Colonial Foods and Carrot Puffs as Appetizer

Our daughter gave my husband a cookbook several years ago with recipes dating back to the 1700's. It was fascinating to read about how much work was involved in simply keeping calories available for life sustenance. Reading over the recipes, it was obvious that cooking was not only labor intensive, but also a challenge when refrigeration and preservation of foods was practically non-existent. That book is not in the kitchen, garage, or in any box of stored books, so it must have gone by the wayside. Maybe someone else is using it now and enjoying it as much as we did.

Another handy cookbook entitled The Williamsburg Cookbook (1975 published by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and available through Amazon) says:

Visitors return again and again for the delicious dishes served at Colonial Williamsburg’s famed taverns and restaurants—Chowning’s Tavern Brunswick Stew, Christiana Campbell’s Spoon Bread, Shields Tavern Syllabubs. In this best-selling cookbook, 193 traditional and contemporary recipes have been compiled and adapted for the home kitchen. Commentary discusses the cooking and eating habits of our colonial ancestors and describes meals served to VIP visitors to Virginia’s restored colonial capital.

All sorts of recipes can be found in this cookbook stemming from colonial times. I picked up this book on a visit in the autumn season years ago in this historic Virginia town after having dinner at the Shield's Tavern in Williamsburg.

A beautiful slide show of Colonial Williamsburg, VA can be accessed here: Historical Slide show of Williamsburg in the Fall. That will get you into the mood for fall cooking, for sure.

One recipe from this updated treasury of recipes is for The Shield's Tavern Sampler Carrot Puffs (4-6 servings):

1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
1 egg and 2 egg yolks
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
1 tsp orange flower water
3 Tbls. sugar
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup heavy cream

Cook the carrots until very soft. Drain well. Mash to a pulp. Combine and beat the egg and egg yolks. Mix the carrots, eggs and remaining ingredients together thoroughly.

Gently drop by heaping tablespoons into deep, hot shortening and fry until brown. Place on paper towels to drain. Serve immediately.

We have made carrot puffs from these instructions as an appetizer. These tidbits were sweet an tasty. I will make them again soon, but will try frying them in just a skiff of olive oil as a nod to better nutrition.

Cookbooks are always bestsellers. And historical cookbooks are a fun read, as well.

You might want to publish your own favorite recipes. Who knows, in 300 years, they might be republished. Here is one source that will help you put your cookbook together as either a fundraiser or just for posterity: Publish Your Own Cookbook.