Historical Christmas Cookery is chock full of delightfully delicious cooking ideas favored by many famous families of yesteryear. It contains the prized recipes for those Christmas dishes served and eaten by some of the early settlers in the American Colonies. Here will be found the favorite Yuletide dishes of some of the heroes of the Revolutionary War. You will be able to fix and then eat the same things served to those great men who so bravely signed the Declaration of Independence and those involved in writing and signing our great Constitution. You will be able to sample the identical food eaten at Christmas by those foreign heroes who volunteered to fight and die for our freedom. And lastly, you can enjoy sharing an identical Christmas meal with those who wore both the blue and the gray during the War Between the States, or as some unreconstructed Southerners still refer to it, the War of Northern Aggression.
.Included are recipes for tasty Christmas breads and many other kinds of baked goods, really good meat and poultry dishes, soups and stews and stuffings - and, yes, even pickles as well as loads of other wonderful things. Here you will also be treated to the Christmas favorites of such historical luminaries as Declaration of Independence signer, Elbridge Gerry, who dearly loved his poultry dishes accompanied by a special Sausage Stuffing. Or the Hollandaise Sauce enjoyed by John Quincy Adams with his cauliflower. And that special Christmas Coffee Loaf Cake made by the wife of the famed Confederate General, "Fighting Joe" Hooker.
In 1742 Colonial Williamsburg, E. Smith came out with THE COMPLEAT HOUSEWIFE: or ACCOMPLISH'D GENTLEWOMAN'S COMPANION. Even in this case, the woman of the house was pretty much expected to know what to do when she read over the recipe since the instructions given were far from explicit. Note how the quantities in Smith's recipe are extremely vague. This old-time Christmas favorite, "APPLE PASTRIES TO FRY" went like this:
"Pare and quarter Apples, and boil them in Sugar and Water, and a Stick of Cinnamon, and when tender, put in a little White Wine, the Juice of a Lemon, a Piece of fresh Butter, and a little Ambergrease or Orange flavored Water; stir all together, and when 'tis cold, put it in Puff paste, and fry them."
Gingerbread was always a popular item served at the Christmas tables in the Colonies. Here's an original recipe for "Ginger-Bread Cakes." This one was published by Hannah Glasse in her 1747 THE ART OF COOKERY MADE PLAIN AND EASY:

"To make Ginger-Bread Cakes. Take three Pounds of Flour, one Pound of Sugar, one Pound of Butter, rubbed in very fine, two Ounces of Ginger beat very fine, a large Nutmeg grated; then take a Pound of Treakle, a quarter of a Pint of cream, make them warm together, and make up the bread stiff, roll it out, make it up into thin Cakes, cut them out with a Teacup, or a small glass, or roll them round like Nuts, bake them on Tin Plates in a slack Oven." Author's note: (Treakle is molasses).
A Harvard College graduate in 1755, Sir John Wentworth was the Colonial Governor of New Hampshire from 1767 to 1775. Here is his personal recipe for the special onion soup he dearly loved to eat at Christmas. This was found carefully inscribed in an old ledger:
"Cut a plate full of thin slices of Bread, and sett them before ye fire to Crisp. Then cutt about half a Dozen of Midle Size Onions into bits, boyle half a pound of Butter Stiring it well till it be very red and have done frothing and then put ye Onions to it, and boyle them till they begin to turn Blackish, Still stiring of them, to this put about 2 quarts of water, and thicken it with 2 yolks of Eggs, then break ye Bread into small pieces and put it in with Some Spice & a little Salt, when it is ready pour in some Lemon Juce, or a Spoonfull or two of Vinegar if ye like it."
Early American recipes, as originally written, are often extremely difficult, if not impossible to use today with any degree of ease or accuracy. Such recipes, as can be seen by the above examples, were for the most part, written as one long and rather complicated paragraph. Instructions as given were obscure to say the least, and the amounts of the ingredients were all so often left up to the homemaker. On the other hand, many old-time recipes were simply a list of ingredients with no directions as how to mix them, or in what particular order they were to be added.
Many old baking recipes would call for certain types of yeast. It might be German or Compressed Yeast, Patent Yeast, Brewers Yeast or Potato Yeast. Some yeast was even made using grape leaves, other yeast was made using hops. Such recipes were made more practical for today's homemakers by simply substituting the more modern versions of yeast - those small packets we can readily purchase in any of our supermarkets.


