1900-1909
Morris County Cooks 1900-1909
Menu
Oyster Soup, Green Corn Soup, Julienne Soup
Salmon Timbales, Lobster a la Newburg, Minced Oysters on Toast
Chicken Croquettes, Beef Loaf, Ragout of Beef
Stewed Tomatoes, Gilsey House Stewed Potatoes, Corn Fritters
Oyster Salad, Cold Slaw, Waldorf Salade, Popovers,
Chocolate Pudding, Caramel Ice Cream, Chocolate Cake
Coffee, Tea
"Oyster Soup
Boil the liquor, then put in the oysters and scald them; take them out and boil the liquor and strain it, put in the milk and boil it with the liquor. A quart is enough with a hundred oysters. Thicken it with 4 crackers rolled fine; a ¼ pound butter. Put in the oysters only long enough to heat through, with cayenne pepper to taste and mace.--Mrs. Henry Shaw."---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900 (p. 15, 17)
"Green Corn Soup
Take six well filled ears of tender green corn; run a sharp knife down the rows, and split each grain, then with the back of the knife, scraping from the large to the small end of the ear, press out the pulp, leaving the hulls on the cob. Bread the cobs, if long, put them in cold water sufficient to cover and boil half an hour. Strain off the water which should be one pint. Put this corn water on again, and when boiling add the corn pulp and cook fifteen minutes, or until the raw taste is destroyed. Run through a rather coarse colander; add salt and a pint of hot milk. If too thin add a little corn starch and a little sugar if liked.---Mrs. Henry W. Van Wagenen." ---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900 (p. 13,15)
“Julienne Soup
One good sized carrot; one potato; little celery; one onion, cut in dice; few peas; boil in cup of water til cooked; add two quarts of bouillon; let it come to a boil and serve.---Mrs. Wm. Whitmore Gannett." ---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900 (p. 9)
"Salmon Timbales
For a quart mould or twelve of the smallest sized moulds use 1 ½ pounds salmon; one pint of cream; half a pint of stale bread; ¾ cupful of butter; half a cupful of mushrooms; three teaspoonfuls of salt; half a teaspoonful of pepper; a slight grating of nutmeg; 4 eggs. Cook the bread and cream together for ten minutes; pound the salmon and mushrooms to a paste, and then rub through a sieve; add the seasoning when the mixture of bread and cream is cold; add this and the butter to the fish, and pound all together until thoroughly blended, add the eggs, well beaten; put the mixture into well buttered moulds; cover with buttered paper; cook three quarters of an hour. Serve with lobster or anchovy sauce.---Mrs. P.C. Barket'---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900 (p. 19)
"Lobster a la Newburg
2 lbs Lobster (chicken), boil 8 minutes; shred, put butter in spider; lobster, salt and pepper; 5 spoonfuls sherry; cook 3 minutes; beat three yolks light; add half pint cream, pour over; stir until it begins to thicken. ---Mrs. S.C. Winship"---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 25)
"Minced Oysters on Toast
One dozen oysters, (fifteen if small), one teaspoonful of butter, yolks of two eggs, half cup of cream, salt and pepper. Dry the oysters, then mince; melt the butter, add oysters, pepper and slat. Beat the yolks with the cream and stir into the oysters. This ought to be quite thick. If the eggs do not make it thick enough, thicken with a little flour and butter. Serve on toast very hot. Almost enough for four portions.---Mrs. E.G. Ames." ---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 21,23)
"Chicken Croquettes (Maryland Club)
Roast or boil two chickens, when cold take skin off them; chop very fine and put aside, put in a sauce-pan ½ pound of good butter; ¼ pound of flour, let flour and butter be well mixed but do not let it brown; when thoroughly mixed add 1 quart of milk or cream and let it boil until consistency of a thick sauce; then throw in chopped chicken; put in 2 yolks of eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg, mix all well, then take it out in a vessel to cool, then take it out in a vessel to cool, when cold roll in the shape of a pear, or as you fancy, bread them by dipping in eggs and roll in cracker dust; fry in hot lard and serve.---Mrs. J.H. Berret"---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 31,33)
