The spirit of America has always involved sharing food with family and friends. Our country is rich with recipes and ingredients contributed from many cultures.
As you celebrate this Fourth of July, include some foods from your heritage. It might be something that a relative taught you to make, or a favorite food often at the table during your childhood, or perhaps an intriguing dish from the land of your ancestors.
If none of the above are available, try one of these recipes from colonial days, when our country’s independence was still being won. Luckily, you won’t have to cook all day over a fire pit, as these recipes have been updated for the “modern” oven.
Spoon bread
A souffle-like custard cornbread that can be used as a side dish, spoon bread is an authentic southern American classic. Recipe from “The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook.” Makes eight servings.
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2-quart baking dish. In a large heavy saucepan, over medium heat, combine 1 1/2 cups water and the milk. Bring to a simmer; add cornmeal, sugar, salt and butter. Stir until mixture is thickened, about five minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with baking powder until light and fluffy. Stir into cornmeal mixture. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until lightly browned on top and puffy. Serve hot.
Yankee apple cake with lemon sauce
Use tart apples such as Granny Smith for this colonial cake. Recipe from “The Yankee Magazine Cookbook.” Makes one 8-by-8-inch cake.
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
4 large or 6 medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Lemon Sauce (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 400 degree. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut butter into mixture. Add egg and milk; mix well. Pour dough into greased 8-by-8-inch baking pan; cover top with neat rows of apple slices. Mix together sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with Lemon Sauce.
Lemon Sauce:
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups boiling water
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon butter
In saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in hot water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until sauce is thick and clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in lemon rind, juice and butter. Serve hot.
Colonial brown bread
This is a dense loaf like Boston brown bread, only baked instead of steamed. It has a rich, heady aroma that is irresistible. Recipe from famous chef and baker, Beatrice Ojakangas. Makes two loaves.
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1/2 cup golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup dark molasses
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 8.5-by-4.5-by-2.5-inch loaf pans. Stir all dry ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Whisk buttermilk and molasses in small bowl. Mix into dry ingredients. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn out loaves to cool. When completely cool, wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature for a day.
Chicken pot pie
The venerable old “White House Cookbook” (1887) contains everything from Apple Snow to Squirrel Soup to Sassafras Mead. It’s a fun read, although following the recipes could be a bit challenging. Here is a perfect example.
Cut and joint a large chicken, cover with cold water, and let boil gently until tender. Season with salt and pepper and thicken the gravy with 2 teaspoonfuls of flour, mixed smooth with a piece of butter the size of an egg. Have ready nice light bread dough, cut with the top of a wine glass about a half an inch thick. Let them stand half an hour and rise, then drop these into the boiling gravy. Put the cover on the pot closely, wrap a cloth around it in order that no steam shall escape and by no means allow the pot to cease boiling. Boil three-quarters of an hour.