Great Grandmother's Kitchen

Starting to feel better...thank you everyone who has sent well-wishes, thoughts, prayers, etc, my way!

Normally, I'd break this up into three or four posts, but this is all fall-pertinent stuff, and now we're heading into winter, so I'm going to do one big post today on what's been going on in my kitchen.


Wild Gathering

I've had some very interesting experiences this fall.  Since I currently live in a more rural area, I noticed that there are a number of abandoned apple trees around my town.  They generally look around ten years old or older, and haven't been pruned in a very long time, which means that I often was gathering apples from what appeared to be water shoots from the graft, not from the main tree.  This led to an interesting discovery, which given the climate here makes sense:  most of the apple trees in question seemed to be small, tart, starchy apples for cider.

I also had my very first rose-hip gathering experience.   I had no idea they had such a great scent and flavor!  Unfortunately, the hips I'd gathered and seeded went bad while I was ill, and so that is something I'll need to try again next year.

Another goal for next year would be to try making crabapple jelly.  I used to wonder why old towns in Utah and Idaho had big, old, crabapple trees..after all, all they seemed to do was drop fruit all over the yard and attract deer.  It would seem, though, that they are an ancestor of many modern apples, and, while sour, are very nutritious!  Certainly something to try, although given their high vitamin C content, I want to do my homework and see if there's a tasty way to use them without cooking them. 

 Apples

So, what does one do with a plethora of small, starchy apples?

The blog Bleeding Espresso caught my attention with a recipe for apple sauce, that can be cooked down longer into apple butter.  I left mine on the stove top a bit long, and so never tried the applesauce stage, but the recipe worked great for me.  Since I don't have a food mill, I used a blender, and there were no peel bits left...very thrifty!  While she simple quarters the apples, though, I went ahead and cut the center core out, since apple seeds contain a cyanide compound called amygdelin.  Better safe then sorry!

This apple butter recipe also calls for some vinegar, which led to a very interesting flavor.  I like it, as it seems to get away from the "overcooked" flavor of some apple butters, brightening it.  My husband jokes that it reminds him of an apple catsup, and wants to serve it next time we have pork chops!

Pumpkin

I found a recipe that is one of the simplest things I have ever done for amazing results.  We went to a local pumpkin patch with family right before Halloween, and my Father In Law bought us some little pumpkins called Sugar Babies.

Now, I've tried making my own pumpkin puree before, and it was a disaster.  The big halloween pumpkins are bred for easy carving, which means thin walls and a rough, pulpy texture.

Not these!  I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to make my own...no more expensive cans of pumpkin!

 Using a recipe from Cooking Like a Goddess, by Cait Johnson, I cut the pumpkins in half, and roasted them for 45 minutes in the oven.  The seeds were easy to scrape out, and then digging deeper scraped the flesh right out of the peel.
 I pureed it in small batches.  This took time and plenty of pauses for stirring, but left a very creamy texture.

Final product:  I should have left more headspace, though, to freeze it(I didn't want to loose that beautiful fresh color).  No broken jars, thankfully, but I had some popped lids.  Those two pumpkins made three and a half jars of puree.

Now, I can use it to make pies, pumpkin butter, add it to cream sauces, soups, fillings for ravioli...you name it.  One of the simplest recipes for the greatest reward I have EVER made.

Turkey Stock

We did Thanksgiving slightly early at my house this year.  I have younger siblings who live nearby, and since we all go our separate ways for this holiday, I thought that it was a great excuse to do a turkey early, sort of a test run.

I do two stocks:  giblet stock while the turkey is brining (if you don't know what that means, go here, you will thank me!), and a stock with the bones and carcass after the meal for soup, etc, later in the week. 

Giblet Stock

The organs that come inside the bird(gizzard, heart, liver, etc.) Gently salt, pepper, and drizzle with olive oil, then roast in the oven at around 350-375 until browned nicely.

Put in a crock pot with:

Carrots,
Celery,
Onions,
Apples,
Parsnip peels,
Bay Leaves,
Whatever seasonings you are using on the turkey.

It takes about 4-5 hours on low to make a rich brown stock.  I just leave mine going overnight, then strain it.

This stock makes for great gravy.  Just start with a roux (equal parts butter and flour) cooking in the pan.  When it's golden and fragrant, slowly stir in stock, then let thicken.  Season to taste, and add the turkey drippings when it's done.  Other great additions are caramelized onions and mushrooms.

Turkey Stock

Bones, leftover giblet stock, any scrapings from the bottom of the pan, and whatever herbs and aromatics you put inside the bird,

Peelings and bits from your meal, I had:
Onions, garlic, celery and carrots,
Parsnip peels,
Apple peels
Mushroom stems,
Lemon halfs
Leftover roasted pumpkin, garlic, and onions that had been a side-dish


*Whew*  And there you go!  Thank you for patience, everyone.  I hope that made up for it!

