"Now ice cream is potent, and Parkinson opens his portals and vends vanilla. Penn cockneys cram the dainty fabrication down their unrelenting mouths with marvelous insatiety." 
 ~"Philadelphia in the Dog Days," Graham’s Magazine, July 1837 
 
A member of the orchid family, vanilla comes from a plant that produces long, narrow pods filled with tiny seeds. It is actually a New World food, native to southern Mexico, Central America and the West Indies. Thomas Jefferson was apparently a fan, as he imported vanilla beans to flavor his homemade ice cream. However, the rich ingredient didn’t enter widespread use in America until the mid-19th century, when increased production lowered the cost.
 
Once it did become more widely available, vanilla flavored treats took off, and ice cream was no exception. In fact, vanilla it was one of the most popular ice cream flavors in the 1840s and 1850s, featured on the menu at Philadelphian James Parkinson’s 1851 culinary duel with New York known as The Thousand Dollar Dinner.
 
Parkinson's vanilla ice cream obtained its rich, decadent taste through the use of pure vanilla sugar, which contained small bits of ground vanilla bean, not artificial vanilla flavoring as is often used today. He even sold his own vanilla extract to be used in various confectionery. In an advertisement for this product he warns, "Never use vanilla extracts which are of a dark color. The pure article is of a bright, clear amber. The genuine vanilla odor is much more delicate, like the fine aromatic fragrance of flowers.

​This recipe has been one of my son’s favorites ever since he discovered it over four years ago in a cute kids cookbook he checked out of the school library called Cool Pies & Tarts. I had heard of French Silk Pie - perhaps on a restaurant menu or in a store, but didn't recall ever trying it. So I just assumed it would be similar to a chocolate mousse or chocolate cream pie. But this luscious dessert is even better. Delectable is really the best word to describe it. Smooth, creamy, rich - pure chocolate heaven. 

So of course I had to figure out the history of this incredible dessert! It is a fairly recent phenomenon which dates back to 1951 when Betty Cooper from Kensington, Maryland submitted her original recipe for French Silk Chocolate Pie and won the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. You can view this version on the Pillsbury website (the company says it is one of their "top 10 pies to try"). From there I guess it just took off, as a review of literature from the second half of the 20th century shows it popping up in cookbooks, magazines and newspapers, and more recently on blogs such as Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

One of the best things about this pie is that it is surprisingly easy to make and takes just a few ingredients. The original recipe says to use a regular pie crust, but the one in the kids cookbook suggested a vanilla wafer cookie crust, although we prefer graham cracker. As an FYI- it calls for four eggs that end up not being cooked and require 5 minutes of beating each (yes, a full 20 minutes total -this gives it that delicious ultra-creamy and whipped consistency). The recipe does specify pasteurized eggs (technically all egg products sold in the U.S. must be pasteurized due to the risk of food-borne illnesses), although many folks still might find using raw eggs problematic with various salmonella outbreaks. However, I honestly don't worry too much about that since I only buy organic, free-range eggs which pose much less of a risk. Also, folks that are very young, very old, pregnant or with comprised immune systems are more susceptible to issues with raw eggs, none of which fit our family demographic. (For those who are concerned, there are numerous French Silk Pie recipes that call for cooked eggs - here's one from Food.com, or just simply Google "French Silk Pie cooked" for others).
Here’s the recipe we use:

French Silk Pie

INGREDIENTS
For the pie crust

• 1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• ½ tsp cinnamon
  
  

For the Filling

• 3 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 pasteurized eggs 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• whipped cream (optional)
  
  1. Place graham crackers in a gallon-size plastic zipper bag, seal and then roll over the bag with a rolling pin to crush into crumbs. (You could also pulverize them in a food processor, but kids find it fun to crush with the rolling pin).
  2. Mix the crumbs with the sugar, cinnamon and melted butter in a mixing bowl until well combined.
  3. Spread the crumb mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan, pressing firmly into the bottom and sides. Place the crust in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
  4. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Let cool to room temperature.
  5. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy then beat in the melted chocolate.
  6. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 5 minutes before adding each egg and scraping down the sides of the bowl every few minutes. (Do not skimp on the time for this - you will be well-rewarded for your patience!)
  7. Stir in the vanilla.
  8. Pour mixture into the prepared pie shell and chill for several hours
  

​           9. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy!!

