Howdy. Yeah, I’m still here. Gee, what has it been?
Ten days?!? eeegad. It’s amazing how chunks of time
can pass by basically unnoticed. It sure flies when
you’re…doing other things! dagnabit. There was
some personal business, feeling under the weather,
then a bit of…well…oh, blah, blah, blah.
Excuses, mckooses! My apologies. Now let’s get back
to work!
Okay. Before my little (big?!) break, I’d been writing
about New Year’s Cake, which I noted seemed to have
become more prevalent in America towards the end
of the 18th and on into the 19th century. We viewed
a variety of receipts from published and manuscript
sources, all of which seemed both nearly alike and
yet vastly different. We began with Amelia Simmons’
bread-like version in American Cookery, which used
yeast, and watched as it evolved during the next
fifty-some-odd years into a more cake-like treat,
courtesy of other leaveners, and then into what,
essentially, are cookies.
The majority of my historic cookbooks (facsimiles, all)
are from the mid to late 18th century and the early
19th (up to about 1850). I have a few books dating
beyond that, but not many. As you now know, of course,
I found New Year’s Cake receipts in many of the pre-1850
works. In the few post-1850 that I have, however, there
was not one receipt. It seems to have fallen out of favor.
However, more research is necessary before a definitive
statement can be made. [Has anyone out there already
done so? I'd be interested in learning more.]
Of course, at some point, maybe for the next New Year,
I’d like to make New Year’s Cake, using several different
receipts. Determine for myself which is good or bad or
plain ol’ so-so, as well as just how each differs in taste,
texture, and overall composition. Ahhh…another project
for next, er, later this year!