This post was delayed, but I'm pleased to share an update. Elizabeth Marek successfully raised the money to build her Steampunk Savor Cakes cart in Portland!  Back in July I was lucky enough to do an interview with her, asking her about the cart.  The race between deadline and funds was close, which was a very big deal, since if she hadn't made the amount, Kickstarter rules she wouldn't have gotten any of her funding!  Thank you so much to anyone who read my blog and participated!!!

All the best to Liz.  Hopefully, we'll have an update direct from the cart someday!

The ModVic Stove, via Steampunk Home

I am, again, very sorry for how slow the blog is...I've mentioned it elsewhere, but I've been having some rather intense health issues recently.  Fortunately, we are starting to get some answers, so from here on, it's just figure out what to do. 

The Alternative Living Expo in Philadelphia

I've been developing a rather large collection of links lately to people who decorate in a Steampunk style in their homes.  Kitchens, in particular, make for a very interesting look, so I wanted to just take a moment and share links today.

The Alternative Living Expo in Philadelphia was held last March (and according to Doctor Fantastiques Show of Wonders, will be held again in 2012, so stay tuned!).  This past year it included the ModVic’s Back Home to the Future Show, which originally debuted at the Piers Village and Antique Show in New York last Fall. ModVic started as a husband and wife team working to both restore and modernize their beautiful Victorian home in Massachusetts.  What started as a work of love for them has become a full-fledged business.  Look here for their website, and more pictures of their breath-taking home. 

The blog, The Steampunk Home is another excellent resource, constantly scouring the web for new ideas.

Spice Rack from SteampunkThings.com

Another great resource seems to be the "industrial" movement, taking items that were part of industry, and turning them into household items.  It's important to avoid shiny silver items meant for industrial (as in professional hotel or restaurant) kitchens, though, as that is heading in the wrong direction. 

From HouseBeautiful on Cottage-Style Designs

Other, more standard keywords that can be helpful in finding Steampunk ideas are "Modern-" or "New Victorian", and English Colonial. 

From DigsDigs on Modern Victorian Style

From Barn Light Electric

Susie Steiner of The Guardian on "Vintage Utility"

Original picture removed, reasons to be disclosed eventually.  In the meantime, here's a bunny with a pancake on it's head.

 When I was 15, I had a part-time job weeding for the nursery business of a family friend.  Her home was on land that had once been a part of the family farm, and included oddities like walking onions, red wheat still sprouting up in odd corners, and the most strange apple tree I had ever seen.  This gnarled old tree had small apples (before it started getting trendy to market them as "lunchbox sized") that were yellow-green with a small peach blush where the sun hit.  If you bit into one, it wasn't sweet!  It was starchy, almost like a potato, with a little sour-sweet after taste.  The texture, too, was different then any apple I had ever seen...denser.  I was fascinated by those apples, and got permission to take home a bucket full.

Eating them out of hand was, obviously, not very pleasant, but when cooked or dried in rings, all the mellow flavor came right out.  If I'd known how at the time, it would have made rich and creamy applesauce, especially paired with a more tart variety...and so began my awareness that there was something else out there, more then what could be bought at my local supermarket.

 What is an Heirloom plant?

Whether choosing produce at your local farmer's market, or picking species to grow in your own backyard, more and more people today are choosing old varieties, often referred to as Heirloom plants.  Here's how it works:  in the 30's-50's, as shipping fruit and vegetable across the continent became more common, growers began to hybridize plants looking for traits that would insure their plants were the market king.  While during the Nineteenth Century (and earlier), you would find lots of different local varieties sold, chosen by the grower based on factors like climate and soil conditions, and by the buyer based on what they wanted to do with the produce in question, by the 50's only two or three shipped varieties could be found in the average market. 

Slow Food USA

 The registry on Orange Pippin has more then 2,500 varieties of apples(out of as many as 15,000 varieties once grown in America).  They come in all shapes and sizes, range in color from yellow and green to bright red, to so dark they're almost black (take a look at the Arkansas Black if you don't believe me).

On the other hand, while super markets are slowly adding more varieties, by the 1950's it had boiled down to three:  Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith.


Why are Heirloom's better?  Weren't those types chosen for a reason?

The common grocery store varieties were chosen for a reason:  they have a large cellular structure that acts like packing peanuts, i.e. lets them ship with minimal bruising.  They are also large, have a bright, easily recognizable color(which marketing has found looks more visually appealing, leading to brand loyalty), and have a high yield (many fruit from a given plant). 

Black Oxford

The downside?  They don't taste as good because of that large structure.  There's also some evidence that growing for size and shape reduces the nutrition. As anyone who's made the fatal mistake of trying to make a pie with Red Delicious apples can tell you, having the right apple for the job is vital, too. 

