Category Archives: Video

Suet, Part Three: Preparing it.

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Kevin Carter

Suet was apparently used both raw and rendered (refined) in 18th century cooking. While some of the original recipes specified the use of rendered suet, most seemed to leave the option open.  It is fairly common for recipes to instruct the … Continue reading →

Posted in 18th Century Cooking, Historic Cooking, Ingredients, Recipe, Video | Tagged , , , | 23 Comments

The Christmas Pie

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Kevin Carter

In most English societies, for centuries Christmas has been a time of gatherings, and food, and festivities, and traditions, and family. For many people in the eighteenth century, Christmas was celebrated much differently than it typically is today. Remnants of … Continue reading →

Posted in 18th Century Cooking, Baking, Historic Cooking, Ingredients, Pies, Recipe, Spices, Video | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

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

The Complexities and Perils of Baking a Cake

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Kevin Carter

In her 1807 book “A New System of Domestic Cookery; Formed upon Principles of Economy, and Adapted to the use of Private Families,” Maria Eliza Ketelby Rundell offers wonderfully helpful advice to the novice baker, especially when it comes to … Continue reading →

Posted in Baking, Recipe, Video | Tagged , | 1 Comment

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

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

Did George Washington use Ketchup?

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Kevin Carter

O.k., so it may be an absurd question. The answer, however, is probably…but it may not be what you think. When I hear the word “KETCHUP,” the tangy tomato condiment immediately blots across the canvas my mind like a crimson … Continue reading →

Posted in Recipe, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

A White Pot Recipe

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Kevin Carter

  “A white-pot custard for my white-pot queen,” cried Kemp, waving his bauble. “Mark this boy,…A white-pot mermaid custard, with a crust, lashings of cream, eggs, apple-pulse and spice, a little sugar, and manchet bread. Away! Be Swift!” (Tales of … Continue reading →

Posted in Baking, Recipe, Video | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Pan Perdu (or as we call it “French Toast”)

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Jon Townsend

Who doesn’t like a nice big plate of French Toast? For me it brings back fond childhood memories of Saturday mornings — usually during the holidays when no one seemed to be in a hurry to change out of our … Continue reading →

Posted in Baking, Bread, Recipe, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

18th Century No-Knead “French” Bread

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Kevin Carter

There have been a number of videos floating around on YouTube the past few years which present an interesting method of baking bread. It’s called “no-knead bread.” It’s an easy recipe that uses a simple dough baked in a Dutch … Continue reading →

Posted in Baking, Bread, Recipe, Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments