November 2015 - OLD LINE PLATE

Indian Pudding, Misses Lelia and Alice Taney

November 28, 2015January 13, 2019

“From 1896 to until 1954, they never really accepted the doctrine of “separate but equal” to which they now look back with so much longing.
They embraced the “separate” all right, but with stubborn consistency rejected the “equal.”
One gathers the impression that the only decision which has ever won their wholehearted approval was that of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney in the celebrated Dred Scott case.
Mr. Taney’s court held that in America a colored man has no rights which a white man under the law is bound to respect.
That was back in March 6, 1857.
The “Southern Manifesto” shows that almost a century later their thinking hasn’t changed one whit.“ – The Baltimore Afro-American March 1956

This unremarkable recipe for “Indian Pudding” was contributed to “Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland” by The Misses Alice and Lelia Taney of Frederick County. Their claim to fame is their relation to infamous Marylander Roger Brooke Taney, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1836 until his death in 1864.

The newspaper mentions I found featuring these two ladies consisted primarily of their obituaries or stories about the unveiling of various statues of Taney that were erected in Maryland.

A 1937 story in the Afro-American

While my grade-school education on the Dred Scott decision didn’t center much on Taney himself, a friend from Frederick explained it to me as it was taught to him in school: Taney, being the very opposite of an “activist judge” was interpreting the law as was his duty, and was not necessarily a racist or pro-slavery. He had, after all, manumitted his own slaves.

Many older articles in Maryland papers espouse that view of Taney. As recently as 1993, the Sun ran an editorial, “Happy Birthday Taney,” with the concluding statement that Sun staffer Theo Lippman Jr. “understand[s] why black Americans hate Taney, but we all need to remember
two things. (1) There was more to him than Dred Scott. (2) Dred Scott
probably advanced the timetable for emancipation by at least a
generation.”

Afro-American, 1957 (Dred Scott Decision centennial)

Many lamented that the statement about black people having “no rights which the white man was bound to respect” was taken out of context by misinformed “northern writers.” It is true that he was referring to the sentiment at the time of the writing of the Constitution. His ruling, however, in effect sustained that sentiment.

In 1986, Grason Eckel of Cambridge wrote in to the Sun suggesting
removal of the Taney statue in front of the state house:

”Though couched
in legal terms, Taney’s Dred Scott opinion contained a moral dimension
that repudiated society’s responsibility for the civil rights of blacks.
The opinion, therefore, became a symbol of shame.“ – Get Rid of Taney’s Statue, June 1986

In addition to statues, Taney has had some streets and such named in his honor, including a middle school in Camp Springs, Prince George’s County. This school faced turmoil after integration.

”To date the school athletic teams have been known as the Rebels, and the school emblem has been a confederate flag.
Integration at Taney – January 29 the school changed from about 99 per cent white to 20 per cent black – has been among the most touchy jobs facing the county school system…
Taney almost closed last month after a rock-throwing racial melee involving about 200 of the school’s 1,136 students.“ – Baltimore Sun, “Taney is Still Shaky with Race Tension”, April 1973

The president of the PTA dismissed the black students’ desire to change the name of the athletic team, under the basis that “they only number 20 percent of the student body [therefore] they would get voted down if they took a vote on the name.” I am not sure when the team name changed but the school’s name was changed in the 1990s. By then the student body was 83% black.

The Afro-American offers multi-faceted views of Taney. One article quotes him as saying:

”Slavery is a blot upon our national character, and every real lover of freedom confidentially hopes that it will be effectively wiped away. And until the time shall come when we can point without a blush to the language held in the Declaration of Independence, every friend of humanity will seek to lighten the galling chains of slavery.“ – Roger Brooke Taney, 1818

“Not until we read Henrietta Buckmaster’s new book, “Let My People Go,” did we realize that Judge Taney, an old scoundrel, was quite a decent individual in his younger days,” noted the 1941 editorial.

The quote at the beginning of this entry was one of many which bitterly recalled the Dred Scott ruling and its dehumanizing language as Jim Crow and civil rights struggles continued.

