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elizabeth_mnPhew, came in just in time on this one!
The Challenge: Today in History June 29 - July 12
Make a dish based on or inspired by a momentous occasion that took place on the day you made it. Get creative - you would be surprised by all the interesting things that happened every single day!
Okay. This one was tough for me, which is why I left it until the end. The theme seemed random and I just couldn't find inspiration. In my perfect fantasy world I would have a 19th c book of letters exchanged by sisters detailing recipes, of course with meticulous instructions (and specific dates). Or possibly a newspaper column, dated, with a recipe. But no. While most of the historic sources I could find were dated by year, there were no specific days at all.
A few participants suggested websites like Today in History but mostly I found they just contained lists of battles and deaths. Not terribly useful for recipes!
My one idea was to base something off the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia 1876. Although there were many mentions of how great this event was and how much awesome food was served, the details were lacking. That is why this challenge was tough for me. The research was just not happening.
To skip to the good bit, here is what I eventually found:
This is Tufts Arctic Soda Fountain at the Exhibition, from Philadelphia's 1876 Centennial Exhibition on google books. It seems that ice-cream sodas were the hot new thing in 1876 and this Tufts guy had exclusive concession rights at the Exhibition, plus the teetotalers came and ruined everybody's good time so soda was the best drink on the block.
The Recipe: I used a guideline (not really a recipe) from National Cookery 1876, which was published in honor of the centennial. It does suggest 3/4 lb of sugar to 1 quart of cream, so that's where I started. My interpretation came out like this:
3/4 lb sugar
1 3/4 cups 2% milk
6 egg yolks
2 cups (one pint) heavy cream
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
The Date/Year and Region: July 12, 1876, Philadelphia, PA, USA
How Did You Make It: Page 245 of National Cookery begins the ice cream section, which is vague and assumes you already know how to do it. See above for my recipe.
My book of choice said to use all cream, and "thick cream" at that, but also suggested that milk could be thickened by cooking with egg yolk to make a custard. Since I love eggy ice creams, I did just that.
After it thickened, I set it in a cold water bath, then an ice bath.
I whisked in the vanilla and cold cream.
Then I let my little electric helper do the work!
Phew! Cooking is tough!
It took about 30 minutes, so I had time for plenty of goofy selfies.
When it thickened, I packed it into tubs to freeze firm in the chest freezer. After about 2 hours, I made the soda.
Each glass got a scoop (or two if you are me) and was filled up with soda.
Yum!
Time to Complete: An hour to make the ice cream, 2 more to let it harden in the freezer, and 10 minutes to assemble the sodas.
Total Cost: About $10? Counting the cream, soda water, syrup, etc.
How Successful Was It?: Delicious! Seriously, I could probably down 2 or 3 more of these right now.
How Accurate Is It?: I did use my modern ice cream machine but all the ingredients were accurate.
The Challenge: Today in History June 29 - July 12
Make a dish based on or inspired by a momentous occasion that took place on the day you made it. Get creative - you would be surprised by all the interesting things that happened every single day!
Okay. This one was tough for me, which is why I left it until the end. The theme seemed random and I just couldn't find inspiration. In my perfect fantasy world I would have a 19th c book of letters exchanged by sisters detailing recipes, of course with meticulous instructions (and specific dates). Or possibly a newspaper column, dated, with a recipe. But no. While most of the historic sources I could find were dated by year, there were no specific days at all.
A few participants suggested websites like Today in History but mostly I found they just contained lists of battles and deaths. Not terribly useful for recipes!
My one idea was to base something off the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia 1876. Although there were many mentions of how great this event was and how much awesome food was served, the details were lacking. That is why this challenge was tough for me. The research was just not happening.
To skip to the good bit, here is what I eventually found:
This is Tufts Arctic Soda Fountain at the Exhibition, from Philadelphia's 1876 Centennial Exhibition on google books. It seems that ice-cream sodas were the hot new thing in 1876 and this Tufts guy had exclusive concession rights at the Exhibition, plus the teetotalers came and ruined everybody's good time so soda was the best drink on the block.
The Recipe: I used a guideline (not really a recipe) from National Cookery 1876, which was published in honor of the centennial. It does suggest 3/4 lb of sugar to 1 quart of cream, so that's where I started. My interpretation came out like this:
3/4 lb sugar
1 3/4 cups 2% milk
6 egg yolks
2 cups (one pint) heavy cream
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
The Date/Year and Region: July 12, 1876, Philadelphia, PA, USA
How Did You Make It: Page 245 of National Cookery begins the ice cream section, which is vague and assumes you already know how to do it. See above for my recipe.
My book of choice said to use all cream, and "thick cream" at that, but also suggested that milk could be thickened by cooking with egg yolk to make a custard. Since I love eggy ice creams, I did just that.
After it thickened, I set it in a cold water bath, then an ice bath.
I whisked in the vanilla and cold cream.
Then I let my little electric helper do the work!
Phew! Cooking is tough!
It took about 30 minutes, so I had time for plenty of goofy selfies.
When it thickened, I packed it into tubs to freeze firm in the chest freezer. After about 2 hours, I made the soda.
Each glass got a scoop (or two if you are me) and was filled up with soda.
Yum!
Time to Complete: An hour to make the ice cream, 2 more to let it harden in the freezer, and 10 minutes to assemble the sodas.
Total Cost: About $10? Counting the cream, soda water, syrup, etc.
How Successful Was It?: Delicious! Seriously, I could probably down 2 or 3 more of these right now.
How Accurate Is It?: I did use my modern ice cream machine but all the ingredients were accurate.
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Date: 2014-07-13 03:01 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2014-07-13 11:46 am (UTC)But it looks yummy. :-)
Hana - Marmota
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Date: 2014-07-13 01:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-13 04:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-13 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-13 09:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-14 02:09 am (UTC)Their website is here: http://historicalfoodfortnightly.blogspot.com
And the facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/historicalfoodfortnightly/
Ice Cream Sodas 1976
Date: 2014-07-14 02:31 am (UTC)QNPoohBear
http://bluestockingmusings.blogspot.com
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Date: 2014-07-15 11:02 pm (UTC)