Recipes From the Civil War Era

As I write this, I can hear rhythmic beating of drums. A horse-drawn carriage trots by my house; the clip-clop of hooves is accompanied by the jingling of bells on the horse's harness. (There's also the yelling of disaffected Middle School students, but that's much less charming.)

Just down the street from our house (steps really) the Granger Homestead is hosting its annual Civil War Encampment. There are men dressed in uniform (I think I spotted some Union blue ) and the women in voluminous skirts and bonnets. (The school busses break the mood, but account for the pre-teen hijinks.)

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's period tea (and, oh my God, how long do I have to wait to force a child's tea party on Sadie there?) and has gotten me thinking period recipes. It's time I push past my comfort zone (not in cooking alone, either) so I'm eyeing a few recipes from Mrs. Isabella Beeton's Book of Household Management. (Yep, I've been thinking about an extremely retro RRC, too.)

I think I'll avoid Mrs. Beeton's recipe for Boiled Tongue, but Brillat Savarin's Fondue sounds nice. I'll keep you posted.