Afro-American, 1957 (Dred Scott Decision centennial)

As for Alice and Lelia, it is possible that at least one of them resided at the Roger Brooke Taney House in Frederick, or that their parents did. Although Roger Brooke Taney once owned this property, he never actually lived there. An illustration of the “Taney Kitchen” in “Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland” appears to be of that house . The historical home is open to the public and conducts hearth demonstrations that look far more delicious than this pudding.

Recipe:

1 Quart milk, scalded
cornmeal
.5 tsp salt
1.5 teaspoon ginger
.5 cupmolasses
2 tb butter

Scald milk. Stir in enough cornmeal to make a thin mush. Add salt, ginger, molasses, and butter. Bake in a tin or earthen pan for two hours.

Recipe adapted from “Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland”

Sources: Mary Randolph

November 25, 2015January 17, 2021

Mary Randolph, Library of Virginia

Interest in culinary history tends to enjoy a boost around this time of year. Some excellent pieces have been written illuminating the historical foods consumed on Thanksgiving. As though our own traditions are not authentic or traditional enough, many of us feel compelled to dig into the origins of the very day that defines the word ‘tradition’ in the United States.

I admit to being less concerned with what the Pilgrims ate than I am with the foods found on Maryland tables for the holiday.

While there is some overlap, Marylanders and many Southerners especially may find that many of our Thanksgiving favorites made their way to the table through the same thorny and winding path as the other foods we know well.

One source that I cross-reference for this website is not a Maryland cookbook at all. Nonetheless, Mary Randolph’s 1824 book “The Virginia Housewife” is a crucial text whether you want to dissect the lineage of your “candied yams” or the so-called “Maryland Beaten Biscuits.”

Interpreter Pam Williams working from “The Virginia Housewife” at the Hays House, Bel Air

Mary Randolph was born in 1762, near Richmond, to a prominent Virginia family. In 1780 she married a cousin, David Meade Randolph. Mary Randolph was well-respected as the lady of their estate “Moldovia” and its slaves and servants.

It is claimed that Mary Randolph’s hostessing was so widely famous that Gabriel [no last name], an enslaved man who led an unsuccessful rebellion of slaves in the Richmond area, would spare her life to cook for him though he hoped to kill other slaveholders. This story is dubious as it is likely that a man fighting for the freedom of enslaved Virginians would be aware of who did the heavy lifting in the kitchen at Moldovia.

The Randolphs and their Federalist ties became their undoing when Thomas Jefferson removed his cousin David Meade Randolph from the position of Federal Marshal in 1802. Evidently the extravagant hospitality left little room for savings and the family’s finances soon went into decline. Mary’s enterprising solution was to open a boarding house in Richmond in 1808. For the next ten years, the venture expanded Mary Randolph’s fame as a hostess and cook.
The cookbook (containing many other household hints) came out in 1824, with a stated purpose that is fairly typical of old cookbooks: the altruistic intention of the book was to educate young housewives.

Advertisement in the Frederick Town Herald, 1832

New editions of the book continued to be printed for decades after. Mary Randolph died in 1828 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

It is said that the book’s significance lies in its snapshot of the birth of true American cooking. While Amelia Simmons’ 1796 book “American Cookery” is considered the first American cookbook, Randolph did more than just incorporate some American ingredients to British recipes. Randolph’s book does not simply “make do” with the ingredients available to cooks in the young country – it celebrates them. “The Virginia Housewife” can be surprising in its adventurism, from Gazpacho to the loads of garlic found in some recipes. That spirit lays at the foundation of Southern cuisine.

This is why I have no intention of recreating humble, modestly seasoned dishes for Thanksgiving. Making the most of what we have in this day and age is not a necessity as it was to Simmons, it is a joy, as it was to Randolph, and to Jane Gilmor Howard after her. It IS the tradition that we carry on during the holidays and beyond.

My favorite passage from “The Virginia Housewife” demonstrates the meticulousness Mary Randolph was known for

Southern Heritage Cookbook Library

Vanilla Butternut (Pound) Cake

November 20, 2015April 4, 2019

Mid-century food has been a running fascination/source of mockery since the early days of the internet. Even before the widespread popularization of organic, homegrown ingredients, people had largely turned away from the technicolor kitchen adventurism found in old recipe cards.

