Recipes for the Colonial Feast

The Fort Edwards Foundation of Capon Bridge, West Virginia

Recipes for the Colonial Feast

This year the Fort Edwards Colonial Feast is going back to its original concept of a covered dish dinner where everyone is invited to bring a colonial style dish. We offer some suggestions below from Martha Washington's Cookbook and from modern cookbooks that specialize in colonial style meals. Some of these books may be available for sale from our Museum Shop. Everyone will also be charged a $5 entrance fee to cover our expenses. Come, bring a dish and enjoy!

costumed members enjoying the 1999 Feast

Mountain Cornbread
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup flour (whole wheat is preferred)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
Mix the dry ingredients. Stir them in the buttermilk or the sour milk. Pour the batter into a well greased 7"x11"x2" dish and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. This cornbread crumbles less if baked in advance and then allowed to cool and sit overnight before cutting. Reheat prior to serving.
from: The Good Land: Native American and Early Colonial Food, by Patricia Mitchell, 1992

Lord Loudoun's Apple Pudding
If you would have a good pudding, observe what you're taught:-
Take two pennyworth of eggs [6] when twelve for the groat [fourpence);
And of the same fruit that Eve had once chosen, serving line at a Colonial Feast

Well pared and well chopp'd, at least half-a-dozen;
Six ounces of bread, let your maid eat the crust,
The crumbs must be grated as small as the dust;
Six ounces of currants from the stones you must sort,
Lest they brake out your teeth, and spoil all your sport;
Five ounces of sugar won't make it too sweet;
Some salt and some nutmeg will make it compleat;
Three hours let it boil, without hurry or flutter,
And then serve it up without sugar or butter.
from: The Early American Cookbook: Authentic Favorites by Historical Figures, by Kristie Lynn & Robert Pelton, 1983

Vegetable Fritters
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon melted butter or margarine or vegetable oil
1 cup chopped and drained cooked vegetables; may use asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, corn, green beans, lima beans, mushrooms, peas or any combination of these. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg and add milk and butter. Add this to flour mix and beat until smooth. Add vegetable. Drop by teaspoon into shallow hot fat. Fry for four minutes or until brown on all sides. Drain well.
from: The Good Land: Native American and Early Colonial Food, by Patricia Mitchell, 1992

Cranberry Apple Crisp
3 cups apple slices                2 tablespoons honey
2 cups whole cranberries       1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup butter (margarine)     1/2 whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar             1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Mix together apple slices, cranberries, and honey. Make topping in separate container: mix until crumbly the butter or margarine, rolled oats, flour, and sugar; stir in 1/2 cup nuts and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Place the apple/cranberry mix in a 11 3/4 x 7 1/2 inch dish. Put on the topping. Bake at 350° about 50 minutes or until the fruit is tender. If mixture gets too dry, add a little hot water.
from: The Good Land: Native American and Early Colonial Food, by Patricia Mitchell, 1992

Mr. Jefferson's Chops & Potato Casserole
1 pound pork chops           6 sweet potatoes sliced
2 medium onions, sliced     3 tables spoons flour
2 teaspoons salt                 2 teaspoons pepper
Cut the pork chops into small pieces. Put a layer on the bottom of a buttered baking pan. Follow this with a layer of sweet potatoes and a layer of onions. Sprinkle this layer with some flour, salt, and pepper. Continue making layers with the pork, sweet potatoes, and onions until the ingredients are all used. Cover with cold water and bake in a moderate oven about 350° for two hours. This serves about five people.
from: The Early American Cookbook: Authentic Favorites by Historical Figures, by Kristie Lynn & Robert Pelton, 1983

Martha Washington's Ham and Parsnips
1 1/2 pounds ham, cut in 1 inch slices
6 cloves, whole
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
2 cups parsnips, sliced and cooked
Place the slices of ham in a baking pan. Stick cloves in the ham and sprinkle the slices with nutmeg. Add the water and honey. Cover and bake in a moderate slow oven about 325° for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover the ham with parsnips. Return the baking pan, uncovered, to the oven and bake until nicely browned. Serves about six people. Mrs. Washington sometimes used sweet potatoes instead of parsnips.
from: The Early American Cookbook: Authentic Favorites by Historical Figures, by Kristie Lynn & Robert Pelton, 1983

Mr. Jefferson's Squash Doughnuts
2 tablespoons butter          1 1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs well beaten             1 cup squash, cooked
1 teaspoon vanilla              3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt                3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon       1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup milk
Cream the butter and sugar in a large wooden bowl. Stir in eggs, squash, and vanilla. Sift the flour with salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Blend the mix well and set aside to chill. When the dough is cold, turn it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a 1/3 inch thick sheet. Cut with a floured cutter and deep fry in hot grease until brown. Drain well before serving. from: The Early American Cookbook: Authentic Favorites by Historical Figures, by Kristie Lynn & Robert Pelton, 1983

