Eggnog is a staple drink during the holiday season. Historians debate the exact ancestry of eggnog but most agree that it originated from early medieval “posset”, a hot, milky, ale-like drink. Eventually, expensive and rare ingredients like eggs, sherry, brandy and Madeira were added and the drink became the trademark of the upper class.
Nevertheless, we decided to make an eggnog using this mythical Washington recipe. Given the ingredients, I think you might understand why. Moreover, although it originally dates from the 19th century, it certainly could have been made a century earlier.
“One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, ½ pint rye whiskey, ½ pint Jamaica rum, ¼ pint sherry—mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of 12 eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently.”
This potent mixture creates a classic colonial eggnog. Purists who argue that store-bought versions can’t hold a candle to the homemade goodness will be quite satisfied.
As Christmastime approaches again, it’s time to focus attention on two more forgotten favorites from the 18th century dessert table: ribband jelly and blancmange.
Ribband Jelly
Our first dessert is a simple Ribband Jelly that descends from an ancient dessert called white leach.[1] A white leach was a milk jelly flavored with rosewater and colored with gold to create an elaborate pattern. [2]
Ribband jelly simply means the jelly has multi-layers of different colors.[3] Ribband jelly was a popular dessert on the salvers of Betty Washington Lewis’s holiday table because it added some pleasing color and texture to the spread.
We will be following a modernized version of the recipe by Hannah Glasse in her book The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy which was in Betty’s library. Traditionally, the jelly is thickened with calves bones and Hartshorn, which is the shavings of the soft velvet from the antlers of young male deer, as well as with isinglass, which is dried swimming bladders from fish, particularly sturgeon. [4]
The Ribband jelly we are making sounds similar to one written about by Thomas Jefferson during his diplomatic mission to France, where he lived from 1784 to 1789. He wrote down a recipe for a nutmeg- and lemon-spiked “wine jelly” on what appears to be an 18th-century version of a cocktail napkin.
However, we will be using the more modern powdered gelatin first made available in the Victorian era.[5]
We will stick with the original coloring agents, however, using spinach for green and cochineal (the scales of the insect Dactylopius coccus) for red.
Blancmange
Our second dessert, blancmange or flummery, we know was popular with Betty’s brother George during his Christmastime feasts.[6]
Initially, flummery and blancmange were two different dishes. Blancmange was a savory dish of capon or chicken in milk and was thought ideal for the sick. Flummery was a jelly made by steeping oatmeal in water overnight and boiling the strained liquor with sugar. [7]
However, by the 18th century, flummery had become a synonym for blancmange, which had evolved into a sweet almond-flavored dish made with milk or cream and thickened with Hartshorn, isinglass, or, later, gelatin.[8][9]
Flummeries and blancmanges were usually made with molds to create elaborate decorative displays that served as the center piece of the party.
For our blancmange we will be following a recipe by Hannah Glasse again. It is called “French Flummery”. [10] As a setting agent, we will be trying the traditional isinglass as recommended. [11]
These traditional desserts were the forerunners of today’s Jell-O molds that grace many tables during the holidays.[12] Perhaps this year, try a traditional jelly or blancmange, similar to the ones that graced the Washington family table and enjoy a little bit of history with your holiday feast.
Heather Baldus
Collections Manager
[1] Thomas Dawson, The Good Huswives Jewell (London: 1596)
It’s the 33rd year of a a long-standing holiday tradition: the Gingerbread Contest & Exhibit at George Washington’s Ferry Farm! This year’s theme is “Holiday Songs.”