A few weeks ago there was a New York Times article addressing what I have referred to on this site as “mid-century peculiarities” about food and cooking.

“The women of the Women’s Education Association badly wanted the sacrosanct light of science to illuminate women’s work — done in the kitchen — with an emphasis on what was replicable, observable, gradable and expressive of human dominance over and mastery of nature. “ – Betty Crocker’s Absurd, Gorgeous Atomic-Age Creations by Tamar Adler, New York Times

The article generated a moderate amount of buzz. As far as I can tell, the real story lies somewhere between the grandiose claims and the somewhat joyless rebuttals.

Much like those two extremes, we often fall on similar “either/or” dichotomies when it comes to food in culture. “Local, fresh and organic” may fit the general modern notion of purity in food, but not too long ago ‘purity’ meant the exact opposite. The “suffocating sanitizing” actually dates back further than the age of Betty Crocker and it stemmed from a legitimate need to escape spoilage and contamination.

What gets lost in all of this is any kind of nuance or fluidity. Take my great-grandmother for instance; she fished, she farmed… and she made “Vanilla Butternut Cake.”

Tied to the cap of the bottle found in the cabinets of every member of my family is the recipe for this easy and delicious pound cake. While it may not have the panache of shrimp enshrined in green Jell-O or potato salad pressed into loaf form, the central ingredient in the cake is unmistakably from the past.

The origin story on the North Carolina-based Superior Flavors’ website makes little attempts to obscure their products’ lab-grown origins. The explanation is that the line of flavors were simply invented by chemist Jerry Fox in the 1930s for his wife Violet.

A few years ago my aunt took the effort to make sure our supplies were replenished, and for Christmas she gave each family member their own bottle of Superior “Vanilla, Butter & Nut” flavoring along with a copy of the recipe. She reminisced about my great-grandmother making this cake around the holidays, how heavenly it smelled, and she noted that one bottle might well last a lifetime.

In chef Sean Brock’s book “Heritage” he included a recipe for Velveeta fudge, wryly noting that for him, Velveeta was a ‘heritage ingredient.’ As it turns out, “Imitation Vanilla, Butter & Nut Flavoring” is a heritage ingredient for my family.

It was only when I began to write this entry that I came to realize that this cake recipe isn’t as ubiquitous as I’d assumed. The flavoring can’t be found in most grocery stores (although substitutes exist), and the origin of the recipe and even the company were hard to locate.

When I searched old newspapers for the pound cake recipe, Maryland had the most results. Even Superior Flavors’ home-state of North Carolina didn’t offer any clues.

The recipe was making the rounds here in Maryland papers in the 1970s, particularly Western Maryland, near where my Great Grandmother was from.

Two different people won the same cooking contest in different years with this cake, first in 1973 and then in 1977. The contest in question had the oh-so-challenging restriction that the recipes must contain… eggs.

Now that I know that “Vanilla Butternut Cake” isn’t as common as say, green-bean casserole, I will probably bake it more often. It lacks the glorious kitsch of neon aspics, and the spiritual gravitas of hand-preserved garden harvests, but it fits quite nicely into real life.

Recipe:

1.5 cups sugar
.25 cups Crisco
1 stick of butter
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1.5 cups flour
.5 cups evaporated milk
2 tsp vanilla-butter-nut flavoring

Cream together shortening, butter, sugar and salt. Beat in eggs one at a time. Alternately add in flour & milk, ending with flour. Fold in flavoring by hand. Pour into a greased tube or bundt pan. Place in cold oven, turn oven on to 325°. Bake for one hour & 45 minutes. Don’t peek! Remove from pan immediately.

★ I once made this cake using 1/3 coconut flour & adding extra milk (per coconut flour instructions) and it was excellent!

