Sponge Cake and Marmalade

Did somebody just say, "sponge cake"? Indeed, we did! Welcome to our colonial recipes page, the safe haven for those looking for new and unique foods that go beyond your chemical burger and synthetic soda! It just makes me shudder...

Inside:

• Cream of Peanut Soup
• Carolina Fish Muddle 
• Tidewater Chili 
• Shepherd's Pie

Let's begin with an appetizer, something fresh, but be warned, not for nut allergy sufferers. 
Please Note: A * Means Note Suitable For Nut Allergy Sufferers

Cream of Peanut Soup*

– from King's Arms Tavern
Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 8 cups Chicken Stock* (or low-salt canned chicken stock)
• 2 cups smooth peanut butter
• 1 ¾ cups light cream or half-and-half
• Finely chopped salted peanuts, for garnish

Instructions:

In a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened, three-five minutes.

Stir in flour and cook two minutes longer.

Pour in the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes. Pour into a sieve set over a large bowl and strain, pushing hard on the solids to extract as much flavor as possible. Return the liquid to the sauce pan or pot.

Whisk the peanut butter and the cream into the liquid. Warm over low heat, whisking often, for about five minutes. Do not boil.

Serve warm, garnished with the chopped peanuts.

 Source: http://www.history.org/almanack/life/food/fdpnutsp.cfm

Our review:
I personally have always favored the cream of peanut dish due to its creamy and full taste. It serves an elegant yet simple purpose for appetizers, maybe even served with England's finest water crackers. 
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It may say 'Muddle,' but believe us, titles are deceiving!


Carolina Fish Muddle
– from Christiana Campbell's Tavern
Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia
Serves 6

Muddle Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek, trimmed. rinsed and thinly sliced
• 1 celery stalk, trimmed and sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed and thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed and thinly sliced
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 cup fish stock or bottled clam juice
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 18 fresh mussels, scrubbed with beard scraped off
• 18 littleneck or cherrystone clams, scrubbed
• 18 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 18 sea scallops
• 1 pound monkfish, trimmed and cut into slices 3/4-inch thick

Muddle Instructions:

1. For the muddle, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the leek, celery, green and red bell pepper, and saute over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are lightly browned, Add the white wine to the pan, and stir to dislodge any vegetables, Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, tarragon, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Lower the heat, and simmer the stew, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
2. While the stew is simmering, place the clams and mussels in another saucepan. Discard any that do not firmly close when tapped. Place the pan covered over high heat, and steam the mollusks for 3 minutes, shaking the pan a few times but not uncovering it. Remove the pan from the heat, and discard any clams or mussels that did not open. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside covered. Strain the liquid through a sieve lined with a paper coffee Filter or cheesecloth. Add the liquid to the stew.

Garnish Ingredients:

• 2 egg yolks
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• ¼ teaspoon saffron threads (crushed into 1 tablespoon hot water)
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 6 slices toasted Sally Lund or French bread

Garnish Instructions:

1. To make the garnish, combine the egg yolks, garlic and saffron with its liquid in a blender or food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree, and then slowly add the olive and vegetable oils in a very slow stream through the feed tube, scraping the sides as necessary. The sauce should have the consistency of a mayonnaise.
2. To serve, place the shrimp, scallops and monkfish into the simmering fish stew. Stir gently. When the stew returns to a boil, cover the pan, turn off the heat, and let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls, and arrange the clams and mussels on the top. Spread the saffron sauce on the toast, and place one on top of each serving.

Note: The fish stock base and sauce can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. The toasts can he made in advance and kept loosely covered at room temperature. Reheat the stew to boiling, and cook the seafood just prior to serving.

Source: http://www.history.org/almanack/life/food/fdfishmd.cfm

Our Review:

I must admit that the name "Fish Muddle" scared the gastronomic daylights out of me the first time I saw it on the menu at Ms. Campbell's tavern; but when I tasted the spicy, decadent seafood straight off the Potomac, the soup with just the perfect doses of garlic and saffron, I just couldn't refuse a second serving! 
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Tidewater Chili*

Print 3x5 Recipe Card

Makes 18-20 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 large onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons basil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chili powder
• 1/3 cup peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 3 cans (28 ounces each) Italian plum tomatoes
• 2 pounds Surry County, Virginia, smoked sausage or Italian smoked sausage
• 2 cans (29 ounces each) tomato puree
• 5 pounds lean chuck
• 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 cans (15 ounces each) red kidney beans, drained
• 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions:

Saute the onion and garlic in the peanut oil over medium heat. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato puree, and herbs and spices and simmer while cooking the meats. Cut the sausage into 1/2-inch pieces and brown. Drain and add to the mixture. Brown the chuck in small batches; drain and add to the mixture. Simmer for 1 hour. Add the beans.

Source: http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/food/fdchili.cfm

Our Review:

As you can tell, we colonials like our legumes. This particular recipe, will filling after the second bowl, is a delight with sour cream and shredded cheese. The diverse variety of spices, imported from around the globe, does justice to the meat and your taste buds. We recommend, for an authentic 18th-century meal, use the Virginia smoked sausage. 
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Shepherd's Pie

– from Chowning's Tavern
Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

Serves 6 to 8

Stew Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 pounds lean boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 pound turnips, peeled and diced
• 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 celery stalks. trimmed and sliced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef stock or water
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Potato Topping Ingredients:

• 2 pounds white or red boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon salt. or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, or to taste.

Instructions:

1. To make the stew, melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the lamb and brown on all sides, making sure not to crowd the pan. This may have to be done in batches. Remove the lamb from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
2. Add the turnips, carrots, celery and onion to the pan, and saute for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the onions are translucent. Return the lamb to the pan along with the thyme, and sprinkle the flour over the lamb and vegetables. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, to cook the flour. Add the cold stock or water, raise the heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. Stir in the tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper. Cook the lamb mixture covered over low heat for 40 to 55 minutes, or until the lamb is tender.
3. While the lamb is braising, place the potatoes in salted cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and then mash the potatoes using a potato masher or hand-held electric mixer with the butter, egg, yolk, salt and pepper. Place the mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
4. To serve, preheat an oven broiler. Place the lamb into a large baking dish or individual dishes, and pipe the potatoes into a latticework pattern on the top. Place 6 inches from the broiler element, and brown the potatoes. Serve immediately.

Note: The lamb and potatoes can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat the lamb over low heat before piping the potatoes and the final broiling. 

Source: http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/food/fdshep.cfm

Our Review:

This delicious element of the table always graces the main course. Potatoes at their peak add to the overall effect. This appears to be the one dish which induces children to eat their vegetables. But be aware: only the finest and freshest ingredients allow for a decadent taste.

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