Snickerdoodles
3 1/2 cups flour             1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon soda       1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 cups butter            1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs                           1 cup walnuts
1 cup raisins
Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Beat eggs and add to creamed mixture. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and add to mixture a little at a time. Mix thoroughly. Add nuts and raisins. Drop by teaspoon onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes.
from: The King's Bread, 2d Rising: Cooking at Niagara, 1726-1815, by Dennis & Carol Farmer, 1989

Sally Lunn
2 cups flour                 3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt          2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup milk                1/2 cup melted butter
Mix and sift the dry ingredients. Add the milk to the beaten egg yolks and add this mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until just mixed. Stir in the melted butter, then fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake in a well-greased 9 inch square pan in a moderate oven about 350° for about 30 minutes.
from: The King's Bread, 2d Rising: Cooking at Niagara, 1726-1815, by Dennis & Carol Farmer, 1989

Mount Vernon Cucumber Soup
3 cups cucumbers, sliced     1 slice onion
4 cups chicken stock           1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter                     1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon pepper            2 cups milk, hot
Parboil the cucumber slices for 10 minutes. While doing this, put the chicken stock in a kettle and let it simmer. Drain the cucumber slices and add them to the chicken stock. Add the slice of onion. Cook until the cucumbers and onion are soft. Take out of the kettle and rub through a strainer. Put back into the chicken stock. Now blend the butter and the flour. Add this to the soup to thicken, stirring continuously. Season with the salt and pepper. Lastly, stir in the hot milk. Strain and serve while piping hot.
from: The Early American Cookbook: Authentic Favorites by Historical Figures, by Kristie Lynn & Robert Pelton, 1983

Recipes from a 17th Century Kitchen by Donald R. Daly; The New England & Virginia Company, Salem, Mass., 1992

Fried Squash, Pumpkin, Or Cucumbers with Apples
1 med. squash or          8 tbsp. butter
pumpkin or 1-2             2-3 apples
med. cucumbers          flour, salt, pepper, sugar
Melt 4 tbsp. butter in a skillet Peel squash or pumpkin and cut into thin pieces. Toss in flour and fry in butter until tender, remove and keep warm. Peel and core apples, cut into thin slices. Melt rest of butter in skillet. Fry apples in butter. Arrange vegetables on a heated platter. Garnish with fried apples which have been dusted with sugar. Serve accompanied with orange or lemon butter.

Orange or Lemon Butler
1 tbsp. butter juice of 1 lemon or orange
1/2 tsp. sugar
Soften butter, beat in juice and sugar. Place whipped butter in a bowl.

Sweet Potatoes With Onions and Bacon
6 sweet potatoes          1/2 lb. bacon
6 tbsp. butter               chicken stock
1-2 large onions           salt, pepper
Peel and slice potatoes and onions. Place in a baking dish. Pour chicken stock in dish to cover potatoes. Dot top with butter, place bacon over potatoes, cover. Bake in a 400° oven for 1-1/2 hours. Uncover baking dish continue to cook for approximately 15 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Cabbage And Onions in Milk
1 hd. cabbage           3 med. onions
1 lb. bacon               4 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. mace              3 cups milk
salt, pepper
Roughly chop cabbage and onions. Cut bacon into pieces. Place cabbage, onions and bacon in pot, cover with water, boil. Cook until cabbage is tender. Drain vegetables and bacon, return to pot. Add milk, mace and butter. Heat, season with salt and pepper.

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Meals Through the Ages by Moss pp.133-134

A Salmon Pye [1766]
Take a Joul [jowl - the head and parts near to it] of Salmon and cut into thin Slices; take half a Jill of Verjuice [juice of crab-apples or sour gooseberries] and rub over each piece of Salmon. Season it with allspice and black pepper, nutmeg and Salt; roll each piece and set round the Bottom of a raised Crust; lay on the lid and bake it two hours. Boil the bones of the Salmon and fry four slices in butter; when it is fried brown pour in the fish broth and boil it with the Fried Salmon till it is something thick. Then take a Jill of Gooseberries, add them to the Gravy and some melted Butter, and when you have taken the pye out of the Oven cut the Lid up and take it off and pour over all the salmon, the gravy and the Gooseberries.
Professed Cookery, by Mrs Ann Cook

Cucumbers dressed Raw called Mandrang [1787]
Score them at the end as they are cut, that they may be in small bits as if slightly chopped. Add a good deal of young onions, some Cayenne and salt, a glass of Madeira, the juice of half a good Lemon and some vinegar. This is an exceeding good way of dressing them and will agree with the most delicate stomach.
The Ladies' Assistant, by Mrs Charlotte Mason

