FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: Fritters are served for luncheon, dinner or supper, as an entree, a vegetable or a sweet, according to the ingredients used. The foundation batter is much the same for all fritters. They should be fried in deep fat, hot enough to brown a piece of bread in 60 seconds. BATTER FOR SAVORY FRITTERS Put six ounces of flour into a basin, with a pinch of salt, the yolk of one egg, and one-fourth pint of warm water….
Even though these recipes are from cookbooks published in the 1800s, they can easily be followed today. If you don’t have access to lard or don’t care to use it, there are many other cooking oils you can use. Fritters can be pan fried or deep fried, and you’ll want to use an oil with a high smoking point (refer to article from “Serious Eats)”. Also, don’t put too many fritters in the oil at once; it’ll lower the temperature…
Sweet almonds are the kind we eat today in the U.S. But old cookbooks include bitter almonds in recipes. Bitter almonds can be poisonous if you eat too many. Selling bitter almonds is prohibited in the United States, although you can buy European-grown bitter almonds on Amazon. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: There are two varieties, known as the bitter and the sweet almond. The kernel of the almond yields a fixed oil. That produced from the bitter almond is much esteemed for flavoring…
When cabbage is cooked, the cover should be removed from the kettle. This plan permits of the evaporation of much of the strong flavor, which arises in the steam, which would otherwise be reabsorbed by the cabbage. It is the retention of this flavor, together with long cooking, that causes this vegetable to disagree with persons who eat it. If it is cooked in an open vessel and it is boiled just long enough to be tender, an easily digested…
Common or garden sorrel has a tart, lemon flavor and was popular in the 1800s. The larger leaves were used for soups and sauces and the young leaves for salads. I haven’t been able to find out why people quit using it, but it now seems to be making a comeback. You probably won’t find sorrel in a grocery store because it doesn’t ship or store well, even when refrigerated. It doesn’t tolerate heat well, so try growing it as…
Molasses (or black treacle in the U.K.) is a thick, sticky liquid sweetener made from refining sugarcane or sugar beets. I’ve always loved the taste of molasses, even sometimes eating a spoonful from the jar. Of course, I like it in baked goods, too. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: MOLASSES CANDY Boil molasses over a moderately hot fire, stirring constantly. When you think it is done, drop a little on a plate and if sufficiently boiled, it will be hard. Add a…