Updating a Hundred-Year-Old Recipe to Make It Gluten Free (with a Date Muffin Example)

Date Muffins — Photographer: Christine Rooney

When I update hundred-year-old recipes for baked goods, I regularly get comments that say something like, “I can only eat gluten-free foods. Would it be possible to convert this recipe to a gluten-free one?”

Since I’m not gluten-free, I had never revised a recipe to make it gluten-free, but I decided that now was the time to give it a try. And, I knew just the person who might be able to help. My friend Christine Rooney at The Rustic Foodie posts seasonal gluten free recipes.

I asked Christine if she’d help me adapt a hundred-year-old recipe to make it gluten free, and I was thrilled when she generously agreed.

We decided to adapt a recipe for Date Muffins. A hundred years ago, the muffins might have been served at any time during the year, but they probably were primarily a winter food. Years ago, dried dates were a very popular winter fruit. Back then, most fresh fruits weren’t available in the winter, and those few that were available (such as oranges and other citrus fruits) were quite expensive in most parts of the U.S.

Christine adapted the recipe to make it gluten free. She then made the muffins and photographed them. I also made the muffins and took them to a coffee group gathering. We then made a few final tweaks to the recipe directions.

Our adventure adapting the recipe was a success. The date muffins had a great taste and texture. The texture was somewhere between a drop biscuit and a scone; the outside was a bit crispy and the inside was moist. They were sweet; but not overly sweet. The dates gave them lovely bursts of rich caramel.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Date Muffins — Westminster Cook Book 1926 (Cherokee, Iowa)

Gluten free baked goods sometimes tend to crumble. The key to making them less crumbly is to use the right gluten free blend flour, to ensure that the batter has sufficient moisture, and not to overbake them.

Christine said that a gluten free 1-to-1 blend flour (Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, Cup4Cup Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour, or other similar gluten free blend flour) should be used. The flour should contain xanthan. Baked goods made with gluten free flours can be crumbly because of a lack of binders in some gluten free flours. Xanthan is a binder that mimics the elasticity provided by gluten in wheat flour recipes. It helps ensure that gluten free baked goods are not crumbly. (Do not use gluten free all-purpose flour, or other gluten free flours, such as almond flour or oat flour, when making the recipe as this will likely yield different results).

Christine suggested adding a little additional milk when making the batter. Gluten free flour is a little denser and absorbs more liquid than all-purpose wheat flour. The additional milk also reduces the chance that the muffins will be crumbly.

It is also important not to overcook the muffins (they will tend to crumble) or to undercook them (they will be gummy).

And, here is the updated recipe:

Date Muffins

Servings: 12 muffins
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened (Do not melt.)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg

3/4 cup milk + an additional 2 – 3 teaspoons milk

2 cups 1-to-1 gluten free flour blend (Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, Cup4Cup Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour, or other similar gluten free flour that contains xanthan)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 pound (4 ounces) dried dates, chopped

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2. Place muffin liners in a 12-cup muffin pan.

Step 3. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl, then use an electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy.

Step 4. Add egg to the butter and sugar mixture, and beat until light and fluffy.

Step 5. In a separate bowl, put the 1-to-1 gluten free flour blend, baking powder, and kosher salt. Stir until completely combined.

Step 6. Add the butter mixture and 3/4 cup of milk to the dry ingredients alternately, stirring to combine after each addition. Continue until all of the ingredients are combined. The batter will be very thick; Add an additional 2-3 teaspoons of milk to thin it out a bit and stir again until combined. (It will still be quite thick).

Step 7. Add chopped dates to the batter and fold until combined.

Step 8. Place an equal amount of the batter into each muffin cup. (An ice cream scoop can be used to measure to help ensure that an equal amount is put in each cup.)

Step 9. Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. A toothpick poked into the center should come out clean when done baking.

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Old-Fashioned Baked Succotash

Baked Succotash in Dish

Kidney bean and corn dishes are having their day in the sun. I see recipes for them all the time, and they are served at many restaurants. Last week I went out for lunch, and had a lovely kidney bean and corn salad. So I was pleased to come across a Baked Succotash recipe that called for kidney beans in a hundred-year-old magazine.

I was a little surprised by the recipe name. I generally think of succotash as a mixture of lima beans and corn, but it apparently is a general term for bean and corn combinations. In any case, I decided to give the Baked Succotash recipe a try.

In addition to the kidney beans and corn, the recipe called for a little chopped green pepper. Beaten egg is stirred into the vegetables, and then it is baked.

The Baked Succotash was tasty, but a little dry (and a few of the kidney beans split). The vegetables were lightly bonded to one another other by the egg coating, but since there was no milk, it did not have the creaminess of a scalloped vegetable dish. After I made this dish, I actually wondered why the recipe author decided to bake the succotash. If I made this recipe again, I might have a tendency just to heat the vegetables on the top of the stove . . . or I might adapt the recipe and add a white sauce to the egg to make Scalloped Succotash . . . or . . .

