PIES, TARTS, AND OTHER DESSERTS18 PIES, TARTS, AND OTHER DESSERTS
| —1870s— | • The prevalence of île flottante and snow eggs (here) makes one thing clear: home cooks have a lot of leftover egg whites lying around. • Sago soup, or tapioca simmered in spiced sweet wine, is common, as are wine jellies (like Jell-O). |
| —1877— | • Lots of readers send in recipes for vinegar pie, sometimes called Jenny Lind pie, a pie that gives your palate a lashing with vinegar and spices. |
| —1880s— | • Oh how people love lemon meringue pie! • But even more, they love to eat milk Jell-O, better known as blancmange (see here). • People can’t get enough of cormeal and molasses: Indian pudding (here) is a fixture in the food pages. |
| —1882— | • Ofenschlupfer (here), one of many bread puddings in an era that includes cabinet pudding and Captain Mondaygoes, delicate bread pudding and scrap pudding. |
| —1909— | • Long before cruise ships took Baked Alaska (here) hostage, it was a lovable dessert. |
| —1910s— | • Bavarian creams (here) are like panna cotta with a few more frills, from pastry chefs up north in Germany. |
| —1949— | • Tapioca Flamingo (here)—fruit, tapioca, and whipped cream layered in a glorious pile. |
| —1950s— | • Flaming desserts wake up a dinner party! |
| —1966— | • David Eyre’s pancake (here). |
| —1970s— | • Dessert carts zip around fancy restaurants. • Trend alert: crepes! The Magic Pan, a creperie, expands. • Pots de crème (here) replace diner-style pudding. |
| —1975— | • Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Desserts is published. The world is a better place. |
| —1978— | • Coeur à la Crème (here), a lovely fresh cream made with ricotta and egg yolks, would still be popular if cooks hadn’t insisted on making it in single-use heart-shaped molds. |
| —1980s— | • Crème brûlée (see here) sheltered by a layer of caramelized sugar, replaces pots de crème. • Apple tart (see here) starts making its move to defeat apple pie. |
| —1990s— | • Claudia Fleming, the pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern, becomes known for her chocolate and caramel tart sprinkled with sea salt (here). • Apple tart gets support from Tarte Tatin (here) in its quest. • Panna Cotta (here) replaces crème brûlée, excising the egg yolks and using gelatin for a wobbly texture. |
| —2007— | • A recipe for Queen of Puddings (here) runs in the the Magazine, but it had its heyday in the 1870s. |
PIES, TARTS, AND OTHER DESSERTS
As I tested recipes for this book, I often hopped around in time and course, from 1962 to 1875 to 2008, from desserts to hors d’oeuvres to breads. As a result, I wasn’t always sure what shape a large chapter such as this was going to take. So when I finally pulled the dessert recipes together, I was stunned and delighted by their breadth and originality. There are puddings, and bread puddings; a betty, a buckle, a charlotte, and flummery; and pies and all manner of tarts, of course. But there are also plenty of sleepers, such as Fontainebleau (here), a tangy and sublime yogurt mousse that shares DNA with the more familiar Coeur à la Crème (for which an excellent recipe is here); Delicate Bread Pudding (here), whose name says it all; Peach Balls (here), fried-rice croquettes stuffed with slivers of peach; and Rum Omelet (here), which is like a soufflé that’s first sautéed and then flambéed—what could be more fun to make?
If you simply choose among the apple dishes, you can trace a memorable journey—one that begins, say, with the baked Apple Dumplings (here) and ends with Apple Snow (here), a fluffy meringue mousse, by way of Reuben’s Apple Pancake (here), a caramelized crepe, and an Apple Galette (here) that is the most carefully constructed apple tart you’ll ever make.
You’ll enjoy the chapter most if you alternate making a dessert you know about with one you’ve never heard of. Happy exploring!
Chocolate Desserts
Caramelized Chocolate Bread Pudding
Toasts with Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt
Mousses, Custards, and Puddings
Coeur à la Crème with Rhubarb Sauce
Madeleine Kamman’s Apple Mousse
Banana Meringue Steamed Custard
Ofenschlupfer (Almond Bread Pudding)
Bread, Rice, and Noodle Puddings
Ofenschlupfer (Almond Bread Pudding)
Caramelized Chocolate Bread Pudding
Cherry and Coconut Brown Betty
Coconut Rice Pudding with Lime Syrup
Crunchy Noodle Kugel à la Great-Aunt Martha
Soups and Jellies
Fruit Tarts and Pies
Tarte aux Fruits (Fruit or Berry Tart)
Tarte aux Pommes (French Apple Tart)
Tartelettes aux Pommes Lionel Poilâne (Individual Apple Tarts)
Sally Darr’s Golden Delicious Apple Tart
Mrs. Hovis’s Hot Upside-Down Apple Pie
Chez Panisse Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie
Blueberry Pie with a Lattice Top
Tourtière (Apple, Prune, and Armagnac Tart)
Pastry Doughs
Crostata Pastry (six 5-inch tarts)
French Pie Pastry (Croustade; 11-inch)
Flaky Sweet Pastry Dough (Pâte Brisée; 10-inch)
Lindsey Shere’s Flaky Piecrust (two 9-inch)
Graham Cracker, Chocolate Wafer, or Gingersnap Crust (9-inch)
Chocolate Crumb Crust (9-inch)
Chocolate Pastry Dough (10-inch)
Other Fruit Desserts
Madeleine Kamman’s Apple Mousse
Poached Pears with Asian Spices
Poached Pears in Brandy and Red Wine
Flourless Apricot Honey Soufflé
Banana Meringue Steamed Pudding
Judson Grill’s Berry Clafoutis with Crème Fraîche
Fresh Raspberry (or Blackberry or Blueberry) Flummery
Cherry and Coconut Brown Betty
Jean Halberstam’s Deep-Fried Peaches
Glazed Mango with Sour Cream Sorbet and Black Pepper
Pineapple Carpaccio with Lime Sorbet
Pruneaux du Pichet (Prunes in a Pitcher)
Wine-Stewed Prunes and Mascarpone
Fritters and Pancakes
Ricotta Kisses (Baci di Ricotta)
Winter Desserts
Pruneaux du Pichet (Prunes in a Pitcher)
Wine-Stewed Prunes and Mascarpone
Poached Pears in Brandy and Red Wine
Poached Pears with Asian Spices
Chez Panisse Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie
Spring Desserts
Summer Desserts
Jean Halberstam’s Deep-Fried Peaches
Cherry and Coconut Brown Betty
Judson Grill’s Berry Clafoutis with Crème Fraîche
Fresh Raspberry (or Blackberry or Blueberry) Flummery
Tarte aux Pommes (French Apple Tart)
Madeleine Kamman’s Apple Mousse
Mrs. Hovis’s Hot Upside-Down Apple Pie
Tartelettes aux Pommes Lionel Poilâne (Individual Apple Tarts)
Sally Darr’s Golden Delicious Apple Tart
Poached Pears with Asian Spices
Poached Pears in Brandy and Red Wine
In the nineteenth century, people had a more robust appetite for food with unusual textures. Pickled oysters were a common snack, and you could find the occasional brain fritter and kidney omelet. But nothing got cooks more excited than a chance to entomb a favorite food in jelly. Into a preserve went perfectly unsuspecting ham, pineapple, calf’s foot, sole, even a chicken or two. And then there was milk. Sweetened with sugar, lemon, almond, cinnamon, and sometimes chocolate, milk was ideal for pouring into molds and serving for dessert as a beloved dish called blancmange, which means “white food.” After being tapped out of its mold, blancmange is gorgeous and subdued, like a piece of carved ivory. In those days, form trumped delicacy. In 1877, the Times ran a recipe for Fairy Apples, which were egg-shaped and made with half sherry-flavored blancmange and half pink rosewater-scented blancmange.
Blancmange is mentioned in The Canterbury Tales and, according to The First Ladies Cook Book, was a favorite of Andrew Jackson. And the dessert, which remained popular in Britain long after it died away here, had its pop-culture epiphany when it played tennis in a Monty Python episode.
This New Jersey blancmange appeared in the Times at the height of blancmange mania. Like many recipes then, it was noncommittal about measurements and ingredients. You could use milk or cream and flavor it with peach water or almond.
For a story I was doing about the recipe, I asked Karen DeMasco, then the pastry chef at Craft, to make a few variations, some with all milk, some with a mix of milk and cream, and some with less gelatin. As we tasted them, going from the all-milk version to the half-gelatin one, we retraced the evolution toward panna cotta, which is made primarily with cream but is looser and lighter, more custard than sculpture. The full-gelatin milk blancmange was as savory as a rubber ball—it didn’t so much melt in your mouth as ricochet around inside it.
You can’t argue with history, but you can alter it for the modern palate, which is what DeMasco and I did with the New Jersey blancmange. We cut back the gelatin slightly and intensified the aromatics, and then DeMasco created a nifty port sauce, infused with peppercorns and star anise, to accompany it. The resulting blancmange is still firm and a little odd, but delightful.
———
3 cups rich whole milk with a layer of cream (or use half milk, half cream)
5 tablespoons sugar
2½ teaspoons powdered gelatin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon almond extract
1. Combine the milk, sugar, gelatin, salt, zest, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and slowly bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar and gelatin. As soon as bubbles form on the milk, remove from the heat. Strain into a bowl, and stir in the almond extract.
2. Pour into six 4- to 6-ounce ramekins or bowls. Chill until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
3. Dip the bowls in warm water to loosen, and unmold onto plates. Serve each with a spoonful of port sauce (see Cooking Notes), if desired.
SERVES 6
COOKING NOTES
Blancmange can be set in any small molds, including bowls or ramekins.
For DeMasco’s port sauce: Combine 2 cups port, ¾ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 star anise, and 1 wide strip lemon peel in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and boil until reduced and syrupy. Strain and let cool. (Makes about ¾ cup.)
Most blancmange recipes from this time called for milk. Use the richest milk you can buy—something like Ronnybrook. If you can only get ordinary milk, mix in some cream.
PERIOD DETAIL
Blancmanges were sometimes thickened with isinglass, a collagen harvested from the swimbladders of sturgeon (and later cod). Until commercial gelatins, derived from animals’ bones and connective tissue, were produced, another common thickener was Irish moss, which grows on rocks along the East Coast.
MARCH 19, 1876: “THE HOUSEHOLD.” RECIPE SIGNED O.H. RECIPE IMPROVEMENTS AND PORT SAUCE ADAPTED FROM KAREN DEMASCO, THE PASTRY CHEF AT CRAFT IN NEW YORK CITY.
—1876
DELICATE BREAD PUDDING
In these delicate and unassuming little puddings, the bread rises to the top, leaving a layer of silky custard below. Surround the puddings with a moat of the lively orange sauce.
———
For the Puddings
25 ounces brioche, sliced
4 cups whole milk, at room temperature
3 large eggs, separated
½ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Sauce
½ cup sugar, or more to taste
Grated zest and juice of 1 large orange, or more juice to taste
1 cup water
½ cup dry white wine or cherry or plum eau-de-vie
1. To make the puddings, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter six 10-ounce ramekins. Combine the brioche and milk in a saucepan and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat, and when bubbles form around the edges of the milk, remove from the heat.
3. In a mixer fitted with a paddle (or in a bowl with a hand mixer), beat together the egg yolks and sugar until light and pale. Lightly beat the hot bread mixture into the eggs. It will break up into chunks, but don’t let it turn to mash.
4. Whisk the whites with the salt in the clean mixer bowl (or a large bowl) until they hold soft peaks. Beat in the vanilla. Fold the whites into the bread mixture. Ladle the pudding mixture into the ramekins. Set the ramekins in a baking dish just large enough to hold them, and pour enough boiling water into the dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
5. Bake the puddings until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from the water bath.
6. While the puddings bake, make the sauce: Combine the sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the white wine. Taste and adjust the orange juice and sugar, if desired.
7. To serve, invert the puddings into shallow bowls, and spoon a little sauce over and around each.
SERVES 6
JANUARY 7, 1877: “THE HOUSEHOLD: RECEIPTS FOR THE TABLE.” RECIPE SIGNED GOOD HOUSEKEEPER.
—1877
TAPIOCA PUDDING
My sister, Rhonda, who has also made this dish, calls it “a cloud in a casserole dish.”
———
5 tablespoons small tapioca pearls (not instant)
4 cups whole milk
4 large eggs, separated
2 large egg yolks
¼ teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
Grated zest of 1 lemon
½ cup heavy cream
¼ dry cup sherry
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1. The day before, combine the tapioca and milk in a medium saucepan. Let sit overnight in the fridge to soften the tapioca.
2. The next day, place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Whisk the 6 egg yolks in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in some of the hot milk mixture to temper the eggs, then pour this mixture back into the saucepan and stir until thickened. This may happen right away. If not, cook over low heat; do not let the mixture boil. It’s done when it’s thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Let cool for 15 minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Stir ¼ teaspoon salt, lemon zest, cream, sherry, and ½ cup sugar into the pudding; blend until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks, then beat in the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until the mixture is meringue-like. Fold the whites into the pudding.