Source: Cool Pies & Tarts by Pam Price 

​Ingredients:

• 1 box DeCecco Racchette shaped pasta
• 1 cucumber
• 2 tomatoes (or 1 container cherry tomatoes)
• 1/3 cup chopped pitted olives
• Pesto (directions below)

 

1. Cook pasta until al dente (about 9 min). When done, drain and rinse with cold water then transfer to a large bowl.
2. Peel cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Chop into bite size pieces. Chop tomatoes (or cut in half if using cherry tomatoes). Add cucumber, tomatoes and olives to pasta.
3. Mix in pesto. (May not need entire recipe below. If not, refrigerate or freeze remaining for future use).
4. Chill for a few hours to allow flavors to blend Enjoy!

Pesto

• 2 cups basil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
Pulse basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, almonds, salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil while pulsing. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and pulse again. Add more lemon juice if needed.  

Delicate and buttery with a tinge of salty brininess, it’s hard to imagine that scallops were one of the least consumed shellfish in the nineteenth century. Today restaurant menus often feature this luxury food for upwards of $25. But in the past, the lack of scallop offerings was not due to cost, it was simply because they were not as favored.  According to James Beard, other varieties of shellfish considered delicacies today were also “underappreciated,” including crab and shrimp.
 
The most popular nineteenth century shellfish was undoubtedly the much-revered oyster – not only a staple on fine dining tables throughout the Victorian era, but also served up by street vendors in major cities and featured in oyster bars. Lobsters were also a favorite, and even clams, as per the recipes found in era cookbooks. 
 
Charles Ranhofer’s The Epicurean (1893) lists only six recipes for scallops and two for shrimp, but features pages of oyster and lobster dishes, as well as recipes for frogs, snails, and terrapin – the turtle was highly prized at the time. Ranhofer’s comment about scallops: “They are eaten, although of a tough nature.” Perhaps it was the way they were prepared then. Most recipes recommended parboiling prior to frying or baking, which is an unnecessary amount of cooking for these tender morsels. Most modern recipes warn that searing or sautéing scallops a minute or two per side is plenty. 
 
I personally adore scallops, and was delighted when I found dry scallops on sale during a recent trip to the supermarket. Dry scallops taste much better as they are freshly caught. As noted by America’s Test Kitchen’s Molly Birnbaum, wet scallops “are treated with a solution of water and sodium tripolyphosphate, or STPP, which preserves them as soon as they are harvested at sea. Then they're often frozen.” This solution helps preserve them, but it also gives them a spongy texture and imparts a soapy taste.
 
Because they aren’t wet and soggy, dry scallops are perfect for searing, which is what I did, adapting a 19th century recipe from the era’s celebrity chef, Pierre Blot. Not surprisingly, it was one of just a handful of scallop recipes featured in his cookbooks. As I mentioned, 19th century recipes tended to favor a longer cooking time, and indeed, Blot recommends blanching the scallops first, perhaps to prevent them from sticking to the pan. However, I skipped this step since I wanted to make sure the outside was crispy and the interior remained tender and juicy.
 
Blot’s recipe is really simple:
 
Scallops – Blanch the scallops for three minutes, drain them. Put butter on the fire in a frying-pan, and when melted turn the scallops in; stir now and then, take from the fire when fried, add parsley chopped fine, salt, pepper, and serve warm. 
 
Fusing Blot’s recipe with instructions from modern recipes, here’s what I did:
 
Simply Scallops

• 1 pound dry sea scallops (not bay scallops)
• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley

​

1. Place scallops in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Melt the butter over very high heat. When pan is sizzling, add scallops and spread out.
3. Cook just two minutes a side or until opaque, then remove to a platter and sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley. That’s it!

 
I served mine with some linguine dressed in olive oil, lemon, garlic and parlsey alongside some sautéed broccolini (baby broccoli), but feel free to be creative! They were delicious served with a Washington State Pinot Gris.

