Richmond artist Diego Sanchez’s mural spices up the VMFA’s Art Education Center. Susan Winiecki.
THE RECIPE BOX
A Collection of Old and New Favorites
Within this chapter are some recipes from historical resources that have not been tested. Makers and bakers, beware.
POWHATAN SQUASH AND CORN SOUP
Adapted by K. Lara Templin, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
¼ cup butter (or 3–4 tablespoons nut oil like hazelnut oil if you want vegan and don’t worry about nut allergies)
Scant teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon ground hot red pepper (cayenne or similar)*
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed*
2 cups cooked pumpkin mush*
1 cup dried sweet corn*
3 cups water
Put the butter or oil in the soup pot and add the salt and red pepper, then the squash and stir it around a few minutes. Then add the pumpkin and dried corn and stir a few minutes. Finally, add the water and cook on low, stirring occasionally, at least an hour (or slow cook 4 hours). If the squash is not completely falling apart into mush, use an immersion blender for a minute or two until a relatively smooth texture is achieved. The soup should be thick and rich.
Go lighter on the red pepper if you think it is too spicy; I think it is mild, but I like spice!
You can use a 20-ounce package of frozen butternut squash cubes.
You can use 1 15- to 16-ounce can of pumpkin—not one already spiced for pie!
Do NOT use fresh or frozen corn. John Cope’s toasted dried sweet corn works.
PICKLED STURGEON
From William Byrd’s Diaries, Vol. 2
“Mr Catesby’s Receipt to Pickle Sturgeon”
To pickle Sturgeon*
Let the fish when taken cool on the ground 24, 36 or 48 hours as the Weather will permit, then cut it in pieces, & throw it into clean Water, shifting the Water several times, whilst it is soaking wash and brush it with hard Brushes til it be very clean, which it will be in two or three Hours, And then you may tie it up with Bass and Boyl it; Put in Somewhat more Salt than in boiling other Fish, Skim it well and boil it very softly, til it be tender, an hour, or an hour and a half or 2 hours according to the Age of the Fish. And then let it cool very well, And put it into pickle. The Pickle must be made of Beer Vinegar ⅝ & ⅜ of the Broth it was boiled and mixed together & Salt the Pickle very well with unbeat Salt somewhat more than will make a fresh Egg swim, put the Fish in the Kettle when the water is cold and the Fat must be taken off very well.
*It is illegal to catch wild sturgeon in the United States. Farmed sturgeon is available from Atlantic Caviar and Sturgeon.
MRS. PATRICK HENRY’S POUND CAKE
Mrs. Patrick Henry most assuredly did not have easy access to lemon and vanilla extracts, but thanks to C.F. Sauer Company, you do. This recipe is from Byrd Mill Since 1740, Louisa, Virginia: 18th Century Virginia Receipts and was once used in Williamsburg’s Raleigh Bakeshop (from the Virginia Historical Society’s general collection).
1 Cup Butter
1½ Cups Sugar
2⅓ Cups natural fl our
5 Eggs
½ Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon each Lemon and Vanilla Extract
Cream Butter until it can be beaten with a Spoon before adding Sugar. Add Sugar gradually, beating Mixture until creamy. Separate Eggs, beat Yolks until thick and Whites until Stiff. Add beaten Yolks to Butter and Sugar; mix well, then add a Portion of Flour, stir until smooth, then fold in Portion of Milk, continue to stir in Flour and Milk alternately mixing until smooth. Add Flavoring and Egg Whites. Pour into an ungreased Paper-lined Pan. Bake in a slow Oven (325) 1 Hour for a square or round Pan, longer than one Hour if oblong Pan is used. Cool thoroughly before cutting.
QUOIT CLUB PUNCH
This recipe for Quoit Club Punch comes from Thomas Leggett, bar manager at The Roosevelt, adapted from Dave Wondrich’s indispensable book, Punch. The Roosevelt and T, as he is known, won Elbys in 2013 and 2017 for Best Cocktail Program. Makes just shy of a gallon
Start by combining the peels of 12 lemons and 2 cups of sugar in a bowl. Muddle the mixture lightly and let stand for 1 hour. This process will extract the aromatic oils from the lemon peels to give depth to the punch. Afterward add 2 cups of fresh, strained lemon juice and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add a 750 ml bottle of good Jamaican rum, another of a good aged brandy and finally a 750 ml bottle of rainwater Madeira. Stir until well integrated and add to a punch bowl filled with plenty of ice; larger blocks preferred for longevity of the social engagement.
