Paul Daybell is the Book Arts & Rare Books Curator at USU Libraries. He curates the library’s rare books and art books collections and supports instruction and outreach efforts. His favorite part of the job is connecting students and researchers with hands-on experiences with the library’s treasures.
Crumbs of Comfort (1893)
St. Agnes Guild of St. Peter’s Church, published by C.K. Wells Co. Printers and Binders (Helena, MT)
Part of the SCA General Book Collection, Call number: 641.5 C8885. Not digitized.
Breakfast, Luncheon and Tea (1875) by Marion Harland, published by Scribner, Armstrong & Co. (New York). Part of USU’s Jay Anderson Foodways Collection, FOLK COLL 17, no. 12
The digitized copy is found here
Chocolate Blanc-Mange
1 quart of milk
½ package gelatine, dissolved in 1 cup cold water [2-3 modern envelopes of plain gelatine]
1 cup sugar
3 great spoonfuls grated chocolate [3 tablespoons]
Note: Sarah recommends using unsweetened baking chocolate or dark chocolate for authenticity. Solid milk chocolate was invented in 1875 and would not have been widely available yet.
Vanilla to taste [1-2 teaspoons]
Original instructions: “Heat the milk; stir in sugar and soaked gelatine. Strain; add chocolate; boil ten minutes, stirring all the time. When nearly cold, beat for five minutes – hard with your “Dover” egg-beater, or until it begins to stiffen. Flavor; whip up once, and put into a wet mould. It will be firm in six or eight hours.”
Sarah’s notes on the instructions: To cool the gelatin faster, put the bowl or pot on ice or place in the fridge until it is almost cold. Dover egg-beaters were hand cranked, but you can use an electric hand mixer on the lowest setting. The purpose is to make it smooth and aerate the mixture, not to make it stiff like a meringue. Don’t overmix. A 4-cup jello mould will be your best fit, or use individual moulds.
An Ambushed Trifle
A round stale sponge-cake
1 pint milk
1 teaspoonful cor starch
1 cup sweet jelly or jam. “Crab-apple jelly is very nice”
3 eggs beaten light
A pinch of salt
Vanilla, lemon, or bitter almond flavoring [1-2 teaspoons]
2 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar
“Cut the top from the cake in one piece and lay it aside. Scoop out the inside of the cake, leaving side walls and a bottom about an inch thick. Coat these well with the jelly. Scald the milk; beat the eggs with the sugar, and stir into this when it is almost boiling. Crumb the cake you have scooped out very finely, and beat into the hot custard. Return to the fire and cook, stirring all the while until thick and smooth, when add the corn-starch, previously wet with cold milk. Cook a minute longer and take from the fire. When nearly cold, flavor and fill the cake with it. Cover the inside of the lid you have laid aside with jelly, ft neatly into its place; brush the whole cake with white of egg, sift powdered sugar thickly over it, and set in a cool, dry place until wanted. A simple delightful dessert.”
Sarah recommends vanilla extract and apple jelly. Remember that custards are delicate and should always be cooked on low heat. Aim for a temperature of 170-180 degrees so your egg custard is cooked through but does not curdle.