Sources: Hand-book of Practical Cookery by Pierre Blot, American Cookery by James Beard, The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink ed. by Andrew F. Smith, The Epicurean by Charles Ranhofer  ​

​Most people know that June 14 is Flag Day, but did you realize it is also National Strawberry Shortcake Day? A perfect reason to celebrate these two All-American icons!  

True strawberry shortcake incorporates a rich, crumbly, biscuit-like cake that is not too sweet - very similar to a scone. The biscuit dough can be shaped into one large cake and then cut into pieces, or baked as separate little cakes, either by cutting the dough into rounds with a biscuit cutter, or dropping spoonfuls of dough on a baking sheet like a drop biscuit. Each individual cake is then split in half, filled with ripe, juicy strawberries and topped with fresh whipped cream.
 
A popular Victorian dessert, strawberry shortcake began popping up in American cookbooks in the mid-1800s, likely evolving from the shortcake and biscuit-type desserts that were common in England, such as Derby Short Cakes (also known as Derby Biscuits or Derby Cakes) - thick biscuits sweetened with sugar and sometimes currants, cut into scalloped rounds. Derby Short Cakes were apparently an offshoot of Yarmouth Biscuits, an even richer treat made with liberal amounts of butter and eggs and seasoned with caraway seeds.
 
But Derby Short Cakes and the other shortcake recipes that came later were different from Yarmouth Biscuits in that they all used some form of dairy  - milk, cream, buttermilk, sour cream, etc. Not only did this moisten and tenderize the dough, it also gave the biscuits a crisper crust and added structure, preventing them from collapsing in the oven.
 
However, these still would have been rather flat since they contained no rising agent. But once chemical leavenings came on the scene in the nineteenth century, they were added to shortcake recipes, resulting in full, fluffy biscuits with a softer crumb. It is not known for sure when strawberries were first partnered with shortcake. Wild strawberries are native to both the Old and New World, so they would have been available to European and American cooks. Although they produce smaller berries and lower yields than today’s commercial varieties, they are sweeter and more flavorful – a perfect companion for rich, not overly sweet shortcake.
 
Strawberries were so beloved in America that British traveller Godfrey Vigne wrote about a strawberry party, or “Fête champêtre” that took place in Baltimore in 1831. “Quadrilles and waltzes were kept up with great spirit, first on the lawn, and then in the house till about eleven. In the mean time strawberries and cream, ices, pineapples, and champagne, were served up in the greatest profusion,” he remarked.
 
So perhaps it was a “given” that shortcake was topped with strawberries or other fruit, it just wasn’t written down in the recipe books. In any case, the oldest mention of strawberry shortcake I was able to find dates back to 1835, published in The New York Farmer and American Gardener's Magazine, although the author refers to it as “Strawberry Cake”: “In several parts of New-England, and I suppose wherever the worthy housewives of that portion of our country are scattered, short-cake is made, and while hot is cut open, and strawberries sweetened with sugar are put in. This cake is said to be delicious.” Sounds like the strawberry shortcake we all know and love!
 
The earliest recipe I found with the exact wording “Strawberry Short Cake” was published twenty years later in 1855, and it sounds absolutely decadent:
 
Strawberry Short Cake
Take one pint of rich sour cream, half a teaspoonful of pearlash and flour enough to make it of the consistency of soft biscuit, salt, roll it out and bake it on a large pie plate when cold enough to split and not make it heavy; split it evenly and put a quart of nice strawberries in the centre, covering them with half a pint of rich sweet cream and powdered sugar; return the upper crust, and when you serve it cut it the same as pie. Very rich for the stomach.
(Source: The Practical Housekeeper, and Young Woman's Friend By Marion L. Scott, 1855)
 
But the version I decided to try was from the journal of Anna Maxwell (also known as Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion’s “First Lady of the House”). Today we have the luxury today of buying strawberries year-round, but in Anna’s day, they would have only been available when strawberries were in season, typically May and June. If you can, try to find local strawberries for this recipe as they will be much fresher, juicier and more flavorful.
 