Bottom line: Kidney beans and corn are a wonderful combination. And, I want to make dishes with this combination again in the future, but I’ll probably experiment a little when I do rather than replicating the Baked Succotash recipe.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Baked Succotash — Source: Ladies Home Journal (May, 1926)

When I made this recipe, it took more than 30 minutes for the food to get hot and for the egg to thicken.

Here’s the Bake Succotash recipe updated for modern cooks:

Baked Succotash

Servings: 4 - 5
Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinses

1 can corn, drained (or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed)

1 tablespoon green pepper, finely chopped

Step 1. Preheat oven to 375° F.

Step 2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, salt, and pepper.

Step 3. Add the kidney beans, corn, and green pepper. Stir gently to coat the vegetables with the egg mixture.

Step 4. Put in a baking dish (a 1-quart dish works well), and place in oven. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until hot.

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Hundred-Year-Old Tips for Selecting a High-Quality Head of Cauliflower

An article in the February, 1926 issue of Good Housekeeping showed photos of heads of cauliflower, and indicated whether they were high- or low-quality heads:

The head of cauliflower shown above represents an ideal purchase. Its jacket is fresh and bright, while the head is compact and of good color.

Below is shown a poor head of cauliflower. Its leaves are yellow and wilted, and the head is slightly opened.

The old article also contained three questions to ask when considering which head of cauliflower to purchase:

Is the jacket green and bright?

Is the flower clean and pearly white?

Is it solid, closely grained, and free from discoloration and decay?

The characteristics of high-quality cauliflower haven’t changed much over the years. According to the Postharvest Research and Extension Center at the University of California – Davis, these are current quality indices for cauliflower:

Quality Indices

A firm and compact head of white to cream white curds surrounded by a crown of well-trimmed, turgid green leaves. Additional quality indices are size, freedom from severe yellowing due to sunlight exposure, freedom from handling defects and decay, and an absence of ‘riciness’.

When I saw the old 1926 article, I was surprised that cauliflower was considered a winter vegetable a hundred years ago. I knew that it was a cool-season crop, but didn’t think of it as a winter vegetable. But, after doing a little research, I learned that cauliflower can be grown during the winter months in southern parts of the U.S.

The Postharvest Research and Extension Center states that the “storage of cauliflower is generally not recommended for more than 3 weeks for good visual and sensory quality.” Assuming that cauliflower a hundred years ago could be stored for a similar length of time, it probably was transported to the north via train back then and available during the winter months throughout the U.S.

Old-Fashioned Raisin Nut Omelet

Raisin Nut Omelet with toast on plate My weekday breakfasts are boring — think oatmeal or cereal, but I like to make breakfast foods that are a little fancier on weekends, so I was thrilled when I came across a recipe for Raisin Nut Omelet in a hundred-year-old cookbook.

The Raisin Nut Omelet is topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. For the omelet, the eggs are separated and the whites beaten, which makes the omelet a little fluffier than many modern omelets. The raisins (and the powdered sugar) give the omelet a lovely sweetness, and the nuts add a delightful crunchy texture. The omelet is perfect for breakfast or brunch – though it almost has a dessert-like essence and could also be served at other times of the day.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Raisin Nut Omelet — The Modern Method of Preparing Delightful Foods (1926) by Ida Bailey Allen

This recipe was in a cookbook published by the Corn Products Refining Company, so it calls for specific brands for the corn-based ingredients. When I updated the recipe, I just listed the ingredients without the brand names.

The recipe calls for cutting the raisins in half. They probably don’t really need to be cut, but I followed the recipe directions and cut them. The resulting raisin pieces were a nice size when dispersed throughout the omelet.

I could not figure out why the recipe called for boiling water (and thought it might prematurely cook some of the egg yolk), so I just used regular water.

And, here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Raisin Nut Omelet

Servings: 2 - 3
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
Print

5 eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup raisins, cut in half

1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts.)

1 tablespoon olive oil or other cooking oil

powdered sugar

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

Step 2. Place egg whites in a bowl, then beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Step 3. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then stir in the salt, corn starch, and water. Add raisins and nuts; then stir until evenly distributed in the mixture.

Step 4. Fold in the beaten egg whites.

Step 5. Grease a large oven-proof skillet (or use an omelet pan) with olive oil or cooking oil, then heat on the top of the stove using medium-low heat.

Step 6. Pour the egg mixture into skillet, and gently cook for 2 minutes. Then gently stir, lifting the cooked portion from the bottom of the pan to allow the uncooked portion to flow to the bottom. After another minute, again gently lift the cooked portion from the bottom of the pan to help ensure that the omelet cooks evenly, and gently cook for another minute.

