Historic Cooking: Fourth of July Pudding from 1916.

Fourth of July Pudding.  Photo: Liz Raven.

The Redone Challenge: Today in History (June 29-July 12, 2014) Make a dish based on or inspired by a momentous occasion that took place on the day you made it. Get creative - you would be surprised by all the interesting things that happened every single day!

The Recipe:

A Fourth of July Luncheon. To be served buffet style or on the porch.  By Cora Farmer Perkins.

FOURTH OF JULY PUDDING: Pick over, wash and hull one quart box of strawberries.  Sprinkle with one cupful of granulated sugar, cover, and let stand two hours.  Mash, squeeze through a double thickness of cheesecloth, and add one cupful of cold water, and lemon juice to taste.  Turn mixture into a brick mold.  Beat one pint of heavy cream until stiff and add one-half cupful of powdered sugar, one-half tablespoonful of vanilla, a few grains of salt, and two thirds of a cupful of rolled dried macaroons.  Pour cream mixture over fruit mixture to overflow mold.  Cover with buttered paper (buttered side up) and adjust cover, when mixture should be forced down sides of mold.  Pack in rock salt and finely crushed ice, using equal parts, and let stand three hours.

            Remove to chilled serving dish, garnish with selected strawberries, and cut in slices for serving.

--from _Woman’s Home Companion_, July 1916. 

The Date/Year and Region: the United States, 1916. 

July!

"What dreadful hot weather we have!

It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance."
- Jane Austen 

July has arrived, and brought unusually high temperatures with it!  Parts of the garden are doing well -- the pumpkins and zucchini are sprawling all over their space -- but the tomatoes in the clay pots keep wilting if I don't water them every day.  Only one of my heads of lettuce is doing well, but I've already cut from it twice and it looks like it's about to go to seed.  It looks good for the cherry tomatoes and the other tomatoes in the ground, though and it looks like I'll get a good amount of basil, too.  Hopefully this next week of really high temperatures won't kill everything!

The tea guild is getting ready to walk in the Rose, White & Blue Parade through downtown San Jose on the 4th, so that should be fun.  It's the third year we've walked in the parade and we're glad to have been invited back!  We had a lot of fun waving to the crowd and being in the parade.  Here is one of the photos from last year:          

The parade starts at 10 a.m. and runs through the Rose Garden neighborhood in San Jose, so come out and see it!  We can always use some fans in the audience ...

Celebrate with an Independence Day Tea party!

sample tea party centerpiece.
Godey's Lady's Book from 1852 contained a passionate opinion regarding the United States and our national identity. Here is the passage:

"The American people have two peculiar festivals, each connected with their history, and therefore of great importance in giving power and distinctness to their nationality. THE FOURTH OF JULY is the exponent of independence and civil freedom. THANKSGIVING DAY is the national pledge of Christian faith in God, acknowledging him as the dispenser of blessings. These two festivals should be joyfully and universally observed throughout our whole country, and thus incorporated in our habits of thought as inseparable from American life.

Our Independence Day is thus celebrated. Wherever an American is found, the Fourth of July is a festival; and those nations who sit in chains and darkness feel that there is hope even for them, when the American flag is raised in the triumph of freedom. Would not the light of liberty be dimmed were this observation to cease?"

In the spirit of the Americans who've gone before us, why not celebrate their successes and honor their sacrifices by hosting an Independence Day Tea? You could even make it a picnic by spreading a blanket in a local public park, or even in your own back yard. Those lucky people who can see summer fireworks shows from their own homes, can set up the tea party outside in the evening, and have the event end with a bang, so to speak!

Dress up the scene with little American flags (which should be available even in the Dollar Store by now), and home-made items like red and blue paper stars (even snowflakes!), pinwheels, and place mats. Strings of white Christmas lights will also lend a festive touch, plus they are pretty enough to leave up all summer. Red and white peppermints and yellow butterscotch discs can be part of the decoration as well as part of the dessert, alongside strawberry shortcake and blueberries and cream. Lots and lots of iced tea should accompany the food. Bubbles, glow-in-the-dark bracelets and ice cream can add to the fun!

You may not feel supportive of our government's actions, but don't make the mistake of devaluing American ideals, history, and culture. We Americans have so many blessings that it's easy to take them for granted! We must remember that each one was paid for by the blood of those who lived and died before our time, and that it takes continual sacrifice of time and effort to maintain our rights and freedoms. They are worth preserving and celebrating! Why not do it in style with a tea party, I say?