“Deck the Halls” by King George Country Schools Preschool: Ms. Rachel, Ms. Cindy, and Ms. Becky’s Class
“Deck the Halls” by King George Country Schools Preschool: Ms. Rachel, Ms. Cindy, and Ms. Becky’s Class
“How Many Songs” by Carol Glick and family
“How Many Songs” by Carol Glick and family
“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by Valerie Jackson & Debbie Hicks
“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by Valerie Jackson & Debbie Hicks
“Jingle Bells Rock the House Down” by RAAI-RACSB
“Let It Snow” by Samantha Wainwright
“Marshmallow World” by the Baldwin Family
“Melekalikimaka” by Daniel Jackson & Noah Stusse
“Poor Grandma” by Hunt Family
“Santa Clause is Coming to Town” by the Fleming Family
“Santa’s Musical Workshop” by Chancellor High School German Club
“Santa’s Stable” by Moriah Webster’s 7th & 8th grade students, Walker Grant Middle School
“Sleigh Ride” by Ryan Jackson & Henry Stusse
“To RAAI House we go!” by RAAI-RACSB
“Winter Wonderland” by Maggie Jackson
Winners
Level 1: Age 2-5 First Place Ribbon ~ “Let it Snow” by Samantha Wainwright
Level 3: Age 11-14 First Place Ribbon ~ “Melekalikimaka” by Daniel Jackson & Noah Stusse
Level 3: Age 11-14 Second Place Ribbon ~ “ Sleigh Ride” by Ryan Jackson & Henry Stusse
Level 4: Age 15-17 First Place Ribbon ~ “Winter Wonderland” by Maggie Jackson
Level 4: Age 15-17 Second Place Ribbon ~ “Santa’s Musical Workshop” by Chancellor High School German Club
Level 5: Age 18 & Over: First Place ~ “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by Valerie Jackson & Debbie Hicks
Level 6: Family Made: First Place ~“How Many Songs” by Carol Gick & Family
Level 6: Family Made: Second Place ~ “Poor Grandma” by Hunt Family
Level 7: Special Needs: First Place Ribbon ~ “Deck the Halls” by King George Country Schools Preschool: Ms. Rachel, Ms. Cindy, and Ms. Becky’s Class
Level 7: Special Needs: Second Place Ribbon Tie ~ “To RAAI House we go!” by RAAI/RACSB
Level 7: Special Needs: Second Place Ribbon Tie ~ “Jingle Bells Rock the House Down” by RAAI/RACSB
Best in Show Award Ribbon: First Place ~“How Many Songs” by Carol Gick & Family
People’s Choice Ribbon: To Be Determined on Dec 30
Please come visit the exhibit and vote for your favorite! Ferry Farm’s hours are Monday – Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Ferry Farm is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The gingerbread exhibit ends on December 30. General admission to Ferry Farm and the exhibit is $9 adults, $4.50 students, under 6 free while admission to the exhibit only is $4.50 adults, $2.25 students, under 6 free.
Visit Kenmore this holiday season for an exhibit of highly detailed, replica dollhouses – including the mansion – and miniatures in the Crowninshield Museum Building. Share memories of your dollhouse with your family as you explore life in miniature! Put your mind and eye to the test with our “I Spy Miniatures” challenge – fun for young and old alike! Here is just a sampling of the dollhouses and miniatures on display this year…
Loaned by Peggy Severson
Loaned by John Earl
Loaned by Jocelyn Barth
Loaned by Rebeckah Furrow
Loaned by Pat Thorburn
Loaned by Anna Jennings
Loaned by James Opher
Loaned by Becky Watson
Loaned by Maureen & Dan Turgeon
Loaned by Linda Pool
Loaned by Mary Stevenson
Dollhouse version of Historic Kenmore
Kenmore’s hours are Monday – Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Kenmore is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Exhibit ends on December 30. Admission to Kenmore and exhibit: $12 adults, $6 students, under 6 free. Exhibit only: $6 adults, $3 students, under 6 free.
On Saturday, November 19, George Washington’s Ferry Farm and Historic Kenmore both presented their annual holiday workshops devoted to teaching attendees either how to build a gingerbread house or to create a holiday themed “room box.” Here are some photos from both workshops…
These two workshops are presented in preparation for Ferry Farm’s annual Gingerbread House Contest & Exhibit as well as Kenmore’s annual A Wee Christmas Dollhouses and Miniatures Show.
The 33rd Annual Gingerbread House Contest & Exhibit at George Washington’s Ferry Farm is a long-standing holiday tradition and, this year, runs from December 8th through the 30th. This year’s theme is “Holiday Songs.” For all the details about entering the contest or visiting the exhibit, click here. Adults and children alike will enjoy the sights and smells of the festive creations displayed at Ferry Farm!
A Wee Christmas Dollhouse & Miniatures Show at Historic Kenmore runs from December 8th through the 30th. Adults and children alike will enjoy this exhibit of highly detailed, replica dollhouses – including a Kenmore dollhouse – and miniatures in the Crowninshield Museum Building. Share memories of your dollhouse with your family as you explore life in miniature! Put your mind and eye to the test with our “I Spy Miniatures” challenge – fun for young and old alike! For all the details about visiting the show, click here.
Both Ferry Farm and Kenmore are closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.
A vintage Independence Day postcard with the beginning lyrics of “Yankee Doodle”.
In honor of the Independence Day tomorrow, I want to talk about a pressing question I had as a child pertaining to one of our most popular patriotic songs “Yankee Doodle”.
We all know the first verse.
Yankee Doodle went to town A-riding on a pony, Stuck a feather in his cap And called it macaroni.
The question is why did he call a feather in his cap “macaroni”?
Macaroni does not refer to the tasty cheesy pasta dish that we all love and know. It refers to an elaborate short-lived fashion trend in England at the end of the 18th century. The trend started with upper-class youths who returned from their Grand Tours of mainland Europe with a great appreciation for continental style and taste. They brought back the luxurious fabrics of the French as well as the pasta dishes of the Italians, thus macaroni was used to refer to the fashion trend.[1]
The macaroni style consisted of a tight-sleeved coat with short skirts, waistcoat and knee breeches. Macaroni emphasized pastel color, patterns and ornamentation like brocaded or embroidered silks and velvet. On their head, they wore tall wigs with a rising front and “club” of hair behind that required an extensive amount of pomade and powder. This wig was usually garnished with a large black satin wig-bag trimmed with bow. The feet were clad in red-heeled slipper-like leather shoes with decorative buckles of diamond, paste or polished steel. Additionally, as much ornamentation as possible was added with large floral nosegays, hanging watches, swords and tasseled walking sticks.[2]
In this print titled “What is This My Son Tom” and published by R. Sayer & J. Bennett in 1774, an “honest farmer” is seen with his adult son, who has large, elaborate hairstyle and stylish clothes following the macaroni trend. Credit: Library of Congress
To be “macaroni” was to be sophisticated, upper class, and worldly. An elite figure marked by the cultivations of European travel, wealth and taste.
So what did the British troops, who first sang the song about their colonial cousins, mean when they said that Mr. Yankee Doodle stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni?
The song was not meant to be a compliment but rather a joke. A “Yankee Doodle” was a simpleton who thought that just putting a feather in his hat would make him macaroni or fashionable when, in reality, he was just a country bumpkin. He lacked class, could never mingle in high society, and was too simple to even realize it.
It was obviously a broad generalization of Americans because in the colonies there was a broad range of fashion. America didn’t have a global metropolis like London but wealthier colonists like Historic Kenmore’s Fielding and Betty Lewis could afford the luxurious imported fabrics and trendy ornamentation.[3] Even with the delay in news from England the wealthy always tried to follow the a la mode styles.
The average colonist would probably not have had a pastel silk waistcoat or stripped knee socks, however. For them, linen, wool, cotton and linsey-woolsey were all common clothing fabrics in more natural or sedate colors. An average person may only have had 2 or 3 outfits so durability was preferable to style.[4]
What seems like just a silly sounding verse in a marching tune actually illustrates how the British viewed and had always viewed the colonies. They looked down on the overseas colonies; after all if it wasn’t for the support of the Crown the initial colonial settlements might not have survived. They felt that the American colonists owed them a great deal for protection, for purveying their culture, for providing them with manufactured goods.[5]
So, if the British were insulting Americans in “Yankee Doodle”, why is it such a common American patriotic song now? Why would Connecticut even make it their state anthem?[6]
As is often the case with insults leveled at a supposed inferiors by people who sees themselves as superior, the colonists appropriated the negative image of a Yankee Doodle and gave it a positive meaning. No longer was this motley “macaroni” viewed as a garish fool but rather became a symbol of a homespun American identity.
One of six scenes from the story of Yankee Doodle showing an Uncle Sam figure tipping his feathered top hat to the departing British represented by Britannia and the crowned lion and unicorn on King George III’s coat of arms. This scene and five others were pasted together to form a long panoramic strip on a late 19th century children’s toy made by McLoughlin Bros. and illustrated by Thomas Nast. Credit: Beinecke Library, Yale University.
America was a place where your status in society was based on merits of work, enterprise, and earned wealth. Your value didn’t come from an inherited title or a fancy ensemble but rather from your own abilities and hard work. In America, anyone could indeed stick a feather in his cap and rightly call it macaroni. The British could keep their macaroni men, Americans would rather be a Yankee Doodle.
Heather Baldus
Collections Manager
[1] Hair, Authenticity, and the Self-Made Macaroni, Amelia Rauser, 2004, pg 101
Each January, Historic Kenmore presents Twelfth Night at Kenmore, a dramatic theater presentation that imagines the first Christmas that Fielding and Betty Washington Lewis spent in their newly built home. The play is set in January 1776 and that year is not a time for the usual celebration. War brings fear, doubt, and frustration to the Lewis family and their friends.
The 2019 edition of Twelfth Night at Kenmore took place January 11 and 12. Here are a few photos from the performances.
Snow begins to fall on Kenmore.
Rachel Sargeant as Lucy Thorton Lewis greets visitors in the Passage.
Rae Ehlen as Fielding Lewis (L) and Wilson Johnson as George Weedon (R) share the latest war news.
