Zabaglione

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The next recipe in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is for one of my favorites--zabaglione.  It's a very easy dessert to make, especially if you have leftover egg yolks, after having used the whites to top a meringue pie.

Zabaglione
With this rich, fascinating dessert there is never a dull moment.

In top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water, beat 6 egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until thick and pale colored. Gradually beat in 2/3 cup marsala and continue beating steadily until mixture foams and thickens. Place immediately in sherbet glasses. Serves 6.

With this recipe, the final in the book, we end our series on reprinting the recipes in the cookbook.  On the last page of the cookbook, we're told:

Although the recipes in this book are designed for home preparation, they taste even better aboard the S.S. United States--world's fastest ship--or the S.S. America.  The ocean's breeze is a sauce you cannot duplicate ashore.

No doubt!

Parfait Mocha

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The next recipe in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is a frosty cold dessert that can be made well in advance, and sounds like the perfect end to a outdoor meal on a warm afternoon, or while reclining on deck:

Parfait Mocha

Into a cup, spoon 3 tablespoons instant coffee and 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar. Add 2 teaspoons boiling water and mix thoroughly. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, put 2 quarts French vanilla ice cream, 1/2 cup rum or brandy and the coffee-sugar mixture. Blend well but do not let the ice cream melt. Spoon the ice cream into parfait glasses and place in the freezer until ice cream is firm. Parfaits are better if ice cream is allowed to mellow for 24 hours before serving. Just before serving, garnish with whipped cream and candied mocha beans or chocolate curls. Makes 8 to 10 parfaits.

Frangipane Cream

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The next recipe in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is the first of the desserts, and follows a portrait which is captioned:

"Elegant and fun to make, nothing is more welcome after an ample meal than a frangipane cream.  This delicate dessert makes any dinner party a special occasion.  Here is the recipe for the best frangipane cream I ever tasted," says the incomparable Hildegarde, chanteuse of smart supper clubs in Europe and the United States and frequent passenger on the S.S. America.

The recipe for Frangipane Cream:

Mix together in the top of a double boiler 1-3/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and a pinch of salt.  Blend in 1 whole egg and 4 egg yolks.  Add 1 more egg and 1 egg yolk.  In another pan scald 2 cups milk with a 1-inch piece of vanilla bean and remove the bean.  Stir the milk gradually into the flour-and-egg mixture.  Set the pan over hot water and cook the cream, stirring vigorously, until it has thickened.  Cook the cream, still stirring vigorously, for two minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 6 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons dry crushed macaroons.  Chopped blanched almonds may also be added.  Cool the cream, stirring occasionally to prevent a crust from forming.  Place in sherbet glasses edged with ladyfingers.  Serves 6 to 8. 

(For more information on Hildegarde, see the biographical note in Marquette University's Raynor Memorial Libraries' Hildegarde (Loretta Sell) Papers finding aid, and select the "digitized collections" link on the right to search on the term "Hildegarde" to see their many digitized photographs of her.)

Holiday Capon

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

Looking for a little celebration fare?  The next recipe in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is for a festive stuffed capon:

Holiday Capon

Any day is a holiday when you serve this succulent bird.

Prepare a stuffing:  Trim the crusts from half a loaf of white bread and cut the bread into cubes. Coat the cubes with melted butter and bake them in a moderate oven (350° F) until they are golden on all sides.  Put these croutons in a large mixing bowl.  In a skillet sauté 8 shallots, finely chopped, and 1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut in squares, until the bacon is transparent. Add 1 bunch of chives and 1/4 bunch of parsley, both finely chopped, and cook the mixture until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan from the heat and cool the mixture. Dice 1 pound chestnuts, cooked, shelled, and peeled, and add them to the croutons. Stir in the bacon mixture, 2 egg yolks and 1 cup heavy cream. Season the stuffing with salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of brown sugar. Stuff the cavity of a 6- to 7-pound capon with the prepared mixture, truss the bird, and rub it generously with soft butter. Put the bird in a roasting pan, cover the pan, and roast the capon in a moderate oven (350° F), basting it frequently with the juices in the pan, for 2 hours, or until the bird is tender and cooked through. Serves 6 to 8.

Poulet en Cocotte a la Paysanne

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The next recipe in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is for poulet en cocotte à la Paysanne:

Rub the cavity of a 4-pound roasting chicken with salt and pepper and truss it. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large flameproof casserole and in it sauté the chicken over moderate heat, turning it to brown all sides. Remove the chicken to an earthenware casserole. To the juices remaining in the cocotte add 1/2 cup each of white wine and chicken stock and stir in 2 or 3 tablespoons rich veal juice or demi-glace sauce (or any good-quality meat extract). Reduce the mixture over high heat by one half. Coat the chicken with the sauce and surround it with 2/3 cup each of sliced carrots and turnips, which have been steamed in butter in another pan with a little sugar and salt, 12 small onions, glazed, 12 potato balls browned in butter and 1/2 cup diced bacon, browned. Cover the chicken with a piece of buttered paper. Cover the casserole and roast the chicken in a hot oven (400° F) for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken to a warm platter and carve it into serving pieces. Return the pieces to the casserole and place it on a plate. Bring it to the table covered with a napkin. Serves 6.