Anna’s recipe was so easy and required minimal ingredients – simply a joy to make. The biscuits were delicious and could be served on their own as part of a chicken dinner, paired with other summer fruit such as blueberries or peaches, or even for breakfast. In fact, my children had the leftover biscuits the next morning with a little melted butter and smear of whipped cream – they raved about this indulgent treat!
Here’s the adapted version:

Anna Maxwell’s Strawberry Short Cake  

Ingredients:

• 1 pound strawberries
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon baking soda,
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Place a mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer (for making whipped cream later).
3. Rinse, hull and slice strawberries. Place in bowl and add sugar to taste. Set aside. 
4. Mix the flour, sugar and salt together, then add the chilled butter, blending it in with a pastry cutter until the mixture is a fine consistency.
5. Dissolve the baking soda into the sour cream and add to the other ingredients along with the egg. Mix with a fork until a soft dough forms; add a little extra flour if needed. Form into a ball with floured hands and roll out onto a lightly floured surface to ¾-inch thickness. Cut into 4 biscuits with a biscuit cutter and place on ungreased baking sheet. Scoop up remaining dough and roll out again, cutting out two more biscuits. Add to baking sheet and place in the oven.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
7. To make whipped cream, remove mixing bowl and beaters from freezer. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and heavy cream in bowl. Whisk just until the cream holds its shape.
8. To serve, split shortcakes in half with serrated knife, spread strawberries and their juices over the bottom halves and top with shortcake tops and whipped cream. Enjoy!!!

 
My taste testers loved this dessert and even asked for the recipe. A true American classic that’s just as excellent today as it was during the Victorian era!
 
Additional sources: Baking in America by Greg Patent; The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson; The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink, ed. by Andrew F. Smith; Food in the United States, 1820s-1890 by Susan Williams, The Foods of England Project website- http://www.foodsofengland.co.uk/index.htm

Crispy on the outside and slightly soft on the inside, these delightful little cakes are reminiscent of shortbread or scones. A fragrant combination of cinnamon and rose water gives them a delicate, slightly spicy flavor. Perfect for enjoying alongside a steaming cup of tea or coffee, they can be found in Pierre Blot’s Handbook of Practical Cookery (1868), and are very similar to another recipe for “Tea Cakes” from that same cookbook that I blogged about previously. 

Although Blot calls them “Hard Cakes,” they are basically Shrewsbury Cakes, which originated in the British medieval market town of Shrewsbury and became a teatime staple in many colonial American households. An 1851 book from Henry Pidgeon called Memorials of Shrewsbury sheds a little light on the history of these indulgences. Says Pidgeon, “Among the delicacies for which our town is celebrated may be mentioned a most delicious Cake … which appear to have been presented to distinguished personages on their visit to this town as early as the reign of Elizabeth; and when their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria arrived here in 1832, they were graciously pleased to accept a box of them from the Mayor.”

They are often embellished with a pretty design, made by scoring the dough with a knife (or a wooden stick as Blot suggests) and then glazing with beaten egg. I’m wondering if this is because Shrewsbury was also well known for its stained glass, which adorned churches and mansions throughout the area. As Pidgeon states, “Glass-staining has been brought to the highest state of perfection in this town … contending in effect with some of the finest works of the ancient masters.”

​In any case, these delicious treats are very easy to make – just flour, sugar, butter, eggs, cinnamon, (nutmeg, mace or caraway seeds can be used instead) and rose water (or any other essence, such as orange-flower water, lemon essence, or even vanilla). Although rising agents such as saleratus would have been available to Blot, he sticks with the original recipe, which uses no baking agent. Enjoy!
 
Blot’s original recipe:
 
Hard.—Put half a pound of flour on the paste-board and make a hole in the middle; put into it three ounces of pulverized sugar, three ounces of butter, two eggs, a pinch of cinnamon, a few drops of essence, and knead the whole well, dust the board with flour, roll the paste down to a thickness of about one-fourth of an inch, cut it in pieces with a paste-cutter, of any shape; beat one egg with a teaspoonful of sugar and glaze the pieces with it; with a piece of wood draw leaves or flowers on each, and bake in an oven at about 360 degrees Fahr. They are eaten cold at tea.
 
