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| Eliza Leslie (November 15, 1787 - January 1, 1858) |
Eliza Leslie [frequently referred to as Miss Leslie] was an American author of popular cookbooks during the nineteenth century.
She was the first American cookbook author to write about Southern cooking and the vital influence of African-Americans in this regional cooking. In her 1854 book New Receipts for Cooking, she wrote: “A large number [of recipes] have been obtained from the South, and from ladies noted for their skill in housewifery. Many were dictated by colored cooks of high reputation in the art, for which nature seems to have gifted that race with a particular capability.” Her comment today would be considered racist; however, we have to remember the time in which it was written. The fact that this lady would write a cookbook celebrating recipes from African- American women and other marginalized groups – even recipes specifically from the Southern states in a time of political uneasiness- is incredible. The book contains a large number of Southern recipes, many taken from African-American women, as well as recipes coming from French and Native American sources.
The recipe below is from Leslie’s New
Receipts for Cooking, copied directly from her book:
Filet Gumbo
“Cut up a pair of fine plump fowls into pieces, as when
carving. Lay them in a pan of cold water, till all the blood is drawn out. Put
into a pot, two large table-spoonfuls of lard, and set it over the fire. When
the lard has come to a boil, put in the chickens with an onion finely minced. Dredge
them well with flour, and season slightly with salt and pepper; and, if you
like it, a little chopped marjoram. Pour on it two quarts of boiling water.
Cover it, and let it simmer slowly for three hours. Then stir into it two
heaped tea-spoonfuls of sassafras powder. Afterwards, let it stew five or six
minutes longer, and then send it to table in a deep dish; having a dish of
boiled rice to be eaten with it by those who like rice.
This gumbo will be much improved by stewing with it three or four thin slices of
cold boiled ham, in which case omit the salt in the seasoning. Whenever cold
ham is an ingredient in any dish, no other salt is required.
A dozen fresh oysters and their liquor, added to the stew
about half an hour before it is taken up, will also be an improvement.
If you cannot conveniently obtain sassafras-powder, stir
the gumbo frequently with a stick of sassafras root.
This is a genuine southern receipt. Filet gumbo may be made
of any sort of poultry, or of veal, lamb, venison, or kid.”
---
The following recipe is from Miss Leslie’s earlier book Directions
for Cookery, followed by a modernized version by Ester B. Aresty, who called the recipe as "still outstanding among Southern recipes":
Sweet Potato Pudding (original by Eliza Leslie, 1851)
“Take half a pound of sweet potatoes, wash them, and put them into
a pot with a very little water, barely enough to keep them from burning.
Let them simmer slowly for about half an hour; they must be only
parboiled, otherwise they will be soft, and will make the pudding heavy. When
they are half done, take them out, peel them, and when cold, grate them. Stir
together to a cream, half a pound of butter and a quarter of a pound and two
ounces of powdered sugar, add a grated nutmeg, a large tea-spoonful of powdered
cinnamon, and half a tea-spoonful of beaten mace. Also the juice and grated
peel of a lemon, a wine glass of rose water, a glass of wine, and a glass of
brandy. Stir these ingredients well together. Beat seven eggs very light, and
stir them into the mixture in turn with the sweet potato, a little at a time of
each. Having stirred the whole very hard at the last, put it into a buttered
dish and bake it three quarters of an hour.”
Miss Leslie’s Sweet Potato Pudding
(updated by Esther B. Aresty in her book, The Delectable Past, 1964)
“2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
¼ teaspoon each: nutmeg and cloves
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup sugar
¼ pound butter, melted
¼ cup wine and brandy mixed
½ cup milk
3 egg whites, beaten stiff but not dry
First, combine
the potatoes with the spices and beaten egg yolks. Then add all the other ingredients, except the egg whites, and
beat well.
(Mrs. Leslie’s
original recipe called for rosewater; I substitute the milk, to which I add ½
teaspoon of rose extract. Try it.) Last, fold the stiff (not dry) egg whites
lightly into the potato mixture.
Heap in a
buttered 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle
top lightly with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350-degrees for about an hour. Serve with chicken, ham or pork.”
Books by Eliza Leslie:
- Seventy-Five
Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats, 1828.
- American
Girl's Book, 1831.
- Domestic
French Cookery, 1832.
- Pencil
Sketches; or, Outlines of Characters and Manners, 1833.
- Miss
Leslie's Behavior Book, 1834.
- Directions
for Cookery, in its Various Branches, 1837.
- The
Indian Meal Book, 1847.
- The
Lady's Receipt-Book: A Useful Companion for Large or Small Families,
1847.
- Amelia;
or, A Young Lady's Vicissitudes, 1848.
- Miss
Leslie's Lady's New Receipt-Book, 1850.
- Miss
Leslie's Directions for Cookery, 1851.
- More
Receipts, 1852.
- Miss
Leslie's New Receipts for Cooking . . ., 1854.
- Miss
Leslie's New Cookery Book, 1857.
Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliza_Leslie;
New Receipts for Cooking . . ., 1854; Directions for Cookery,
1851; The Delectable Past by Esther B. Aresty, 1964, Simon And Schuster,
Inc.; http://chestofbooks.com
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