Would Edward Hand and his family have enjoyed ice cream in the summer just like us? I think the answer to that question is a resounding "yes!" However, the ice cream they would have enjoyed would have been
slightly
different than what we are used to, but not too far from it. Since Edward Hand visited George Washington at Mount Vernon, I checked to see if there were any primary resources that showed us if our first President had ice cream at his table. According to Washington's ledger in May of 1794, "A Cream Machine for Ice" was purchased for one pound, thirteen shillings and three pence. Continuing on through the ledger, he also purchased "dble tin Ice Cream moulds'' in 1792 and 1795, and in 1796 purchased an "ice cream spoon."
A popular appliance for making ice cream in the 18th Century was the
Sabottiere. You would place your ice cream ingredients into this device, usually made of pewter or tin, and then the device was placed into a bucket of ice mixed with salt. We have a reproduction Sabottiere in the Rock Ford kitchen (photo on right) along with a copy of Thomas Jefferson's h
andwritten ice cream recipe. In the transcription below, you will see how he used a Sabottiere:
Ice Cream.
2. bottles of good cream.
6. yolks of eggs.
1/2 lb. sugar
mix the yolks & sugar
put the cream on a fire in a casserole, first putting in a stick of Vanilla.
when near boiling take it off & pour it gently into the mixture of eggs & sugar.
stir it well.
put it on the fire again stirring it thoroughly with a spoon to prevent it's sticking to the casserole.
when near boiling take it off and strain it thro' a towel.
put it in the Sabottiere
then set it in ice an hour before it is to be served. put into the ice a handful of salt.
put salt on the coverlid of the Sabotiere & cover the whole with ice.
leave it still half a quarter of an hour.
then turn the Sabottiere in the ice 10 minutes
open it to loosen with a spatula the ice from the inner sides of the Sabotiere.
shut it & replace it in the ice
open it from time to time to detach the ice from the sides
when well taken (prise) stir it well with the Spatula.
put it in moulds, justling it well down on the knee.
then put the mould into the same bucket of ice.
leave it there to the moment of serving it.
to withdraw it, immerse the mould in warm water, turning it well till it will come out & turn it into a plate.
The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy
by Hannah Glasse, originally published in England in 1747, went through numerous editions. This cookbook was widely used in the English colonies, and George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both owned a copy. Although I am unsure
exactly
in which edition this recipe was first published, a simple search for "ice-cream" in the latest published edition reveals the following:
Pare and stone twelve ripe apricots, and scald them, beat them fine in a mortar, add to them six ounces of double-refined sugar, and a pint of scalding cream, and work it through a sieve; put it in a tin with a close cover, and set it in a tub of ice broke small, with four handfuls of salt mixed among the ice. When you see your cream grows thick rebound the edges of your tin, stir it well, and put it in again till it is quite thick; when the cream is all froze up, take it out of the tin, and put it into the mould as you intend to turn it out of; put on the lid and have another tub of salt and ice ready as before; put the mould in the middle, and lay the ice under and over it; let it stand for four hours, and never turn it out till the moment you want it, then dip the mould in cold spring water, and turn it into a plate. You may do any sort of fruit the same way.
(Photo above: A medley of Georgian ices served on a glass salver; photo credit: Ivan Day).
I would like to enthusiastically mention that we know Edward Hand grew apricot trees! The above recipe would have been perfect for the Hands. I would also like to mention that Glasse's ice cream recipe is copied verbatim 45 years later in
The New Art of Cookery, According to the Present Practice
by Richard Briggs, published in 1792 in Philadelphia. This recipe definitely stood the test of time. While doing research on this topic, I came across many other interesting ice cream flavors spanning the 17th to 19th centuries, particularly favored in Italy, France and England: parmesan cheese, barberry, pistachio, rye bread, elder flower, lemon, and burnt ice cream.....yes, BURNT ice cream.
I believe that Edward Hand and his family would have definitely enjoyed ice cream, and I hope that you will soon get to as well now that summer has started!