My adapted version:
 
Hard (Shrewsbury) Cakes

• 1 ¾ cups flour
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp essence (rosewater or orange blossom water)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp sugar

 

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Cream butter and sugar in a blender until well mixed.
4. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add rosewater.
5. Sift flour with cinnamon and slowly add to other ingredients.
6. Form dough into a ball and roll out onto a well-floured surface to a thickness of slightly more than ¼ inch. Cut into shapes using a biscuit or cookie cutter. (I used a flower-shaped cutter – you could also just use a glass to make circles).
7. Beat an egg with a teaspoon of sugar and use this to generously glaze the pieces. Using a knife, draw flowers or leaves on each (I did letters to symbolize the initials of the friends with whom I shared my finished version).
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy as per British tradition if you’d like - spread with some clotted cream and preserves accompanied by a cup of tea. 

Sources: Handbook of Practical Cookery by Pierre Blot (1868), Memorials of Shrewsbury by Henry Pidgeon (1851),  A Sweet Taste of History by Chef Walter Staib (2013)

I searched thoroughly for some historical background on these sweets, but could not determine when they first originated in Philadelphia. However, I did discover that there are actual potato candy recipes (candy made with potatoes!) So perhaps the Philadelphia version evolved from these. Again, it is unclear how far back these potato candy recipes go, but it looks like they started becoming popular in the early twentieth century, especially in the south and midwest regions on the U.S. Most of the recipes I found require just three ingredients: potato, sugar and peanut butter, although I did find one that calls for shredded coconut and vanilla and substitutes chocolate for the peanut butter, courtesy of Alice Bradley, who was one of the principals of Fannie Farmer’s Cooking School. And none of these potato candy recipes suggest forming the mixture into a ball and rolling in cinnamon, coach and sugar to resemble a potato. It is likely some Philadelphia confectioner just happened to think of the idea in order to increase sales during the St. Patrick’s Day season, and it took off from there. That’s my theory anyway! In any case, go ahead and try any of these recipes, they are all tasty and easy!

Authentic Philadelphia-style Irish Potatoes (recipe from The Kitchn)
Irish Potato Candy
Makes about 4 1/2 dozen

• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 pound powdered sugar (4 cups)
• 7 ounces flaked, sweetened coconut (2 2/3 cups), preferably angel flake
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Place the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer and large bowl.) Beat on medium speed until fluffy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater with a rubber spatula.
Return the mixer to low speed and gradually add the powdered sugar. When all the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides again. Add the coconut and beat on low speed until incorporated.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper if desired for easy cleanup. Scoop the coconut mixture out by level tablespoons onto the baking sheet, spacing them close together but not touching. Repeat until all the mixture is used up. Refrigerate for 30 minutes for the mixture to set.
Place the cinnamon in a small bowl. Using your hands, roll 1 of the pieces into a slightly oblong potato shape. Roll in the cinnamon to completely coat, then place back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
Recipe Notes

• Storage: Leftovers can be stacked on top of each other in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Potato Cocoanut Candy

• 1 medium sized potato
• 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
• 2 cups shredded cocoanut
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Chocolate​

Cook potato in boiling water until soft, and force through a coarse sieve or a potato ricer. There should be half a cup of potato. To this add sugar, cocoanut and vanilla, working together until well mixed. Press once inch thick into small bread pan, and spread top with a thin layer of melted bitter or chocolate or sweet chocolate. When chocolate is firm, cut into small squares. This can be varied by using nuts or fruits instead of cocoanut. 
Source: The Candy Cook Book by Alice Bradley, Principal of Miss Farmer’s School of Cookery, 1922

Winter is the ultimate time for comforting soups and stews. I love using my slow cooker to simmer vegetables, beans and grains combined with flavorful spices. It makes the house smell divine and eases the craziness of the dinner hour, perfect for today's busy schedules when families sometimes cannot all eat together. This is the soup I created last night. I like more of a stew-like consistency, so I didn't use too much broth. Feel free to add more if you'd like - the barley and beans will absorb a pretty good amount of liquid. You can also adjust or add seasonings to your taste - experiment with what you like! 

• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1/2 diced onion
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• Vegetable or chicken broth (2-3 cups)
• 1 small can low-salt V-8 or tomato juice
• 1 can white beans 
• 1/3 cup barley
• 1 cup frozen chopped broccoli rabe (or any other green - you can also use fresh)
• 2-3 links precooked sliced chicken sausage (I used Bilinski’s apple chardonnay)

​

1. Sauté the garlic, onion, carrot and celery in a little olive oil until soft (about 5 min.)
2. Transfer to a slow cooker and add broth, juice, beans, barley and greens. 
3. Cook on high for a couple of hours until barley is cooked. 
4. Turn cooker down to low setting and add sausage. Continue cooking for another couple hours until flavors blend, then turn down to warm setting until ready to serve.
5. Pair with some crusty bread and a nice glass of chardonnay if you'd like. Enjoy!

​The word biscuit is used to describe a wide variety of baked goods, ranging from crisp cracker-type cookies to rich, fluffy rolls (buttermilk biscuits). It comes from the Latin panis biscoutus, which means, “bread twice cooked,” and many types are indeed hard and crunchy, made by baking in a low oven for a long time (like a meringue).
 
However, the biscuits I adapted from French chef Pierre Blot’s 1863 cookbook What to Eat, and how to Cook it are not. They are very similar to a Savoy biscuit, which originated in France back in the 1600s and were made from frothy whisked eggs mixed with sugar and flour. During this era of food history, chemical-leavening agents had not yet been invented, so it was the whipped eggs that made them rise. Similar to a sponge cake, Savoy biscuits call for beating the eggs separately. First the egg yolks are beaten with the sugar, then the flour is added, and at the end, frothy egg whites are folded in, helping create lovely pockets of air bubbles in the batter, resulting in a light, delicate biscuit.
 
Sometimes a flavoring was added such as cinnamon, lemon, orange, vanilla, or even chocolate, as in this version. Chocolate biscuits were probably less common at this point in the mid-19th century since chocolate was still rather expensive and difficult to process. (In the second part of the 19th century, improvements in cocoa processing created a much smoother, more delicious tasting chocolate, which better translated to baking). However, the French were early experimenters with the flavor now so ubiquitous in today's baked confections. And since Pierre Blot does include the recipe (and even a derivation for icing them with chocolate), he must have made these delicacies, and perhaps even taught them in his cooking school, the New York Cooking Academy.
 
This is how he describes them in his cookbook, “Many names are given to these biscuits, according to fancy; they are called biscuits en caisse, a la cuiller, a la royale, etc.; these names mean nothing. They may be baked in moulds, in small square paper boxes, buttered, or on slips of paper only; it is very easily done.”
 
Since I wanted my chocolate biscuits to have a holiday theme, I poured the batter into some mini cupcake pans lined with holly-patterned cupcake papers. Really you could use any little molds or even pour the batter into a pastry bag and pipe it onto oblong finger shapes on baking sheets lined with parchment paper (like ladyfingers).  After they cooled, I glazed them with some melted chocolate. The result? Divine!!

Here’s the original recipe:
 
CHOCOLATE BISCUIT.
Pound well two ounces of chocolate, mix it properly with paste E*, put it in a well buttered mould or moulds, and place them in a moderately heated oven; watch carefully till baked, which you easily tell by the color it assumes.
 
* PASTE E: Beat well together the yolks of six eggs and half a pound of fine, white sugar; whisk to a froth the six whites; mix the whole with six ounces of the best flour (which flour you must have previously dried in an oven, and sifted before using it); when the whole is properly mixed, it makes a light paste, and is ready for immediate use. 

Chocolate glaze: Put one ounce of chocolate in a tin sauce pan with a teaspoonful of water, and set on a slow fire; when melted, mix with it two tablespoons of sugar, stir for a while; that is, till it is just thick enough to spread it over the cakes, and not liquid enough to run down the sides. The biscuits may either be dipped in the chocolate or the chocolate may be spread over them with a knife. Serve cold.
 
