Martha Washington Log Cabin Cookbook

In 1924 the ladies of the Martha Washington Guild organized a cookbook fundraiser.  The Martha Washington Log Cabin Cookbook was named for a small log cabin built in proximity to the Washington Memorial Chapel.  The chapel sits at Valley Forge to honor the some 3000 soldiers that lost their lives during the winter encampment.

The log cabin was set-aside as a tearoom or luncheon spot.  Unlike many of the spiral bound fundraising cookbooks, this one is bound in blue covered cloth with a paste down of the cabin on the front.  The recipes within come from the ladies of the guild and not from Martha Washington as one might think.

Since the log cabin was indeed a tearoom, the cookbook is heavy on light luncheon fare and filled with sweets.  These old fundraising cookbooks offer an interesting insight into the lives of women during the era.

The recipes are often very simple and based on the premise that the cook actually does the household cooking and already posses a lot of knowledge. 

Pork Chops and Fried Apples

Pork chops

Apples

Flour

Fry pork chops in the usual way.  Then in the same pan fry your apples, which have been peeled and cored and cut into slices about two-thirds of an inch thick.  When apples are browned on one side, turn carefully and brown the other side.  Serve on platter with chops.  Mix a little flour and water and make a gravy in the same pan.

There are a few “fill in the blanks” in this recipe like amounts, times, and temperatures.  If you do fry pork chops, however, this should be an easy idea to make your own.

Martha Washington’s Booke of Cookery

Since we are inaugurating a new president, I thought I would give you a recipe from our “first” First Lady, Martha Washington. Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery is actually a collection of recipes from two older cookbooks, A Booke of Cookery and A Booke of Sweetmeats. This exhaustive study of the recipes used by Washington was researched by historian Karen Hess.


This year, I butchered my first deer, so I have been looking at venison recipes throughout history.
In the 16th century, venison was reserved for nobility and thought to be the most prized of meats. Beef was often sliced and seasoned to resemble deer. Deer was a “nose to tail” eating endeavor. The innards were known as the unbles and were chopped and baked into a crust. The expression "Humble pie" is believed to have come from this reference.


The earliest cookery books rarely bothered with such modern necessities as measurements or cooking times. For Martha Washington, there were some things one just knew and therefore didn’t need to be mentioned in a recipe. A meat that is boiled, then baked is “baked” in a crust.




Here then is Martha Washington’s recipe:

Bake Venison Red Deere or any Great Meat

You must first perboyle yR meat or however; press it all night in a press very dry, & season it according to yE meate baked, & you must clarify yE butter you put into it.

I am not sure that taking my “great meat” and boiling it, pressing it and the baking it will make a tasty meal.

I took my venison tenderloin, sliced it into medallions and wrapped it in bacon. A quick sauté in a touch of olive oil was really all it needed.