Thomas Jefferson’s Marinated Asparagus - Recipes from the White House

1 ½ lbs asparagus, stems peeled and trimmed

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ cup olive oil

Pinch of fresh thyme

Pinch of fresh parsley

1 large egg, hard cooked and chopped

½ small red onion, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon fine capers, drained

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Wash the asparagus and trip the tough ends of the stalks. In large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of lightly salted water to boil over high heat. Place the asparagus in the water and  cook until just tender; 2-3 minutes.

Drain asparagus. Add enough cold water to cover the asparagus. Let stand about 5 minutes, until the asparagus is cool.

Drain again and pat dry with paper towels. In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, thyme, parsley, egg, onion and capers. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place the asparagus on a serving platter. Pour the vinaigrette evenly over the asparagus. Let the asparagus marinate in the dressing for a few minutes (optional). Garnish with additional chopped egg and parsley, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

First taken from the City Tavern Cookbook

Pat Nixon’s Date Nut Bread - Recipes from the White House

1 pound packaged dates

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ cups boiling water

1 stick butter

1 ¾ cups sugar

1 egg

2 ¾ cups flour

1 cup chopped nuts

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cut dates into small pieces and place in a bowl. Add baking soda to boiling water and pour over dates. Set aside and let mixture stand. With a mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Add the egg. Strain the water from the date mixture into the cream, sugar and egg mixture. Add flour and beat well. Add nuts, dates and vanilla.

Pour mixture into greased 8x4” loan pans. Bake for one hour in a 350 F oven. Makes 2 loaves.

Martha Washington’s Devil’s Food Cake - Recipes from the White House

4 squares (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate

2 cups sugar

1 ½ cups buttermilk

2 cups flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup butter

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt chocolate in a saucepan over a very low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Add ½ cup of the sugar and ½ cup of the buttermilk. Stir until well blended. Cool thoroughly. Mix half the flour with the baking powder, soda and salt. Cream butter and gradually beat in the remaining 1 ½ cups sugar.

Continue beating until light and fluffy. Add egg, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each. Blend in ¼ of the flour mixture, then add the chocolate and vanilla. Alternately add the remaining flour and buttermilk, beating after each addition until smooth.

Pour into two 9 inch greased and floured pans and bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes.

Martha Washington’s Crab Soup - Recipes from the White House

8 ounces crab meat, picked and cleaned

1 Tablespoon butter

3 Tablespoons flour

3 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped

1 lemon rind, grated

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup dill, finely chopped

½ teaspoon cayenne

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup cream

4 cups whole milk

Combine hard boiled eggs, flour, butter, grated lemon, salt and pepper in bowl. In a medium saucepan, bring milk to a boil and slowly pour in the egg mixture.

Add crab meat and turn heat to low, cooking gently for five minutes. Add the cream and remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice, chopped dill, and cayenne. Garnish with the crumbled egg yolk and dill and serve.

Maime Eisenhower’s Million Dollar Fudge - Recipes from the White House

4 ½ cups granulated cane sugar

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

1 (large) can evaporated milk

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 pint marshmallow cream

2 cups chopped pecans

Butter a 9x13 inch pan and chill in refrigerator. Place a large mixing bowl into a boiling water bath and place chocolate, marshmallow cream and pecans in it.

In a large saucepan, place sugar, butter, salt and evaporated milk. Bring to boil, stirring constantly for 6 minutes. Pour this syrup over the chocolate mixture and beat until all chocolate is melted.

Pour into buttered pan. Let sit, cooling, until it sets up. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Recipe from thehistoricalhomemaker.com

Hoecakes - Recipes from the White House

2 cups stone-ground white (or yellow) cornmeal

1 ½-2 cups lukewarm water

1 (¼ ounce) package active dry yeast

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg

Milk vegetable oil, for greasing griddle

Honey for serving (optional)

Butter, for serving (optional)

The night before you plan to eat the corn cakes, combine 1 cup of the cornmeal, 1 ½ cups of the lukewarm water, and the yeast in a medium size nonreactive bowl. Whisk well, the mixture will be thin. Cover bowl tightly and let sit overnight in a warm place.

The next morning, whisk in the remaining 1 cup cornmeal, salt and one egg. Recover in the bowl, let stand 15-20 minutes (allowing the just added cornmeal to absorb some of the liquid and soften a little bit).

Check the consistency, it should be close to a thin pancake batter; not really liquid and not as thick as heavy cream. If you need to, add a little more lukewarm water to achieve this.

Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Oil lightly with a paper towel dipped in oil, or spray nonstick cooking spray.

Stir batter well, using a ladle, pour 3-4 thin, 3 inch pancakes into the hot skillet. Batter will spread out fairly thin; if it doesn’t sizzle a little as you pour it, skillet isn’t hot enough. If it sizzles a lot, you may need to reduce heat.

Now watch closely. Almost immediately you will see little bubbles appear throughout. When the top surface is completely dry and edges are beginning to curl, flip one cake. It should be golden brown and nicely speckled. Cook about 1 minutes for the first side and 30 seconds on the second side. Repeat with remaining cakes and batter. (Making  sure to stir batter occasionally so it doesn’t separate.)

FDR Chestnut Stuffing - Recipes from the White House

43 to 48 ounces cooked, peeled chestnuts

Salt

2 Tablespoons bacon fat

¼ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped celery

12 Tablespoons unsalted butter

6 ounces stale bread (no crusts), cut or torn into 1” pieces (4 cups)

Grated zest and juice of 1 medium lemon

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup homemade or no-salt-added turkey or chicken broth

(more as needed)

Boil the chestnuts in salted water to cover until they are tender; about 10 minutes. Drain chestnuts in colander and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to break them up into smaller chunks.

Melt the bacon fat in a large skillet over medium heat. When the fat is hot, add the onion and celery. Cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender; 6 to 7 minutes. Add vegetables to chestnuts.

Melt the butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter begins to turn a light golden brown and becomes fragrant; watching carefully to make sure it does not burn. Add the bread and cook, stirring for several minutes or until the bread is evenly coated with butter. Add to the chestnut mixture, along with lemon zest and juice, parsley and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine well. If the stuffing seems dry or if you will not be cooking it in the turkey, stir in the chicken or turkey broth as needed.

Either stuff the turkey with the  dressing, or transfer it to a 9x13 inch casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. For a crisp top, remove foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.

Adapted from the Pittsburgh Press; December 1933