GASPACHA—SPANISH
See chapter 6 for background on this recipe from Mary Randolph’s 1824 cookbook.
Put some soft biscuit or toasted bread in the bottom of a sallad bowl, put in a layer of sliced tomatos with the skin taken off, and one of sliced cucumbers, sprinkled with pepper, salt and chopped onion; do this until the bowl is full; stew some tomatos quite soft, strain the juice, mix in some mustard, oil, and water, and pour over it; make it two hours before it is eaten.
MRS. HORACE W. JONES’ LOAF BREAD, ROLLS AND TURNOVERS
From Virginia Cookery Book, compiled by the Virginia League of Women Voters in 1921
This recipe moved through several bakers’ hands to possibly become the rolls served at Morton’s Tea Room. Perhaps the recipe’s vagueness on some scores, as in temperature and time, is meant to ensure that no one will ever make her famous rolls as well as her cooks did, but give it a try. “Quick oven” means hot oven, if that helps!
½ yeast cake (for quick bread in cold weather use 2 cakes)
1 teaspoon salt
1 quart flour
1 tablespoon lard
3 teaspoons sugar
1 pint liquid
Dissolve yeast cake in lukewarm water. Sift salt and flour together. Make a hole in middle of flour. Put in lard, sugar and dissolved yeast cake. Add water by degrees, while mixing dough. Knead until perfectly smooth, grease top and put in greased crock in warm place. It is very necessary for good bread to keep the dough at an even temperature. Rise until it has doubled its bulk (70 degrees is a good temperature). Put down in any shape preferred. When this has doubled its bulk, bake in quick oven. The last few minutes the heat should be lowered.
SALLY BELL’S KITCHEN HAM SPREAD
Sally Bell’s used to get its Virginia hams from J.P. Crowder’s in Jackson Ward. You didn’t expect them to give away their potato salad recipe, did you?!
Makes 18 sandwiches
2 pounds ground picnic shoulder ham
2 cups seedless raisins, ground
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
¾ cup mayonnaise
⅔ cup sweet relish
In a medium bowl, mix ham and raisins thoroughly. Blend in cream cheese and mayonnaise. Stir in relish.
THALHIMERS’ SOUP BAR PIMENTO CHEESE
Recipe from Louis Mahoney’s “Thalhimers’ Signature Dishes Won’t Be Signing Out” in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 15, 1992
Thalhimers in Richmond had a Men’s Soup Bar on the mezzanine level for many years, ostensibly where businessmen could grab a quick lunch away from the more leisurely ladies. Eight women walked in to be served in 1970 and were at first refused. One man was quoted as saying, “There goes the last place to eat in town!”
Makes about 6 cups
¼ cup margarine
½ cup flour
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 large green bell pepper, fi nely diced
½ cup chopped pimento
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt margarine. Stirring constantly to keep from lumping, sprinkle flour over. Continue stirring and cook until slightly thickened and pale golden. Remove from heat.
Place cheese, bell pepper and pimento in a large bowl. Stir in flour mixture until completely blended. Chill thoroughly before serving.
The days of Richmond-made flour have washed away with the tide, unless you go to Sub Rosa! These factories and mills are on the Manchester side of the James, 1865. Library of Congress.
MILLER & RHOADS CHOCOLATE PIE
Thanks to our friends at the Hilton Richmond Downtown for this sweet taste of the past, also known as Chocolate Silk Pie. A Miller & Rhoads display inside the hotel is worth a trip down memory lane.
Serves 8/Prep Time: 35 minutes/Total Time: 40 minutes
Crust
½ cup butter
½ cup granulated sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup unsalted butter
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs* (or pasteurized liquid eggs)
Garnish
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
chocolate sprinkles or shaved semisweet chocolate
Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in just enough crumbs to make a slightly crumbly paste. Press evenly into a chilled 8-inch pie plate. Bake 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Filling: With an electric mixer, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate with salt and vanilla. Add 1 egg and beat for no less than 5 additional minutes. Add second egg and beat no less than 3 minutes. Add third egg and beat no less than 5 minutes longer. Pour filling into prepared shell and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Garnish: Just before serving, decorate top of pie with sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate.
