dddavids Hauntingly Good
Vintage Christmas Recipes

The Tradition of Ghost Stories on Christmas Eve:
Ghost stories were an integral part of the Victorian
Christmas. Read around the fire, they were a
popular home amusement in those households that
could not afford the expense of the theatre or concert
going. Many stories were specifically written for such
evening entertainment. A popular example would be,
the ghostly tales of M.R. James (1862-1936). These
were originally composed for reading on Christmas
Eve at King's College, Cambridge. They were first
published as Ghost Stories of an Antiquary in 1904.
"There must be something ghostly in the air of
Christmas, something about the close, muggy
atmosphere that draws up the ghosts, like the
dampness of the summer rains brings out the frogs
and snails... For ghost stories to be told on any
other evening than the evening of the twenty-fourth
of December would be impossible in English society
as at present regulated," - Jerome K. Jerome.

The Christmas Goose
"Feasting on geese has long been a tradition in
the Old World, as is clear from ancient mythology.
The prevalence of goose gods in numerous
cultures attests to the ritual importance of geese
and to the fact that these rituals date back to
antiquity. The goose feast that came to characterize
holiday celebrations in later times arise as a modern
day derivative of these ancient rites and sacrifices.
People in Europe, Central Asia, North America, and
North Africa customarily sacrificed geese, particularly
at the turn of the seasons. Like other migratory fowl,
geese appeared and disappeared at crucial times in
the yearly cycle, so eating them customarily
accompanied ceremonial events in the solar and
agricultural year. People have linked geese to the
changing seasons for so long that originally the
goose served as a sacrifice to the spirit of vegetation,
in thanks for the harvest. After the goose was
ceremonially killed, participants in the sacrifice feasted
on its flesh in a ritual that they believed would ensure
the regeneration of the Earth...Goose was served at
the Celtic Samhain, or Halloween; the Germanic Yule,
originally the first day of the new year; and Michaelmas,
the ritual feast of the winter solstice. The Michaelmas
feast is probably the most famous goose feast, apart
from that at Christmas dinner...Turkeys, native to the
New World, were more plentiful than geese during the
period of early settlement. American settlers served
turkey at Thanksgiving, making it the seasonal feast
bird. In much of the Western world today, turkeys have
replaced geese also at the Christmas feast; but for all
practical purposes, these two birds share the same
symbolism. Just as the people of the Old World
connected geese to the sun, some of the North
American tribes connected turkeys to the sun."
Nectar and Ambrosia:
An Encyclopedia of Food in World Mythology

Chocolate Covered Candies
For New Years

Ingredients:
6 Ounces of Chocolate Chips
6 Ounces of Nuts
Instructions:
In a bowl microwave the chocolate chips for
3 minutes or until completely melted. To this
add the nuts, and spoon on to waxed paper.
Refrigerate until cooled, and enjoy! The best
part besides being very quick, and easy is that
you could substitute the nuts for anything you
like. Fruit, marshmallows, corn flakes with dates,
whatever you can think of that you and your
New Year's party guest would enjoy.

Old English Christmas Pudding Recipe:

