Category Archives: Ingredients

A Short Paste, a Delicious Pear Tart, and a Choice of Three Toppings

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Kevin Carter

I’ve mentioned in an early post that there were, for the most part, three types of pastry crusts used in 18th century cooking. This is admittedly a simplification of the goings-on of the old English kitchen. There were other types … Continue reading →

Posted in Baking, Ingredients, Recipe, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

A Puff Paste Recipe (with a secret confession)

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Kevin Carter

Our third video series, “18th Century Cooking with Jas. Townsend & Son,” is embarking on a closer look at the three more common types of pastry crusts used in 18th century cookery: the standing crust, the puff paste, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Baking, Ingredients, Pies, Recipe, Video | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Read Twice, Bake Once.

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Kevin Carter

When it comes to interpreting 18th century cookbooks, sometimes it pays to go with your instinct when it tells you a recipe may be inaccurate. Take for instance this recipe from the book “The Universal Cook” by Francis Collingwood and … Continue reading →

Posted in Baking, Ingredients, Pies, Recipe, Spices | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Crust of Time

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Kevin Carter

While many foods (and people’s taste preferences for them) have changed dramatically over years of culinary evolution, some remain unaltered from their ancestral origins. Take pie crusts, for instance: any trustworthy modern recipe likely calls for flour, cold butter and/or … Continue reading →

Posted in Baking, Ingredients, Pies, Video | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Grocer Advertisement from Boston 1732

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Jon Townsend

It can be hard at times to fathom just exactly what and what was not commonly available to folks in the North American colonies during the 18th century, but we do have some written accounts that can help.   Here is … Continue reading →

Posted in Ingredients | 6 Comments