4. Pour the pudding into a 2-quart baking dish. Bake until warmed through and lightly toasted on top, about 5 minutes.
SERVES 6
PERIOD DETAIL
Another popular nineteenth-century use for tapioca pearls was “sago soup.” Sago, or tapioca, was simmered in wine, sugar, and spices—the same way we now treat poached pears—and served as a hot or cold soup.
JANUARY 28, 1877: “RECEIPTS FOR THE TABLE.” RECIPE SIGNED AMANDA C.
—1877
RICE CROQUETTES
An excellent dessert for people who don’t have a real sweet tooth—these fried rice balls are fragrant and crisp, with just a hint of sugar.
In the ingredient list, I included the option of either fine dry bread crumbs or panko, Japanese bread crumbs. Panko, which I prefer for its jagged texture, can be found in Japanese grocery stores and better supermarkets. It works well as a coating for the croquettes.
———
½ cup plus 1½ tablespoons jasmine rice
1½ cups whole milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Grated zest of ½ lemon
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 large eggs
½ cups fine dry bread crumbs or panko (see headnote)
About 6 cups vegetable or canola oil for deep-frying
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
1. Combine the rice, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Butter a small baking sheet or baking dish. Stir the sugar and lemon zest into the rice, followed by the egg yolks. Cook, stirring, over low heat until the mixture thickens. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet or into the baking dish, and let cool. Chill in the fridge.
3. Form the rice into small balls, using a scant tablespoon of rice for each. You should have 30 to 35 balls. Set aside in a plate. Beat the eggs in a shallow dish; pour the bread crumbs into another shallow dish. Pour the oil into a large deep heavy saucepan—it should be at least 2 inches deep—and place over medium-high heat. The oil is ready when it’s at 355 degrees.
4. When the oil is ready, dip the rice balls—in batches—first in the eggs (draining off as much as possible) and then the bread crumbs, and carefully lower into the oil. Fry until nut brown, about 1 minute. The balls should be toasted on the outside but still creamy inside. Adjust the heat and cooking time as needed. As the croquettes finish frying, transfer them to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
MAKES 30 TO 35 CROQUETTES
FEBRUARY 18, 1877: “RECEIPTS FOR THE TABLE.” RECIPE SIGNED AUNT ADDIE.
—1877
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES
I’m not one for fluffy shortcakes. I want a cake with oomph and character, and that’s just what you get with these wonderful dense, faintly salty shortcakes. They must be eaten warm, so get everything else—the strawberries, the cream—ready before popping the shortcakes into the oven. You can either pour or whip the cream. If it’s grocery store cream, I whip it; if it’s rich, grassy cream from a local farm, I pour it.
———
2 quarts strawberries, hulled
¼ cup sugar, or more to taste
4 cups heavy cream
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1. Halve or quarter the strawberries, depending on size. Toss with the sugar in a bowl and let macerate for about 30 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if needed.
2. Whip 2 cups of the cream to soft peaks; chill it.
3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pulse together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor. Add the cubed butter and pulse until pebbly.
4. Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Add the remaining 2 cups cream and use a fork to gently mix it together. When the dough is blended but still shaggy, turn it out onto a floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, gently flatten it into a ¾-inch-thick square.
5. Use a 3-inch round biscuit cutter to cut the dough into circles. Lay the circles 2 inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until puffed, browned on the edges, and cooked through, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer to baking racks to cool.
6. To serve, split the biscuits in half and butter each half with the softened butter. Lay each pair of halves in a shallow dish, spoon on some strawberries and juices, and top with whipped cream.
SERVES 8 TO 10
COOKING NOTE
If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, use a tumbler, or just cut the dough into 3-inch squares.
MAY 13, 1877: “RECEIPTS FOR THE TABLE.” RECIPE SIGNED AUNT ADDIE.
—1877
SNOW PUDDING
Snow pudding, a soul mate of floating island and snow eggs—all are puffs of meringue setting sail on lakes of custard—has gone the way of the dodo. But my two-year-old twins would like to revive it. When they tasted this pudding, their eyes lit up, thrilled by their uncertainty about whether they were supposed to drink or chew.
———
For the “Snow”
1 envelope powdered gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
2 large egg whites
For the Custard
2 cups whole milk
5 large egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1. To make the snow, place the gelatin in a medium bowl, pour the water over it, and stir until dissolved. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice and, again, stir until dissolved. Set the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water and stir the mixture until it begins to thicken and gel.
2. Pour the gelatin mixture into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk. Add the egg whites and beat until the mixture turns white and then slowly thickens—it will nearly grow out of the bowl. Stop beating when it’s like a dense, shiny meringue, 5 to 10 minutes. Leave the “snow” in the bowl.
3. To make the custard, pour the milk into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until bubbles form around the edges. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. To serve, divide the custard among 6 wide shallow bowls. Top each with a dollop of “snow.”
SERVES 6
MAY 25, 1877: “THE HOUSEHOLD: RECEIPTS FOR THE TABLE.” RECIPE SIGNED LILLIE.
—1877
CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS
Eclairs are no harder to make than iced cupcakes, and they float free of cupcakes’ baggage of trend-dom.
———
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, separated
¼ teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in ½ teaspoon water
For the Filling
3 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
For the Glaze
2½ ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
½ cup sugar
3½ tablespoons water
1. To make the éclairs, melt the butter in the water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt, and when the butter is melted and the liquid is hot, add the flour mixture to the saucepan and beat with a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth and releases from the sides of the pan, about 4 minutes. (You may need to take the pan on and off the heat to avoid burning it.) Let cool for 10 minutes.
2. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until thickened. Whisk the egg whites until frothy. Beat the yolks and whites into the dough a little at a time, alternating yolks and whites. The whites will break the dough apart, so be patient and keep beating; the dough will come back together. After the eggs are incorporated, beat in the baking soda mixture. Cover the pan and let rest for 1 hour.
3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment; butter the parchment. Using a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch plain tip, pipe the dough onto the parchment in strips 4 inches long by 1 inch wide; keep them at least 2 inches apart. You should have about 12 éclairs.
4. Bake until puffed, lightly browned, and completely cooked through, about 20 minutes. If they’re not dry in the center, they’ll deflate once out of the oven. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.
5. To make the filling, heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until bubbles form around the edges. Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and flour in a medium bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk in the hot milk, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan, bring it to a boil, whisking constantly, and boil, whisking, for 1 minute. Cook until thickened, like pudding. Whisk in the melted chocolate. Pour into a bowl, lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the filling, and let cool.
6. To make the glaze, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, not simmering, water. When the chocolate is melted, stir in the sugar and water. It will look seized and gritty; forge ahead! It will unseize when the sugar dissolves. Place the pan over direct heat and stir briskly with a whisk for a few seconds, until the mixture becomes very smooth and only slightly thickened. Add a little water to thin if necessary.
7. To assemble the éclairs, fill a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch plain tip with the filling. Using the pastry bag tip, puncture a hole in the end of each éclair and slowly and gently fill the éclair with the cream. Use a spoon to spread a thin layer of chocolate glaze on top of each éclair. (Alternatively, slice the éclairs lengthwise in half, like a hot dog roll. Fill the bottom halves with pastry cream. Dip the exterior of the top halves in the glaze and replace on the bottom halves.)
MAKES ABOUT 12 ÉCLAIRS
SEPTEMBER 2, 1877: “RECEIPTS FOR THE TABLE.” RECIPE SIGNED CALIFORNIA. SOME TECHNIQUE AND PROPORTIONS COME FROM LA VARENNE PRATIQUE, BY ANNE WILLAN, AND MAIDA HEATTER’S BOOK OF GREAT CHOCOLATE DESSERTS, BY MAIDA HEATTER.
—1877
COCONUT PIE
This is a complete redefinition of coconut pie, which is usually a tsunami of sugar flecked with bits of coconut. The filling here, textured with freshly grated coconut, is so light it’s almost fragile. And before you even get to the filling, you’re met by a thin, lemony stratum of meringue. Could there be a more perfect combination?
———
Cream Cheese Pastry (here)
2 cups whole milk
1 cup grated fresh coconut (frozen is fine)
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, separated
2 large egg yolks
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1. Place a baking sheet on the middle oven rack and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pastry dough between 2 sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap. Roll out to a 12-inch circle, about ⅛ inch thick, and fit into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the extra dough. Prick the dough with a fork, lay a piece of parchment over the dough, and add rice, dried beans, or pie weights. Loosely cover the rim of the pan with aluminum foil so the crust doesn’t brown too quickly.
2. Set the pie plate on the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights and bake until the dough is dry in the center, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Let cool. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees.
3. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, until bubbles form around the edges. Remove from the heat and whisk in the coconut and sugar. Lightly beat the 4 egg yolks in a bowl. Whisk a little hot milk into the yolks, then whisk the yolk mixture into the milk.
4. Pour the coconut filling into the crust. Set the pie on the baking sheet in the oven and bake (again, with foil around the edges) until the custard is just set, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Increase the oven heat to 450 degrees.
5. In a mixer fitted with a whisk (or in a bowl with a hand mixer), beat the whites until frothy. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar and beat until the whites are firm and shiny. Whisk in the lemon juice. Spread the meringue over the pie (I like to make a smooth, flat layer), making sure it touches the pastry all around. Place in the oven and bake until the meringue is toasted on the edges, 4 to 5 minutes.
SERVES 8
APRIL 7, 1878: “THE HOUSEHOLD: RECEIPTS FOR THE TABLE.” RECIPE SIGNED BROOKLYN COOK.
—1878
SPANISH CREAM
Serve this two-layer custard, half pudding, half fluffy custard, with the Cherry Bounce (here) or Fresh Raspberry Flummery (here). And if you want to do a custard taste test, try the blancmange here and the panna cotta here.
———
4 cups whole milk
2 envelopes powdered gelatin
4 large eggs, separated
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1. Pour 1 cup milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let sit for 10 minutes to soften.
2. Bring the remaining 3 cups milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Stir in the gelatin mixture until dissolved. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a small bowl until light and pale. Whisk in a little of the hot milk mixture to temper the yolks, then pour this mixture back into the milk and whisk to blend. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens slightly. Stir in the vanilla and remove from the heat.
3. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks. Fold the whites into the custard, making sure they’re thoroughly dispersed. Ladle the cream into ten 8-ounce ramekins, filling them three-quarters full. Chill.
SERVES 10
APRIL 7, 1878: “THE HOUSEHOLD: RECEIPTS FOR THE TABLE.” RECIPE SIGNED MRS. H.
—1878
HUNTINGTON PUDDING
The nineteenth-century home cook couldn’t get enough of meringue. It topped puddings. It was used to bind cookies. It formed the base of icings. It found its way into charlottes and chiffons.
Here the meringue, which buzzes with lemon, is what makes this odd but pleasing dish. You whip the egg whites with sugar until they form long elastic peaks, sharpen the meringue with lemon juice, and pile it on top of an unsweetened rice pudding that’s scented with the lemon’s zest and thickened with the egg yolks. The layers are drawn together as irresistibly as the opposites in a romantic comedy. The pudding is creamy and perfumed with lemon, the topping tangy and sweet with a thin, toasty shell. As you taste the sweet and savory mix, you’ll wonder if dessert’s evolution into uniformly sweet concoctions hasn’t been a terrible mistake.
———
2 cups whole milk
½ cup long-grain white rice, like jasmine
2 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ cup sugar
1. Combine the milk and rice in a double boiler and barely simmer, covered, until the rice is just tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Remove the rice from the heat and stir in the egg yolks, butter, and lemon zest. Pour into a 1- to 1½-quart soufflé or baking dish.
3. Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth in a medium bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar and beat until the whites are shiny and elastic. Fold in the lemon juice. Spread this on top of the rice pudding in a big pouf.
4. Heat the broiler, with a rack low enough so the meringue will be at least 4 inches from the flame. Broil the pudding until the meringue is toasted a nut brown. The pudding can be served right away or at room temperature. When serving, scoop downward to make sure each person gets both rice and meringue.
SERVES 4
COOKING NOTE
Use a Meyer lemon (usually available from November through February) if possible—it’s more fragrant and less tart.
PERIOD DETAIL
During this week in April 1879, the editor of “The Household” reported that the Times had received more than 200 letters with recipes from readers around the country.
APRIL 6, 1879: “RECEIPTS FOR THE TABLE.” RECIPE SIGNED MADGE.
—1879
ORANGE MARMALADE PUDDING
This is a sweet bread-and-custard pudding that’s split through the middle with a layer of bright and bitter marmalade.
———
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup whole milk
1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
⅔ cup orange marmalade
Heavy cream for serving
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixer fitted with a paddle (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until blended. Beat in the egg yolks. Stir in the milk and bread crumbs.
