1889 Escalloped Potatoes - from a Suffragette Cookbook

 

Escalloped Potatoes

The Woman Suffrage Cookbook - Hattie A.Burr, 1889

A simple scalloped potato recipe which was easy and fairly quick to make. It cooked up perfectly. I used the only earthenware baking dish I had. The only thing I changed was that I added 1/2 cup more milk because the original amount didn't seem like enough in the dish I used. This recipe used a lot less liquid than modern recipes, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. In fact, they were absolutely perfect. The potatoes were soft and well cooked, while the top was nicely crisp. They had a great flavour and weren't overly saucy or drippy. I would use this recipe again in an instant. Even my testers who aren't fond of scalloped potatoes liked them. Next time I'd use less flour on top, however, the flour toasted and gave it a lovely nuttyish taste, rather than being inedible

This cookbook is a community cookbook filled with recipes from both suffragettes and supporters. It has a huge array of everyday type recipes and if you ignore the suggestions for how long to cook vegetables, it looks to be a great resource for regular home cooking at the time. The recipes I read seem to be complete with even a few having other suggestions for serving, mainly in the cake section. It was a delight to peruse through and some of the more odd recipes like those using squash will come in handy in the fall for autumnal cooking demos.

 

A quick garden update

The weather at the beginning of the month was full of surprises.  We had days with promise, of bulbs starting to show buds and leaf buds swelling - and then poof the weather changed and my poetic almost spring post was out of date.   Then it got crazy busy and then my computer updated, 3 times in a week and a half.  So instead, it's a current post, which isn't poetic in the least.

The daffodils are blooming.   There are these bi-coloured ones in the back garden and yellow ones up front.   These bloom a few days earlier despite the front gardens getting a lot more sun and wind protection.   The little blue scilla are always a welcome sight.  They are true blue and so pretty.   I've always hoped they'd naturalize into the grass, but hubby likes his riding lawn mower and the grass grows so quickly in the spring, that they never really have a chance to do so.

Yesterday  I noticed that the Hyacinths have started blooming as well.  Today was too windy for me to try to photograph bugs, but my 2 loads of laundry out on the line dried in a flash.  Because it was so breezy, it was soft and lovely as well.  

This was the big bumble bee that was flitting around all the hyacinths.   He was amazingly large.   I was a bit disappointed as it was still coolish at the time, and breezy, so I couldn't have a cup of tea outside to enjoy the scent of the hyacinths.   

Today I checked the two new gooseberries I planted last year and both survived the weird winter.  I was only really worried about one, as it had a harder time establishing itself last summer.  It had some leaf fall and didn't really grow over the months after it was planted.  However, both plants have green buds and tiny leaves, so hurray!  

I went out looking for replacement copper moulds.  I was thrilled to find some, although the prices were really high.  There were 2 fairly small ones, a lobster and a fish, that were heavy and lined with a silver coloured metal.   They were $20 each, which although they were probably older and more durable than the ones I collect, were way outside my self-imposed mould budget.

There were a couple of other moulds, also priced at $20 or higher, but they were either too large, or not pretty.  I've only seen one not pretty mould, and it was yesterday - plain and round .  

 I found this lovely tiered jelly mould though for $12.  And while that's the top end of my budget,  I usually walk away from those.  We no longer have real thrift stores in town, so I have to drive to cities to find the cheap ones.  I figured the time and gas expenditures probably make up for the extra cost.  Plus it's so pretty and fun!    So I found a new one, but not any replacements for the damaged moulds.  I guess I can keep looking.