“Beef Loaf
3 lbs. raw beef chopped fine as possible with a piece of suet the size of an egg; season with one even teaspoonful of salt; two even teaspoonfuls of black pepper; one teaspoonful sweet marjoram; one tablespoonful of onion juice; butter the size of a walnut; one cup fine bread crumbs and the yolks of two eggs; mix well, mould into oblong loaf and bake 1 1 /2 hours, basting very often. Sauce.—One tablespoonful of butter and one of flour stirred until brown; add one half pint of stock, salt and pepper and one tablespoonful Worcestershire sauce; a few chopped mushrooms; add this mixture to gravy in pan carefully skimmed of all grease; a teaspoonful of sherry is an improvement.---Mrs. Howell”---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 39, 41)
“Ragout of Beef
Cut cold beef from bone, put in covered pot with one can of tomatoes; one onion fried brown in butter; one dozen allspice; one carrot chopped fine; one cup of soup stock; keep on back of range and let simmer slowly four hours. Serve hot on platter.---Mrs. S.C. Winship”---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 43)
“Stewed Tomatoes
Parboil 3 small onions; cut up 3 pts. Of tomatoes, add onions cut fine: 1 ½ cups of bread crumbs; 1
dessertspoonful salt and 1 small teaspoonful black pepper; stir together and simmer at least one hour; longer the better; just before serving stir in the yolks of six eggs well beaten and 4 even tablespoons of butter; boil up once to cook eggs. This makes a delicious vegetable or strained, a good sauce.---Mrs. Howell” ---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 43, 45)
“Gilsey House Stewed Potatoes
Cut raw potatoes in small dice all the same size; put into a double kettle, just cover them with cold milk. Stand on back of range where they will simmer; stir occasionally. If milk boils down so as to uncover potatoes add enough milk just to cover. When potatoes become waxy and taste thoroughly cooked, add pepper, salt and butter; and serve. They should take an hour or an hour and a half to cook.---George M. Allen” ---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 45)
“Corn Fritters
Grate fresh corn; allow 1 ½ eggs for each cup of corn, with a tablespoon of milk or cream. Beat eggs well; add corn slowly, beating very hard; salt to taste; stir in cream and thicken with just enough flour to hold together, scant tablespoon for every egg; fry as any fritters. In winter the canned kornlet may be used.---Mrs. P.B.Pierson”---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 45, 47)
“Popovers
1 pt. milk; 1 pt. flour, sift before measuring; 3 eggs; 1 teaspoonful salt; beat eggs well; add milk and salt; pour on dry mixture by degrees and beat thoroughly; bake three-quarters of an hour in heated earthen cups. Serve at once with hard wine sauce. –R.L.H.”
---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 75)
“Oysters Salad
25 Oysters, simmer five or six minutes, cover with French dressing, mostly oil, put on the ice two hours, pour off dressing and chop and mix with chopped celery and mayonnaise. Mrs. Grinnell Willis.” ---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 21)
“Cold Slaw
Cut the cabbage fine; put on salt and let stand until dressing is done. Dressing—Cream, a little sugar; little vinegar and melted butter, which let come to a boil, then put in cabbage and let it remain for a few minutes. The dressing must be sufficient to half cover the cabbage. Mrs. George F. Stone”
---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 51)
“Waldorf Salade
2 cucumbers; 2 tomatoes; 2 bananas; 2 oranges; 2 onions (perhaps less); 5 hard boiled eggs; 5 teaspoonfuls of green tea; 2 heads of lettuce; Fresh dressing with the yolk of the eggs (raw). This makes enough Salad for ten people.—Mrs. George Walter Jenkins.”
