A Colonial Recipe for July 4th: Apple Pancakes

In honor of Independence Day, here is a recipe for Apple Pancakes from The Cook's and Confectionary's Dictionary: or, The Accomplish'd Housewife's Companion, by John Nott, published in 1726. 

We make apple pancakes all the time, but they are nothing like these. Maybe we need to add more cream and powdered sugar to ours! In case you had trouble reading the original above, here it is in a modern font below. The exclamations [!] are mine.

63. To Make Apple Pancakes.

Pare your apples, cut them in round Slices, fry them in fresh Butter, beat up twenty [!] eggs in a Quart of Cream [!]; put in Ginger, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon beaten, of each two Drams, powdered Sugar six Ounces; pour the Batter on them, fry them, sprinkle them with Rose-water [!], and dust them with Sugar.

Does that not sound delicious? Let me go get my drams of spices and rosewater!

This fascinating cookbook is arranged alphabetically (it is called a dictionary, after all), which makes planning an entire Colonial meal quite a challenge! But it is so interesting and easy to understand that it makes a great read for cooks or historians.

Best of all, it's free! Get it here: The Cook's and Confectionary's Dictionary: or, The Accomplish'd Housewife's Companion .  Click "Get it Now" or "Read Now" on the right.

Have a great 4th, everybody!

4th of July Camping Menu

 

The 4^th of July is a must-camp weekend for thousands of Americans, including us. These are some of our favorite campsite-friendly recipes that are suitably festive for celebrating the birth of our country, and take into consideration the need for easy preparation and cleanup. Enjoy them, and have a happy 4th!

Independence Day Supper for 8

(follow the links for recipes)

Warm Chips and Salsa*

Marinated Flank Steak    Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Grilled Corn     French Potato Salad

S’Mores 10 Ways     Old School Homemade Ice Cream in Red, White and Blue

Strawberry Lemonade*     Ice Cold Beer

For the *Warm Chips and Salsa, lay a sheet of foil on the grill and poke holes in it. Spread a generous layer of your favorite tortilla chips on the foil and warm them for about 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite salsa, homemade or store-bought. For the *Strawberry Lemonade, just add sliced strawberries to your favorite lemonade recipe. The pretty strawberry slices add a festive touch and a hint of flavor. (The rest of the recipes are linked.)

Old School Homemade Ice Cream in Red, White and Blue

(From the 4th of July Camping Menu)

AKA Ice Cream in a Can

From The Real Family Camping Cookbook:

When you're making ice cream at the campground or at a cookout, you can buy one of those plastic ice cream maker balls (I think L.L. Bean carries them) or you can do it old school, like this. You'll need a 1 lb. coffee can and a 3 lb. coffee can - try a diner or a college cafeteria for the big one.  Or you can use a clean paint can the right size.

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 ½ pints half and half

1/2 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

3/4 c. strawberries

3/4 c. blueberries

crushed ice

1-2 c. rock salt

1 clean 1 lb. coffee can with the plastic lid

1 clean 3 lb. coffee can with the plastic lid

duct tape

Preparation:

1. Put the half and half, sugar and vanilla in the 1 lb. coffee can and mix well. 

2. Put the lid on the 1 lb.coffee can and tape it securely shut with duct tape.

3. Put the 1 lb. coffee can into the 3 lb. coffee can and surround it with crushed ice and rock salt.

4. Put the lid on the 3 lb. can and secure it with duct tape.

5. Roll the can back and forth in the grass or other soft surface for about 15 minutes.

6. Take the small can out of the big can, wipe it clean and open it up. Scrape down the sides and add the strawberries and blueberries.* Tape it back up, pack it in the big can with more salt and ice and tape the big can back up. Roll for another 10 minutes or so.

7. Take the small can out of the big can, wipe it off and dish out the ice cream into bowls.

*When you mix the berries into the ice cream you get a beautiful, purple ice cream with red and blue berries in it. For a red, white, and blue effect, make vanilla ice cream and sprinkle the berries on top. And if you do this, you can use a lot more berries.

For the coffee can challenged:

If you don’t have coffee cans, use a small Ziploc bag inside a large Ziploc bag. Instead of rolling, shake the bags.

 “Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.” - Don Kardong

Back to the 4th of July Camping Menu.

Festive Side Dish: French Potato Salad

(From the 4th of July Camping Menu)

This is a simple potato dish that everyone loves. It's attractive and addictive and it just happens to be vegan.  Because olive oil is used rather than mayo, this keeps well on a camping trip or cook-out. Use a thin-skinned potato of any kind - as long as it doesn't have that thick, rough skin that baking potatoes have, it'll be great.

