A Holiday Feast

Food brings people together, for eating just as much as making. Our friends at Colonial Williamsburg have taken great care in translating some 18th and 19th century recipes for the modern cook. Below we have put together quite a menu for your culinary satisfaction. Two things you are going to need before you start, butter (fresh churned tastes the best and is very simple) and some sugar. Depending on how sweet your holidays look, we have you covered with a 3lb loaf, or the smaller 8oz loaf if you are the savory sort. 

1. Chocolate Wine: John Nott, 1726

This rich chocolatey beverage can be served hot or cold, and we just might try both. The beauty of this recipe is in the simplicity and letting the flavors stand on their own. We couldn't help but notice it looks particularly festive served in a deep red wine glass.

2. Onion Soup: Hannah Glasse, 1747

Any recipe that starts with a half pound of butter is bound to be a hit. This English variant on a French Onion soup would taste wonderful simmering in a 5qt cast iron cook pot. Grab an iron ladle and serve piping hot bowls to your guests.  

3. Fried Celery: "Adams’ Luxury and Eve’s Cookery," 1744

Now you can do more with that extra celery than stare at it guiltily while you grab the leftover mashed potatoes. Grab your spatula, skillet, and a sturdy spoon. Who knew adding wine and butter would make celery delicious?  

4. Roast Pork or Shoat: Mary Randolph, 1827

Stoke up the fire, because this is one barbeque you do not want to miss. We suggest a bowed rotisserie for even cooking and brass trade kettle to catch the drippings. If you are preparing this in a modern oven, a strainer ladle and cooking fork are the two best tools for scooping out the tasty bits without burning yourself.

5. Sippet Pudding: Mary Randolph, 1827

No need to throw out those beautiful, if slightly stale, loaves, bread pudding is the perfect way to reclaim leftover bread. A 2 quart salt glazed bowl is just the size for whipping up the milk mixture to coat your bread, already layered in a redware pie plate. While that is baking, a sturdy batter bowl with a spout can hold your sauce so it is ready to drizzle and serve.