Originally from South and Central America, sweet potatoes were growing throughout much of these two regions as well as the Caribbean by the time of Columbus’s arrival. Sweet potatoes are not only delicious, but also highly nutritious, containing protein, fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium, folic acid, magnesium and potassium. In the nineteenth century, sweet potatoes were most often served baked, roasted, boiled, stewed, fried, and incorporated into baked goods such as pies, pudding and biscuits. Most Thanksgiving menus at the time featured them baked, browned (fried in butter, lard and sugar) or glazed (boiled and then basted with butter). The candied, marshmallow-topped casserole typical of many modern Thanksgiving menus didn’t come about until the early twentieth century.
 
But sweet potatoes weren’t only for Thanksgiving. James Parkinson featured them as one of several vegetables for the ninth course at his 1851 Thousand Dollar Dinner, the result of an annual culinary competition between two clubs of wealthy men – one from New York and one from Philadelphia. The group had first enjoyed a magnificent banquet at New York’s Delmonico’s Restaurant. Not to be outdone, the Philadelphians politely invited the New Yorkers to James W. Parkinson’s restaurant in Philadelphia.
 
They settled the date for April 19, which made things rather tricky for Parkinson, as it was between seasons. At this point in the nineteenth century, it had become very fashionable for elaborate banqueting menus to feature special preparations of rare, early season, or out-of-season vegetables as a light course toward the end of dinner, which became known as entremets de légumes. Today’s high-speed transportation methods allow us to enjoy fresh produce year round. But for Parkinson, procuring these specialties would have hinged on how quickly items could have been shipped to Philadelphia from warmer locales without spoiling. As noted by New York guest R. B. Valentine, an avid epicure, the timing “took the caterer greatly at a disadvantage as to both game and vegetables. He could only obtain what he did by special use of both telegraph and express.” Sweet potatoes love hot weather, so it is likely he obtained them from a southern location using these methods.
 
What we don’t know is how he served them. He may have chosen a simple preparation that really showcased the flavor of the sweet potato, such as baked or boiled, but since this was such a fancy meal, it is likely he chose a presentation that was a bit more elegant, such as souffléd, croquettes, or even “creamed” by sautéing in a little milk. This last technique sounded so interesting, I had to try it. Here’s the instructions from the 1873 publication The Science of Health: “Slice them (sweet potatoes) into warm milk, cover close, and cook till they begin to break; salt slightly, and mix them until but little milk is visible. This dish is also very good made with Irish and sweet potatoes mixed.”
Sautéing the sweet potatoes in milk made them extremely tender and added a savory flavor, almost as if they had been baked with cheese. A very easy, yet pretty presentation:
 

Sweet Potatoes Souffléd and Sweet Potato Croquettes sound equally delicious:
Souffléd - Cut them up raw into quarter-inch slices, pare them oval-shaped two and three-quarters by one and a half inches, then fry slowly in white fat to have them to have them cook without coloring or stiffening; drain and ten minutes later throw them back into hot fat; they should puff out considerably.
Croquettes - After the potatoes are roasted cut them lengthwise in two and empty out the insides; to this add salt, nutmeg, egg yolks and fresh butter; mix well together, and when the preparation is thoroughly cold roll it up into inch and three-quarter diameter balls, dip them in eggs, then roll in bread-crumbs and fry to a fine golden brown; dress in a circle, having a bunch of fried parsley to decorate the center.
(From: The Epicurean by Charles Ranhofer)

But for Thanksgiving, most people puree cooked sweet potatoes into some kind of casserole. This is the one that has become the favorite “go-to” recipe in my family:

Sweet Potato Casserole

• 3 large sweet potatoes
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup orange juice

Boil sweet potatoes for half hour or until tender. Peel and blend in a food processor with remaining ingredients. Place in a 9x9 baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 350F for 25-30 min.
Yield: 6 servings – (I often double the recipe for a crowd).
​Delicious! Happy Thanksgiving!
 ​

A favorite crisp and crunchy autumn treat, apple varieties range in flavor from the very sweet Golden Delicious to the tart Granny Smith. When cooked, apples mellow into a delicious melt-in-your-mouth experience that highlights many types of sweet dishes - most notably the all-American apple pie. A less known but equally delectable dessert is meringues de pomme, (also known as meringued apples or apples meringue) a delicious baked apple dish with a light, airy meringue topping. The contrasting texture of the pillowy, slightly crispy meringue balances the warm spiced apples perfectly. This elegant dessert was one of dishes served during the "pastry course" at James Parkinson's Thousand Dollar Dinner in 1851.  
A sweet blend of stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar, meringue was a popular feature in many nineteenth-century desserts. In The Lady’s Receipt-Book (1847), Eliza Leslie commented, “Any very nice baked pudding will be improved by covering the surface with a meringue.” This idea of baked desserts iced with meringue increased through the next few decades. Meringue actually dates back to the sixteenth century, when European cooks first realized that whisking egg whites with birch twigs (for the lack of a better utensil) created a light, frothy mixture. It was eventually discovered that meringue hardens when baked at a low temperature (or simply left out in the air to dry), changing the texture to one that is pleasantly airy and crispy. 
as per nineteenth century recipes for meringues de pomme, peeled and cored apples were sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and baked until tender. They were then either transferred to a baked pie shell or simply left in the baking dish. The cored centers were filled with orange marmalade and sometimes crushed macaroons. The entire top of the pie was covered with meringue and popped back into the oven until browned. The cookbook The Philadelphia Housewife (1855) cleverly recommended swirling a peak of meringue over each apple to serve as a guide when serving the pie. 

To recreate this delicious dessert, I combined recipes from Miss Leslie's The Lady’s Receipt-Book (1847) and the Cooking School Text Book (1878) by Juliet Corson. The result was luscious and stunning.

Apple Meringues

Apples (about 6 large - depends on how many will fit in your baking dish)
Granulated sugar
Butter
Cinnamon
4 egg whites, at room temperature
8 tablespoons powdered sugar
Tablespoon rose-water for flavoring (optional).

1.  Preheat oven to 350F. 
2.  Peel and core the apples and stand them up in a deep baking dish. Pour just enough water into the bottom of the dish to prevent them from burning.  Fill each core with a little sugar, a pat of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Bake them until just tender, about 30-40 minutes.
3.  Take them out and drain off any juice. When cool, fill the cores with thick marmalade or jelly (I used plum preserves). 
4.  Whisk the egg whites to a stiff firm froth, then gradually beat in the sugar, a spoonful at a time, then add the rose-water if using. Cover the apples with the meringue, beginning at the top of each apple and then spreading it down evenly with a broad-bladed knife dipped frequently into a bowl of cold water. The meringue must be spread on very smoothly and of equal thickness all over. 
5.  Set the dish in a cool oven, and as soon as the meringue is hardened, take it out.