Sweet Recipes From The United States

Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.

From Recipes From All Nations by Countess Morphy, 1946.

Pumpkin Pie

This is one of the most typical of all American sweets, and although the recipes differ in some of the States, the main ingredients are the same.

Ingredients: 1 pint of pumpkin, cooked and well mashed, 1 pint of milk, 1 breakfast cup of either white sugar, brown sugar or molasses syrup, 4 eggs, ½ a teaspoon each of ground mace, cinnamon and nutmeg, 3 tablespoons of butter.

Method: Cut the cooked pumpkin in small dice, and either mash to a smooth purée with a fork or rub through a sieve. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pumpkin purée and a little salt. When quite cold, put the pumpkin in a basin, mix with the milk, the sugar or syrup, the spices, and the four eggs well beaten. A tablespoon of brandy is a great improvement to the mixture. Line a pie dish with crust and bake this under crust lightly. Then fill with the pumpkin mixture, and bake in a quick oven for ½ an hour. When cold, sprinkle with sugar.

Cranberry Pie

Ingredients: 1 ½ pints of cooked cranberries, 1 cup of sugar, plain pie crust.

Method: Wash the cranberries in cold water, put them in an earthenware casserole with 1 pint of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes, crushing the berries to extract the juice. Remove from the fire and stir in the sugar. Replace on a slow fire and simmer 10 to 15 minutes longer. Put the berries in a basin, but do not strain. When cold, put in a pic dish lined with crust which has already been slightly baked, decorate with strips of pastry, and bake till the strips of pastry ar a delicate golden colour.

Coconut Pie

Ingredients: 1 cup of grated coconut, ½ a cup of sugar, 2 eggs, a little grated nutmeg, 1 pint of milk.

Method: Beat the eggs till very light, add the sugar gradually, the nutmeg, and finally the grated coconut and the boiled milk, which must be allowed to cool. Mix and beat all thoroughly, and put in the pie dish lined with slightly baked pie crust. Coconut pie is always an uncovered one. Bake in a moderate oven for about ½ an hour.

Popped Corn Pudding

Ingredients: Just under 1 lb. of popped corn, 3 eggs, 1 ½ pints of milk, 3 ½ ozs. of brown sugar, a pinch of salt.

Method: Put the popped corn in a basin, cover with the milk and let it stand for about 1 hour. Beat up the eggs and the sugar, add them to the corn and milk, add a pinch of salt, and bake in a buttered dish in a moderate oven till the pudding is firm.

Strawberry Shortcake

This is another famous American sweet and it is particularly nice when made with fresh strawberries.

Ingredients: ½ lb. of flour, 2 eggs, 1 ½ ozs. of sugar, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, just under 1 oz. of butter, a pinch of salt.

Method: Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder and sift. Gradually work in the eggs, mixing with a knife and then with the tips of the fingers, work in the butter, moisten gradually with the milk, and work all thoroughly. To bake, divide the dough in two, roll out, and put half in a round tin. Butter the top of this slightly and cover with the remaining half of the dough; or the cake can be divided in half after it is baked. Bake in a quick oven for 12 minutes, testing with a skewer. When done, remove from the oven and fill, while still warm, with strawberries, well sprinkled with sugar and slightly crushed with a spoon. Finally cover the top with more strawberries.

Soft Molasses Gingerbread

This is one of the best of American gingerbreads, the flavour of the molasses being particularly pleasant.

Ingredients: 1 pint of molasses, 3 pints of flour, ½ lb. of sugar, ½ lb. of butter, 3 eggs, 1 pint of sweet milk, 2 tablespoons of ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

Method: Cream the butter, and beat in the sugar. Beat the yolks of eggs and add to the butter and sugar. Add the molasses and mix thoroughly. Add the milk and the flour, mixed with the baking powder, and beat all till quite smooth. Mix in the ginger and cinnamon and finally the whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Pour into well-greased shallow tins and bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes, testing with a skewer before removing from the oven. When done, sprinkle with white sugar. They can be eaten either hot or cold.

Gingerbread

This is another and simpler American gingerbread made without molasses syrup.

Ingredients: 6 ozs. of flour, 2 ozs. of butter, 7 ozs. of sugar, 1 gill milk, 1 teaspoon of ginger, 3 teaspoons of baking powder.

Method: Proceed exactly as in the foregoing recipe, but omitting the molasses. Spread out very thinly in well-greased tins, and bake in a moderate oven for 25 to 30 minutes. When done, sprinkle with sugar and cut in squares or diamonds.

Marshmallow Mould

This is made with half a pint of stiff whipped cream, flavoured with vanilla, sugar and a little fruit syrup, to which is added 6 ozs. of chopped marshmallows, 12 chopped walnuts, a few cherries in brandy or in maraschino, and the whole is put into a mould and well iced. When turned out, it can be decorated with more cherries and chopped marshmallows.

Maple Syrup Ice Cream

Ingredients: 1 quart of milk or 1 pint of milk and 1 of cream, 6 eggs, ½ cups of maple syrup, vanilla flavouring.