In addition, all the the common grocery apples often pose problems for the home grower.  They are bred for areas like Washington State, and won't get enough cold hours during the fall and winter in the South (where a Winesap, or Victoria Limbertwig would shine), and they aren't hardy enough for my neck of the woods, like a Russian Alexander or a Tioga from Minnesota. 

Where can I find Heirloom apples?

While many grocery stores are doing their best to get in on the act by keeping more varieties, many of the best are going to be disappointing when picked green and shipped while they ripen.  Trust me, you will be happier if you buy local!  Apple season is going to start once the weather cools down, watch for carts, roadside stands and farmer's market stands.  Talk to the person you're buying from; ask what they would recommend, and buy some for eating, and others specifically for cooking and preserving.  If you're particularly daring, and have the equipment for applications like brewing, try your hand at cider!

A list of apple events from Saveur

Starting apple season with a hunt in mind lends a sense of adventure to the cooling air and changing colors of autumn.  Who knows what treasures are waiting if you look?  Your taste buds will thank you!

For a great Heirloom catalog, I would strongly recommend Trees of Antiquity.  They just sent me their winter catalog, and are starting their 2012 pre-orders now, so hurry if you're interested!

If you have an heirloom apple tree, and need to identify it, your local chapter of Slow Food USA can often help.

Ham bone from a Sunday baked ham (as well as all the drippings in the bottom of the pan)
Chicken bones from hot wings

Carrots, garlic, onion, celery

Tops of fresh and roasted peppers
Corn cobs
Tomato tops

A few whole peppercorns
Thyme
Parsley
Bay leaves

"I well remember that last meal on the Titanic.We had a big vase of beautiful daffodils on the table, as fresh as if they had just been picked.  Everybody was gay, and people were making bets on the probable time of this record-breaking voyage." 

                                                             --First-class passenger Lady Duff-Gordon

I have owned this book for about ten years now, and still smile when I dust it off.  As my experience with cooking grows, I find that different parts of it speak to me.  This time around, I've pulled it off the shelf for a very exciting reason:  my local Steampunk group, The Innovative Society of Victorian Irregulars, has decided to do a Titanic dinner as our big spring event next April.  With good reason, too.  The evening of Saturday, April 14th, 2012 will mark the 100 year anniversary of the last meal served on the Titanic, which met it's infamous demise at 2:20 am on April 15th, 1912. 

Prints available from allposters.com

If you have an interest in Edwardian food, this book has it all.  It very clearly states when it knows a particular dish was served (and when their choice is educated guesswork), and the directions are precise.  Menus are included for the A La Carte restaurant, the First Class Dining room, Second Class, and Third Class (which,  with a lunch menu of vegetable soup, roast pork with sage and pearl onions, green peas, boiled potatoes, plum pudding, and oranges, ate better then the average American household).

From the Titanic Historical Society site.

The other joy of this book is the plethora of pictures, notes, music suggestions, and copies of actual bills of fare, baggage claim tickets, etc. from the Titanic or it's sister ship, the Olympic. 

If planning a party, the Appendix is singularly useful, including advice on Edwardian customs,  proper invitation ettiquete, what to wear, and table settings.  There is also a fascinating grouping of mini-biographies, allowing you to assign guests the persona of a specific guest if so desired.

RMS Titanic First Class Dinner Menu April 14, 1912 Hors D'oeuvre Varies Oysters Consomme Olga Cream of Barley Salmon, Mousseline Sauce, Cucumber Filet Mignons Lili Saute of Chicken, Lyonnaise Vegetable Marrow Farcie Lamb, Mint Sauce Roast Duckling, Apple Sauce Sirloin of Beef, Chateau Potatoes Green Peas Creamed Carrots Boiled Rice Parmentier & Boiled New Potatoes Punch Romaine Roast Squab and Cress Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette Pate De Foie Gras Celery Waldorf Pudding Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly Chocolate & Vanilla Eclairs French Ice Cream

This, of course, was followed by fruit and cheese, as well as cigars in the smoking room for the gentlemen (whew!).  Obviously, a shortened version is sufficient for most groups... Something else to keep in mind is that part of what was considered impressive about the Titanic was that it was state of the art for the era.  In the kitchens, massive refrigeration unites, ovens, and stoves meant that cooks were capable of pulling off all of the same tricks as the finest restaurants of the day.  What a thrilling thought for the technophile! While I would suggest getting the book, due to the plethora of additional useful information, recipes can be previewed at these sites: La Belle Cuisine Eras of Elegance The Titanic About.com guide by Donna Pilato And for a very interesting provisions list, go here (the scale of it is boggling).

The usual:  Onion and garlic peels, carrot tops, celery.

Chicken bones
Pork neck bones from the butcher's
Skins and seeds from roasted red peppers
More sweet potato peels
Apple peels
Leftover caramelized onions
Tomato tops
Cauliflower ends