Commander-in-Chef

[L Verge]

I did not misspell the title of this thread. I plagarized it from the title of a nice article that ran in the February 2015 issue of the Boy Scout magazine, Guideposts.

I believe that we have discussed food historian, Rae Katherine Eighmey's book on Lincoln's food habits and recipes before; and this is a scaled down version of that. Here are a few tidbits from the article:

1. In 1831, Lincoln "took a little trip down the mighty Miss-a-sip" (remember that little ditty?) with cousin John Hanks. Hanks later referenced that their meals had to be simple, cooked from inexpensive ingredients that were easy to bring along or pick up as they traveled -- cornmeal cakes, catfish, and hearty sour-milk biscuits. The author found a recipe for the latter and fixed a batch, which she describes as "dense...would sustain the pilot and crew on their river voyage."

2. In 1832, Lincoln was a volunteer in the Illinois Militia during the short-lived Black Hawk War. A fellow volunteer wrote about the company's meals. "We ground our coffee in the same tin cup with the hatchet handle - baked our bread on our ramroads around the same fire - ate our fried meat off the same piece of elm bark."
One day, the company ran out of rations and the troops went foraging. In an abandonned barn, they found some scrawny chickens and a hog jowl. Lincoln and the others thought to cook the chickens over the fire with the hog-jowl drippings.

3. The author also reminds us that the young Lincoln lawyer and father was often seen in Springfield's markets with a basket on one arm and a boy on the other. Neighbors also recalled seeing him out in the yard chopping firewood.

4. Also described is the unique way that Lincoln pared and ate apples - at least according to Herndon. I believe this has been posted before on this forum.

5. The article ends with the recipe for an almond pound cake similar to ones that Mary Lincoln may have prepared. I love good pound cakes, but this recipe will have to wait until fall or winter when my oven dares to be turned on again (not in 90-degree weather!).

1/2 cup of salted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup of sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 Tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 ozs blanched slivered almonds finely crushed or chopped
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 8 1/2x4 1/2 loaf pan. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in mace, almond extract, lemon zest and juice, and crushed almonds. Stir in half of the flour, followed by wine and then remaining flour, mixing well after each addition. Spoon batter into pan. Bake until lightly browned and knife inserted in center comes out clean - 40-50 minutes. Makes 10-12 slices.