Comments on: Once Upon a Menu

By: class-factotum

class-factotum — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:17:53 +0000

I lived in Chile for two years, where the only produce I got was what was in season. Did you know that celery is in season only six months of the year?

Do you know how many recipes use celery?

A lot.

By: Twistie

Twistie — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:52:05 +0000

LaBellaDonna, I freaking bow to you.

I have never attempted to make meringue with a fork, but I can tell from how long it takes my KitchenAid stand mixer that it’s a pain and three-quarters to do by hand.

Oh, and some of my favorite recipes have been redacted from historical ones. Nobody ever expects fried kidney beans with onions, garlic and cinnamon, but it’s darn tasty.

By: La BellaDonna

La BellaDonna — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:45:25 +0000

I love and collect historical recipes; I’ve been cooking with them myself since I was 14, and they can add a wonderful bit of difference to the menu - a slice of history, in fact.

I do remember, vividly, a personal historic moment: I was making a birthday lemon meringue pie for my grandfather, and my electric mixer broke when we reached “meringue” time.

It takes a lot of determination to make a meringue with a fork, y’all. But make it I did!

By: Twistie

Twistie — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:18:17 +0000

I don’t think I have a bowl that would take all seven pounds of currants…let alone everything else with it. It sounds yummy, but I’m somewhat terrified of trying to make it.

Somehow I think I’ll stick to more modern recipes and take off my entire hat collection to the brave souls who figured out how to make something edible from those reciepts (as they were known at the time).

By: Never teh Bride

Never teh Bride — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:52:01 +0000

I love reading old recipes! I’m so tempted to make the rich cake, but seven pounds of currants? Yikes!