2. Beat the whites in a clean mixer bowl with a whisk (or in a large bowl with clean beaters) until they hold soft peaks. Fold into the milk mixture.
3. Spread one-quarter of the pudding in a 1½-quart soufflé mold or baking dish. Drop one-third of the marmalade in spoonfuls on top, doing your best to spread it around without combining the layers. Repeat, ending with the pudding mixture. Bake until just set, about 40 minutes.
4. Serve the pudding while still warm. Unmold the pudding (by placing a deep serving platter on top and inverting it), or simply spoon it out. Pour a little cool cream on top.
SERVES 6
MAY 15, 1881: “RECEIPTS.” RECIPE SIGNED COMMON SENSE IN THE HOUSEHOLD.
—1881
Doughnuts, which became hugely popular in the nineteenth century, have stuck around ever since. I can’t understand why these peach balls—a sliver of preserved peach nestled in a fried ball of sweetened rice—didn’t follow the same trajectory. They are a testament to the value of letting salinity and sweetness duel on the tongue. The rice is cooked with a generous amount of salt, some sugar is stirred in, and then the balls are coated in powdered saltine crackers and fried. When they come out of the hot oil as peach balls, they’re remarkably good, but it’s the confectioners’ sugar, sifted on top, that makes the recipe sublime.
I used the Brandied Peaches here as the peach filling, but any preserved peach will do, as long as it doesn’t come out of a can. If you’re making the recipe in the summer, you can use a very ripe fresh peach.
This recipe was one of dozens by Juliet Corson, a contributor to “The Household.” In Corson’s column, seasonal cooking was the theme. She also operated a one-woman cookbook industry and headed a cooking school on St. Mark’s Place. Among her many recipes that appear in this book are Watercress Salad (here), Asparagus Salad (here), Lobster Bisque I (here), and Clam Chowder (here).
———
½ cup basmati or jasmine rice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 large egg yolk
¾ cup fine saltine cracker crumbs
2 large eggs
Eight ¾-inch slivers of peach (fresh, brandied, or otherwise home-preserved)
About 4 cups canola oil for deep-frying
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the rice and salt, cover the pan, turn the heat to low, and simmer until the rice begins to burst, 16 to 18 minutes.
2. Drain the rice, then return it to the pan. Stir in the sugar, nutmeg, and egg yolk. Place the pan over low heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool enough to handle.
3. Have a bowl of water near your work space. Spread the cracker crumbs in a wide shallow bowl. Beat the eggs in another bowl. Wet your hands, then scoop up a golf-ball-sized lump of rice into your palm, shape it into a loose ball, and hollow out the center. Lay a piece of peach in the hollow and enclose it with rice; the peach should not be visible. Lay the ball in the dish of cracker crumbs, and make 7 more balls in the same way.
4. When all are formed, roll the balls in the crumbs, then dip them into the beaten egg, rolling very gently and quickly, and then lay them again in the crumbs and lightly coat.
5. Pour 2 inches of oil into a medium heavy saucepan and place over medium-high heat. The oil is ready when it browns a piece of cracker (or bread) in 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to lower the peach balls into the hot oil; fry just 2 at a time, because it’s easier to control the heat. The balls are cooked when the coating is a deep golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
6. Serve piled on a dish and dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
MAKES 8 PEACH BALLS
FEBRUARY 12, 1882: “HINTS FOR THE HOUSEHOLD: HOW TO PREPARE A GOOD FAMILY DINNER,” BY JULIET CORSON.
—1882
OFENSCHLUPFER (ALMOND BREAD PUDDING)
This is one of several bread puddings in this chapter—turns out there’s a reason it’s so timeless. It’s good! While it’s a dish that would seem to transcend class divisions, variations in the ingredients suggest otherwise. Those made simply with stale bread (or cake) and milk and eggs, or bread and fruit, were called cabinet pudding or poverty pudding. The fancier folk came up with Queen of Puddings (topped off with jam and meringue, here), Delicate Bread Pudding (made with fine bread crumbs, here), and this Almond Bread Pudding (infused with pricey almonds).
A 1910 recipe noted that if you got tired of your bread pudding leftovers (something I’m not sure is possible), you could always dip slices of it in confectioners’ sugar and deep-fry them.
———
For the Pudding
½ loaf stale Pullman (sandwich) bread, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
¼ pound (about ¾ cup) blanched almonds, finely ground in a food processor
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 large eggs
½ cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
4 cups whole milk
For the Sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in ½ cup water
2 tablespoons currant jelly
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups water
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a large baking dish. Cut the bread slices in half and lay them like fallen dominos in the baking dish. They should just fill it. Combine the ground almonds with the lemon zest and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the bread.
2. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, and milk in a large bowl. Pour over the bread, lifting the layers with your fingers so the liquid gets between the slices. Press lightly on the bread to make sure it soaks up the liquid.
3. Bake the pudding until set, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, to make the sauce, combine the cornstarch mixture, currant jelly, sugar, and water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and stir until lightly thickened. Remove from the heat.
5. Serve the pudding warm, drizzled with a little currant sauce.
SERVES 6
COOKING NOTE
Do not use commercial sandwich bread for this (or any other bread pudding) recipe, or the texture and flavor will disappoint. A handmade loaf of white Pullman bread, or one from a good bakery, works well.
JUNE 11, 1882: “HINTS FOR THE HOUSEHOLD.”
—1882
PEACH SALAD
This dessert salad was a revelation for me—I discovered that you don’t need pastry dough or cobbler or shortcakes to make peaches a full-fledged dessert. You just slice the peaches and toss them with a sweet dressing that makes them taste richer and brighter (a similar apple salad, dressed with cinnamon and sherry, was also common at the time). You may find the dressing too sweet, so start with less sugar and add more as you like.
———
4 ripe peaches, pitted and cut into quarters
6 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup dry Madeira
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Heavy cream for serving
1. Place the peaches in a serving dish, preferably wide and shallow.
2. Whisk together the sugar, Madeira, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the peaches, and toss gently. Serve with a pitcher of chilled cream.
SERVES 6
JULY 30, 1893: “THE LUSCIOUS PEACH IS WITH US.”
—1893
TRANSPARENT PUDDING
The recipe says this tart “will cut light and clear.” It’s not exactly transparent, but it has luminescence and tastes like a butter tart. One of the variations offered in the original recipe was to add candied orange peel—sprinkle a few tablespoons chopped peel into the crust along with the custard.
———
8 large eggs
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces puff pastry (or 1 sheet Pepperidge Farm puff pastry)
1. Place a baking sheet on the middle oven rack and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and butter and warm gently over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Season generously with nutmeg (start with ½ teaspoon). Once the butter is melted, increase the heat to medium and continue stirring until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, 5 to 10 minutes. Set the pan in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking, and let the custard cool a bit while you prepare the pastry.
2. Roll out the puff pastry as thin as possible, 1⁄16 to ⅛ inch. Line a 9-inch pie plate with it, trimming the edges. Press to secure the dough to the edges of the pie plate.
3. Pour the slightly cooled custard into the crust. Place the pie on the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the custard is just set, 25 to 30 minutes.
SERVES 8
DECEMBER 25, 1895: “PUDDINGS OF OUR FATHERS.”
—1895
PISTACHIO CREAM
Serve in tiny portions for a brief and wonderfully intense moment with the pistachio.
———
6 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1 ounce (about ¼ cup) raw pistachios, very finely ground in a food processor
3⁄8 teaspoon orange-flower water
Pinch of salt
4 cups heavy cream
1. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until light. Beat in the pistachios, orange-flower water, and salt.
2. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until bubbles form around the edges. Slowly whisk about ½ cup of the hot cream into the egg yolks, then add this mixture to the remaining cream, whisking constantly. Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes; do not let the mixture boil.
3. Pour the cream into 4 ramekins or small glasses. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until cold.
SERVES 6
COOKING NOTE
Raw pistachios and orange-flower water are available at Middle Eastern grocery stores and specialty supermarkets.
MAY 28, 1899: “QUAINT OLD-TIME RECEIPTS.”
—1899
CHERRY AND COCONUT BROWN BETTY
Among the family of buckles, crisps, crumbles, and slumps, brown Betty is the lean and thrifty cousin, as it relies on nothing more than bread crumbs and sugar for its infrastructure. Here the bread crumbs soak up the cherry juices and help the layers latch together. And the sugar helps all the flavors blossom. You can, of course, improve this brown Betty in a million ways: you can add vanilla, use brioche crumbs rather than regular white bread, or slip in some lemon zest for more fragrance. But should you?
———
4 cups halved and pitted cherries
¾ cup sugar
½ cup grated fresh coconut (frozen coconut also works; if using sweetened coconut, reduce the sugar to ½ cup)
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
Heavy cream for serving
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Spread 1 cup cherries in the base of the dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons coconut, and ½ cup bread crumbs. Repeat 3 times. Cover the baking dish with foil.
2. Bake until the cherry juices bubble and candy a bit on the edges, about 1 hour.
3. Remove the foil and place the dish under the broiler to toast the top layer, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve warm, passing a pitcher of chilled cream at the table.
SERVES 6
JUNE 26, 1910: “NEW DISHES FOR SUMMER.”
—1910
RASPBERRY BAVARIAN CREAM
The lovely, sophisticated, and even a trifle bouncy precursor to Jell-O fluff.
———
1½ tablespoons powdered gelatin
¼ cup cold water
⅓ cup boiling water
1 cup raspberry juice (see Cooking Note)
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
1. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the raspberry juice and sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Chill the raspberry mixture until it begins to firm up, about 1 hour.
3. Fold the whipped cream into the raspberry mixture. Pour into a 1½-quart soufflé dish or charlotte mold. Chill until set.
4. You can serve the cream directly from the dish. Or, to unmold, set the dish in a bowl of hot water for a minute, then tap it out onto a plate.
SERVES 6
COOKING NOTE
Raspberry juice is made by pureeing raspberries in a food processor, then straining the liquid. You’ll need about 4 cups raspberries to yield 1 cup juice.
JULY 17, 1910: “SOME WARM WEATHER RECEIPTS.”
—1910
APPLE DUMPLINGS
These dumplings, which are baked on top of sliced apples, will remind you of a scone or biscuit. I love that you add no sugar to the apples, no embellishments to the dumplings. This dessert is about the fruit and the lightness of your touch with the dumpling dough. No pressure.
———
2 small tart apples, like Macoun, peeled, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ cup vegetable shortening
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
Sugar and heavy cream for serving or Spiced Hard Sauce (here)
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter 6 English muffin rings (or 4-inch tart rings or tartlet pans) and set on a buttered baking sheet (no need to butter the baking sheet if using tart pans). Fill the rings with the apple slices—better to be scant than overflowing.
2. Sift together the flours, salt, and baking powder twice. Pour into a bowl. Add the shortening and, using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work the shortening into the flour until it forms coarse pebbles. Add the milk and lightly mix the dough until it just holds together and no longer has dry patches.
3. Drop the dough on top of the apples in each muffin ring, spreading it to the edges as best as you can. Bake until the dough is golden on top and cooked through, about 20 minutes.
4. To serve, invert each dumpling into a shallow serving bowl, so the apples are on top. Serve sprinkled with sugar and cream, or serve with hard sauce.
SERVES 6
NOVEMBER 12, 1911: “TIMELY HINTS ABOUT THE HOUSEHOLD.”
—1911
This omelet is really more of a sautéed souffle—cooked until crisp on the bottom, then flipped and crisped on the other side. Just before serving, you douse it with rum and light it on fire, basting the omelet for a few exciting moments until the flames die. It’s a dramatic dessert—and even more of an eye-opener if you make it before you’ve had your morning coffee.
———
3 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Kosher salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
1. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Beat the whites with a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until they hold soft peaks. Add the lemon zest and continue beating until firm. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture.
3. Place an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter, and when it’s foamy, pour in the egg mixture. Cook until the mixture is golden brown on the bottom.
4. Meanwhile, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in another nonstick skillet. Invert this pan over the omelet, then quickly flip the omelet, so it lands in the freshly buttered pan. Cook over medium heat until the bottom is golden brown and crisp and the omelet is just cooked through. Remove from the heat.
5. Dust the top of the omelet heavily with confectioners’ sugar. Pour the rum on top and, using a long match or lighter, carefully light the rum. Let it cook, shaking the pan and spooning it over the omelet, until the flame dies out. Serve immediately.
SERVES 4
NOVEMBER 8, 1914: “WHAT EVERY WOMAN WANTS TO KNOW.”
—1914
APPLE SNOW
Apple snow is as fun to make as it is peculiar. It’s not quite floating island, and not quite apple mousse (here). You whip up a meringue and slowly beat in apple puree. As you whisk it, the mixture lightens in both color and texture until it’s like, well, snow. There have been at least half a dozen recipes for apple snow in the Times, some with less egg, some with more. One contains the unforgiving instruction, long before electric mixers were invented, to “beat for three-quarters of an hour without stopping.” That is one way to get arms like Madonna’s.