Anne Lloyd as Mary Washington (L) and Corinn Keene as Nancy Alexander Lewis (R) discuss how the war endangers their loved ones.
Ashlee James as Rachel, the washerwoman (L), and Gladys Perkins as Hetty, the cook (R), talk about the wisdom of running away to freedom promised by the British.
Barbara Cochran as Betty Washington Lewis.
Michael S. Taylor as John Lewis.
Singing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
Marcus Salley as Pompey, the blacksmith, tends a fire.
Sam Fulton as Henry Mitchell, Fredericksburg merchant, alone in the Drawing Room.
On Friday, January 11, Saturday, January 12, and Sunday, January 13, Historic Kenmore will again present Twelfth Night at Kenmore, a dramatic theater presentation set in 1776.
This production depicts the first Christmas that Fielding and Betty Washington Lewis celebrate in their newly built home. It is not the usual joyous atmosphere, however. The Revolutionary War brings fear, doubt, and frustration to the Lewis family, their friends, and Kenmore’s enslaved community. Here are some photos from last year’s performance.
John Lewis (Michael S. Taylor) encourages Betty Washington Lewis (Barbara Escamilla Cochran) to reveal who the Twelfth Night king and queen shall be.
Betty Washington Lewis (Barbara Escamilla Cochran) welcomes guests to her home and offers a holiday toast.
Patriots George Weedon (L-Wilson Johnson) and Fielding Lewis (R-Rae Ehlen) worry about the latest war news.
Hetty, an enslaved washerwoman and house servant (Ashleé James), overhears Weedon and Lewis discussing Dunmore’s Proclamation, which promised freedom to slaves who fought for the British.
Mary Washington (Anne Lloyd) admonishes Nancy Alexander Lewis (Corinn Keene) to be mindful of her duty as a Patriot woman.
Rachel, an enslaved cook (Gladys Perkins), clears the dining room table after the ball’s grand meal is complete.
Having heard about Dunmore’s Proclamation, Hetty wonders how she might escape slavery and join the British cause in the hope of gaining freedom.
Fielding Lewis, Jr. (Sam Fulton) and George Weedon debate the wisdom of suspending horse racing in Fredericksburg as part of the effort to stay focused on the war effort.
The Lewis family sings “The First Noel.”
Henry Mitchell (Preston Simms) talks with Pompy, an enslaved blacksmith (Marcus Salley) and wonders whether he might as well become a Loyalist since his neighbors already seem to think that he is one.
Lucy Thorton Lewis (Cynthia Palmer), wife of John Lewis, acted as a guide for the evening and narrated our story.
Lucy Thorton Lewis (Rachel Sargeant), wife of John Lewis, acted as a guide for the evening and narrated our story.
The “Twelfth Night at Kenmore” cast.
Performance dates: Friday, January 11, Saturday, January 12, Sunday, January 13
Performance times: 3:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Happy Holidays! George Washington’s Ferry Farm & Historic Kenmore are closed today for Christmas Eve and tomorrow for Christmas Day. Both houses will reopen for tours for five more days this year before closing on New Year’s Eve and beginning their annual two-month closure during the months of January and February. If you are unable to visit this holiday season, please enjoy these photos giving you a festive glimpse inside each home.
To learn more about visiting Kenmore and Ferry Farm, click here.
The holiday season has arrived at Historic Kenmore, bringing with it our annual display in the house of colonial wintry traditions from greenery to lovely desserts. Two years ago, I explored the mysterious origin of Betty Lewis’s hedgehog cake and even made a pretty passable replica. This year, there is another dessert on our table at Kenmore that I have been eager to talk about and even taste, syllabub.
Display of desserts popular in the 18th century inside the Passage at Historic Kenmore.
Syllabub is no longer the favorite staple dessert it once was two hundred years ago. I decided to investigate this fluffy confection to learn its history and to attempt to recreate it. You may find that it’s worth reviving this old classic for your upcoming holiday celebrations!
One of the earliest references to this frothy treat is from a 16th century Tudor drama called Thersytes, when a character states, “You and I…muste walke to him and eate a solybubbe!”[1] It continued to be mentioned through the 17th and 18th century in plays, poetry, art, diaries and cookbooks. From poet laureate Ben Jonson to famous diarist Samuel Pepys to pioneers in household management like Hannah Woolley, Eliza Smith, and Hannah Glasse, they all knew and appreciated this sweet treat.[2]
Through the centuries, syllabub evolved to suit changing taste and convenience.
