Apple Tansy (1950s)

Apples are my favourite fruit.  I am sorry but a banana doesn't hold it for me and there are so many varieties to choose from.  If you travel back fifty or sixty years ago however there were countless different varieties, even more than today but many have become extinct down to neglect and the commercial homogeneity of the cider industry in the eighties and nineties.

About.com has a whole bunch of information about Apples as I am more interested in what you do with them once you get them.

They feature quite heavily in vintage cooking given their ease of growth and availability.

So what is an Apple Tansy? It is essentially a sweet omlette.  As with most things, there are many different takes on this recipe, but this take is provided by Farmhouse Fare being contributed by Kathleen Thomas.

You will need:

3 large apples
Sugar to taste
1 pint of milk
3 eggs
A little mixed Spice
1 cupful of fine breadcrumbs

1. Peel and slice the apples, cook gently in a little butter until soft and pour into a greased fireproof dish.
2. Beat the eggs and add them to the milk, sweeten to taste and add a pinch of the mixed spice and the nutmeg.
3. Pour the mixture over the breadcrumbs and beat lightly then pour the mixture over the apples and bake very slowly till set.

There isn't any indication about what temperature you should cook it at so your guess will be the right one.

Vinegar Cake (pre 1950s)

So it has been a few months since I've posted a recipe, so I thought I would kick off with something really appetising.

For Vinegar Cake you'll need...

1lb Flour
1/2 pound Sugar
1/2 pound butter and dripping
1/2 pound of currants
1/4 pound of stoned raisins
3 tablespoons of vinegar
1 teaspoonful of Bicarbonate of Soda
1/4 pint of milk

1. Rub fat well into the flour add fruit and sugar.
2. Put the milk into a large jug and add the vinegar.
3. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with a little milk and pour it into the milk and vinegar quickly taking care to hold the jug over the cake mixture as it will froth up.
4. Stir into the flour, fruit etc and put in to a well greased tin and bake in a hot oven for the first half hour, then a cooler one until cooked.

Wimbledon Cake - 1950's

Here is one for cake lovers who have just discovered that the milk has gone off.  It is from Farmhouse Fare, so its a bit short on description but it sounds awesome.



1lb flour
1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb sugar
1/2 lb currants
2 ozs chopped candied peel
1 teaspoonful mixed spice
1/2 pint sour milk
1 teaspoonful bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoonful of syrup

1. Rub the butter into the flour then add sugar, currants, peel, and spice.
2. Warm the syrup and stir it into the milk, now add the soda and mix altogether.
3. Pour into a greased tin in a moderate oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Fig Parkin Gingerbread - 1950's

Figs are nice but not common.  If you can get your hands on some, then here is a little recipe that'd make a nice tea accompaniment or a quick fix for gingerbread-heads.

6 ozs. self raising flour
2 ozs. margarine
2 ozs. oatmeal
1 oz. sugar
4 ozs. figs
1 egg
1 teaspoonful of ground ginger
2 tablespoonfuls of syrup
Pinch of salt
little milk

1. Sift flour and salt into a bowl.  Rub in the marge, add sugar, ginger, oatmeal and chopped figs.
2. Melt syrup and add with beaten egg and milk to make a soft dropping consistency.
3. Turn into greased and lined tin and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 1.5 hours.

Treacle Scones - 1930's

This comes from Farmhouse Fare, a book first published in 1935 and revised over the years.  I have the 1971 edition which contains lots of great recipes from over the years.  Some of these are older than the thirties, but for the sake of cataloging I am sticking to the date of first publication.
The ease of this dish would make a great little starter for beginners, or something quick to whip up at the last minute.  Again, with many of these recipes, timings are not exact and one has to use ones own instinct when it comes to how quickly they will take to cook.  This recipe also calls for a vintage ingredient, Cream of Tartar.  It is still available from supermarkets or online.  If you don't have it to hand, then white vinegar will be a good substitute.

8 oz Flour
1 oz sugar
1 oz treacle
1 oz margarine
1 teaspoonful of cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda
Buttermilk or ordinary milk

1. Rub the margarine into the flour, add the sugar, cream of tartar and soda and mix to a rather soft dough with the treacle which has been been dissolved in half a cupful of buttermilk.

2. Turn out on to a lightly floured board, stamp quickly into rounds and bake in a fairly hot oven.

Marrow Chutney - 1950's

A chutney recipe from Farmhouse Fare.

4 lbs marrow
1/2 lb pickling onions
6 cloves
1.5 lbs of loaf sugar
half ounce of tumeric
9 chillies
1.5 ounces ground ginger
1.5 ounces mustard
2 pints vinegar
Salt.