Apple snow needs an accompaniment. You can serve it with whipped cream or custard. Some recipes suggest ladyfingers, though any thin, crisp cookie will do (try the Gingersnaps here). This recipe calls for jelly too. Any flavor that goes with apples will work—I used peach and ginger jelly, and I’d happily try it with lemon marmalade or a wine jelly.
———
3 large tart apples, cored and quartered
3 large egg whites
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, or to taste
1 cup Custard (here)
½ cup jelly
1. Place the apple quarters in a medium saucepan, add just enough water to cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the apples are totally soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain off the liquid, and pass through a food mill or sieve into a bowl. (Alternatively, peel the apples before boiling and puree in a food processor.) You need 1 cup apple puree.
2. In a mixer fitted with a whisk (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), whip the egg whites until foamy, then begin adding the sugar a little at a time, beating until the whites are firm and shiny. With the mixer on high speed, begin adding the apple puree a few spoonfuls at a time. The mixture will transform from foamy to dense and will nearly grow out of the bowl. Once all the apple puree is added, taste the “snow” and add more sugar if needed.
3. Serve a large dollop of the apple snow set on a small pool of custard in each bowl. Spoon a little jelly around the edges.
NOVEMBER 15, 1914: “APPLES DESERVE THE ATTENTION OF THE WISE HOUSEKEEPER, FOR THEY ARE INEXPENSIVE.”
—1914
GRAPEFRUIT FLUFF
This grapefruit fluff was like a shining beacon in the sea of dull and sometimes abominable food served in the 1940s. (I moved right on by the Date Ice-Box Pudding made with evaporated milk and the Fruit Turnovers that called for canned fruit.) This fluff is joyful, an adult ice cream sundae—to eat it, you pierce a crisp, sugary snowcap to land your spoon first on a layer of warm, floppy meringue, then a layer of vanilla ice cream, and finally a well of tart and boozy slivers of grapefruit.
As you can see by the ingredient list, you can make this on the spur of the moment. You probably already have everything in your pantry and fridge.
———
2 pink grapefruits
¼ cup brandy or kirsch
2 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
½ cup sugar
4 large scoops vanilla ice cream
1. Halve the grapefruits. Using a small sharp paring knife or one of those nifty grapefruit knives, remove the grapefruit segments and place them in a bowl. Then gently remove the membrane from the grapefruit halves and discard it. You will be left with 4 hollowed-out grapefruit halves. Reserve them.
2. Pour the brandy over the grapefruit segments. Chill for 1 hour.
3. When ready to serve, heat the broiler with an oven rack about 6 inches from the heating element. In a mixer fitted with a whisk (or in a bowl with a hand mixer), whip the egg whites with the salt until foamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until the whites are firm and shiny.
4. Spoon the grapefruit segments into the reserved grapefruit halves. Arrange them in a baking pan on a layer of ice (this helps steady them and also keeps the cool part cool). Add a large scoop of ice cream to each, and flatten the ice cream to make room for the meringue. Dollop the meringue on top. Place under the broiler and toast the meringue until a hazelnut brown, about 1 minute. Transfer the grapefruits to shallow bowls, and serve!
SERVES 4
JANUARY 12, 1941: “VICTUALS AND VITAMINS,” BY KILEY TAYLOR. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM MAURICE GONNEAU, THE EXECUTIVE CHEF AT THE PARK LANE AND THE CHATHAM IN NEW YORK CITY.
—1941
INDIAN PUDDING
This crude yet lovable New England classic is good when served with the Spiced Hard Sauce here, even better with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream, and sublime served with all three.
———
4 cups whole milk
⅓ cup yellow cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅓ to ½ cup unsulphured molasses (to taste)
Spiced Hard Sauce (here), sweetened whipped cream, or ice cream for serving
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix ½ cup milk with the cornmeal in a small bowl. Scald the rest of the milk by bringing it almost to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in the moistened cornmeal and all the other pudding ingredients. Simmer, stirring often, until the cornmeal is cooked and the pudding has thickened like polenta about 20 minutes.
2. Pour into a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Cover and bake for 1½ hours; the pudding should still be loose on top but firm underneath. Serve with hard sauce, whipped cream, or ice cream.
SERVES 6
DECEMBER 30, 1945: “ALL FROM THE OVEN,” BY JANE NICKERSON.
—1945
Strawberry charlotte, a chiffon-like mousse set in a fanciful mold, belongs to the indulgent family of charlottes made with whipped cream and egg whites. Apple charlotte, which belongs to the more healthful line of the tribe, is a baked mold of bread and sweetened apples. Attributed to Carême, the well-known nineteenth-century French chef, mousse-like charlottes were held together with gelatin and often set in molds lined with ladyfingers. This strawberry charlotte forgoes the ladyfingers; the result is a lot like a buoyant whipped panna cotta. In fact, if you poured the charlotte into smaller molds and called it panna cotta, you’d never know it came from 1947.
———
1½ envelopes powdered gelatin
¼ cup cold water
½ cup boiling water
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup crushed or sieved strawberries, plus (optional) sweetened crushed berries for serving
3 large egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
A handful of whole strawberries with stems attached, for garnish
1. Soften the gelatin in the cold water in a bowl, about 5 minutes. Add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and 1 cup strawberries. Let cool, then chill until starting to set.
2. Whip the gelatin mixture until somewhat fluffy. Fold in the egg whites and then the cream. Pour into a 1-quart mold and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
3. Turn out of the mold and decorate with a few whole berries. Serve plain, or with the sweetened crushed strawberries as a sauce.
SERVES 8
JUNE 8, 1947: “STRAWBERRY DESSERTS,” BY JANE NICKERSON.
—1947
TAPIOCA FLAMINGO
In 1951, 1.5 million pounds of tapioca spilled into the East River one morning when a pier holding a shipment from Brazil collapsed. The headline in the Times: “Tapioca à la East River.” It wasn’t the first time that the flavorless pudding base—the powder, or granular “pearls,” of dried cassava root—made headlines. Before World War II, the tapioca that Americans consumed came from Java; when the Japanese invaded the island, the supply was cut off.
During the war, the Times food reporters treated lists of scarce ingredients like casualty reports from the front, and they kept close tabs on the tapioca situation. General Foods came up with a substitute made from sorghum, called Minute Dessert, which the Times declared an acceptable but inferior substitute. To pudding makers across America, relief came at last in 1947, when the United States began importing tapioca from Brazil—a turn of events that set the stage for the drama on the pier.
Today tapioca pudding is usually a creamy blend of tapioca pearls, milk, sugar, and vanilla. But until just after the war, tapioca was customarily a blend of the pearls, cooked in water or fruit juice, and fresh fruit, served with whipped cream. Times recipes in this vein go back to 1876.
In 1949, the exotically named Tapioca Flamingo appeared in the paper. It built on the old-style fruit-and-tapioca recipes by making one layer with half of the tapioca-and-fruit mixture and a second layer by combining the rest with whipped cream. It’s a delicious combination and pretty too, with bits of strawberry suspended in the clear pink jelly and a pouf of cream and jelly on top. It was so good, in fact, that the editors couldn’t resist running the same recipe again two years later during a record strawberry harvest.
———
1 pound strawberries, hulled
1 cup sugar
About 2 cups pineapple juice or water
⅓ cup quick-cooking tapioca
Scant ½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
1. Lightly crush the strawberries in a bowl. Add the sugar and let stand for at least 30 minutes.
2. Set a strainer over a bowl and drain the strawberries. Set them aside. Add enough pineapple juice (or water) to the strawberry juice to make 3 cups total.
3. Mix together the juice, tapioca, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a full boil, stirring constantly, then and pour into a bowl. (The mixture will be thin; do not overcook.)
4. Fold the drained strawberries into the tapioca mixture. Cool, stirring occasionally. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
5. When the tapioca mixture is cool, divide half of it among 4 coupe glasses or bowls. Chill the glasses and the remaining tapioca mixture.
6. Fold the cream into the remaining tapioca mixture, then pile lightly into the glasses.
SERVES 4
COOKING NOTES
Today most people prefer their tapioca on the looser side. If you’re in that camp, add ¼ cup more juice or water to the tapioca cooking liquid and ¼ cup more cream to the topping.
If you like a tidier presentation, the strawberries can be cut into small pieces rather than crushed.
MAY 29, 1949: “FOOD; STRAWBERRIES OFF THE VINE,” BY JANE NICKERSON.
—1949
JELLIED STRAWBERRY PIE
If you’re serving this to friends, call it “strawberry pie.” If to enemies, call it “jellied pie,” which sounds revolting—but, thankfully, isn’t.
———
For the Flaky Pastry
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons ice water
For the Filling
1 envelope powdered gelatin
¼ cup cold water
4 cups strawberries
¾ to 1 cup sugar
⅔ cup boiling water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ to 1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
1. To make the flaky pastry, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. With a pastry blender or knives, cut in the shortening until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Add the water a few drops at a time, mixing lightly with a fork until all the flour is moistened. Gather the dough into a ball.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a circle ⅛ inch thick and about 12 inches in diameter. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the pastry. Trim the dough to ½ inch beyond the rim; roll under the edges, and crimp. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Lay a piece of parchment over the dough and fill with rice, dried beans, or pie weights.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the pie weights. Continue baking until the pastry is lightly browned on the edges and dry in the center, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
4. To make the filling, soften the gelatin in the cold water, about 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, chop 1½ cups berries and puree in a blender or food processor. Chill the remainder.
6. Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water in a medium bowl. Add the gelatin and stir until dissolved. Add the pureed berries and lemon juice. Chill until the mixture begins to set, about 1 hour.
7. Fold the reserved whole berries into the gelatin mixture. Turn into the pie shell and chill until firm. Garnish the pie with whipped cream.
SERVES 6 TO 8
COOKING NOTE
The recipe said to “garnish” with the whipped cream. I used ⅔ cup heavy cream, sweetened it with 1½ tablespoons of sugar, and spread the whipped cream over the entire top, so the pie looked like a smooth white button with crimped edges.
VARIATION
Try it with blueberries or blackberries!
JULY 13, 1958: “BAKE A BERRY PIE,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE.
—1958
BANANA MERINGUE STEAMED CUSTARD
This custard is cooked, rather unusually, on top of the stove.
———
For the Custard
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
6 tablespoons sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 banana, thinly sliced
For the Meringue
1 large egg white
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1. To make the custard, butter six 4-ounce ramekins. Whisk together the eggs and yolk in a bowl. Whisk in the sugar, salt, milk, vanilla, and lemon zest. Pour an equal amount of the mixture into each ramekin.
2. Place a rack in the bottom of a baking pan and arrange the ramekins on it. Pour hot water around the cups to come halfway up the sides, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place over medium heat and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes; do not let the water boil. When the custards are done, a knife inserted 1 inch from the rim of a ramekin should come out clean. Transfer the ramekins to a baking sheet.
3. To make the meringue, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Beat the egg white with the salt in a bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla, and beat until stiff.
4. Top each of the custards with banana slices and cover with meringue. Bake until the meringue is toasted, about 5 minutes.
SERVES 6
MARCH 3, 1960: “NEW MENUS ARE OFFERED HOME COOK.”
—1960
LEMON CHEESE PIE
This is a hybrid pie—lemon meringue crossed with cheesecake. The secret is the fat—cream cheese is rich and adds depth to a lean, abrupt flavor like lemon. You still enjoy the creaminess of the cheese, but the lemon keeps the feeling featherweight. Best of all is the crust, which seems like it’s doing nothing but holding up the filling, and yet offers its own discreet measure of fragrance and salinity.
———
For the Crust
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup vegetable shortening
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the Filling
1¼ cups sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 cup water
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
2 large eggs, separated, yolks lightly beaten
¼ pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1. To make the crust, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles fine oatmeal. Combine the egg with the lemon zest and juice, sprinkle over the flour mixture, and mix lightly with a fork until the dough holds together.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch round. Fit it into a deep 9-inch pie pan and flute the edges. Prick the surface thoroughly with a fork and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely.
3. To make the filling, combine 1 cup sugar with the cornstarch in a heavy saucepan. Add the water, lemon zest, juice, and egg yolks, and stir until smooth. Cook, stirring, without boiling, until thick. Remove from the heat and blend in the cream cheese. Let cool.
4. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining ¼ cup sugar until stiff. Fold into the lemon mixture, and turn into the pie shell.
5. Chill thoroughly before serving.
COOKING NOTES
The dough is very soft; do your best not to overwork it.
This is an exceptionally thrifty recipe—there’s no leftover dough!
NOVEMBER 18, 1963: “FOOD NEWS: LEMONS.”
—1963
ZABAGLIONE
Classic zabaglione always has the same proportions of egg, sugar, and Marsala—the ones you find here.