A unique old-fashioned method for making yeast from grape leaves was handed down by my Great-great grandmother, Huldah Radike Horton. This is the recipe she used in making the bread she served to her family every Christmas for many years. And it was used to make the bread she served to General Lafayette (1757-1834) when she entertained him at her home in Newburg, New York in 1823. Here's how she wrote it down:
"YEAST FROM GRAPE LEAVES
"Grape leaves make a yeast in some respects superior to hops, as the bread made from it rises sooner, and has not the peculiar taste which many object to in that made from hops. Use eight or ten leaves for a quart of yeast; Boil them for ten minutes; Pour the hot liquor on the flour, the quantity of the latter being determined by whether the yeast is wanted thicke or thin; Use the hop-yeast to raise it with to begin with, and afterwards that made of grape leaves. Dried leaves will be as good as fresh. If a dark film appears upon the surface when rising, a little stirring will obviate it."
Patrick Henry (1736-99) stood tall among heroes when America was in desperate need of unselfish, unafraid men to guide her destiny. He electrified the members of the Continental Congress in 1774 when he arose before them and boldly declared: "The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American!" This great patriot was but one of many devout Christians who were active in the founding of our great nation. It is little known that he often enjoyed roast turkey as prepared by his wife, Dorthea Dandridge Henry. Here is how she made it for her husband:
"After washing the Fowl and putting it in Salt Water to stand for some Hours, pour some hot Water into the Body of the Turkey to heat it well. Wipe it dry inside and out, then fill the Body and Breast of the Turkey with Dressing which has already been made. For Dressing, prepare Bread in Quantity proportioned to the Size of the Fowl. A twelve-pound Turkey will require a Quart Loaf to stuff it properly; a small Hen only half as much. Break up the Bread between your Hands, mixing well with a Tablespoonful of Butter and Seasoning of black Pepper, Salt and a Teaspoonful of bruised Celery-seed; make the Dressing hold together with a little hot Water, or Yolk of an egg and water. After filling with the Dressing, sew it up, rub it all over with fine Salt, tie the Legs and Wings close down

and put it to roast with a moderate fire. In about half an hour baste it all over with Butter and dust on the Flour. Do this three or four Times while roasting; it will make it look nice and brown. Pour the Gravy each time into a Bowl to keep it from burning. For a Turkey of about ten Pounds, roast about three Hours."
Measurements were given in the past in ways that present day cooks wouldn't be expected to be at all familiar. Who today for example, when busily scurrying around the kitchen, would be able to accurately measure out a teacupful, 1/2 a tincup, a dessertspoonful or butter the size of an egg when called for in a recipe? Now try butter the size of a walnut, a pound of eggs, a kitchencupful, or even a dram of liquid? Or how about half a tumbler, a saltspoonful, a wineglassful, a gill, or a pound of milk? Since this would create an insurmountable problem, all the recipes in Historical Christmas Cookery have been carefully updated so that when the recipe is used today, it will turn out just as it did for the homemaker who prepared it for her family so many years ago. Here is a list of some of the more unusual items used by housewives of the past. The original measurement is given first just as she may have had to use it in one of her recipes. This is followed by today's updated version of the same item:
Saltspoonful 1/4 teaspoon
Dessertspoonful 2 teaspoons
Teacupful 3/4 cup
Coffeecupful 1 cup
Kitchencupful 1 cup
Tumblerful 1/2 pint
Wineglassful 4 tablespoons
Fluid dram 1 teaspoon
Dash 1/8 teaspoon
Gill 1/2 cup
Pound of milk 1 pint
Pound of eggs 1 dozen
medium eggs
9 large eggs

Few people realize that George Washington (1732-1799) was a man who was formally taught school only to the elementary level. Yet he went on to become Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in 1775. This great American also served as Chairman of the Constitutional Convention. He later served his country as its first President from 1789 to 1797. Washington, "without making ostentatious professions of religion, was a sincere believer in the Christian faith, and a truly devout man," according to John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Marshall had fought with General Washington at Valley Forge during the War for Independence. When first leaving home to serve his country as a young man, Washington recorded these parting words of his mother, Mary: "Remember that God is our only sure trust. To Him, I commend you. ... My son, neglect not the duty of secret prayer."
A special treat to make for Christmas would be this pudding topped with a foam sauce. It's truly a historical gem in that it was often enjoyed by George and Martha Washington over the Yuletide season. Here's how it was made for the Washington family:
10 crackers, crushed fine 1 tbls salt, heaping
4 cups milk 1 tbls nutmeg
8 eggs 1/2 tbls mace
2 cups sugar 1 tbls cloves
1 cup molasses 1 lemon rind,
1 cup brandy grated
1 pound suet, 1/4 cup citron
chopped fine 7 cups raisins
Stir the crushed crackers together with the milk in a kettle. Set aside and let stand overnight. In the morning, rub through a colander. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend thoroughly. Set on stove and bring to a boil. Let pudding boil for 5 hours. Serve with foam sauce as made below.
3 tbls butter 1 egg white,
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar stiffly beaten
1 egg white 4 tbls sherry wine
3 tbls water, boiling

Cream the butter and powdered sugar in a saucepan. Stir in the unbeaten egg white. Follow this by stirring in the stiffly beaten egg white. Whip together until fluffy. Add the sherry wine and boiling water. Set on stove and heat slightly. Stir continuously until sauce becomes frothy. Pour over pudding and serve immediately.
Yes, every recipe found in this unique book was a popular favorite throughout the Christmas holidays in our nation's long and colorful history. Many were coveted within a particular family and handed down from generation to generation. Others are historical gems, for they were the inventions of, or the favorites of, some notable family or individual from the past. Here they are being presented, for the first time, for America's families of today to have the fun and experience the thrill of cooking and baking. And lastly, to thankfully pass a blessing over before eating - be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner - on Christmas Day.