One of the oldest and most legendary syllabub recipes was informally known as “under the cow”.[3] To make it, a poor dairymaid was supposed to milk a cow directly over a bowl of sugar, sack (a white fortified wine), brandy, and cider to create a “fine frothy top.” Then she was to let it sit for a few hours in a cool place. It sounds simple, rustic, and even pretty tasty. However, this recipe was more fantasy than reality and incredibly impractical. Despite being unsanitary, it doesn’t seem to work and splits the milk in a most unappetizing way.[4]
If you don’t have a live cow, another syllabub recipe, also rather dubious, was the so-called “Poured or Teapot” approach[5]. This method called for the maker to fill a container with milk and then, from a substantial height, pour it into a bowl of sugar, wine, cider or bandy, and a bit of lemon to create a light and frothy mixture. This could actually work, if the maker used a heavily enriched cream (similar to modern heavy whipping cream). Otherwise, it also tended to create an unpleasant curdle. [6]
The two former methods, if they worked, were supposed to create a syllabub that was more of a drink and that was pretty heavy on the spirits. By the 18th century, however, the “Whipt syllabub” became the most popular style of syllabub. It contained less alcohol and was used as a topping instead of as a drink. The recipe called for the whipping of cream, wine, lemon juice, sugar, and sometimes egg whites. As the froth started to develop, the maker spooned it off into a sieve and let it dry. After drying, the maker placed the little clouds of froth on top of a glass of sweet wine or jelly.[7]
“The Sense of Taste” (mid-to-late 1740s) by Philippe Mercier includes some “Whipt syllabubs” on the table. Credit: Yale Center for British Art
I decided to try this fourth style and used a recipe for my experiment called an “Everlasting syllabub” found on page 276 of Mrs. Eliza Smith’s cookbook The compleat housewife, or Accomplished gentlewoman’s companion, published in 1773.[8] Betty Washington Lewis owned this book, which is listed on the 1781 probate inventory of Kenmore. Additionally, I picked this recipe because I don’t have access to a cow, didn’t want to create too much of a mess, and wanted to create a dessert rather than a liquor-infused drink.
RECIPE
18th century recipe To make Lemon Syllabubs Take a quart of cream, half a pound of sugar, a pint of white wine, the juice of two or three lemons, the peel of one grated; mix all these, and put them in an earthen pot, and milk it up as fast as you can till it is thick, then pour it in your glasses, and let them stand five or six hours; you may make them overnight.
Recipe using modern measurements and a mixer and that makes less syllabub: 2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled 1 cup white sugar ½ cup white wine or apple juice for non-alcoholic ¼ cup of lemon juice 2 tsp of grated lemon zest Nutmeg to sprinkle on top
Whip the cream and sugar (slowly tbsp. at a time) in a bowl until the cream begins to thicken. Add white wine, lemon juice and zest and continue to whip until light and fluffy and just holds a peak. Make sure that all the sugar has dissolved and does not give the syllabub a grainy texture. Serve chilled with a dash of nutmeg or lemon zest. Makes 12 servings.
Syllabub can sit in the fridge for a few hours but you may get some separation of the wine and cream.
Everlasting syllabub creates a fluffier mousse that is great on its own or as a topping on jellies and trifles. The recipe is quite simple and requires heavy cream, white wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar. This is all beaten together until it is almost the texture of modern whipped cream. The ingredients are relatively inexpensive and it took less than 15 minutes to create and serve.
After taste-testing my refreshing treat with several colleagues, we arrived at a consensus that this indeed is a dessert that needs revived for our holiday celebrations. It is light, fluffy, and citrusy and would be a great palate cleanser after a heavy dinner or a nice change from dense baked goods. For families with children, a non-alcoholic version can be made by replacing the wine with apple juice.
The syllabub we made topped with lemon zest and nutmeg.
Our experiment was a success and many of you may now have a new dessert gracing your holiday table, if you can keep from eating it all yourself.
[2] Day, Ivan. “Further Musings on Syllabub, or Why Not ‘Jumble it a pritie while’?” Historic Food, https://www.historicfood.com/Syllabubs%20Essay.pdf; Pepys, Samuel. “Sunday 3 August 1662.” The Diary of SamuelPepys, https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1662/08/03/; Woolley, Hannah. The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet Stored With All Manner Of Rare Receipts For Preserving, Candying And Cookery. Very Pleasant And Beneficial To All Ingenious Persons Of The Female Sex. Duck Lane near West Smithfield, Richard Lowndes, 1672. J. Buckland, et al. 1773, pg 114; Glasse, Hannah. The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy. London, Company of Bookfellers, 1747, pg 218.
[3] MacDonell, Anne. The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened. London, Philip Lee Warner, 1910, pg 120.