Christmas pudding, the rich culmination of a long
process of development of plum puddings which
can be traced back to the early 15th century. The
first types were not specifically associated with
Christmas. Like early mince pies, they contained
meat, of which a token remains in the use of suet.
The original form, plum pottage, were made from
chopped beef or mutton, onions and perhaps
other root vegetables, and dried fruit. As the
name suggests, it was a fairly liquid preparation:
this was before the invention of the pudding cloth
made large puddings feasible.
Ingredients:
1lb /450g dried mixed fruit (use golden raisins
/sultanas* , raisins, currants)
1 oz /25 g mixed candied peel, finely chopped
1 small cooking apple, peeled, cored and finely
chopped
Grated zest and juice
1/2 large orange and 1/2 lemon
4 tbsp brandy, plus a little extra for soaking
at the end
2 oz /55 g self-raising flour, sifted
1 level tsp ground mixed spice
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 oz /110 g shredded suet, beef or vegetarian
4oz /110g soft, dark brown sugar
4 oz /110 g white fresh bread crumbs
1 oz /25 g whole shelled almonds, roughly
chopped
2 large, fresh eggs
Instructions:
Lightly butter a 2 1/2 pint/1.4 liter pudding basin/17cm
Place the dried fruits, candied peel, apple, orange and
lemon juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the brandy
and stir well. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel
and leave to marinate for a couple of hours, preferably
overnight.
Stir together the flour, mixed spice and cinnamon in a
very large mixing bowl. Add the suet, sugar, lemon and
orange zest, bread crumbs, nuts and stir again until all
the ingredients are well mixed. Finally add the
marinaded dried fruits and stir again.
Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl then stir quickly
into the dry ingredients. The mixture should have a
fairly soft consistency.
Now is the time to gather the family for Christmas
Pudding tradition of taking turns in stirring, making a
wish and adding a few coins.
Spoon the mixture in to the greased pudding basin,
gently pressing the mixture down with the back of a
spoon. Cover with a double layer of greaseproof
paper or baking parchment, then a layer of aluminum
foil and tie securely with string.
Place the pudding in a steamer set over a saucepan
of simmering water and steam the pudding for 7
hours. Make sure you check the water level
frequently so it never boils dry. The pudding should
be a deep brown color when cooked. The pudding is
not a light cake but instead is a dark, sticky and
dense sponge.
Remove the pudding from the steamer, cool
completely. Remove the paper, prick the pudding
with a skewer and pour in a little extra brandy.
Cover with fresh greaseproof paper and retie with
string. Store in a cool dry place until Christmas day.
Note: The pudding cannot be eaten immediately, it
does need to be stored and rested then reheated on
Christmas Day. Eating the pudding immediately after
cooking will cause it to collapse and the flavors will
not have had time to mature.


Russian Tea Cakes

Ingredients:
1 cup (1/2 lb.) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (2 oz.) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups (9 oz.) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 c. (3 oz.) pecans
Instructions:
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the vanilla.
Set aside.
Place the flour and finely chopped pecans in a
bowl. Add to the butter mixture with the salt.
Stir to form a soft dough.
Mold into 1-inch balls and bake on an ungreased
or parchment-lined baking sheet at 400° until set,
about 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies will have
puffed slightly and cracked. The bottoms of the
cookies will be golden brown. Remove from the
oven and cool for one minute on the baking sheet.
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool for
five minutes. While the cookies are still warm
(not hot), roll in powdered sugar. Remember, If the
cookies are too hot, the sugar will melt to a frosting
like coating. If you wish it, then it is o.k.


Food in the 1700's:
During the 1700s venison was the meat which was a
symbol of the highest social status. If a person could
serve venison, it meant that he/she was the owner of
a vast property, or knew someone who was.
A Swedish tourist is known to have said in 1748 that
the English were good at cooking big pieces of meat,
but did not seem to have talent in any other arenas of
cooking.
Evening meals might have contained cold meats, sweets,
fruit, and wine on ordinary occasions, a choice of hot
dishes when company was present.
Hot food was generally only served when guests were
visiting, and most English often ate cold meats for their
evening supper.
In fact, tourists complained about the chilly temperature
of the victuals they were served.
The caliber of food became rather poor during the 1700s
in England, as meat rose in popularity.
Due to urbanization, large quantities of meat had to be
transported from the farms to the cities. Since the trip
was by no means short or easy, the quality of meat was
bound to be coarse and inferior.
A doctor who was the author of the 1788 book.
The Honors of the Table warned that the odor of meat
was such that one should keep it away from his/her nose
while eating it.

1918 Cheese Ball(s) Recipe
Instructions:
Cheese Ball No. 1,
Take one cake of cream cheese, one-quarter
of a pound of chopped figs, one-quarter of a
pound of chopped walnuts, roll into balls and
serve on lettuce leaves.
Cheese Balls, No. 2
Mix one cake Neufchatel cheese, a piece of
butter the size of the cheese, one tablespoon
of cream, one-quarter teaspoon of salt and
six dashes of Tabasco Sauce and form one
large ball or several small ones and roll in
chopped pecan nuts.
Jewish Cook Book, Florence Kreisler Greenbaum

No time, but you still want a Festive Christmas Cookie?

Try these 123 Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients:
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup Granulated or Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Boiling Water
Instructions:
Mix ingredients until smooth
Add 2 cups of Bisquick, blend
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet,
and bake at 400 F. for 8 to 10 minutes.
To shape you can flatten with a fork.
See, that was very easy...
Published by General Mills in 1951