Throwback Thursday: 1903 Good housekeeping ~ Popovers

Hello everyone and WELCOME to the inaugural edition of my new series: THROWBACK THURSDAY. In case you missed the introduction, here’s a quick summary.

“I am a firm believer in whole food cooking, the way our grandparents and great-grandparents used to prepare. So, I set out on a mission to find old cookbooks from the early to mid 1900’s. I found six cookbooks that fit the bill, with copyrights ranging from 1896 to 1954. 

I have decided to work my way through each recipe, one by one, book by book, and share my experiences with you along the way. So, on the 2nd and 4th Thursday each month, I’ll be sharing another “THROWBACK THURSDAY” recipe!”

Before I get into the recipe, I wanted to share 3 other books I’ve received since the introduction 2 weeks ago:

HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES:

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL RECIPES

AND PROCESSES

BY: SIDNEY MORSE

AND

MRS. CURTIS’S COOKBOOK:

A MANUAL OF INSTRUCTION IN

THE ART OF EVERYDAY COOKERY

BY: ISABEL GORDON CURTIS

COPYRIGHT: 1908

The first book is actually 2 books in one. HOUSEHOLD DISCOVERIES and MRS. CURTIS’S COOKBOOK. This book came with a HUGE bonus-jam packed with old newspaper clippings from the 1920’s, mostly recipes. There were also a few hand written recipes. (I’ll be including these recipes as a part of this series as well) The first book, which encompasses the first half, appears to be a house wife’s guide to daily living. There’s everything from house decorating, to daily routines, to soap making and more. I had to laugh, because there’s 3 chapters just on doing laundry! I could do a series just on this part of the book. (And, I might do that at some point when I have more time.) The second part is the cookbook, and the aspect of the book on which I will focus.

GOOD THINGS TO EAT AND HOW TO PREPARE THEM

COPYRIGHT: 1913

This book appears to be an advertisement of sorts from a company called LARKIN, in which they show how to use their products in different recipes.

WOMAN’S HOME COMPANION COOKBOOK

COPYRIGHT: 1943

This book has an introductory note that says:

“Every recipe in this book has been tested by the Woman’s Home Companion Home Service Center.”

I’ll be working my way through each book. I’ll try to do every recipe, but may end up skipping some. I’ll have to see how it goes.

NOW…onto the first book and recipe!

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GOOD HOUSEKEEPING EVERYDAY COOKBOOK

COPYRIGHT: 1903

As a reminder, the first book I’m using is the GOOD HOUSEKEEPING EVERYDAY COOKBOOK from 1903. (Pictured above) It is an interesting book. As you can see, it’s somewhat small,  the recipes aren’t written as we do today and there aren’t any oven temperatures. This is to be expected since they used wood stoves at that time. The first few pages consist of “A few rules”, which discuss the measurements in the book.

The second section of the book is general remarks, which discusses:

• classes of food
• pantry care
• washing dishes
• using stale bread
• how to combine ingredients

There are 20 food sections in the book, which include:

1. Baking powder breads
2. Beverages
3. Breads made with yeast
4. Cake, cookies, doughnuts, etc
5. Cereals
6. Cheese
7. Cold Desserts
8. Eggs
9. Fish
10. Frozen desserts
11. Hot desserts
12. Invalid cookery
13. Meats and poultry
14. meat and fish sauces
15. Pastry and pies
16. Sandwiches and canapes
17. Salads of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit
18. Shellfish
19. Soups
20. Vegetables

I’ll be starting with the first section, Baking Powder Breads, and the first recipe:

POPOVERS

Here’s the recipe as it is printed in the book: (Yes, that’s it!)

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

• Gem pan – I used a cast iron muffin pan. My research suggests that a gem pan is similar to a muffin pan, but more decorative.
• Dover beater (Hand beater) – I purchased an antique one from Ebay (see photo) which I attempted to use. It worked…sort of. After this attempt, I found a new hand beater on Amazon, which I’ll use from now on. I’ll find a fun way to display the antique (Circa 1875).
• Bowls measuring, cups, etc

INGREDIENTS: (This is what I used)

• 1 cup 100% Organic All Purpose Einkorn Flour – sifted
• 1 Cup cream top (creamline) milk (non-homogenized)
• 1 pasture-raised egg – slightly beaten
• 1/4 Tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
• Butter for greasing the pan

STEPS: (Here’s what I did)

• Grease muffin/gem pan

• Add sifted flour and salt to a bowl and mix.

• Gradually add in milk and egg.

• Mix for two minutes with a dover beater

 

• Pour batter into greased pan

• Bake in a “FAST” oven for 30 minutes. (Remember – no oven temperatures.) My research indicates that a FAST oven translates to between 400 and 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I baked these at 425 for 30 minutes and it was perfect.

• Remove from pan immediately and serve hot. Easier said then done! Here’s a photo of me ATTEMPTING to remove them from the pan!

They did come out, but got a bit squished. I was SO tempted to use muffin liners or parchment paper, but decided they PROBABLY didn’t have that back then. 😉 Here’s the result!

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

This was fun! Part of the excitement for me was just receiving the books and going through them. It’s fun reading the recipes and tips from back then. The popovers were very easy to make and very tasty, with butter and homemade jam. Despite my gluten allergy, I did taste them. I made a decision, when I began this series, that I would taste everything! I decided my itchy skin and other symptoms were worth it!

Next time on THROWBACK THURSDAY:

Batter Cakes

COOKBOOK SOURCE:

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING