My latest find on the Library of Congress website is an old cookbook I'd not heard of before, Ultra Select Dishes for Afternoon Teas by the "World Famous Chefs" of the United States, Canada, and Europe. It's copyright 1913 and was compiled and edited by A.C. Hoff.
Even the title page is lovely and so representative of its era.
I always like to learn what the cooks of yesteryear considered "fancy" sandwiches for tea. It's also interesting to see that the book recommends using wet napkins to keep sandwiches fresh, a trick we still use today (but with waxed paper in between them and the sandwiches to keep the sandwiches from getting soggy). I'm not sure I would have cared for the "Scraped Chicken Sandwich" very much, though!
I noted that the "Chicken Salad Palace," containing chicken, celery, mayonnaise, and bread, sounds quite similar to a simple chicken salad of today. It's always fun to see old recipes, and I so enjoy finding them on the Library of Congress website. Click here to view this book for yourself.
What a fun book to find! Scraped chicken does sound...interesting.
ReplyDeleteGreat book! I have been to afternoon tea a few times at The Palace in San Francisco. It is a wonderful old hotel. You enjoy tea off the lobby that has the most beautiful stained glass ceiling. Unfortunately, it is extremely expensive and the food is not very good. Even the lovely atmosphere doesn't make up for it. Too bad Frank Bock or his spirit wasn't still there!
ReplyDeleteThe recipes all seem so very simple. I think our tendency today it to go fancier. Maybe they didn't have micro greens back then.
ReplyDeleteA fun find! I too enjoy read old recipes.
ReplyDeleteWow! I love that you found this. What a fun book.
ReplyDeleteI happened to find this book in a very large cookbook collection that I recently purchased. It is a delightful bit of history, and I look forward to trying the recipes.
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