Method: Put the milk or cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Mix the yolks of eggs with the maple syrup and, when the milk is nearly cold, stir in gradually till well blended. Beat the whites of eggs to a froth, and fold into the mixture. Flavour with vanilla, and pour the mixture into the freezer.

A Thanksgiving Pudding

Ingredients: 5 ozs. of chopped suet, 3 or 4 slices of stale bread soaked in milk, 6 ozs. of finely chopped figs, ½ lb. of brown sugar, 2 ozs. of stoned raisins, 2 ozs. of flour, 12 chopped walnuts, 4 eggs, nutmeg and cinnamon to taste, 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder.

Method: Work the suet to a smooth paste, mix with the bread, previously soaked in milk, the finely chopped figs and all the other ingredients, and mix thoroughly and beat for 20 minutes or longer. Steam for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Any kind of hot pudding sauce can be served with this, according to taste.

American Angel Cake

This is one of the nicest—and lightest, when properly made—of all American cakes. But success in making it lies in the proper beating of the eggs—they should be beaten so stiffly that if 2 eggs are placed on the froth they will not sink.

Ingredients: The white of 11 eggs, ¼ lb. of flour, 10 ozs. of sugar, 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, a pinch of salt.

Method: The flour must be sifted four times, the cream of tartar then being added to it, and both sifted once more. The sugar should also be sifted four times. Beat the whites of egg very stiffly, then add the sugar and flour gradually, and lastly the vanilla essence and a pinch of salt. Turn the mixture into an ungreased Turk’s head cake tin—a tin with a tube in the middle—and bake in a moderate oven for ¾ of an hour. Test with a skewer before removing from the oven. Turn the cake upside down when done, and let it stand till cool, when the cake will fall out of the pan. When the cake is quite cold, coat with a white icing, flavoured with vanilla.

American Waffles

Many countries claim waffles as their own national dish, and it is difficult to trace their origin. The word waffle comes from the Dutch wafel, or wafer. The old French word waufre (in modem French gaufre) is of Germanic origin. They were extremely popular in England some centuries back, judging by the collection of beautiful “wafer” irons to be seen at the South Kensington Museum, and from the recipes given for them in old English cookery books. Recently there has been a boom in waffles, which are thought to be typically American and advertised as such. But they are as common in France as they are in the States, although the French prefer their delicious plain gaufre to the many fancy waffles, such as chocolate, peanut, pimiento, cheese and many others which hail from America.

Here is a good American recipe for plain waffles:

Ingredients: ¾ of a lb. of flour, 1 pint of milk, 1 ½ eggs, teaspoons of baking powder, 1 large tablespoon of butter, 1 teaspoon of salt.

Method: Mix the flour, baking powder and salt, and sift. Put the milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil, and when nearly cold add the melted butter. Add the yolks of eggs and the whites to the milk, both beaten separately, and add the flour gradually, making a light batter. Have the waffle irons thoroughly hot, brush them over carefully with a brush dipped in a little melted lard or butter. Pour the batter in a jug and pour sufficient on the waffle iron barely to cover the elevations. Close the iron and turn it over. Bake the waffle for 2 or 3 minutes till a light golden brown. Remove the waffle, put it in the oven to keep warm while the others are being made, and repeat the process till the batter is used up. Waffles are usually eaten with butter and maple syrup or with molasses.

Banana Pudding

For this pudding, line a baking dish with slices of stale cake, peel and slice 6 bananas, put a layer over the cake, then cover with a thin layer of custard, made with 1 pint of milk, 3 eggs and 4 ozs. of sugar. Cover with another layer of cake, then bananas, etc., till all the ingredients are used up, finishing with a covering of custard. Cover with paper, bake for ½ an hour, brown slightly and serve cold.

Spiced Molasses Cake

This is one of the favourite cakes in the Southern States.

Ingredients: ½ pint of molasses, ¾ lb. of flour, 7 ozs. of sugar, 7 ozs. of butter, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons of vinegar, 2 of soda, ½ a teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, cloves and allspice, 1 grated nutmeg, a pinch of salt.

Method: Put the molasses in a saucepan and warm, diluting it with the vinegar. Cream the butter and sugar, add the well beaten eggs, and mix thoroughly. Add the flour and the molasses gradually, beating vigorously, for on this depends the lightness of a cake which is apt to be heavy. Mix in the spices and the soda, dissolved in a little hot water. Bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes.

Watermelon Sherbet

This is one of the most refreshing water ices to have during warm weather, for the watermelon in itself is always cool and delicious to eat on a hot day.

Cut the watermelon in half, remove the centre and the little black seeds. Take out all the pulp, put in a basin and half crush it with a spoon or fork. Add ½ lb. of sugar to it, mix well, and freeze to a “mush”—the mixture should be sufficiently firm to be eaten with a spoon. Serve in a wine glass and add 1 teaspoon of sherry to each glass.

Morphy, Countess. Recipes of All Nations. H. Joseph. 1946.

Countess Morphy

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