Great Grandma Cross in the Cacapon River

Mayor Preston’s Pone

November 15, 2015January 13, 2019

With the citizens of Baltimore eager to look forward, the 2016 mayoral election is already an issue that has been generating a lot of interest. That’s as much as I will say on that topic which I am opportunistically using to segue into yet another excuse to bake cornbread.

This corn pone recipe was contributed to “Eat, Drink and Be Merry in Maryland” by James H. Preston, who had served out his two terms as Mayor of Baltimore by the time of that book’s publication. Preston served from 1911-1919, which was an important time for Baltimore in terms of adapting to widespread automobile usage and other urban updates.

“As mayor, Preston established many elements of Baltimore city’s modern infrastructure: the completion of the sewerage and water systems, paving many roads and building others, providing the impetus for the formation of the Baltimore Symphony, and the establishment of a city flag.” – Maryland Historical Society

Preston may be most famous for the formation of a terraced park on a downtown strip of St. Paul street that is now known as “Preston Gardens.” Accounts differ as to the intentions for building this park. According to some, Mayor Preston was a visionary who “felt communities needed ‘a place to congregate, reflect and admire beauty.’” Other accounts describe the park plan as a way to remove a black community under the pretext of it being a ‘slum’ in order to promote segregation downtown.

“…the first clearance of a slum area was completed in 1919 and was followed by James H. Preston’s planned widening of St. Paul Street and the construction of a park (known to proponents as Preston Gardens and to detractors as Preston’s Folly.) This first iteration of slum reclamation set a pattern in which the promise of increased tax revenue motivated site selection more than did housing provision or public health.” – Infectious Fear: Politics, Disease, and the Health Effects of Segregation By Samuel Roberts

At least some of that might sound eerily familiar to informed Baltimoreans of the modern era.

1926 Postcard of Preston Gardens showing parking lot in foreground

Preston was certainly no visionary when it came to race, as this 1911 clip from the Afro-American demonstrates:

The St. Paul Street park lives on and remains beloved by many, even after alternating eras of neglect and restoration. Preston also oversaw the covering of part of the Jones Falls downtown to create the Fallsway. This drastic transformation is often credited as an advance in public health, concealing the filthy water and putting an end to the expensive, deadly floods that the falls occasionally experienced.

Another interesting event I found during Preston’s term was the 1914 “Star-Spangled Banner Centennial.” Five years later, a “Report of the City Officers and Departments“ documents praise for Mayor James H. Preston for devoting his “time and ability” for the planning of the celebration which “reflected the greatest credit upon the people of Baltimore and.. also brought our City of Baltimore to the attention of the world in a way most gratifying to all Baltimoreans…” In light of the continuing pride that Baltimore takes in all things “Star Spangled,” this event has had a lasting legacy.

History rarely leaves us with heroes or visionaries, and frankly neither do elections. The best we can ever seem to do is inch forward and perhaps reflect backwards.

Recipe:

3 Cups cornmeal
1 scant Teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 Cup lard, melted
2 Cups buttermilk

Sift together corn meal and soda. Beat eggs and sugar together, add buttermilk and meal. Lastly, stir in the lard. Pour into hot skillet. Bake at 425 for fifteen to twenty minutes.

Recipe adapted from “Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland”

Slow-Cooker Sauerbraten, Haussner’s Style

November 5, 2015April 21, 2019

November is upon us, and although the autumnal comforts of the past few posts (biscuits, pies, and cornbread) have been pleasant, I thought I’d better branch out, lest I lose my *edge*. For this week’s installment, I turned to the news for inspiration.

The fate of the building once occupied by the famed Haussner’s restaurant has been uncertain for a decade now. It has stood vacant, going through numerous sales and auctions while the surrounding neighborhood of Highlandtown slowly transforms around it. Last month it was finally announced that the building would be demolished to make way for an apartment building.

Haussner’s Menu, 1967, New York Public Library

While I did fortunately have the chance to visit Eichenkranz, the city’s last remaining German restaurant, before it closed this past May, I had never been to Haussners. For the many who have, there has been no shortage of nostalgia stirred as a result of the announcement.

Haussner’s was more than German food. Haussner’s was known for their crab cakes, their beloved strawberry pie, and above all, their fine art collection.

