A few weeks ago, I began considering what dish to prepare during the annual Presidents’ Day festivities held this past Monday at the Israel Crane House. Before long, it hit me: a Washington Cake! It’s perfect for a day that celebrates, at least in part, the birthday of the man who led us to victory [...]
Archive for the ‘historic cooking/classes/events’ Category
perfect treat for Presidents’ Day: Washington Cake
Posted in historic cookbooks, historic cooking, historic cooking/classes/events, historic receipts (recipes), Israel Crane House, tagged 19th century foods, cake, pearlash, Presidents' Day, spicy fruit cake, The Israel Crane House, Washington Cake on February 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
presenting…the Potato Pumpkin!
Posted in historic cookbooks, historic cooking, historic cooking/classes/events, historic receipts (recipes), Israel Crane House, tagged forcemeat aka stuffing/dressing, Hannah Glasse, historic meat dishes, Mary Randoplh, mincing, potato pumpkin, The Art of Cookery (1747), The Virginia Housewife (1824), veal and suet on February 15, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
As we’ve seen in the past few posts, a wide array of dishes was offered to those who visited The Israel Crane House during the 2011 annual Essex County (NJ) Historic Holiday House Tour. So far, we’ve reviewed everything from Apees to Gingerbread Cakes to a Minced Pie. Now, to complete our culinary tour, we [...]
meat dishes for Crane’s
Posted in historic cookbooks, historic cooking, historic cooking/classes/events, historic receipts (recipes), Israel Crane House, tagged 17th century receipt, Essex County (NJ) Holiday Historic House Tour, Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery, meat pies, minced meat pie, The Israel Crane House, veal & suet on February 10, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
In addition to a tasty store-bought smoked ham, we had two other historic meat dishes on hand to share with visitors to The Israel Crane House during this past December’s Essex County (NJ) Historic Holiday House Tour. Naturally, they were two of my favorites: a Minced (meat) Pie; and a Potato Pumpkin. I’ll deal first [...]
once again…Gingerbread Cakes
Posted in historic cooking/classes/events, Israel Crane House, tagged early 19th Century foodways, gingerbread cakes, Hannah Glasse, historic foods, The Art of Cookery (1747), The Essex County (NJ) Holiday Historical Houses Tour, The Israel Crane House on February 6, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Several dishes that I made for use this past December at The Israel Crane House during the annual Essex County (NJ) Historic Holiday House Tour were “repeats” from the previous year. They included mulled cider, Pounded Cheese, and of course, a visitor favorite, Gingerbread Cakes. As with last year, I used Hannah Glasse’s receipt from [...]
Apees: authentic vs fakes
Posted in historic cooking/classes/events, modern recipe (!), tagged "fake" apees, "true" apees, historical vs fake, making up "historic" receipts, modern recipes posing as historic, re-writing historic receipts, The Conner Prairie Cookbook on January 31, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
I made Apees many times while working at Conner Prairie years ago. A batch would be baked for afternoon tea every now and then at the Campbell House. And as I said, what I remember most about my past dealings with these small cakes was that, when baked, they were to be light in color, [...]
Apees: the receipt
Posted in historic cookbooks, historic cooking/classes/events, Israel Crane House, tagged 75 Receipts for Pastry Cakes and Sweetmeats, annual Essex County (NJ) Holiday Historic Houses Tour, apees, carraway seeds, Conner Prairie, early 19th C foods, Eliza Leslie, small cakes on January 24, 2012 | 6 Comments »
As mentioned previously, I made small cakes known as “Apees” this past month for use at the Israel Crane House during the annual Essex County (NJ) Holiday Historic House Tour. They seemed to be a big hit with all the folks who came to visit, as there were no leftovers. HUZZAH! Here’s the receipt (recipe) [...]
the holiday table at Crane’s
Posted in historic cooking/classes/events, historic site, Israel Crane House, tagged annual Essex County (NJ) Holiday Historic House Tour, apees, early 19th C foods, Eliza Leslie, holiday foods, small cakes, The Israel Crane House on January 19, 2012 | 1 Comment »
For two days this past December, The Israel Crane House was again included in the group of properties that comprised the Essex County (NJ) Historic Holiday House Tour. Of course, just like last year, I was busy at the hearth in the kitchen, chatting with all the visitors, while cooking a dish or two. A [...]
I know, I promised, and well…dagnabit
Posted in historic cooking, historic cooking/classes/events, historic site, Israel Crane House, tagged apples & sausage, cornbread, dried pumpkin, dried squash, historic cooking, The Israel Crane House on January 14, 2012 | 2 Comments »
I know, I know. Believe me, I KNOW! Nearly two weeks ago, on New Year’s Day, I wrote: I promise to get back to writing here more often! Yeah, sure, you bet! dagnabit. Guess I should’ve just stuck with “Happy New Year” and been done with it! Alas, I didn’t. It’s pretty amazing, though: take [...]
heading to the Crane House…again
Posted in historic cooking/classes/events, Israel Crane House, tagged annual Essex County (NJ) Holiday Historic Houses Tour, historic cooking, potato pumpkin, The Israel Crane House on December 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I apologize for not posting anything lately. I’ve been SUPER busy. I’ll be heading over to the Israel Crane House again tomorrow (Saturday, December 10) and Sunday (December 11). You see, the House is included on the Essex County Holiday Historical Houses Tour, and I’ll be cooking at the hearth. There’ll be a wide array [...]
receipts: pumpkin pud & apple tarts
Posted in historic cookbooks, historic cooking, historic cooking/classes/events, historic site, Israel Crane House, tagged Amelia Simmons, American Cookery, Apple Tarts, apples, historic cookbooks, historic receipts (recipes), Israel Crane House, Montclair Historical Society (MHS), pompkin, Pompkin Pudding on November 14, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Here are the receipts (recipes) for the pumpkin pudding and the apple tarts that I made recently at the Israel Crane House. Both are from Amelia Simmons’ book American Cookery (1796). As I mentioned previously, the fillings for each were cooked down ahead of time. I used a basic pie crust, as well, rather than [...]