1. Cut the marrow into small squares (half inch or so)

2. Lay on a dish and shake some salt over it leaving it overnight.

3. Drain it, then boil the other ingredients for 10 minutes

4. Now add the marrow and boil for half an hour, or until tender and put into jars.

For more information about making Chutney visit allotment.org.uk

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Chestnut Jam - 1950's

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Here is another entry from Farmhouse Fare, and one that I am quite keen to try out.  This might be even better with mixed nuts, hazelnuts and even peanuts?
2lbs of sweet chestnuts
1.5lbs of loaf sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
half a pint of water to make syrup
1. Cut a cross in the chestnuts then boil chestnuts until ready.  This should take between 20 minutes and half an hour
2. Peel and skin them then crush them through a wire sieve.
3. Make a syrup with the water, sugar and the vanilla essence.
4. When it is ready, put in the crushed chestnuts and cook gently until faily stiff.  Put in hot glass jars and cover. ru
If you want to cheat just use syrup from Tate & Lyle with added vanilla essence.  Also have a look at this interesting article about foraging for sweet chestnuts.

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Home-Made Cider

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Farmhouse Fare gives a recipe for home-made cider.  I have put a link to www.allotment.org.uk at the bottom as they go in to more detail about making your own cider and wine.

1. Take fallen apples (smaller ones are better for this recipe) and cut up then place in an earthenware jar.
2. Cover with cold water and protect with muslin and let it stand for 10 days giving it the occasional stir daily.

3. When fermentation has ceased strain and add 1 3/8 (624g) of sugar to each gallon.

4.  Add a slice of beetroot to the mixture to improve the colour.

5. Bottle and let stand uncorked for 14 days.  It should then almost cease working.

6. Cork securely and in two or three months time, you should have sparkling cider.

For a more scientific method, have a look at this.

 

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Cornish Potato Cake

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This is a tradtional Cornish recipe.  For this you will need:

Half a pound of boiled potatoes.
Half an ounce of butter.
2 oz. flour
Pinch of salt.

1.  Mash the boiled potatoes while hot with the butter and mix well together.

2. Add salt and sprinkle in the flour mixing evenly.

3. Roll out  very thin on a floured board and cut out in rounds about the size of a saucer.

4. Place on a hot griddle or greased frying pan.

5. Stab with fork and cook three minutes on each side.  Serve hot.

Stelk (A Traditional Irish Recipe)

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For this traditional Irish side dish, adapted from Farmhouse Fare you need:

2 dozen of the later spring onions. (Those which are too coarse to use otherwise, are best for this dish but normal ones are acceptable).
Potatoes
Milk

You can use chives for this dish as an alternative.

1. Chop the onions into small lengths and simmer in milk until tender.

2. Boil or steam a good dish of potatoes. (1 lb possibly?)

3.  When cooked, mash them with a little milk and strain the onions and add these to the potatoes mixing well.  Serve very hot.

4. Add a large piece fresh butter (Clover or organic butter possibly?) to each plate that the Stelk is to be served on.

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Homemade Salad Cream

Tired of the Heinz stuff?  Take this from Farmhouse Fare.

1 tablespoonful mustard (assuming this is English?)
1 tablespoonful of sugar
1 teaspoonful flour
half a teaspoonful of salt
2 eggs
three quarters of a breakfastcupful of vinegar
Cream.

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1. Mix mustard, sugar, flour and salt together.

2. Add the eggs, then the vinegar.

3. Let it stand in boiling water and stir until mixture thickens.

4. Allow to get cold then add cream and a little milk if necessary until it is the required thickness.  Should keep for 12 months.

 

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Lemon Curd Dumplings

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4 oz. Shredded suet
8 oz. flour and salt mixed with some cold water.
2 eggs well beaten
1 teacupful of castor sugar
1 large or two small lemons, the juice and rind of.
2 oz. fresh melted butter.

These dumplings should be made in small individual moulds to prevent any water getting in to spoil lemon curd centres.

1. Well grease some small moulds and line with thinly rolled suet pastry made with 4 oz. shredded suet, 8 ozs. flour, salt and mixed with cold water.

2. Make a curd filling by well beating 2 eggs and adding 1 teacupful castor sugar, juice and grated rind of the lemons and the melted butter.

3. Whip all together and nearly fill each dumpling.

4. Cover tops with a lid of pastry making sure you squeeze the edges together well.

5. Tie over with greased paper and steam for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Turn out carefully and sift with a little fine sugar and serve hot.

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