Old School Pastry from PastrySampler.com
Everyone’s favorite stop at the dessert table or the focal point at a formal dinner is the showpiece. And the traditional pièce montée has been around a very long time. In 1864, the Parkinson’s confectionery family talked about creating gum paste vases, nougat baskets, and spun sugar …
Ice cream is celebrated and devoured during the hot summer months, but also enjoyed throughout the year for all occasions. I’ve seen labels on various brands of ice cream sporting the terms ‘New York’ and ‘French’ style, but had little understanding of the basic differences, …
This recipe for Chess Pie comes from Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping (Estelle Woods Wilcox, Buckeye Publishing Company, 1877). For modern recipes, I’ve listed three different Chess Pie recipes on the Pastry Sampler blog as well as a few supposed origins of Chess Pie.
The Buckeye Cookery cookbook was dedicated ‘To The Plucky Housewives of 1876, Who Master Their Work Instead of Allowing It To Master Them.’ In the Preface, the authors state that the greatest source of waste in the household are the mistakes made by the inexperienced, and therefore the book contained tested recipes.
Chess Pie
- 1 unbaked pie crust
- 3 eggs, separated
- 2/3 cup sugar, plus 3 tablespoons for the meringue
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup milk
- Vanilla, about a teaspoon
Beat the softened butter until very light. Add in the yolks, and stir in the milk and the vanilla. Bake in a moderate oven until lightly browned and set in the center. Whip the whites until frothy and soft peaked, then beat in the 3 tablespoons of sugar. Continue beating until firm peaks form. Spread this over the baked pie, and return to the oven to brown. Serve warm.
Olive M. Hulse gave some great advice all throughout her book, Desserts. My 1912 edition features thick pages with print struck heavy onto the pages so that the stamped text is just slightly readable on the opposite side. Her one piece of pie advice stuck …
What makes a Delicate Cake – delicate? Not sure, but here are four versions from my 1890 copy of The Model Cook Book: A selection of nearly 3000 Thoroughly Tested and Choice Recipes by Mrs. Frances Willey. Delicate Cake – No. 1 One cup of …