———
6 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar
⅔ cup dry Marsala or Madeira
1. Beat the egg yolks in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl. Gradually add the sugar and wine. Place over boiling water and beat vigorously until the custard foams up and begins to thicken.
2. Serve immediately, in warm sherbet glasses or dessert dishes.
SERVES 4 AS A DESSERT, 6 AS A SAUCE
COOKING NOTES
If you’ve never made zabaglione before, when you heat the mixture in the double boiler, it will foam right away, but you won’t be near the finish line until the foam gets dense. I like to move the pan on and off the heat (by lifting the top pan out of the double boiler), because zabaglione changes rapidly and will scramble the instant it gets too hot. Best to play it safe.
Small Italian macaroons make a good accompaniment for zabaglione. I served this in small glass bowls with the Almond-Lemon Macaroons here.
Zabaglione can be used as a custard sauce to accompany warm desserts such as Steamed Lemon Pudding (here) and Apple Dumplings (here).
DECEMBER 12, 1963: “FESTIVE HOLIDAY DINNERS CALL FOR TRADITIONAL HOT DESSERT,” BY JEAN HEWITT.
—1963
DAVID EYRE’S PANCAKE
Craig Claiborne described making the acquaintance of this oven-baked pancake, “in the handsome, Japanese-style home of the David Eyres in Honolulu,” as if he had met Grace Kelly. “With Diamond Head in the distance, a brilliant, palm-ringed sea below, and this delicately flavored pancake before us, we seemed to have achieved paradise.”
Life was good if you were a food writer in the 1960s. Mistakes (Claiborne doubled the butter in his recipe) passed without a public shaming in the paper’s corrections column or the blogosphere. A few weeks later, he simply mentioned airily, “The food editor was in such reverie on his return from Hawaii he did not notice the gremlins in his measuring spoons.”
Forty years later, readers are still making the pancake with no less bliss. It appears on a dozen blogs, embellished with family stories and photos and new-and-improved versions of the recipe. (Eyre, by the way, said he got his from the St. Francis Hotel Cookbook, published in 1919, but his calls for more flour and egg. Both belong to a family of oven-baked pancakes called German pancakes or Dutch babies.)
What keeps cooks faithful to one recipe is often some confluence of ease and surprise. Eyre’s pancake possesses both. A batter of flour, milk, eggs, and nutmeg is blended together, then poured into a hot skillet filled with butter and baked. Anyone confused? I didn’t think so.
The surprise comes at the end, when you open the oven door to find a poufy, toasted, utterly delectable-looking pancake. It soon collapses as you shower it with confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice, slice it up and devour it. It’s sweet and tart, not quite a pancake and not quite a crepe. But lovable all the same.
———
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the flour, milk, eggs, and nutmeg in a bowl. Beat lightly. Leave the batter a little lumpy.
2. Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet with a heatproof handle. When it is very hot, pour in the batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pancake is golden brown.
3. Sprinkle with the sugar and return briefly to the oven. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve with jelly, jam, or marmalade.
SERVES 2 TO 4
COOKING NOTE
Don’t overmix the batter, or the pancake will be tough—a few lumps are fine.
This is the moment to call your well-seasoned cast-iron skillet into service.
PERIOD DETAIL
In 1881, the Times ran a recipe for a lemon-scented baked “omelet soufflé,” a kindred spirit to the oven-baked pancake, and, for that matter, the soufflé. It’s clear we like lemons, eggs, and puffy things fresh from a hot oven.
READERS
“So many of us eat essentially the same foods, over and over, each day for breakfast. It was for me, a young man in my first apartment, a revelation when Craig Claiborne introduced a Breakfast Pancake on April 10, 1966. I still have the page out of the magazine I tore out and saved. I have prepared his recipe at least 500 times since, first in a cast-iron skillet and in recent years in a paella pan. Being impatient, 20 minutes was too long to wait for it to bake, so I have inched up the temperature over the years and enjoy a pancake that creeps up over the edge of the pan and browns along the edges in less than 10 minutes of baking. His original recipe calls for sprinkling lemon juice and powdered sugar on the baked pancake, but up here in the north woods, maple syrup is the finishing touch. Sometimes I sauté thin apple slices sprinkled with a bit of sugar before pouring the batter in the pan for a variation on the original recipe.”
Roland Krause, Harbor Springs, MI, letter
“Surely a golden thread through my life. . . . My memory is of jumping up and making it then and there. Once I passed through Honolulu and phoned David Eyre, the address blazed from the directory: No. 1 Diamond Head Drive. When I thanked him for all the lovely Sunday mornings, he remarked that I wasn’t the first to call, either. Later I moved to Indonesia, where Sundays were so different from L.A.; without even noticing, I forgot both pancake and recipe. Years later, a friend sent me a copy of a cooking magazine with recipes from readers. A woman from the Midwest sent an “oven pancake,” which she said had a man’s name but she never learned it. There it was and I felt that golden thread connecting my two lives, then (L.A.) and now (Jakarta).”
Loura White, letter
APRIL 10, 1966: “PANCAKE NONPAREIL,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM DAVID EYRE.
—1966
CHOCOLATE RUM MOUSSE
Note the cool technique, which reminds me a little of that used for the Salmon Mousse here. You add the milk and gelatin to the blender, then gradually drop in all the ingredients, which include ice cubes. So it’s like a smoothie, except that the result is less annoyingly virtuous.
———
¼ cup cold whole milk
1 envelope powdered gelatin
¾ cup milk, heated to a boil
6 tablespoons dark rum
1 large egg
¼ cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups heavy cream
2 ice cubes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Put the cold milk and gelatin in the blender and blend at low speed to soften the gelatin. Add the boiling milk and blend until the gelatin dissolves. If gelatin granules cling to the sides of the container, use a rubber spatula to push them down. When the gelatin is dissolved, add the rum, egg, sugar, and salt. Turn the control to high speed and add the chocolate chips. Blend until smooth.
2. Add 1 cup cream and the ice cubes. Continue blending until the ice is liquefied. Pour into parfait or wineglasses and chill.
3. Add the vanilla to the remaining cup of cream and whip until stiff. Top the mousse with the whipped cream.
SERVES 8
COOKING NOTE
Feel free to use better quality chocolate.
JULY 31, 1966: “PLURAL OF MOUSSE,” BY JANE HEWITT.
—1966
FRESH BLUEBERRY BUCKLE
A buckle is a low-lying cake that’s threaded with fruit, veiled with streusel, and baked in a dish. The name comes from its buckled surface. Here the soft cake cushions a layer of fresh blueberries and a cardamom-scented topping that’s crackly like a crust of ice.
———
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Rounded ¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup whole milk
2 cups blueberries
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Whipped cream for serving
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish. In a mixer fitted with a paddle (or in a bowl with a hand mixer), beat half the butter with half the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
2. Sift together 1 cup flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add alternately with the milk to the creamed mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour into the baking dish and pour the blueberries over it.
3. Combine the remaining sugar, ⅓ cup flour, cardamom, and nutmeg in a bowl. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the remaining butter until the texture is that of coarse cornmeal.
4. Sprinkle over the blueberries and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Cool slightly before serving with whipped cream.
SERVES 6 TO 8
COOKING NOTES
This is best served warm. If you make the buckle in advance, you can reheat it in a 175-degree oven for 20 minutes.
I grated my own nutmeg and ground my own cardamom—and if you have these spices whole, I recommend you do the same. The fragrance is much more pervasive.
I’ve doubled this recipe with no problems.
JULY 21, 1967: “WEEKEND MENUS: LAMB CHOPS AND BLUEBERRY BUCKLE.”
—1967
POTS DE CRÈME
Orange custards baked—if you have them—in tiny ceramic pots. If you don’t have them, just dig out your smallest ramekins.
———
2 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
5 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
Candied violets (optional)
1. Place the cream in a saucepan and bring it almost but not quite to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, beat the yolks, sugar, and salt in the top of a double boiler until light and lemon colored. Gradually add the cream to the yolks, stirring with a whisk.
3. Place the double boiler pan on top of its water-filled base and place over low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens and coats the spoon. Immediately set it in a basin of cold water to stop the cooking action.
4. Stir in the grated orange zest and Grand Marnier. Pour the custard into individual pots de crème or custard cups and chill thoroughly.
5. Garnish each crème with a candied violet, if desired.
SERVES 4 TO 6
DECEMBER 27, 1970: “FLAVORSOME FOUR,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE.
—1970
MADELEINE KAMMAN’S APPLE MOUSSE
If you’re looking for an elegant and not-too-taxing dessert to make for a fall dinner, this is it. The citrus analog of this recipe is Lemon Mousse for a Crowd, here; the simplicity analog is Apple Snow here.
———
3 pounds McIntosh apples (about 6 to 8 large)
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
Grated zest of ½ lemon
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
A ½-inch piece cinnamon stick
3 to 4 tablespoons Calvados or other apple brandy
1 cup heavy cream
3 glacé orange slices, halved (optional)
1. Peel, core, and slice the apples into a heavy saucepan. Add the water, sugar, lemon zest, and salt, cover tightly, and cook, stirring once or twice to prevent sticking, until the apples are soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the butter and cinnamon stick and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is very thick and reduced to about 2 cups, about 35 minutes. Cool and chill at least 4 hours.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the Calvados. Whip the cream until it is thick but not quite stiff enough to form peaks. Fold into the chilled applesauce and chill again.
4. Decorate the mousse with the glacé orange slices, if using.
SERVES 4 TO 6
MARCH 5, 1972: “THE FRUITS OF WINTER,” BY RAYMOND A. SOKOLOV. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM MADELEINE KAMMAN, A COOKING TEACHER AND THE AUTHOR OF THE NEW MAKING OF A COOK AND OTHER COOKBOOKS, IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.
—1972
STRAWBERRY SOUP
———
1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tablespoons dry white wine
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, or to taste
1 cup plain yogurt
1. Place the strawberries and wine in a blender and blend until smooth. Force the mixture through a sieve to strain out the seeds.
2. Return the puree to the blender, add the sugar and yogurt, and blend until mixed. Chill briefly before serving in chilled soup bowls.
SERVES 4
COOKING NOTE
It may seem like an unnecessary extra step to push the strawberries through a sieve after pureeing them in a blender, but you get a much smoother mixture.
Use a Greek yogurt like Fage (full fat).
JULY 29, 1973: “ELEGANCE SANS EFFORT,” BY JEAN HEWITT.
—1973
LEE’S MARLBOROUGH TART
I’m not sure who Lee is but her (or was it his?) unusual tart—a sherry-and-cinnamon-infused apple custard topped with toasted meringue—is an excellent antidote to French apple tarts. Mind you, if you’re eating so many French apple tarts that you’re sick of them, you must be doing something right.
———
French Pie Pastry (here)
2 medium McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup granulated sugar
⅔ cup heavy cream
Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
¼ cup dry sherry or Madeira
3 large eggs, well beaten
3 large egg whites
⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the pastry: Roll it as thin as you can, and trim and crimp the edges. Refrigerate until ready to fill.
2. Place the apples and water in a small saucepan, cover, and simmer until the apples are falling apart, about 20 minutes. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Transfer ½ cup of this applesauce into a bowl. Any extra makes a nice little snack for yourself.
3. Add the sugar, cream, lemon zest and juice, sherry, and eggs. Mix well and pour into the pie shell.
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 20 to 30 minutes longer, or until the filling is set and golden. Cool to room temperature.
5. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg whites in a mixer fitted with a whisk (or in a bowl with a hand mixer) until frothy. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar, and continue beating until the mixture is thick and glossy. Pile the meringue on top of the pie, making sure that it touches the pastry edge all around. Use the back of a spoon to make swirls and peaks on the surface. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
SERVES 8
SEPTEMBER 30, 1973: “JUST DESSERTS,” BY JEAN HEWITT.
—1973
DICK TAEUBER’S CORDIAL PIE
In January 1970, the Times published a recipe for brandy Alexander pie. It was an unassuming confection: a graham cracker crust filled with a wobbly, creamy mousse that contained enough alcohol to make your neck wobbly too. Later that year, Craig Claiborne, the food editor, declared it one of the paper’s three most-requested dessert recipes (the other two were cheesecake and pots de crème, here) and ran it again. By rights, that should have been the recipe’s swan song.
But thanks to Dick Taeuber, a Maryland statistician, the pie lived on. Taeuber discovered that you could use a simple formula to make the pie in the flavor of almost any cocktail you wanted (3 eggs to 1 cup cream to ½ cup liquor). Among the ones he came up with were the Fifth Avenue (apricot brandy and dark crème de cacao), the Shady Lady (coffee-flavored brandy and Triple Sec), and Taeuber’s favorite, the Pink Squirrel (crème de almond and white crème de cacao). Each pie had a corresponding crust made with graham cracker, gingersnaps, or chocolate cookie crumbs. Taeuber sent Claiborne a letter including ten variations on the pie. By the time Claiborne responded and said he wanted to run his recipes, Taeuber was up to twenty. In 1975, Claiborne renamed it Dick Taeuber’s Cordial Pie and published it once more, this time with all twenty variations in a chart. (The complete chart follows.)
Calling it a cordial pie doesn’t quite capture its punch or proof. Booze pie would be more to the point—it’s not the kind of thing to serve for a children’s birthday party. “I kept going, and in 1978, I think, it was up to fifty variations,” said Taeuber, now seventy-three and retired. “I mailed Craig a copy just for information. He put a note in his food column that I had copies available if anybody wanted to send me a quarter and a self-addressed envelope. The quarter was so I could pay for the postage. Everyone sent a quarter and a stamp.” The note came out on a Monday. By Friday, Taeuber had 1,200 requests. And then the pie went into a twenty-eight-year hibernation.
———
1½ cups cookie crumbs (graham cracker, chocolate wafer, or gingersnaps)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (5⅓ tablespoons if using graham cracker crumbs)
For the Filling
½ cup cold water
1 envelope powdered gelatin
⅔ cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, separated
½ cup liqueurs or liquor, as directed in chart (see below)
1 cup heavy cream
Food coloring (optional)
1. To make the crust, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the crumbs with the butter. Press into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake for 10 minutes. Cool.
2. To make the filling, pour the cold water into a saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over it, and let soften, about 5 minutes. Add ⅓ cup sugar, the salt, and egg yolks. Stir to blend. Place over low heat and stir until the gelatin dissolves and the mixture thickens. Do not boil! Remove from the heat.
3. Stir the liqueurs or liquor into the mixture. Then chill until the mixture starts to mound slightly when dropped from a spoon.
4. Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff, then add the remaining ⅓ cup sugar and beat until the peaks are firm. Fold the meringue into the thickened gelatin mixture.
5. Whip the cream to soft peaks, then fold into the mixture. Add food coloring if desired. Turn the mixture into the crust. Add a garnish, if desired (see the chart). Chill for at least several hours, or overnight.
SERVES 6
COOKING NOTES
The filling is made by folding whipped egg whites into a base thickened with egg yolks and gelatin. Be careful not to chill the base too much, or the filling will be lumpy.
The filling will be fluffier if you let the egg whites come to room temperature before whipping.
Chocolate shaved into curls with a vegetable peeler was once a classy garnish. Why not?
AUGUST 3, 1975: “FOOD: PIE, SPIKED,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM RICHARD C. TAEUBER, A READER FROM COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND.
—1975
This pecan pie stands out because its filling is properly rich but not as gooey as most pecan pies. It’s as light as pudding. If you can buy good pastry dough, save yourself some time and buy it, but please do not use one of those loathsome premade crusts. Pecan pies need a sturdy and flavorful crust to contrast with the intense filling.
As the pie bakes, the center fluffs up into a dome and then gradually deflates. It’s done when the center wobbles no more than the outer edges when the pan is shaken.
———
Pastry for a 10-inch pie (see Cooking Notes)
1¼ cups dark corn syrup
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1½ cups (about 6 ounces), chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dark rum
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a 12-inch circle, about ⅛ inch thick. Fit it into a 10-inch pie pan. Trim the edges and crimp the border.
2. Combine the corn syrup and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, just until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat.
3. Beat the eggs in a bowl, and gradually add the syrup, beating. Add the remaining ingredients. Pour the mixture into the pie shell. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the pie is set—and it’s set when the center wobbles in sync with the outer edges. Cool on a rack.
SERVES 8
COOKING NOTES
I didn’t have a 10-inch pie pan, so I used a 10-inch tart pan instead—it worked beautifully.
A great recipe for cream cheese pastry can be found here. You want a pastry that is firm and buttery but not too sweet, because the pecan filling is intensely sweet.
PERIOD DETAIL
In 1884, the Times published a tongue-in-cheek article about the warping effects of pie. Choice morsels follow:
“An indiscreet and perhaps malevolent person who once breakfasted with the late Ralph Waldo Emerson has revealed the fact that Mr. Emerson was accustomed to eat pie at breakfast. This revelation has naturally caused a very painful sensation, and not a few persons who had hitherto admired what they conceived to be the philosophical ideas expressed in Mr. Emerson’s writings have suddenly discovered that Mr. Emerson was not a philosopher and that his writings are filled with the vagueness that characterizes a mind warped and weakened by pie.”
“[Pie] weakens the mind to such an extent that, in regions where pie is generally eaten, scarcely a man or woman reaches the age of twenty-five without having written poetry or having attended the Concord School of Philosophy.”
Dr. Henn, an “eminent Cincinnati microscopist,” discovered that both pie and baked beans contain a devastating microbe. When he injected the microbe into a dog, “the animal at once developed a tendency to wander vaguely about the yard, a total want of interest in wholesome and appetizing bones, and a fondness for sitting on end and gazing silently at the moon, with tears trickling from his eyes.”
OCTOBER 10, 1976: “SWEET & RICH,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY.
—1976
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
This is quintessential Craig Claiborne: a well-conceived version of a classic that you’ll be proud to have made despite having dirtied eighty-seven bowls in the process. I served this with fanfare, in a footed glass charlotte dish.
———
½ pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
6 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons water
¼ cup sweet liqueur, such as Chartreuse, amaretto, mandarine, or Grand Marnier
6 tablespoons sugar
Whipped cream for garnish
Grated chocolate for garnish
1. Cut the chocolate into ½-inch pieces and place in a saucepan. Set the saucepan in a pan of hot, almost boiling, water and cover. Let melt over low heat.
2. Put the yolks in a heavy saucepan and add the water. Place the saucepan over very low heat and beat vigorously and constantly with a wire whisk. Experienced cooks may do this over direct low heat; it may be preferable, however, to use a metal disk such as a Flame-Tamer to control the heat. In any event, when the yolks start to thicken, add the liqueur, beating constantly. Cook until the sauce achieves the consistency of a hollandaise or a sabayon, which it is. Remove from the heat.
3. Add the melted chocolate to the sauce and fold it in. Scrape the sauce into a bowl.
4. Beat the cream until stiff, adding 2 tablespoons sugar toward the end of beating. Fold this into the chocolate mixture.
5. Beat the whites until soft peaks start to form. Beat in the remaining ¼ cup sugar and continue beating until stiff. Fold this into the mousse. Spoon the mousse into a crystal bowl and chill until ready to serve.
6. To serve, garnish with whipped cream and grated chocolate.
SERVES 12
READERS
“Smooth, rich, foamy, delicious. I served this at a bridal shower for the first time some twenty years ago and I can still recall the wonderful flavor.”
Carol Neely, letter
FEBRUARY 20, 1977: “FOOD: THE NE PLUS ULTRA MOUSSE,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY.
—1977
CREPES SUZETTE
Crepes Suzette, which bring to mind dusty velvet banquettes and menus the size of shutters, are actually an exquisite dessert—lacy crepes nestled in a citrus butter and flamed with Cognac. Making the recipe is a bit like running in an Ironman competition. There will be some setbacks and readjustments, but you’ll end with renewed respect for the underlying discipline. Or so I hope.
The best part is that you can make the crepes and crepe butter in advance, take time to recover, and then march back into the kitchen to tackle the dessert once more and carry it, flaming, to the table.
———
For the Crepes
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 small eggs
1¼ to 1½ cups whole milk
1½ teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
For the Crepe Butter
12 sugar cubes
1 to 2 oranges
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
For Flaming
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ to ⅓ cup Cognac (plus or including, if desired, a little maraschino liqueur, kirsch, and/or Grand Marnier)
1. To prepare the crepe batter, place the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and, while stirring with a wire whisk, add ½ cup milk. Beat to make as smooth as possible. Add more milk to make the batter the consistency of heavy cream. Put the mixture through a fine sieve. (Or it may be blended.) Pour back into the bowl and stir in the sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Let rest for 2 hours.
2. To cook the crepes, rub the bottom of a crepe pan (4-, 5-, 6-, or 7-inch diameter) with a piece of paper towel that has been dipped in melted butter. This is necessary for the first crepe but probably unnecessary after the first crepe has been made if the crepe pan is properly cured. Place the pan over medium-high heat. Spoon 2 to 4 tablespoons of the crepe batter into the hot pan, depending on the size of the pan, and quickly swirl the pan around this way and that until the bottom is evenly coated. The crepe should be quite thin. Cook briefly until the crepe sets and starts to brown lightly on the bottom. Using as spatula, turn the crepe in the skillet and cook briefly on the other side without browning. Turn out onto wax paper. A properly made crepe, held up to the light, looks like lace. Continue cooking until all the batter is used.
3. When all the crepes are made, heat the oven to 400 degrees. To prepare the crepe butter, rub the sugar cubes all over the skin of 1 orange, then squeeze the orange and save the juice (you need ½ cup, so squeeze the second orange if necessary). Place the sugar lumps between sheets of wax paper and crush them with a rolling pin. Spoon or pour the sugar into a bowl and add the butter, sugar, lemon juice, ½ cup orange juice, and Grand Marnier. Beat to blend well, preferably with an electric mixer.
4. Smear the unbrowned side of each crepe with a teaspoon or so of the crepe butter and fold once in half, then again to make a triangle. Rub the bottom of a large ovenproof skillet with the remaining crepe butter. Arrange the crepes in the skillet, overlapping slightly, and sprinkle the tablespoon of sugar over all. Place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes.
5. Place the pan over an open flame, such as a gas burner or the burner of a chafing dish. Sprinkle the Cognac over the crepes and carefully ignite; allow the spirit to cook off for 10 to 20 seconds. Ladle the sauce over the crepes until the flame dies.
MAKES 18 TO 24 CREPES; SERVES 6
COOKING NOTES
In Step 1, you’re given the option of using a blender to make the batter smooth—use it.
I used a 5½-inch crepe pan, which made the perfect size crepe.
If you can, use a steel crepe pan rather than nonstick. The crepe batter needs something to grab onto so it gets lacy and crisp.
As you cook the crepes, lay them out on a baking sheet to cool. If you stack them, they’ll steam and lose all traces of texture.
Rubbing the orange with the sugar cubes is a perverse and tedious step, but it works to infuse the sugar with the oils from the zest.
MARCH 6, 1977: “FOOD: THE LEGENDARY CREPES SUZETTE,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY.
—1977
PRUNEAUX DU PICHET (PRUNES IN A PITCHER)
Pruneaux du pichet, a name that sounds better in French, is credited to Fernand Point, the chef at the Pyramide Restaurant in Vienne, a town outside Lyon. Point supposedly created the dessert for one of his regulars, the Aga Khan the Third. “On one occasion,” Craig Claiborne wrote, “the Aga Khan offered Mr. Point a splendid terra-cotta pitcher, or pichet, ornamented with Islamic motifs. In return, Mr. Point, perhaps the most celebrated chef of this century, created a dessert for the Aga Khan. He invariably served it in the pitcher. It is surprisingly simple but delicious. Nothing but prunes cooked in port wine and Bordeaux.”
For a newer take on this combination, see the Wine-Stewed Prunes and Mascarpone here.
———
36 to 40 plump, soft prunes
2 cups port
2 cups Bordeaux or other dry red wine
½ vanilla bean, split
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1. Place the prunes in a bowl and add the port. Let stand until the prunes have softened, about 24 hours.
2. Pour the prunes and port into a saucepan and add the Bordeaux, vanilla bean, and sugar. Stir. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes. The sauce should be on the syrupy side.
3. Cool, and chill well. It will become more syrupy. Remove the vanilla bean, and serve with the heavy cream on the side.
SERVES 6 TO 8
COOKING NOTE
Pruneau d’Agen, a large and luscious prune found in high-end grocery stores, works best.
MAY 2, 1977: “DE GUSTIBUS: FROM LA PYRAMIDE, THE APOTHEOSIS OF THE PRUNE,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM MA GASTRONOMIE, BY FERNAND POINT.
—1977
FORGET-IT MERINGUE TORTE
Meringue has long been a by-product of other desserts, an economical way to use up leftover egg whites. Lemon meringue pie is a kind of finger exercise for the thrifty baker (see here for a great one), while meringue cookies and macaroons (here) tend to be provoked more by guilt than by ambition.
This meringue torte from the 1970s—an almond-scented meringue cake piled with whipped cream—is a more inspired enterprise. The dessert is reminiscent of Pavlova (here), except that it’s baked in a tube pan and comes out more like a cake. Or, as Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey, who got the recipe from Molly Chappellet, an owner of Chappellet Vineyards in the Napa Valley, described it, “When the meringue comes from the oven, it looks like a disaster.”
And it does—like a saggy, toasted marshmallow shaped like a tire. But its cosmetic failings can all be tidied up with whipped cream and a boozy raspberry sauce. The unusual part of the recipe is all the time the dish spends in the oven. The night before serving, you plop the meringue into the tube pan, slip it into a 425-degree oven, and turn off the heat. Then you promise yourself not to peek until morning, at which point it’s done, earning its full name: Forget-It Meringue Torte.
I have made this countless times, always to raves.
———
1½ cups egg whites (from 9 to 11 eggs)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
3 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup heavy cream
Three 10-ounce packages frozen raspberries, defrosted, or 1 quart fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons kirsch or framboise liqueur
1. Heat the oven 425 degrees. Butter an angel food cake pan with a removable bottom. In a mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar. With the mixer on high speed, gradually add 2½ cups sugar. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat to stiff, glossy peaks.
2. Spoon the meringue into the buttered pan. Level the top. Place in the oven and turn off the heat. Do not open the door until the oven is cool. The torte will look messy, but do not worry.
3. Push up the removable bottom of the pan. Cut away the top crust; reserve the crust and any crumbs. Unmold the cake onto a plate. Whip the cream with 1 tablespoon sugar, then ice the cake with it. Chop the reserved crust to make crumbs, then sprinkle them around the sides and top of the cake, pressing gently.
4. Combine the raspberries, the remaining ½ cup sugar, and kirsch in a bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Serve the cake sliced, with the sauce spooned on the side.
SERVES 12
COOKING NOTES
The original recipe calls for kirsch, sugar, and frozen raspberries. Feel free to use fresh ones if they’re in season.
This dessert is best made on a dry day. Humidity will turn the torte into a sticky, droopy mess. I’ve tried it.
APRIL 2, 1978: “FOOD: OVERNIGHT SUCCESS,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM MOLLY CHAPPELLET, AN OWNER OF CHAPPELLET VINEYARDS IN NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.
—1978
RUM PUMPKIN CREAM PIE
Although I have not found a store-bought pastry crust that doesn’t fill me with gloom, if you have, you can certainly use it for this simple, delicious pie. The filling is creamy and deceivingly light, and the rum hovers above it like a fragrant halo.
———
For the Pastry Shell
1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (or 5 tablespoons unsalted butter and ¼ cup lard)
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
For the Filling
1½ cups canned pumpkin puree
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup dark rum
¾ cup heavy cream
For the Whipped Cream
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon rum
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1. To make the pastry dough, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Work in the shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle with the ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing thoroughly with a 2-pronged fork after each addition. When all the flour is moistened, gather the dough into a ball and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle about ⅛ inch thick and about 1½ inches larger than the pie plate. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry, trim the excess dough, and flatten the edges.
3. Lay a piece of parchment over the dough and fill with rice, dried beans, or pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, and bake until the pastry is dry on the bottom, another 5 minutes. Let cool.
4. To make the filling, combine the pumpkin, sugar, salt, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl. Mix the eggs, milk, rum, and cream in another bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pie shell.
5. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer, until just set in the center (test by gently shaking the pan). Cool on a rack.
6. To make the topping, whip the cream in a small bowl, gradually adding the sugar, to soft peaks. Fold in the rum and ginger.
7. Slice the pie and serve garnished with dollops of whipped cream.
SERVES 8
COOKING NOTE
You can use almost any pastry for the crust—butter, shortening, even gingersnap. If you elect to make the crust given here, you can prepare it in a food processor. Combine all the dry ingredients in the work bowl and pulse a few times. Then pulse in the shortening (or whatever fat you’re using) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Very quickly pulse in the water. The dough is ready when you pinch a small amount between your thumb and forefinger and it sticks together.
PERIOD DETAIL
In the story accompanying this recipe, Craig Claiborne wrote that, according to the American Spice Trade Association, the most common spice in American households at the time was pepper. The next two were dehydrated onion and garlic. It’s no coincidence that these three spices are the primary seasonings in Mrs. Dash, which was introduced in 1981.
MARCH 12, 1979: “DEGUSTIBUS: ON SPICES AND SPIRITS,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE.
—1979
FRESH RASPBERRY (OR BLACKBERRY OR BLUEBERRY) FLUMMERY
Dictionary writers are not kind to flummery. The pudding is referred to as “bland custard” and “a sort of pap.” Webster’s says an alternative meaning is “something insipid, or not worth having.”
Nearly 400 years ago, flummery was a Welsh specialty of oatmeal, boiled until dense—and indeed a sort of pap. As this specialty shockingly fell from favor cooks gave the name flummery to puddings firmed up with almonds and gelatin. By the time flummery reached America, it had been transformed into a pure, delicately set fruit stew that was popular for about five minutes in the 1980s. It is made by gently breaking down the fragile berries with heat and sugar, fortifying them with a little cornstarch, and then drenching the pudding with cool, fresh cream at the table. (Flummery appears to be a close relative of rote grütze—“red grits”—a German berry stew.) Had we stuck with “red grits,” we might still know the dish.
Pour on the cream at the table so your guests can enjoy the web of cream streaming through the lustrous red pudding.
———
1 quart raspberries or other berries
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water or milk
Juice of ½ lemon
Heavy cream for serving
1. Combine the berries, sugar, and water in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until the mixture is liquid.
2. Strain the pulp through a fine sieve. Pour the strained liquid into a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
3. Meanwhile, blend the cornstarch with the cold water or milk. Stir this into the boiling berry liquid. Add the lemon juice. Simmer for 1 minute. Serve with heavy cream.
SERVES 6 TO 8
VARIATION
Flummery can be made with any berry. Blackberries and blueberries are especially good. A blackberry version that ran in the Times just a month before this one included ¼ cup more sugar, ½ cup less water, and nutmeg and salt as seasonings.
JULY 16, 1980: “THE DELIGHTS OF THAI COOKERY IN A CONNECTICUT FIREPLACE,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM THE FAMILY RECIPE OF NANCY AND ROBERT CHARLES OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT.
—1980
TARTE AUX POMMES (FRENCH APPLE TART)
I like how Claiborne and Franey instruct you to use the apple trimmings in the base of the tart. No waste!
———
French Pie Pastry (recipe follows)
5 unblemished firm tart-sweet cooking apples, such as McIntosh or Granny Smith
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup clear apple jelly
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pastry and line an 11-inch pie tin, preferably a quiche tin, with it.
2. Peel the apples and cut them into quarters. Cut away and discard the cores. Trim off and reserve the ends of the apple quarters. Chop these pieces. There should be about ½ cup. Cut the quarters lengthwise into slices. There should be 5 cups sliced apples.
3. Scatter the chopped apple ends over the pie shell. Arrange the apple slices overlapping in concentric circles, starting with the outer layer and working to the center. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar and dot with the butter.
4. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees and continue baking until the apples are tender and golden brown on the tips, about 25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the apple jelly over low heat, stirring, until melted.
6. Brush the top of the hot apple tart with the jelly. Serve hot or cold.
SERVES 6 TO 8
FRENCH PIE PASTRY (CROUSTADE)
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
Cut the butter into small cubes and add them to a food processor. Add the flour and sugar. Start processing while gradually adding the water. Add only enough water so that the dough holds together and can be shaped into a ball. Gather the dough into a ball. Wrap it in wax paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
MAKES ENOUGH PASTRY FOR A 1-CRUST PIE
AUGUST 31, 1980: “FOOD: THE CRUSTY DIFFERENCE,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY.
—1980
PAVLOVA
This tremendous pile of meringue, fruit, and whipped cream was supposedly created in Australia in the ’20s to celebrate a visit by the acclaimed Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. However, New Zealand, ever the feisty underdog, maintains that Pavlova—the dessert, not the dancer—was its invention.
———
3 large egg whites
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 kiwis
¾ cup heavy cream
1. Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Butter an 8- or 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Butter the paper. Dust the bottom and sides of the pan with flour; shake out the excess flour. Beat the whites in a medium bowl until frothy. Continue beating while gradually adding ¾ cup sugar and the salt. Add the vinegar and vanilla extract and continue beating until the meringue is stiff.
2. Sift the cornstarch over the meringue and fold it in with a rubber spatula. Scrape the meringue into the prepared pan and smooth it over. Make a slight indentation extending from the center of the meringue out to about 1 inch from the sides of the pan. Build up the sides of the meringue slightly. The indentation will hold when the meringue is baked.
3. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the meringue rest in the oven for 1 hour. Cover and let stand until thoroughly cool.
4. Unmold the meringue. Peel the kiwis. Cut 1 of them into 10 slices. Garnish the rim of the meringue with the slices.
5. Cut the remaining kiwis lengthwise into quarters. Cut the quarters crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Put the fruit in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Spoon this into the center of the meringue.
6. Whip the cream until frothy, and add the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Continue beating until stiff. Use a pastry bag and tube to pipe the whipped cream over the fruit. Or use a spatula to cover the fruit-filled meringue with the cream.
SERVES 6 TO 8
COOKING NOTES
Don’t make Pavlova on a humid day, or it’ll just be floppy.
If kiwis are out of season, use another juicy fruit, like peaches or plums, or berries. Pavlova is also delicious with passion fruit.
DECEMBER 21, 1980: “FOOD; DOING THE MERINGUE,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY.
—1980
KEY LIME PIE
Adjusted for northerners, the recipe calls for regular limes. By all means use key limes if you can get them.
———
For the Graham Cracker Crust
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup finely chopped almonds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Pie Filling
6 large egg yolks
One 14-ounce can (about 1¼ cups) sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
¾ cup fresh lime juice (from about 6 limes)
6 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1. To make the crust, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the crumbs, sugar, almonds, and butter in a bowl. Blend well. Use the mixture to line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
2. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the crust to a rack and let cool. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees.
3. To make the filling, beat the yolks in a bowl. Pour in the condensed milk, stirring constantly. Add the lime zest and juice.
4. Pour the mixture into the crumb crust. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool.
5. To make the meringue, beat the egg whites until frothy in a large bowl. Gradually add the sugar and cream of tartar, beating constantly until soft peaks form. Continue beating until stiff.
6. Spread the meringue over the pie, being sure to cover the filling all the way to the edges of the crust. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the meringue is nicely browned. Removed to a rack to cool, then refrigerate. Serve chilled.
SERVES 8
COOKING NOTES
Craig Claiborne suggested this topping alternative: “If you prefer, you may ignore the meringue and spread the pie, once baked and cooled, with a layer of sweetened whipped cream.” I’d use unsweetened whipped cream.
The filling will still be quite jiggly in the center when the pie is ready to come out of the oven.
FEBRUARY 1, 1981: “SWEET SOLUTIONS TO A TART PROBLEM,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE.
—1981
TOURTIÈRE (APPLE, PRUNE, AND ARMAGNAC TART)
The assembly of this tart from Southwest France reminded me of making a bed. You lay down layer upon layer of clean white phyllo, stretching and pulling it to keep it flat. You finish each layer with a promising splash of sugar and Armagnac. After a while, you add the apples and prunes, and then get back to layering the phyllo until everything is tucked in snugly.
———
2 pounds Golden Delicious apples (about 7)
1½ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup water
½ pound prunes, pitted and quartered (about 1 cup)
½ cup Armagnac or rum
About ½ pound phyllo dough
Approximately 1 tablespoon peanut oil
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1. To prepare the tourtière, you will need a large, round, shallow baking pan: a 16-inch paella pan is perfect. (I used a 14-inch braising pan.) Peel the apples, quarter them, and slice very thin.
2. Stir together the apples, ½ cup sugar, and water in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until quite dry, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, combine the prunes with the Armagnac and allow them to macerate while the apples cook.
4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Unfold the phyllo dough, dampen a large cloth towel, and drape it over the phyllo to prevent it from drying out.
5. Drain the prunes and combine them with the cooked apples; reserve the Armagnac.
6. To assemble the toutière, using a pastry brush, lightly oil the bottom and sides of the baking pan. Center 1 sheet of phyllo dough in the pan and sprinkle generously with sugar and Armagnac. Do this 3 more times, until you have used 4 sheets of phyllo. Spoon the apple-and-prune mixture in a single layer on top of the dough, covering the pastry. (Be sure to keep the unused phyllo dough covered as you work.)
7. Continue with the rest of the phyllo dough, layering it sheet by sheet, covering each sheet with a sprinkling of sugar and a sprinkling of Armagnac, until you have used all the sugar, Armagnac, and dough. Use about 10 sheets, or layers, in all.
8. Trim off any overhanging pastry from the edges so they are even, and sprinkle the trimmings on top of the last layer of pastry.
9. Place the tourtière in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees and cook for an additional hour.
10. Just before serving dust the tourtière with confectioners’ sugar. Serve hot, at room temperature, or gently reheated, cut into wedges.
SERVES 10
COOKING NOTES
Patricia Wells, who wrote about this tart, noted “that tourtière is usually made with homemade strudel-like dough. The phyllo works well as a compromise.”
If you can find prunes from Agen, use them. They’re softer and more luscious than other varieties. Accordingly, they’re more expensive.
NOVEMBER 4, 1981: “HEARTY FARE OF FRANCE’S SOUTHWEST,” BY PATRICIA WELLS. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM JEANNE-MARIE MOURIERE.