Collected by the owner’s wife, Frances Wilke Haussner over the course of 73 years, the collection sold for ten million dollars after the restaurant’s closing.

Haussner’s interior, Bill McAllen

“Master chef” William Henry Haussner opened the restaurant in 1926 upon emigrating from Germany. It is said that their novel-length menu boasted 112 entrees. William Haussner passed away in 1963 but the restaurant continued for several decades under Mrs. Hausner’s watch.

Mrs. Haussner passed away a year after the restaurant closed.

“Mrs. Haussner was the soul of Haussner’s,” said John R. Dorsey, former Sun art critic and restaurant reviewer. “She had a strong business sense, and her warm, welcoming, kindly presence, together with the comfortable food, made you happy there. She was an art collector both behind and ahead of fashion, and the art made Haussner’s a nationally cited tourist attraction. She is a Baltimore legend.”

Haussner’s “didn’t have a rival in the 1940s, 1950s and into the 1960s, and for years, there was simply no point in going anywhere else. It was one of those rare places,” said Carleton Jones, retired Sunday Sun feature writer and restaurant critic. “Mrs. Haussner was a tireless person who was always there. I admired her as I know hundreds of others did.” – Baltimore Sun

family portrait: findagrave.com

Apparently, Mrs. Haussner was a vegetarian. That didn’t inhibit the fame of Haussner’s food including “sour beef” that was a draw for former governor and mayor William Donald Schaefer.

My first memorable encounter with sour beef was at Crossroads Restaurant, which was not particularly far from where Haussners stood. It was the “house specialty” and when we inquired what it was the waitress crinkled up her nose. “I don’t really like it,” she reluctantly admitted. “It kind of smells weird…” I did not try the sour beef.

inside Haussner’s menu

Although recipes for that legendary strawberry pie persist on the internet, the sauerbraten seems a little more elusive.

It could be that marinating a roast in wine, vinegar, and a load of spices for several days is not appealing, or maybe putting gobs of sugar in addition to gingersnaps in a meat dish seems ill-advised.

I put my reservations aside and stuck close to formula with the exception of adapting the dish for the slow-cooker. This allowed me to enjoy this meal on a weeknight at a reasonable hour. I used a mix of available vinegars (none was specified in the recipe) but I think that cider vinegar would be best.

The result was pretty tasty although I don’t think this is a dish I’d make on a regular basis. I’m told this should be served with red cabbage and spaetzle. We had it with collards and mashed potatoes because that is what I already had on hand. Tart meat takes some getting used to but along with some mellow sides this does make a satisfying cold-weather meal.

Recipe:

1.75 Cup wine, Burgundy, Pinot Noir or similar
1 pint cider vinegar
1.25 Cup sugar
6 lemons halved and squeezed, juice reserved
.5 Lb chopped onion
.25 Cup pickling spice
2 sticks cinnamon
2 Lb beef pot roast
.5 Teaspoon salt
.25 Teaspoon seasoning salt
.25 Lb crushed gingersnap cookies
2 bay leaves
flour

In a glass or ceramic bowl (do not use metal), mix together 1.5 cups wine, vinegar, 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, lemon halves, onions, pickling spice, and cinnamon. Add meat and let it marinate in a cool place for a few days, turning occasionally. Be sure the marinade completely covers the meat.Remove the meat and place it in a slow cooker with about 3 cups of marinade. Cook for 6 hours on low. Skim off extra fat from pot liquid and/or roast and place it in a saucepan. Add enough flour to make a smooth roux. Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.Into the roux, strain about 1 cup of oil and juices from the top of the cooking liquid and add reserved uncooked marinade. Add remaining ¼ cup wine, remaining ¼ cup sugar, salt, seasoning salt, gingersnaps, and bay leaves. Whisk together as mixture starts to bubble. Lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. If gravy is too thick, add water; if too thin, simmer a little longer to reduce. Slice meat and place on individual plates. Pour gravy over meat and serve.

Recipe adapted from “Maryland’s Historic Restaurants and their recipes”