French Potato Salad

Serves: 8

Ingredients:
6-8 large potatoes, thoroughly scrubbed and cut into bit-sized pieces
olive oil, about 3/4 c.
dried or fresh herbs to your taste, such as oregano, basil or parsley
salt & pepper

Directions:
1. Thoroughly scrub the potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Put the potatoes in a large pot of water, bring it to a boil, then generously salt the water.
3. Cook the potatoes until just tender, around 8 minutes but check them at 5.
4. Drain the potatoes in a colander.
5. In a large bowl, dress the potatoes with olive oil until each piece is lightly coated.
6. Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper to taste.
7 Voila!

Return to the 4th of July Camping Menu.

S'Mores 10 Ways

The perfect, Classic S'More.

(From the 4th of July Camping Menu)

We make S'Mores every night when we camp so we like to try different variations for fun. 

On the 4th, put all the ingredients out in separate dishes and let each person create their own masterpiece. Vive le difference!

From The Real Family Camping Cookbook:

S’Mores 10 Ways

1. Classic S’Mores

Legend has it that S'Mores were invented by the Girl Scouts, did you know that?

Serves:  8

Ingredients:

8 graham crackers

8 marshmallows

4 Hershey’s milk chocolate bars

green, pointy sticks

Preparation:

1.  Toast each marshmallow on a long stick over the fire until it’s golden brown.

2.  Put a piece of chocolate on a graham cracker and put a hot, roasted marshmallow on top of the chocolate.

3.  Cover with a second graham cracker and smush together to make a S’More.

4.  Bon appétit!

2. S’Mores au Chois (“oh shwah”) – S’Mores Your Way

Instead of Hershey bars, substitute any kind of chocolate you like. My kids like Nutella. I like peanut butter cups.

3. Fruity S’Mores

Add some sliced banana or other fruit inside your S’Mores. We like sliced apples, strawberries and raisins.

4. PB & S’Mores

Spread the graham crackers with peanut butter before you add the chocolate and marshmallow.

5.  S’Mores in a Cone

Substitute an ice cream cone for the graham crackers – just put a piece of chocolate and a hot, roasted marshmallow inside. Mm.

6. Pie Iron S’Mores

Make your S’Mores in a pie iron with 2 slices of bread (buttered on the outsides) instead of graham crackers.

7. Brownie S’Mores

Substitute brownies or cake for the graham crackers! Is that sweet enough for you?

8. Bikkie S’Mores

Take a raw refrigerator biscuit – stretch it out and put a piece of chocolate and a marshmallow inside.  Wrap it in foil and cook it on the grill or directly on the coals.

9. S’Mores-adilla

Use a tortilla instead of graham crackers – sprinkle a tortilla with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows, roll it up and wrap it in foil. Place it on the grill until it's melted.

10. Quickie S'Mores

Put a marshmallow between 2 chocolate chip cookies, wrap it in foil and toss it on the grill or directly on the coals. Don’t leave it on too long!

“Life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first.” - Ernestine Ulmer

Return to the 4th of July Camping Menu.

Father's Day Lunch: Steak Salad

Our traditional Father's Day fare has always been boiled weisswurst (white veal sausage) with potatoes, carrots and cabbage and lots and lots AND LOTS of mustard.  I don't know how this tradition came about, maybe we discovered weisswust one Father's Day by accident - it's kind of hard to find. We used to buy it at Eagle Provisions in Park Slope but now we buy it at Prime Meats in Carroll Gardens.

Anyway, this year, in a break from tradition, steak was requested. Sounds yummy, but it's been so hot and muggy in Brooklyn that the whole big, hot steak on a plate thing sounded kind of, well, hot. So I suggested steak salad, and I think it's going to be just the thing.  Serve this with crusty bread or toasted Portugeuse rolls and plenty of nice, cold beer.

From The Real Family Camping Cookbook :

  

Steak Salad 

On camping trips, this makes a delicious lunch on day 2 with your still-fresh lettuce and meat. Wash your lettuce at home, dry it well and pack it in a Ziploc bag with a paper towel to absorb any moisture.

Please note that the steak needs to freshly grilled. This is not a dish for leftover cooked steak.  

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 cups of Romaine lettuce

a handful of sliced radicchio

1 small tomato, sliced thickly

1 perfectly cooked steak, still warm, about 16 oz.

olive oil & vinegar

salt & pepper

Preparation:

1.  Tear the lettuce into medium pieces and put it into a salad bowl with the radicchio and the tomato.

2.  Dress the salad with oil and vinegar and salt & pepper. 

3.  Salt and pepper the steak.

3.  Slice the steak and add it to the dressed salad. Toss very lightly, just a couple of times.

4.  Bon appetit!

Variation:

•  We also like this with Iceberg lettuce and blue cheese dressing.

“To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist - the problem is entirely the same in both cases. To know how much oil one must mix with one's vinegar.”
-Oscar Wilde