Sometimes, it's not the antiques I find but the stories behind them that I like the most. During a recent visit to an antique mall in Rome, I came across this old black notebook filled with recipes using Fleischmann's products, including yeast, which I had long associated with Fleischmann's, and egg whites and baking powder, which I did not!
And while the vintage look of this binder is what made me turn the pages, I also enjoyed reading this note attached to the cover telling me that these old recipes had belonged to the 62-year-old seller's father. I decided immediately I was going to ask the salesclerk at the antique mall if I could keep the note if I bought the book. When I asked her, she actually looked rather sentimental because she happened to be the woman who wrote the note and her father was the baker! I explained to her that I sometimes write about old recipes, and I told her that her father's old recipes would be in good hands! She was just lovely, and in fact she asked for my phone number because she's got some more of his old recipes she'd like to give me, including a cake recipe she said I can have IF I can figure out the one ingredient she knows is missing! Apparently one ingredient was left out, and she's perfectly happy for someone else to try to figure out what that is.
The recipe that caught my eye there in the store was for Orange Crunch Squares. I love orange-flavored treats for teatime, so that one recipe sold me on the book immediately.
When I got home, I also loved seeing that the baker had typed up some of his own recipes in back.
And when I started thumbing through the book, I paid attention and noted for the first time that these recipes are for production in commercial quantities, like this recipe for lemon treats that calls for 7 pounds of cake flour, 4 ounces of baking powder, 1 ounce of salt, 2 pounds of shortening and 4 pounds of sugar! Have mercy! So … while I fully intend to use this book and break down some of these recipes into "home baker" proportions, it may be a while before I'm ready to tackle those Orange Crunch Squares. I'm still very pleased with my cookbook purchase, however, and love knowing a little about the man who once kept it.
What a treasure! I'm glad it ended up in your hands.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a real find! Definitely culinary history! I have a scone recipe from the chef on the Queen Mary 2 using 100 pounds of flour I need to break down one day....
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That is a very special find! I'm glad it is yours to treasure.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of history in that book! I have a cookbook that looks exactly like it that belonged to my mother. It doesn't have the Fleishman's cover, but it has a look alike black cover and 3-ring binder. Some of the recipes are clipped from the newspaper, others are hand written, and a few typed like the one you showed. Such fun. Good luck 'translating' the quantity recipe to a small family recipe! This blog post shows the recipes, but not the cover. Still fun!
ReplyDeletehttp://therosemaryhouse.blogspot.com/2010/02/newsworthy.html
I think this cookbook landed in the right hands. Let us know the orange crunch square recipe when you break it down. Maybe we can sleuth the missing cake ingredient... Sounds like a tea tale to me!
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ReplyDeleteMy daughter-in-law is from the Rome, GA area. I have enjoyed both articles you have written about your visit to that thrift store and have forwarded them to her. Thank you for all the interesting reading.
ReplyDeleteI love old cookbooks -- especially vintage well-loved recipes you just know will be the best. It's great you are the proud owner -- special!
ReplyDeleteWhat a treasure! I am sure she was sad to sell it, but glad someone would appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treasure! And when you scale down the orange crunch squares, please share the recipe. They sound good.
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