the custard.  I'm not sure whether these were caused by insufficient stirring while it cooled, or something about how I added the eggs, but it's just annoying enough that I'll need to solve it before serving this to anyone. I'm pretty sure I needed to boil the milk longer (I was scared of scalding it), and probably also to heat it with the eggs longer (I was scared of cooking the eggs in the milk, which I've done on accident). I expect this would help it thicken at room temperature, but failing that, my next step would be to use an ice or water bath to cool the pitcher further while stirring. 

I liked how straightforward the ingredients and instructions were, but probably won't bother with this receipt on its own: it's alright, but not worth the trouble. I think it's a good candidate for further practice, though, so that I can make custard when another recipe calls for some.

How Accurate Was It: I forgot the nutmeg. Alas.

I used a modern stove for heating (and ultimately, a fridge for cooling), but did all the mixing by hand. I already noted the adjustment for egg size. With no quantities given, I had to guess on the lemon peel and sugar. My initial thought was to use half a lemon peel, but I think using 1 lemon per pint milk is a tasty proportion--noticeably but not overwhelmingly lemon-flavored. Next time, I'd be tempted to go up to 3 Tbsp of sugar per pint milk: 2 Tbsp gave it the not-overly-sweet flavor I've come to expect from Victorian dessert receipts, but I think it could be a little sweeter and stay true to that standard.

Original: Royal Monogramed Stockings, 1887

Wool Stockings with Silk Adornments, 1887. In the Met.

Got onto another research project, and encountered these gorgeous silk-embroidered wool stockings from Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, 1887. In addition to the crowned VR ("Victoria Regina") monogram embroidered in silk, the stockings have royal orbs and the United Kingdom's horticultural symbols: Scottish thistles, Irish shamrocks, and English roses. No Welsh leeks, though.