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The Edwardian era saw the beginning of the modern American food industry, largely due to inventions such as the steam tractor, which transformed farming into a grand-scale operation. The United States passed its Food and Drug Act, giving the government increased control in regulating food quality in the marketplace. Self-service grocery stores and supermarket chains opened for the first time in history. A host of brand-name foods emerged in these newfangled grocery stores, including Crisco oil, Oreo cookies, and Kellogg's cereal. Finally, the invention of the refrigerator, pyrex dishware, and toaster oven brought time-saving convenience and efficiency to the modern kitchen.
We offer a collection of simple Edwardian Recipes from which have been adapted to modern cooking. We invite you to try your hand at recreating an authentic Edwardian meal. We are going to offer recipes from a "First-Class Dinner on the Titanic" from the book Last Dinner on the Titanic: Menus and Recipes from the Great Liner by Rick Archbold and Dana McCauley. We will place these recipes up one at a time since some of them are quite long.
We know that some of these recipes are quite extravagant but it is a sampling of what the upper-class would of eaten during this era. These recipes are from the Eleven Course Dinner that was served on that fateful April evening. These are not in order of the Eleven course meal but will show you how extravagant the Edwardian Era was.
We will also place the recipes of the Second-Class and of the Third-Class Dining Saloon.
If you have any recipes from your great-grandmothers or grandmother; please, e-mail us with them and we will be more than happy to place those recipes on here.
Oysters á la Russe
2 tablespoon vodka
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish
Dash hot pepper sauce
Pinch each granulated sugar and salt
1 Plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
12 large oysters
Coarsely cracked black peppercorns
Ib a bowl, stir together vodka, lemon juice, horseradish, hot pepper sauce, sugar, and salt. Gently stir in tomato and chives
Wash oysters under running water to remove any loose barnacles or sand. Insert tip of oyster shucker between shell halves near hinge; twist upward to open shell. Discard top shell. Using blade of shucker, sever connective membrane that holds oyster to bottom shell. Place open oysters on bed of shaved or crushed ice.
Spoon vodka relish over each oyster; dust with cracked pepper.
Serves: 6.
Cream of Barley Soup
This traditional French country favorite can be served at any consistency from chuny to smooth. We recommend something halfway between a smooth puree and a barely blended version
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup finely chopped salt pork or bacon
2 each carrots and onions, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoon coarsely chopped parsley stems
1/4 teaspoon peppercorns
1 cup pearl barley
7 cups beef or other meat stock
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoon whiskey
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
In large pot, heat oil over medium heat; add salt pork and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Stir in carrot, onion, and garlic; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are very soft.
Meanwhile, wrap bay leaf, parsley stems, and peppercorns in cheesecloth; fold over and tie to make bouquet garni. Stir barley into vegetable mixture; coo, stirring for about 45 seconds. Pour in stock and add bouquet garni. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, for 40 to 45 minutes or until barley is tender.
Remove from heat; in blender or food processor, puree soup in batches until almost smooth. Transfer to clean pot; cook over medium heat until streaming. Whisk in cream, whiskey, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Do not boil.
Serves: 6 to 8.
Filets Mignons Lili
If you are looking for a dish that epitomizes the excess of the Edwardian era, look no further: a filet mignon accompanied by a buttery wine sauce, topped with a piece of foie gras and a truffle, and set on a bed of buttery potatoes Anna. (If you are serving all eleven course, it would probably be wise to save this for another occasion.) Most specialty butchers will be able to provide foie gras if you give them advance notice. Truffles are even more precious, which is why we've made them optional in our of the recipe.
6 filets mignons (2 1/2 lb.)
