Mary Lincoln Extra Credit Questions

[Anita]

Roger, this hint may help. The item was etible.

[Eva Elisabeth]

My guess would have been either strawberries or her almond cake. If the latter perhaps ordered from a bakery in Lexington as this is where the recipe allegedly was created?

[Anita]

Those are great guesses Eva but this edible was ordered from a business in Springfield.

[RJNorton]

Was the business named Dickey's?

[Anita]

The Lincolns purchased macaroon pyramids (macaroon cookies stacked in a pyramid and covered with caramelized sugar drizzle).

The business was Watson's Confectionery.

The Election
On Election Day, November 6, 1860, Lincoln cast his vote at the Court House; worked in his office at the State House; dined at home; waited for results at the telegraph office; and heard of the election results that declared him the winner at Watson’s Confectionery Store downtown. He ran home saying, “Mary, Mary, We’re elected!!!” https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/liho...ician.html

Roger and Eva, to thanks you for your wonderful guesses you win the opportunity to make your own macaroon pyramid. Go here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UP0nSJHE-E

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Thanks to this forum with it's wonderful information on Mary Lincoln's strawberry parties, I suggested it to the Peninsula Symphony as the theme of this year's summer social/fundraiser and they loved the idea. We will serve Mary's strawberries and cream and I will make Mary's Almond Cake using our own Donna McCreary's recipe from her book, "Lincoln's Table". I will give a short talk on the history of strawberry parties, Mary's strawberry dress, and her Springfield and White House Strawberry Parties.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thanks, Anita - very colorful decoration! I wonder if in Mary's days such was colored, too, probably white-red-blue? White (natural) and red (beetroot juice) is easy, but blue?
PS: Mary would probably have loved these cookies:
http://www.kunstmeile-kiel.de/?p=11467

[Lincoln Wonk]

Thanks, Anita - very colorful decoration! I wonder if in Mary's days such was colored, too, probably white-red-blue? White (natural) and red (beetroot juice) is easy, but blue?
PS: Mary would probably have loved these cookies:
http://www.kunstmeile-kiel.de/?p=11467

What beautiful cookies, Eva

[L Verge]

Thanks, Anita - very colorful decoration! I wonder if in Mary's days such was colored, too, probably white-red-blue? White (natural) and red (beetroot juice) is easy, but blue?
PS: Mary would probably have loved these cookies:
http://www.kunstmeile-kiel.de/?p=11467

What beautiful cookies, Eva

I agree! I'd love to serve these at some of the Surratt House functions. I wonder if the agency that owns us would approve them in my budget?

[Anita]

Thanks, Anita - very colorful decoration! I wonder if in Mary's days such was colored, too, probably white-red-blue? White (natural) and red (beetroot juice) is easy, but blue?
PS: Mary would probably have loved these cookies:
http://www.kunstmeile-kiel.de/?p=11467

Eva, I don't know if Mary's macaroon cookies were colored but it's possible to get a natural blue from blueberries.

And I agree Mary would have loved the cookies on the link you posted. They are gorgeous and I imagine their taste matches their beauty- scrumptious! Have you tasted such delights?

[Eva Elisabeth]

I would think they taste good since each is handmade and "handbaked", I'm afraid I haven't tried yet.
(I get reddish purple color from blueberries, e.g. in "quark"...: )!
    )

[Anita]

I would think they taste good since each is handmade and "handbaked", I'm afraid I haven't tried yet.
(I get reddish purple color from blueberries, e.g. in "quark"...: )!
)

The colors used for macaroons during Mary's time would have been pastels if they used colors, but I did find a Navy Blue food grade coloring sold by Americolor. Have no idea how they make it.

Your quark looks good in purple!

[L Verge]

In the process of enjoying this thread, I learned that there are macarons and macaroons -- two separate treats. Macarons are actually two almond cookies held together (a la Oreos) by a sugary middle. Macaroons are a single almond (and usually coconut) cookie. Do we know whether Mrs. Lincoln's pyramid was made from macarons or macaroons? I would suspect macarons.

https://fearlessfresh.com/what-is-the-di...macaroons/

Be careful - you will gain weight just reading about the history of these two items before you even get to the recipes. Macarons are considered French via Italy (brought to Paris when a Medici lady married a French king). They are thought to have originated with two nuns as one cookie and later adapted to the sandwich style. Both the "rons" and the "roons" take their names from the Italian word for "meringue."

[Eva Elisabeth]

And then there are the Amaretti:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaretti_di_Saronno

[L Verge]

And then there are the Amaretti:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaretti_di_Saronno

Or Russian Tea Cakes made with almonds instead of walnuts or pecans... And, the Madeleines that Proust made famous. They skip the nuts and use lemon or orange zest.

Eva's Amaretti got me to thinking I would like to have an Amaretto Sour right now!

[Eva Elisabeth]

I'd go for a trip to Italy and Mediterranean way of life:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tsxwGnDfvWE
http://lyricstranslate.com/en/felicita-happiness.html-0
Just curious - how popular/well known as a singer is/was Romina Power (daughter of Thyrone Power) in the US?