My adapted version:
 
CHOCOLATE BISCUIT

• 6 eggs, separated
• 1 cup superfine sugar  (you can just grind some regular granulated sugar in your blender to give it a finer texture)
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 2 ounces grated baking chocolate (I used Ghirardelli bittersweet)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Beat together the egg yolks and sugar
3. Slowly add the flour and grated chocolate and mix well.
4. Whisk the egg whites to a stiff froth and gently fold into the batter.
5. Spoon into mini cupcake pans or molds lined with baking papers or use a pastry bag to pipe the mixture onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.
6. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove to a wire rack.
7. Once cool, melt ½ cup of bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli) and dip biscuits into melted chocolate or spread carefully over biscuits. Let cool – the chocolate will harden and form a nice glaze. Enjoy!

Sources: What to Eat, and how to Cook it: Containing Over One Thousand Receipts
By Pierre Blot, 1863; The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson

Pot-au-feu is a thick, hearty beef stew, perfect for cold winter evenings. It was the very first dish French cooking instructor Pierre Blot taught to his enthusiastic students at the opening of his New York Cooking Academy in 1865. Not a surprise, as this dish has been referred to as the “national dish of France.” Chef Jacques Pepin called it “the classic winter Sunday lunch of my youth.”
 
Originally part of the typical cuisine of ordinary French people, this popular dish (literally translated as “pot on the fire”) has evolved into dozens of iterations, with each cook giving it their own signature spin. It was often made with tough but flavorful pieces of beef, like the shin, brisket or shank, but other items such as stuffed chicken, turkey leg, mutton or veal knuckles, sausage or oxtails can also be added to the pot to add elegance and boost the taste. For this version, I have tried to stick as closely to Blot’s 19th century version as possible, but feel free to make it your own by adding any of the above items.
 
Here’s a brief description of the methodology "Professor" Blot taught his cooking class ...
He used a fancy piece of round steak, removing the fat and bone, explaining to his students that the meat must be simmered (never boiled) in cold water for five hours in order to create the soup’s required flavor and texture. “If the meat was put into hot water, the pores would immediately close up and harden the flesh, preventing its juices from emitting their nutritious qualities,” he clarified. After about two hours of simmering, slices of carrot, turnip, celery, onions, cloves, salt and pepper were placed in a thin muslin bag and gently lowered to the pot. Blot called this broth the “alphabet” of the culinary art; the “foundation upon which good cooking is based.” In French cooking, this rich stock is often used as a base for other soups or stews, or to flavor other dishes, such as Fricandeau of Veal.
 
Classic Pot-au-Feu

• 6 pounds of fresh beef (ribs, knuckle or loin)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 white onions
• 2 cloves
• 1 small parsnip
• 2 turnips
• 5 or 6 celery stalks
• 2 leeks
• 2 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 2 tsp coarse salt
• 1 bay leaf

1. Season the beef with salt and pepper and place in a large pot or Dutch oven with five quarts of cold water. Simmer for about two hours, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface.
2. Stick a clove into each of the two peeled white onions and place in a cheesecloth bag, along with slices of parsnip, carrot, turnips, celery, leeks parsley, thyme, garlic, peppercorns, salt and bay leaf. Add to the pot and simmer for two to three hours.
3. Gently remove the meat and vegetables and place in a large bowl or platter. Remove cloves from onions and chop into thick slices. Discard herb sprigs, bay leaf, garlic and peppercorns. Cut the meat into two-inch pieces and place in a large soup dish, along with the vegetables.  Cover with foil.
4. Strain the broth, skim off the fat on the soup’s surface, and cook at medium high until boiling. Take off the heat and pour some broth in the soup dish. Top with croutons made from toasted French bread and serve. Other optional toppings include Dijon mustard, horseradish, coarse salt and/or cornichons. The remaining broth can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for future use.

 
Yield: 6-8 servings
 
Adapted from What to Eat and How to Cook It (1863) by Pierre Blot
 
Sources:
 “The Purposeful Cook; Everyday Dish That's A Classic.” By Jacques Pepin, New York Times, January 17, 1990; “Pot-Au-Feu Like a Frenchman,” by Foodbeest, April 25, 2013.