Roast Filet of Beef du Barry

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The next recipe in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America follows a portrait of Mr. Charles Gray, Hospitality Officer at Grosvenor House London which is captioned:

I have travelled [sic] many times, both on the S.S. United States and the S.S. America, and I have always had a most enjoyable trip with wonderful hospitality.  Each time I make a crossing, I insist on having Roast Filet of Beef du Barry.  The chefs on board roast filets to perfection.

The recipe for Roast Filet of Beef du Barry:

Wipe a filet of beef with a damp cloth.  Trim it neatly, remove all the connective tissue, and have it larded with narrow strips of larding pork.  Roast the filet in a very hot oven (450° F) for 8 minutes to the pound, basting it frequently with hot beef stock for the first 15 minutes and then with the pan juices, until it is done.  Remove the filet to a heatproof platter.  Surround the meat with bouquets of cooked cauliflowerets.  Coat the flowerets with Sauce Mornay (see recipe) and sprinkle the sauce with grated cheese.  Put the platter in a very hot oven (450° F) until the sauce is browned and bubbling.  A 5-pount filet serves 10 to 12.

Fried Eggs Bordelaise

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

Recipes for egg dishes continue in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America. This recipe sounds absolutely delicious and as soon as tomatoes come into season at our farmers' market, I'll be trying it!

Fried Eggs Bordelaise

Cut 6 medium to large firm tomatoes in half and press them, shaking gently over a bowl, to remove the seeds and water. Sprinkle tomato halves with salt and pepper to taste. Mix 2/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley, 2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots, and 1 garlic clove, chopped and crushed.

In a skillet, sauté 1/4 pound mushrooms, finely minced, in 2 tablespoons olive oil until they are almost black. Add to bread crumb mixture and toss well. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the mushroom-bread mixture onto each tomato half; sprinkle with olive oil.

Arrange the tomatoes in a buttered shallow baking dish. Bake in a very hot oven (450° F) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft and the tops are browned. For each serving, place two tomato halves on a plate and top each with a fried egg. Garnish with fried parsley. Serves 6.

(To make fine fresh bread crumbs, cut crusts from bread and tear into small crumbs, or blend torn bread pieces in a blender until crumbs are as fine as desired.)

Scrambled Eggs Rothschild

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The next recipe in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is for another egg dish, Scrambled Eggs Rothschild:

The friendly scrambled egg becomes an international sophisticate.

Shell 1 pound cooked shrimp.  Reserve the meat and dry the shells in the oven for a short period.  Pound the shells in a large mortar having a heavy pestle, adding gradually 2 tablespoons heavy cream, until they are broken up as finely as possible and blended to a smooth paste.  Rub the mixture through a very fine sieve, combine it with 12 eggs, beaten, and season with salt and white pepper to taste.  Cook the egg mixture in a double boiler over hot water until it is smooth and creamy.  Pour the mixture into a timbale mold and arrange a small bunch of cooked asparagus tips in the center of the mold.  Arrange the reserved shrimp meat around the rim of the timbale and garnish with thick slices of black truffles.  Serves 6.

Omelette Aux Fines Herbes

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The next recipe in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is for one of my favorite dishes. I make it a little different from the recipe; I make an omelette, slide it onto a heated plate, then sprinkle whatever I'm adding to it over the top, or sometimes will put the additions onto the heated eggs a few seconds after they've been poured into the pan. And I don't use a fork when making omelettes, but sometimes a spatula--I learned my omelette technique from the "The Omelette Show" episode of The French Chef with Julia Child.

But I'm not the only omelette fan; above the recipe is a portrait with the following caption:

"Nothing pleases us more than to discover one of our very favorite recipes beautifully prepared at sea. Preferring simple food ourselves, we enjoy having omelettes and serve them often to our friends. Here is an egg dish with a delicious flavor." Duke and Duchess of Windsor, internationally known connoisseurs of fine food and wine and frequent travelers on United States Lines.

The recipe:

Omelette Aux Fines Herbes

Beat 6 eggs with fork just to mix whites and yolks thoroughly. Add salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon chopped mixed herbes--parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon. In omelet pan, heat 4 tablespoons butter until it sizzles and gives off nutty aroma. Pour in beaten eggs; stir rapidly 15 seconds or until heated through and cook a little longer. When mixture sets on bottom of pan, roll it with fork and slip onto warm serving dish. Pour over it 1 tablespoon melted butter, mixed with 1 tablespoon of the chopped herbes. Serves 3.

Curried Chicken Indian Style

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The recipe that follows is on the page following the one for chicken à la Jacqueline in the Library's copy of  The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America:

Unquestionably one of the most delicious chicken dishes ever conceived.