---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p.51)
“Chocolate Pudding
1 Pint milk, ½ cup grated chocolate, dissolved chocolate in part of milk, add it to the other half boiling, add to that yolks of 3 eggs, 3 tablespoons sugar, flavor with vanilla, salt, stir in whites beaten and sweetened, put in cups and bake lightly.---Mrs. Samuel C. Winship”
---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 65)
“Caramel ice cream
1 ½ pint milk; 1 pint cream; 1 cup sugar; 1 tablespoonful flour; 2 eggs; pinch of salt; 1 scant teaspoonful vanilla; another cup of granulated sugar, browned; scald the milk and add the flour; cook 20 minutes; add the browned sugar, the caramel and the eggs, etc.; when cool add the cream and vanilla.—E.D. Coghill.” ---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 81)
“Chocolate Cake
5 eggs, 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1 cup of butter, 1 cup milk and water, 1 ½ cups flour well sifted; 1 teaspoonful of baking powder in flour, 2 whites of eggs beaten stiff; bake in 3 pans. For Filling—1 /2 cake
Baker’s chocolate, ½ cup of powdered sugar, 2 teaspoonfuls of vanilla, whites of 3 eggs beaten stiff.—H.R. King.” ---The Morristown cook book, cover illustrated by Thomas Nast, 1900, 1900 (p. 93)
Food news & notes
“Ovens will not bake well unless the flues and bottoms are clean. When an oven burns on the bottom, cover it half an inch with clean sand; if it burns on the top, put a layer of sand or ashes over it.” ---“Culinary Capers,” Daily Record, September 18, 1901 (p. 2)
“Little though one may think, the process of making boneless ham is quite a fine art and one that requires no small degree of skill in the undertaking. In fact, it is not everyone who can “bone” a ham successfully. In the event a housekeeper unfamiliar with the art of removing the bone from hams were to undertake the job she would be almost certain to begin operating by first of all splitting the ham open and endeavoring to carve out the bone by cutting around it. The result would be failure and vexation of the worst sort, to say nothing of the ruined ham.”
---“Making Boneless Ham,” Daily Record, February 27, 1902 (p. 2)
“A very pleasant birthday party was tendered to Master Willie Baker, at his home, 27 South Street, on Tuesday afternoon, March 4th. The afternoon as spent in playing games, after which refreshments consisting of ice cream, cake, candy, sandwiches and crackers, were served.”
---“Pleasant Birthday Party,” Daily Record, March 6, 1902 (p. 2)
“The true, not the new, should be the motto of those who write or speak about the apple, the fruit longest in use by our branch of the human race. There are certain simple principle that must be given, line upon line, precept upon precept, to every fresh generation of men or rather should be given just about that time that the generation is beginning to lose its freshness and call on the doctor for remedies. Every well to do man of good digestion and appetite tends to eat too much meat every day after his twenty-fifth birthday, and one of the values of fruit, the apple above others, is the ease wit which it may be made with an “anti-meat for breakfast” article. With baked apples and cream and good roast potatoes on the breakfast table the dish of cold or hot meat becomes subordinate even if it is not entirely abolished. Men of forty, the age when every man not a fool is supposed to have acquired the right to give medical advice, at least to himself, will relate their various wonderful discovered and remarkable self cures just as they had given up all hope, and in general these reduce themselves to this: ‘I ate less meat, but I did not know it, and I took a great deal more fruit, especially apples.”…people who eat too much food are not to be advised to eat baked apples as a mere addition to the breakfast, and those who need substantial meal must not let the baked apple interfere with the taking of solid food…You may put sugar on the apples, but we shall not sugar coat the remedy with any muster or any claim to novelty.”
---“Apples for Breakfast: A Prescription That May Save You Many a Doctor’s Fee,” Daily Record, May 26, 1904 (p. 4)
“’Girls,’…the newest comedy by Clyde Fitch…should pack the baker Theatre, Dover, this evening…It has for its chief characters three girls living in a studio in New York City who have taken an oath to always remain man-haters. They live a jolly existence in an atmosphere of chafing dishes and alcohol cookery…” ---“Tonight at Dover,” Daily Record, October 12, 1908 (p. 8)
“The Senior Class of the Morristown High School gave a very pleasing candy pull for the Junior Class in the cellar of the school building on Maple Avenue yesterday afternoon at 4 o’clock. On entering the cellar a hunt for peanuts began. Cards were then given, both blue and gold, the seniors’ colors, and green and gold, the junior colors, cut in various shapes. Partners were found who had the match tot eh cards and the pull of the candy began and continued for an enjoyable hour.”
---“Entertained at Candy Pull,” Daily Record, December 5, 1908 (p. 1)
“A large crowd was at the Roller Skating Rink last night to take part in the latest novelty, a potatoe race on roller skates…Starting from two tins set at the head of a row of thirty potatoes the contestant with a spoon picked up his or her potatoes and deposited in the tins, then returned for another…There is a rule that if the skate comes off after a potatoe is deposited in the box, the player has to go on through the race with only one skate.”
---“The Potatoe race,” Daily Record, December 9, 1908 (p. 1)
‘Simon Cody was arrested this morning…and committed to jail…for stealing milk from front porches on Speedwell Avenue.
---Daily Record, January 21, 1909 (p. 3)