Old School Pastry from PastrySampler.com
For this Foodie Friday, here are some homemade seasonings and spice mixtures that were used in cooking. From The New System of Domestic Cookery, by “A Lady,” from 1807 – Recipe for Kitchen Pepper. Kitchen Pepper: a mixture used to flavor meats, sauces and soups. …
Here is an entry in Foodie Friday – non-pastry recipes and food info from archival and historical cook books. Think ketchup is something that Heinz made up? The tomato preserve called ketchup, or catsup, or any other variation to the name, has been around a …
Blanched and ground almonds are used in many pastry applications. They provide crunch in cookies, and the base to many desserts. With the recognition of celiac disease, it has even help bakers create crusts for cheesecake and pies without the use of flour. How to blanche them? The procedure in a cook book from 1864 is the same now. From The Complete Confectioner:
My method:
Blanching and Peeling Almonds – Bring a pot of water to boiling. Add in desired amount of nuts and allow to boil for 2-3 minutes, depending on how much almonds are in the pot. Remove from heat and drain nuts. Allow to cool enough so that peeling the nuts will not burn skin but still warmed, and simply pop the almonds out of their skins. Squeezing from the rounded ends usually assists in removal. When all the nuts have been skinned, allow to dry then dry thoroughly in oven, or toast until desired shade of brown and use in recipes.
This recipe is adapted from ‘The Royal Baker and Pastry Cook: A Manual of Practical Receipts for Home Baking and Cooking’ by the Royal Baking Powder Company. This paperback was published in 1911, and here is a picture of my copy. The paperback book also …