Cut a tender plump chicken into serving pieces and dust the pieces with flour.  In a Dutch oven, sauté the chicken in 1/4 cup butter over low heat until it is golden on both sides.  Remove the chicken from the pan and keep it warm.  To the pan juices add 1 large onion and 1 apple, both chopped, 1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped, 1/4 cup each of chopped bacon and chopped celery, 1 gingerroot and a few sprigs of parsley, all chopped, 1 bay leaf, cut in pieces, 1 garlic clove, minced and a pinch of thyme.  Cook the mixture over low heat until the vegetables are tender.  Add 1-1/2 tablespoons each of an Indian curry powder and flour and cook the mixture, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Add 1 quart hot chicken stock, bring it to a boil, and cook it until the liquid is reduced by half.  Strain the sauce, return it to the pan and add the chicken.  Stir in 1 cup heavy cream and salt to taste.  Cook the chicken, covered, over low heat until it is tender.  If the sauce becomes too thick, more chicken stock may be added.  Serve the chicken with rice and chutney.  Serves 4.

Chicken a la Jacqueline

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The recipe that follows is on the page following the one for wild rice sauté in the Library's copy of  The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America:

Cut a frying  chicken into 6 pieces and dredge them with flour seasoned with salt.  Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a heavy flameproof casserole and in it sauté the chicken over moderately low heat for 10 minutes, turning the pieces to brown all sides evenly.  Add 1/2 cup Port or Madeira and 1/4 cup chicken broth.  Cover the casserole and cook the chicken over low heat for 20 minutes or until done.  Remove the chicken to a heated platter and keep it warm.

Peel, core, and dice 3 apples and arrange the diced apples in a baking dish.  Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter over the apples and bake them in a moderate oven (350° F), without stirring, until they are tender.  Arrange the diced apples around the chicken.  To the juices remaining in the casserole add 6 tablespoons heavy cream and cook the mixture, stirring, until it is thickened.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon butter and a few toasted blanched almonds.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with apples with a few drops of lemon juice.  Serves 4. 

Wild Rice Sauté

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The recipe that follows is on the page following the one for sauce bèarnaise in the Library's copy of  The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America.  At the head of the page is a portrait of Mrs. Reed Albee, with the following:

"During a recent trip abroad, I was delighted to find the great tradition in good food continues on board the S.S. United States. So many of their wonderful dishes deserve mention, but this famous spécialité du paquebot is one of my particular favorites." Mrs. Reed Albee, well known in the theatre world, is a regular traveler on United States Lines.

Why not try one of Mrs. Albee's favorites?

Wild Rice Saute

(For Game or Fowl)

Wash well 12 ounces wild rice and cook it in a large quantity of boiling salted water for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it is tender.  Drain the rice well and dry it briefly in a slow oven (300F).  In a skillet saute 4 shallots, finely chopped, in 1/2 cup butter until they just begin to take on color.  Add the rice and saute it over very low heat, stirring it with a fork, for 8 minutes.  Stir in 2 tablespoons red currant jelly and cook the rice, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until the jelly is melted.  Serves 4.

Sauce Bèarnaise

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

The next recipe in the Library's copy of  The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is for another sauce, Bèarnaise. The recipe is prefaced by the statement, "This classic sauce on fish or meat always makes a gourmet treat." How neat!

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan combine 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon chopped shallots, and salt and white pepper to taste. Cook the mixture over high heat until the vinegar is reduced to 1 tablespoon. Cool the liquid slightly and gradually beat in 6 egg yolks. Return the pan to very low heat or transfer to the top of a double boiler. Add gradually 1 pound melted butter and cook the sauce, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until it is thick and glossy. Rub the sauce through a fine sieve and season it with 1 teaspoon each of chopped fresh tarragon and glace de viande (meat extract) and a pinch of cayenne. Serve the sauce warm. Serves 10 to 12.

What to do with 6 leftover egg whites?  I like adding them to an omelette, whipping a few up to give a little extra lightness and body to a pumpkin pie, or using a couple to make coconut macaroons (my favorite recipe is in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook, which I follow almost exactly as written, with the exception of adding a heaping 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to the whipped egg whites to add a little bit of body to them).

Sauce Mornay

(by Heather Hernandez, Technical Services Librarian)

This week we bring you another recipe from the Library's The Captain's Table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America, the recipe for Sauce Mornay:

Sautè 2 tablespoons finely minced onion in 4 tablespoons butter until it is golden.  Stir in 4 tablespoons flour and gradually add 3 cups milk, heated just to the boiling point.  Cook the sauce, stirring constantly, until it is smooth.

Sautè 1/4 pound (1/2 cup) finely chopped or ground veal in 2 tablespoons butter over very low heat. Season the veal with 1/4 teaspoon salt, a sprig of thyme or a tiny pinch of thyme leaves (powdered thyme will discolor the sauce) and a pinch each of white pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Cook the veal for 5 minutes, stirring it to prevent browning. Stir the veal into the sauce.

Cook the sauce in the top of a double boiler over hot water for 1 hour, stirring it from time to time. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve. There should be 2 cups. Mix 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten, with 1/2 cup hot light cream and combine with the 2 cups sauce. Cook the sauce, stirring constantly, until it just comes to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons each of butter and grated parmesan or Swiss cheese. Makes 2-1/2 cups sauce.