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 tablespoon each butter and vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
6 foie gras (goose liver) medallions
6 cooked artichoke hearts, quartered
6 slices black truffle (optional)
Sauce
2 tablespoon butter
3 large shallots or 1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 cup each cognac, Madeira, and red wine
3 cups homemade beef stock
Salt and pepper
Potatoes Anna
3/4 cup melted unsalted butter
6 medium baking potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
SAUCE: In saucepan, melt 1 tbsp of the butter over medium heat; add shallots and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in tomato paste, bay leaf, and rosemary until well combined. Stir in cognac, Madeira, and red wine; bring to boil. Boil for 10 minutes or until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Stir in beef stock. Boil for 15 minutes or until reduced to about 1 cup. Strain into clean pot set over low heat and whisk in remaining butter. Season to taste. Keep warm.
POTATOES ANNA: Brush 11-inch-oven-proof skillet with enough melted butter to coat. Arrange potatoes in overlapping circles, brushing each layer with enough butter to coat; sprinkle each layer with some of the salt and pepper; press top layer gently down. Place pan over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until bottom is browned. Cover and bake in 450°F oven for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and lightly browned on top. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until brown and crisp. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. In large skillet, melt butter with vegetable oil over medium heat; add garlic and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes; increase heat to medium-high and add filets mignons. Cook, turning once, for 10 to 12 minutes or until well browned but still pink in the middle. Remove from pan and let stand, tented with foil, for about 5 minutes. Wipe out pan and return to high heat. Add foie gras and cook for 30 seconds per side or until golden brown. Remove from pan and reserve. Gently todd artichokes in pan juices and cook for 2 minutes or until heated through.
Cut cooked potato round into 6 portions and place 1 piece, upside down, on each of 6 heated plates; top with a filet mignon, followed by a slice of foie gras, and a truffle slice(if using). Ladle sauce around edge of plate; garnish with artichokes.
Serves: 6.
Tips: Because this sauce is a reduction, the beef stock must be homemade if the sauce is to thicken properly. It is better to use two skillets to cook the meat than to crowd the filets.
Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly
Mrs. Benton, the mother of British cuicine, popularized jelly desserts, which, before the advent of instant gelatin, were time-consuming and labor-intensive. Serving a jelly to guests meant that the meal was a special one. This recipe combines the sweetness of peaches poached in sugar syrup with the potent herbal essences of Chartreuse liqueur.
3 large clingstone peaches
4 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
Fresh lemon balm leaves or edible flowers
CHARTREUSE JELLY
5 teaspoons powdered gelatin
2 cups water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup Chartreuse
CHARTREUSE JELLY: In small bowl, soften geletin in 1 cup of the water. In pot, bring remaining water to boil. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat; add Chartreuse and stir to combine. Pour in softened gelatin, stirring constantly until dissolved. Pour gelatin mixture into 9-x13-inch glass baking dish lined with waxed paper; refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely set. (Of making ahead, cover jelly at this point.)
Meanwhile, immerse peaches in large pot of boiling water for 30 seconds; remove and immediately plunge into cold water. Slip off skins; halve and gently remove stones.
In large pot, combine water and sugar; cook over medium heat, stirring gently, until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil and cook for 1 minute or until syrup is clear. Add lemon juice, cinnamon stick, and cloves.
Add prepared peaches to hot syrup. Cut a circle of parchment paper slightly smaller than pot; place over top peaches to insure they remain immersed during cooking (alternatively, use lid from smaller pot to keep fruit submerged.)
Bring syrup just to the boil; reduce heat to medium-low and poach peaches gently for 6 minutes or just until soft enough to be easily cut with a spoon. Let cool in syrup. May be stored in syrup in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
To serve, turn jelly out onto cutting board. Carefully remove waxed paper and roughly chop two-thirds of jelly with knife or edge of large spoon. Divide broken jelly among 6 dessert plates. Usingknife or cookie cutter, cut remaining third of jelly into decorative shapes. Using spatula, carefully arrange shapes around outer edge of each bed of jelly.
Slice peaches from one end almost to the other; fan out on bed of jelly. Garnish with lemon balm leaves or edible flowers.
Serves: 6.
"Sunburst Rag" by James Scott.
Updated: December 10, 2006
©Ladies of Reenacting, 2003-2007
All Rights Reserved.
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