Note: Do not try to rush this recipe. Beating each egg separately for no less than 5 minutes each is the secret. #OHMYPIE
*Uncooked eggs can contain salmonella, which can cause severe illness, particularly among infants, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. If you are concerned about the quality of the eggs you are using, substitute with pasteurized liquid eggs.
THE BEST DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM
By Jessica Aber, Richmond, Virginia
This cake won the devil’s food cake contest at the 2015 FFF Urban State Fair, part of Fire, Flour & Fork. The contest was presented by C.F. Sauer, and judges included members of the Advanced Food Service Training Division at Fort Lee, Erin Hatcher of C.F. Sauer and Beth Royals, Richmond’s own Pillsbury Bake-Off Champion. It won forks down!
Cake
1 cup hot coffee
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (¾ cup)
2 cups King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup white sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 cup Duke’s Mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Sauer’s pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment rounds; butter parchment.
Stir together hot coffee and bittersweet chocolate in a bowl until chocolate melts.
In a separate mixing bowl, stir together dry ingredients.
Add mayonnaise, buttermilk and coffee and chocolate mixture to dry ingredients. Using an electric mixer, beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat 2 more minutes.
Pour into cake pans. Bake at 325°F for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for about 15 minutes and then cool completely on racks.
Frost cakes with salted caramel buttercream.
Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
12 tablespoons butter, softened
4 ounces Neufchatel (low-fat cream cheese)
½ cup Duke’s Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Sauer’s pure vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
Using an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy.
Add Neufchatel, mayonnaise, dulce de leche, vanilla and salt. Beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary with a rubber spatula.
Gradually add 4 cups of confectioners’ sugar, beating on low speed, until well combined. Beat on high speed until well combined and smooth while scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2 minutes.
DUKE’S CHOCOLATE CAKE
Duke’s Mayonnaise famously has no sugar in it, which makes it about the only mayonnaise you’ll want to put in a chocolate cake recipe. Duke’s celebrated its 100th birthday in April 2017. This cake recipe, from the folks at Duke’s (part of C.F. Sauer), will make anyone’s birthday memorable.
Cake
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups Duke’s Mayonnaise
1½ teaspoons Sauer’s Vanilla Extract
1½ cups cold water
Chocolate Icing
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5–6 cups confectioners’ sugar
6 or more tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 350°F, grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Sift cocoa, flour, baking soda, salt and sugar into a medium bowl; mix well. Combine mayonnaise, vanilla and water in an electric mixer at low speed. Once smooth, slowly add in dry mixture until just incorporated (do not overbeat). Pour batter into cake pans and bake for 30 minutes or until done. Cool on wire racks and frost. For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cocoa with whisk attachment until smooth. Add vanilla. Add confectioners’ sugar alternately with milk until icing reaches a spreadable consistency. Note: you may not need all 6 cups of sugar; you may need more than 6 tablespoons of milk.
CHARLOTTE’S GREEN TRANSFORMATION SALAD DRESSING
From Charlotte Kenhey, a cook at Grace Place, the beloved and long-gone all-vegetarian place on Grace Street.
2 cups safflower oil
3 full leaves any green leafy vegetable: kale, spinach or lettuce
3 sprigs parsley
4 cloves garlic
½ large onion
¼ cup tamari sauce or soy
½ lemon, rind and juice
½ cup apple juice
¼ cup vinegar
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until well mixed. Add basil or thyme to taste.
MAMA J’S SWEET POTATO PIE
Velma Johnson started a career as a caterer as she ended her career in the Richmond Sheriff’s Department. Her experience helping prepare meals as one of fourteen children growing up contributed to her ease of cooking for crowds. The space on North First Street was too perfect for a restaurant to pass up, so now the crowds flock to Mama J’s to taste the home-like cooking.
Makes 4 pies.
6 eggs
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 cups sugar
1 package instant lemon pudding
pinch salt
1½ cups milk
Mix all. Fill 4 medium uncooked pie shells. Cook slowly at 300°F for 2 hours.