—1981
MRS. HOVIS’S HOT UPSIDE-DOWN APPLE PIE
Architecturally this pie is like a tarte Tatin, but it differs tremendously in flavor. The apples roast in a bath of butter, brown sugar, and lemon zest, and are finished with bourbon, so the fruit turns mahogany brown, its juices thicken, and the whole tart is perfumed with lemon and whiskey—dessert and digestif in one.
———
For the Short Butter Crust
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
5 to 6 tablespoons ice water
For the Filling
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons arrowroot
4 or 5 apples (about 2 pounds), such as Granny Smith
2 tablespoons bourbon
1. To make the crust, put the flour in a bowl and add the butter pieces. Work the flour and butter together with your fingers or a pastry blender until well blended. Gradually sprinkle the mixture with the ice water, using only enough so that the dough holds together and can be formed into a ball. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten slightly. Wrap closely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. To make the filling, pour the melted butter into a baking dish or skillet about 1½ to 2 inches deep and 12 inches in diameter (the dish might also be rectangular). Sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar, grated lemon zest, and arrowroot.
3. Peel the apples and cut away any blemishes. Quarter the apples and cut away the cores. Cut the quarters lengthwise in half. Arrange the apple pieces in neat concentric circles over the brown sugar mixture. Sprinkle the bourbon over the apples.
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 13 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough on top of the apples. Trim the dough to ½ inch beyond the edges of the baking dish or skillet, and gently fold over the edges toward the center, pressing down lightly all around so that the apples are totally covered with dough. If you’re planning to serve this warm, cover closely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake.
5. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pie in the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown and the apples are tender, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove to a rack and let cool briefly.
6. Run a knife around the inside rim of the pie. Place a large dish over the pie. Quickly invert the pie onto the plate. Serve hot or at room temperature.
SERVES 12
COOKING NOTE
Rolling out the dough between layers of flour-dusted plastic wrap makes transferring the dough to the tart easier—just peel back the top layer of plastic wrap and invert the dough onto the apples, then peel back the remaining plastic wrap and discard it.
FEBRUARY 15, 1984: “OLD LINEN, FINE CHINA, AND CAROLINA SOUL,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM MRS. HOVIS, WHOEVER SHE WAS.
—1984
FONTAINEBLEAU
Fontainebleau is much like coeur à la crème (see here for a superb recipe), in which ricotta or another fresh cheese is blended with whipped cream and whipped egg whites, then drained to condense it. But this is made with yogurt, which means you end up with a lighter, tangier, and much silkier featherbed of cream. (It may even be marginally healthier, if you care.)
———
2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
¾ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
3 large egg whites
Fruit sauce (see here or here) or fresh berries, for serving
1. Line a 6-cup perforated mold or 2 or more smaller perforated molds with cheesecloth. Combine the yogurt and all but 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl.
2. Whip the cream until stiff, and fold into the yogurt mixture.
3. Whip the egg whites until stiff, add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and whip until glossy, another 20 seconds. Fold the egg whites into the yogurt mixture.
4. Transfer the mixture to the lined mold(s) and place in a bowl to catch the liquid that will drain off. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, discarding the liquid from time to time. The cheese should become fairly firm and dry, almost like whipped cream cheese.
5. To serve, unmold the Fontainebleau onto a platter and surround with a colorful fresh fruit sauce or fresh berries.
SERVES 8 TO 10
COOKING NOTES
When you drain the yogurt mixture, it will give off a lot of liquid. I poured it off three times, for a total of about 1½ cups of liquid.
I reduced the sugar from 1 cup in the original recipe to ¾ cup to emphasize the tanginess of the yogurt.
I don’t have a perforated mold, so I lined a fine-mesh sieve with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl—not as pretty, but it worked just fine.
This is one recipe for which low-fat yogurt is acceptable.
MAY 6, 1984: “ENTERTAINING ABROAD/FRANCE: WEEKENDS IN THE DORDOGNE,” BY PATRICIA WELLS. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM ISABELLE D’ORNANO, A DIRECTOR OF SISLEY COSMETICS, IN PARIS, FRANCE.
—1984
TARTE AUX FRUITS (FRUIT OR BERRY TART)
If you’ve always wanted to make a fruit tart that looks like it came from a Parisian pâtisserie, this is it. If you’ve always wanted to make a fruit tart that looks like it came from a Roman bakery, move on to here.
———
Baked Tart Shell (recipe follows)
Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
2 to 3 pints raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries, or 2 to 3 cups other fresh fruit, peeled and pitted as necessary (enough berries or fruit to completely cover the pastry cream)
¼ cup apricot, strawberry, raspberry, or other preserves (optional)
2 tablespoons water (optional)
1. If you used a removable-bottom pan for the tart shell, remove the rim from the shell. Fill the tart shell with the pastry cream and smooth the top. Garnish the top of the pastry cream by placing the berries or cut fruit as close together as possible to completely cover the cream. The tart may be served as is or it may be glazed.
2. If you desire to glaze the berries or fruit, combine the preserves with the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring. Put the mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds. Dip a pastry brush into the glaze and brush the tops of the berries or fruits with it.
SERVES 6 TO 8
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt (if desired)
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) very cold unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water
1. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Cut the butter into small pieces and add it. Add the yolks. Blend briefly, and gradually add the water. Add only enough water so the dough pulls away from the sides of the container. Alternatively, put the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add it. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture has the texture of coarse cornmeal. Beat the yolks and 2 tablespoons water together and add, stirring quickly with a fork. Add more water if necessary to make a dough that will hold together and can be shaped into a ball.
2. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in wax paper, and chill for 1 hour. (This dough may also be frozen for later use.)
3. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the dough and use it to line a 10-inch pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Line the dough with wax paper and add enough dried peas, beans, or specially made aluminum pellets to prevent the shell from buckling.
4. Place a baking sheet in the oven and let it heat for 5 minutes. Place the pastry shell on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the dried peas, beans, or pellets and wax paper. Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees. Continue baking for 15 minutes, or until the tart shell is golden brown on the bottom. Remove and let cool.
MAKES ONE 10-INCH TART SHELL
PASTRY CREAM (CRÈME PÂTISSIERE)
1½ cups whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Blend 1 cup of the milk and the cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. As the mixture is heating, put the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and beat until pale yellow. Add the cornstarch and beat well. Add the remaining ½ cup milk and beat until blended.
3. When the milk and cream mixture is at the boil, remove from the heat. Add the yolk mixture, beating rapidly with a wire whisk. Return to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with the whisk. When thickened and at the boil, remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Let cool, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate until needed.
MAKES ABOUT 2¼ CUPS
COOKING NOTE
For the glaze, use apricot preserve for light fruits such as peaches, and berry preserves for darker fruits like strawberries or blueberries.
SEPTEMBER 16, 1984: “FOOD: WORTH REPEATING,” BY CRAIG CLAIBORNE WITH PIERRE FRANEY.
—1984
BALDUCCI’S TIRAMISÙ
This tiramisù, which comes from two 1980s food icons, the gourmet store Balducci’s and the pastry chef Giuliano Bugialli, has a few unconventional details. The mascarpone is lightened with egg whites and infused with Triple Sec, in addition to the usual brandy. The tiramisù is too soft to hold a shape, as it usually does, and instead happily slumps on the serving plate like an English confection. And it’s showered with chopped chocolate, not cocoa, which gives the dessert a textural tension that I love.
———
24 Italian ladyfingers (see Cooking Note)
1 cup espresso, cooled
6 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons sugar
1 pound mascarpone
2 tablespoons Marsala
2 tablespoons Triple Sec
2 tablespoons brandy
½ pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1. Dip 12 ladyfingers quickly in the espresso. Arrange on a flat serving platter (or in a gratin dish) in a row.
2. Beat the yolks with the sugar in a large bowl until pale. Add the mascarpone, liqueurs, and extract and stir to mix thoroughly.
3. Beat the whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into the mascarpone mixture.
4. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture on top of the ladyfingers. Sprinkle with half of the chopped chocolate.
5. Dip the remaining ladyfingers in the remaining espresso. Repeat the layering with the ladyfingers and remaining mascarpone mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate.
6. Cover lightly with foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or as long as overnight (but it is best to make the dish about 6 hours before serving).
SERVES 8 TO 10
COOKING NOTE
Marian Burros, who wrote the story, said, “Italian ladyfingers, which are drier and larger than the American version, are preferable. They are available at many Italian specialty markets. If American ladyfingers are substituted, you will need about one-fourth more of them, and they should be toasted at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes to dry them out before you prepare the recipe.”
MARCH 6, 1985: “WHAT’S TIRAMISÙ? WELL, IT DEPENDS . . .,” BY MARIAN BURROS. RECIPE ADAPTED BY NINA BALDUCCI FROM A RECIPE TAUGHT TO HER BY GIULIANO BUGIALLI.
—1985
REUBEN’S APPLE PANCAKE
Although Reuben’s Restaurant in New York was known for its cheesecake (see here for the saga of the cook who tried to reverse-engineer the dish), the Times focused on Reuben’s apple pancake. When the restaurant closed in 1966 after sixty years, no one outside its kitchen had any idea how to replicate its buttery, caramelized crepe, whose singed and rumpled edges belied its remarkable flavor.
Marian Burros, the dogged and beloved Times food writer, was not about to live without tasting that pancake again. She called Arnold Reuben Jr., the son of the restaurant’s owner, for help. He warned her it wouldn’t be easy and gave her the ingredients and a few tips, but not much else. Burros headed to the kitchen. “Five pancakes, 30 eggs, 2½ pounds of butter, and 5 cups of sugar later, I understood what he meant,” Burros wrote. What follows is the result of her hard work.
What Burros figured out was that you need to cook the apple-and-raisin-flecked batter in butter to create a pancake, then shower it with sugar and flip it, and repeat this sugaring and flipping twice, for a total of three times.
A mini-scandal occurred in 2001, when Jonathan Reynolds, another Times food columnist, ran the recipe without crediting Burros. “My own newspaper!” Burros later lamented in her book, Cooking for Comfort. But then she wrote, “I confess, it offered a slight improvement that was not spelled out in my version: how to flip a 12-inch pancake easily. And it took advantage of a nonstick skillet, a piece of equipment that was not available in 1986.”
Burros also added one last tweak in her book, suggested to her by Libby Hillman, a cookbook author who, years before, had actually watched a cook at Reuben’s prepare the pancake: a last-minute flambéing with rum to maximize the caramelization of the sugar on the edges of the pancake. I’ve added all of these upgrades to the Cooking Notes.
———
1 large green apple
2 tablespoons raisins
Scant ½ cup plus 1½ tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
½ cup whole milk
½ cup all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
About 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel, quarter, and core the apple. Slice into ¼-inch-thick quarter-moon-shaped slices. Place in a bowl with the raisins, 1½ tablespoons sugar, and the cinnamon. Mix well. Cover and allow to macerate for at least 24 hours, longer if possible. Stir occasionally.
2. Beat the eggs with the milk in a small bowl. Beat in the flour and vanilla to make a smooth batter.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a well-seasoned 8-inch French steel skillet or nonstick skillet with sloping sides and a long handle until it sizzles. Add the drained apples and raisins and cook over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the apples soften.
4. Add another 2 tablespoons of butter and melt it. Pour in the batter evenly and cook over medium-high heat, pulling the cooked sides of the pancake away from the edges and allowing the batter to flow under and cook. Keep lifting with the spatula to keep it from sticking.
5. When the pancake begins to firm up, sprinkle one-quarter to one-third of the remaining ½ cup sugar evenly over the top. Add another few tablespoons of butter, slipping it underneath the pancake. Then flip the pancake and cook, allowing the sugar to caramelize. When it begins to brown, sprinkle the top with another quarter to third of the sugar. Add more butter if needed. Flip the pancake again and allow the sugar to caramelize on the bottom.
6. Sprinkle another quarter to third of the sugar on top. Add more butter to the pan if needed. Flip the pancake once again and continue caramelizing.
7. Sprinkle the top lightly with sugar and place in the oven for 20 minutes to caramelize further.
SERVES 2
COOKING NOTES
A nonstick skillet is easier to deal with.
To flip the pancake, follow these instructions from Reynolds’s 2001 article: “Place a cookie sheet over the pan and invert the pancake onto it. Return the pan to the heat and add 2 tablespoons butter, swirling to coat. Slide the pancake back into the pan to cook the other side. Repeat, each time you flip the pancake.”
To flambé the pancake, skip Step 7. Instead, sprinkle the pancake with ¼ cup rum and light with a long match (standing back). When the flames die, bring the pancake forth, beaming with pride.
JANUARY 11, 1986: “DE GUSTIBUS: RE-CREATING REUBEN’S LEGENDARY APPLE PANCAKE,” BY MARIAN BURROS. RECIPE ADAPTED FROM ARNOLD REUBEN OF REUBEN’S RESTAURANT.
—1986
