Historic Cookery

It’s Spring! It’s May! HUZZAH!
So, while cooking at the hearth
of the Israel Crane House this
past Saturday, as well as on
the previous Sunday, I made
dishes that fit with this glorious
season of rebirth and renewal.
And during previous centuries,
that most likely meant two things:
chickens were once again laying
eggs; and cows were giving milk.
I’ve already shared the bread
pudding that I made (which used
eggs and milk). Then Saturday,
I continued this “theme” by making
pancakes, churning butter, and
whipping up syllabubs. Each dish
made good use of eggs, milk, and cream. All this took place during the annual
Herb Plant Sale (which was a HUGE success, by the way) and Family Day, so
naturally, there was a continual crowd of people stopping to visit. Unfortunately,
there was little time to take pictures. However, I did manage to capture a few:

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As I often do, I churned some butter at home, then brought it
in so folks could have a taste. Crackers were on hand and bread
was toasted for that purpose:

We also had some leftover bread pudding. And, as I mentioned,
I also made some syllabubs, but I wasn’t able to get any photos
(see what I’ve done in the past.) Making cheese was on my list,
as well, but since the Plant Sale end of things was sold out and
therefore shut down (but what about Family Day?!), it didn’t seem
wise to start.

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For the pancakes, I used this receipt from Mrs. Lydia Child’s
The American Frugal Housewife (12th ed., 1833):

Pancakes.
Pancakes should be made
of half a pint of milk, three
great spoonfuls of sugar, one
or two eggs, a tea-spoonful
of dissolved pearlash, spiced
with cinnamon, or cloves,
a little salt, rose-water, or
lemon-brandy, just as you
happen to have it. Flour
should be stirred in till
the spoon moves round
with difficulty.