To make Sausages without Guts [1766]
Take a pound of Lean Mutton and a quarter of a Pound of Beef Suet shred very small and beat it in a mortar to a very fine paste. Season it with Jamaica and Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Salt, Thyme, Sweet marjoram, and Parsley. Then dredge flour on the Table and roll the Sausage with your Hand into Rolls of thickness of Sausage and make them into various shapes-such as O, S, C, X. And when you have Turkey pouts [poults - young turkeys] or chickens rested or boiled, lay these sausages on a Tin pan and set them in a quick oven.
Professed Cookery, by Mrs Ann Cook

A Sauce for a Shoulder of Mutton [1750]
Take a few oysters and some sweet herbs and an onyon and a pint of whyte wine and a little beaten nutmeg, a little salt and a large Mace, a little lemon peeled and a little Sugar, a little liquor Posset. Cook all together.
Unpublished MS.

To make an Apple Pye [1748]
Make a good puff-paste Crust, lay some round the Sides of the dish, pare and quarter your Apples, and take out the cores; lay a Row of Apples thick, throw in half your sugar, mince a little Lemon-peel, throw over and squeeze a little lemon over them and the rest of the sugar . . . boil the Pelings of the Apples, and Cores, in some water with a Blade of mace till it is very good; pour it into your pye, put on your Upper crust and bake it. When they come out of the oven, you may beat up the yolks of two Eggs and half a pint of Cream, with a little Nutmeg sweetened with Sugar, take off the Lid and pour in the Cream.
The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy, by Mrs H. Glasse

An Omlet of Eggs [1766]
Take twelve eggs and beat well; boil half a hundred of Asparagus and make some clarified Butter hot in a Frying Pan, into which put the Eggs and Grass [asparagus]. Cast over them a little Pepper and Salt, and fry them a nice brown. The omlet will be an inch thick. Lay it on a Dish and garnish it with Parsley. Have vinegar and butter for sauce.
Professed Cookery, by Mrs Ann Cook

Eggs Fried [1787]
Boil some Eggs hard, slice them and fry them quick in butter. Take them out with a slice and lay them before the fire. Pour the fat out of the pan, shake in some flour, young onions, a little beef broth, pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, and a little lemon peel. Boil this up; if not thick enough stir in a bit of butter mixed with flour. Pour the sauce over the eggs.
The Ladies' Assistant, by Mrs Charlotte Mason

Chardoons with Cheese [1744]
Chardoons are a wild thistle that grows in every ditch. Cut them in bits an inch long after they are stringed. Then stew them in Gravy till tender, season with pepper and salt and squeeze in an Orange; thicken it with butter browned in flour. Put it in your dish and cover it with grated Parmesian or Cheshire Cheese and then brown it all over with a hot cheese iron and serve it up.
Adam's Luxury and Eve's Cookery

English Rabbit [1748]
Toast a slice of Bread brown on both sides, then lay it in a Plate before the Fire, pour a Glass of Red Wine over it and let it soak the Wine up; then cut some cheese very thin, and lay it very thick over the Bread; put it in a Tin Oven before the Fire, and it will be toasted and browned perfectly.
The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy, by Mrs H. Glasse

To make Rice Pudding [1748]
Take a quarter of a pound of rice and put it into a saucepan with a quart of new milk, a stick of cinnamon. Stir it often to keep it from sticking to the saucepan. When it is boiled thick pour it into a pan; stir in a quarter of a pound of fresh butter and sugar to your taste. Grate half a nutmeg, add three or four spoonfuls of rosewater and stir all together. When it is cold beat up eight eggs and four whites and beat it all together. Butter a dish and pour it all in and bake it.
The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy, by Mrs H. Glasse

Apple Fritters [1759]
Pare and quarter some large pippins. Lay them to soak in brandy, fine sugar, cinnamon, and lemon peel and toss them often. Dry them in a cloth, tumble well about in fine flour and fry them very tender in hogs' lard. Dish them up, sift plenty of fine sugar over them and colour nicely with a salamander.
Complete System of Cookery, by Wm. Verral

To stew Cabbage [1776]
Make a strong beef-gravy and when cold shred cabbage fine into it. Add about the third part of vinegar, half as much port wine - ketchup, if you please - and let it stew until it is tender over a slow fire. Thicken it with melted butter. It will keep good a fortnight.
Unpublished MS

To make a Potato Pudding [1750]
Take a pound of white potatoes boiled and peeled, and the peel of a lemon boiled tender in water and shred small. Beat these small in a mortar, then put to it half a pound of sifted sugar, a pound of buttermilk, a little nutmeg and salt, and the yolks of eight eggs with four of the whites. Squeeze in the juice of a lemon; mix well together with paste round it and let it stand in a quick oven for hau" an hour.
Unpublished MS.