The title page of the first edition (1828) of Seventy-five
Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats, notes that
it was written “By a Lady of Philadelphia.” Future editions
confirmed that this “Lady” was one Eliza Leslie, who was,
indeed, born, and lived most of her life, in that city. What’s
interesting, though, is that many, if not all, of her cookbooks
were published, not in Philly, but in Boston. I have no idea
why that was the case. Surely there were capable publishing
houses in Philadelphia? Or were better and/or the “best” all
located in Boston? There may or may not be an answer.
In any event, who cares? Does it really matter? Well, no, it
doesn’t. Except that, well, what prompted me to notice all
this is that, as we’ve seen in my previous posts, there are
receipts for both New-York Cup Cake and New York Cookies
in two of Philadelphian Leslie’s cookbooks. I wonder, where
did she get them? Why are they called “New York” foods?
Are they from some real (or fictional?) New York person or
place? Or did someone develop these receipts at some point
in time, needed to label them, and so chose New York just
to add an element of “specialness”? Oftentimes, receipts
would be entitled, say, “Chicken the French Way” or “To
dry beef after the dutch Fashion” just, well, just…because.
Sounds better than merely “Chicken” or “dried beef,” right?
In other words, there was nothing really special, or French
or Dutch for that matter, about them.
I don’t know whether there are answers to any of these
questions. My guess would be, well, probably not. It just
IS what it is. However, it prompted my search for New York
cake and cookie receipts in actual New York-area cookbooks.
And I finally found one in Ladies’ Indispensable Assistant,
a book first published in 1850 in New York City:
_________________________
New-York Cup Cake.
Take four eggs, four tumblers
of sifted flour, three tumblers
of powdered white sugar, one
tumbler of butter, one tumbler
of rich milk, one glass of white
wine, a grated nutmeg, a tea-
spoonful of powdered cinnamon,
and a small tea-spoonful
of saleratus. Warm the milk
and put in the butter, keeping
it by the fire till the butter is
melted; stir into the milk
the eggs beaten very light,
in turn with the flour; and
the spice and wine; and,
lastly, the saleratus dissolved
in a little vinegar: stir all very
hard; butter small tin pans,
half fill them, and bake
in a moderate oven of equal
heat throughout.
_________________________
Problem is, the above is pretty much the exact same receipt
as that in Leslie’s 1836 edition of Seventy-five Receipts! Yes,
there’re a few minor differences, but overall, it’s the same.
Golly. A book published in New York “borrowed” a receipt
for a New-York-named food item from one printed in Boston
and written by a Philadelphian. What’s up with that?!
So, now it’s back to square one: Where are the true New York
New-Yorks? Guess I’ll have to keep looking. And if anyone out
there finds something, please share!
