Hoopskirts

Praline and Burnt Almonds It's a cold snowy day in late February and nothing brightens the day like a sweet treat (or perhaps a vacation to a sunny clime, but that's a different matter all together.) For the fourth Historical Food Fortnightly Challenge I chose to make candied almonds in two forms: burnt and pralined. The darlings of farmers' markets and reenactments, candied almonds can now be purchased in neat plastic cones.  I was aware of their German heritage and that they were originally sold or given in paper cones, which the plastic shapes mimic.  I also had inklings that their origin stretched back quite a ways but had never formally researched it. The Challenge HFF #4 Sweets for the Sweet :  It’s sugar, and maybe spice, and definitely everything nice. Test out a historic recipe for sweets, sweetmeats and candies - but don’t let them spoil your appetite! Source, Year and Region:   I decided to use two sources for my r...

Union Cake Today, February 12th, being Abraham Lincoln's birthday, it seemed particularly apt that we bake Union Cake.   A Presidential birthday celebration was not my original goal, circumstances just aligned nicely to work out that way. HISTORICAL FOOD FORTNIGHTLY CHALLENGE #3 : History Detective  For this challenge, you get to be the detective! Either use clues from multiple recipes to make a composite recipe, or choose a very vague recipe and investigate how it was made. SELECTING A RECIPE I spent a number of weeks reading old cookbooks trying to find a recipe that I found puzzling  and appealing enough to make.    For my primary source I chose Moore's Rural New Yorker , an agricultural weekly paper  from the area of Rochester, NY.   As I read the various issues, I found myself getting caught up in the responses from the  readers.  Emily sends her method of heeling and toeing a stocking and asks for a good frosting...