lost & found cookbooks

James Beard Fireside Cook Book

"THE FIRESIDE COOK BOOK"
1949

Fans and collectors of James Beard cookbooks will be thrilled to add this amiable old cookbook to their collection. It has the added benefit of being masterfully and prolifically illustrated by Alice and Martin Provenson. The Provenson's won many illustration awards making this recipe collection a spot on charmer for collectors of illustrated cookbooks as well.

Billed as a "complete guide to fine cooking for the beginner and expert", it boasts 1217 recipes and 400 color illustrations. Most of the dishes are relatively simple and offer several variations on each recipe.

I was hunting for an interesting barbecue sauce recipe to post and Beard offers an intriguing version called "Devil Sauce". Unfortunately, it calls for Escoffier's Sauce Diable. This was once available as a bottled sauce, but is no longer in production. Making the Escoffier's sauce from scratch requires a PhD in sauceology, and I have posted a refreshing recipe for Cold Stuffed Artichokes instead.

[James Beard recipe for Cold Stuffed Artichokes]

[buy the Fireside Cook Book at OldCookbooks.com]

June Platt's New England Cook Book

"JUNE PLATT'S NEW ENGLAND COOK BOOK"
1971

Platt consulted over 600 cookbooks to create this personal collection of recipes celebrating the region and foods of New England. The most interesting recipes include some regional lore and discuss the recipe origin. Recipe names like Rinktum Ditty, Cranberry Troll Cream and Humpty Does seem to belong in a fairy tale. And of course there are chowders, baked beans and pumpkin pies along with "Miss Folsom's Land-of-the-Sky Pudding" and a Cape Cod dish known as "Scootin'-'Long-the-Shore". Yep.

Since August is blueberry month and the latest research shows that blueberries can fend off a variety of age related diseases, I have posted the recipe for "Blueberry Buckle". The 12 blueberry recipes presented by Platt include this "buckle" as well as blueberry crisps, tarts, jams, sauces and "Blueberry Slump". Yep.

[Blueberry Buckle recipe]

[buy "June Platt's New England Cook Book" at OldCookbooks.com]

[other New England Cookbooks]

Railroad Dining Car Recipes

"DINNER IN THE DINER"
1977

Subtitled "Great Railroad Recipes of All Time", this compilation captures historic recipes from 20 American railroad dining cars. Whenever possible, the author explains the history of the recipe and attributes it to the original creator, making this invaluable for culinary history research.

Recipes range from the relatively simple  "Orange Praline Toast"  to complex and interesting regional dishes like "Braised Duck Cumberland".   Hundreds of photos of trains, dining cars, chefs, menus and maps complement the recipes. I was unable to find anything comparable to this compilation which successfully captures an obscure part of American culinary history.

This simple Ciopino was served on the Southern Pacific.

Ciopino (Southern Pacific Railroad)
Serves 4
1 dozen clams in the shell
1 only, large crab
1 rock cod, medium size
1 cup olive oil
1 cup onions, minced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 qt. tomatoes, passed through strainer

Fry onions in oil. Add garlic and tomatoes, and bring to boil. Put clams well-washed into saucepan. Place over it the crab, cleaned, broken apart and cracked. Cut cod across bone into meat,  covering with tomato sauce. Cover and cook slowly for approximately 25 minutes.

[buy it at OldCookbooks.com]

Blue Ribbon Winners from Country Fairs

"COUNTRY FAIR COOKBOOK"
1975

I have attended a few country fairs, but never gave much thought to the food exhibits. (Probably because I couldn't actually eat any of the splendid baked treats.) Lately, I've been boning up on American cookbook history and was pleasantly surprised to learn about the passion and process of cooking to win a country fair ribbon.  Every year thousands of amateur bakers participate in the food exhibits in hopes of winning a ribbon. While blue ribbon winners are considered the best of the best, the purple ribbon is the highest possible award and very difficult to win.

Country and state fairs date as early as the early 1800's and I am on the hunt to find what is likely the first American fair cookbook. This 1970's compilation by Farm Journal collects hundreds of blue and purple prize-winners from around the country. It has additional sections with information on how to judge cakes, cookies, and yeast breads as well as trouble-shooting hints for common problems.

All the Farm Journal cookbooks are popular for their down-home approach and heartland inspired recipes.

[Farm Journal's Country Fair cookbook]

[more Farm Journal cookbooks]

[more country fair cookbooks]