Step 7. Move the skillet to the oven, and bake for about 8 – 10 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.

Step 8. Remove from oven, and loosen the edges and bottom of the omelet from the skillet with a spatula, then turn onto a plate.

Step 9. Fold omelet in half. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the omelet. Serve immediately.

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1926 Unifruitco Bananas (Fruit Dispatch Company) Advertisement

Bananas and cereal — Source: An advertisement for Unifruitco Bananas (Fruit Dispatch Company), *Good Housekeeping* (April, 1926)

Bananas are tasty, inexpensive, nutritious, and easy to eat. They are wonderful in smoothies, and delightful sliced on top of cereal or oatmeal. They also are tasty in banana breads and muffins. Mashed bananas are one of the first solid foods that babies typically eat, and they are equally popular with older children and adults of all ages.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, bananas are sometimes called “nature’s perfect snack.” They are a higher fiber food, and contain lots of vitamins and minerals. They are especially known for being a good source of potassium, which can help reduce blood pressure.

Bananas have been popular in the United States since the latter part of the 1800s. As people became aware of germs, they liked how the peel kept the banana clean until it was ready to be eaten.

By the early 1900’s, large quantities of bananas were imported into the United States from Latin America and the Caribbean. The Fruit Dispatch Company had an advertisement for Unifruitco bananas in the April, 1926 issue of Good Housekeeping. The Fruit Dispatch Company was a selling agency for the United Fruit Company back then. (United Fruit Company is now Chiquita Brands International.) Here are some excepts from the 1926 advertisement:

Offer a child a ripe banana, and see eager eyes light up with the joy of anticipated goodness. Children find an appetite allure in ripe bananas – and do you know what it is? It is sugar – mellow sweetness in its most easily digested form.

Bananas are rich in carbohydrates – the energy-building food values so necessary for children, and so good for everyone. In bananas that are fully ripe, this valuable food element is present in the form of fruit sugars, nature’s most easily digested and most wholesome form of sweetness. . .

Buy them in advance of use and let them ripen at home. . . When all green is gone from the tip, and the yellow skin has turned to a mellow gold, flecked with brown, then a banana is fully ripe and most delicious. . .

The choicest bananas you can find are Unifruitco Bananas. They are grown and harvested down in the tropics, under the most modern methods of cultivation. They come north in specially constructed ships. The Fruit Dispatch Company, Importers of Unifruitco Bananas, distributes them all over the country to wholesalers and jobbers, who keep this fruit in banana rooms until your dealer wants them.

Good Housekeeping (April, 1926)

Both a hundred years ago and now, there was recognition that bananas contain more sugar when fully ripe than when they are greener. The old advertisement recommended eating completely ripe bananas that were a “mellow gold, flecked with brown.” Today people who are concerned about maintaining a steady blood sugar often prefer greener bananas that contain more starch. According to the Cleveland Clinic article:

Green bananas can contain less than half the amount of sugar than ripe ones.

For those concerned about blood sugar levels with more yellow bananas, pairing the fruit with a protein source (such as a handful of nuts or a cheese stick) can help better regulate the increase.

Old-Fashioned Red Cabbage and Apples

I recently was browsing through a hundred-year-old cookbook and came across a recipe for Red Cabbage and Apples, and decided to give it a try.

The Red Cabbage and Apples are a delightful combination. The slightly bitter cabbage works well with the sweet, tartness of the apple. It is a vibrant, attractive, tasty, side dish.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Red Cabbage and Apples — Source: 1926 cookbook compiled by the Domestic Science Class of the Peoria (IL) Women’s Club

My sense is that cabbage heads and apples typically were smaller a hundred years ago than they often are today, so instead of using a whole cabbage, I used 1/2 head of cabbage; and I used one apple rather than two.

The original recipe calls for flour browned in butter. I interpreted this to mean that the butter is browned and then the flour is stirred into it.

The old recipe does not call for any salt, but the flavor of the Red Cabbage and Apples is enhanced if a little salt is added.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Red Cabbage and Apples

Servings: 3 - 4
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
Print

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded (approximately 4 – 5 cups)

water

1 tart apple (such as Granny Smith or Braeburn), peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Step 1. Put the shredded cabbage in a large saucepan; add 1/2 inch of water. Using medium high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir the cabbage once or twice while it is cooking.

Step 2. Remove from heat, and drain using a strainer. (Keep the cabbage in the pan.) Reserve the drained cabbage water.

Step 3. Add 1/2 inch of water to the cabbage. Heat again. Using medium high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir the cabbage once or twice while it is cooking.

Step 4. Remove from heat and drain using a strainer. (Keep the cabbage in the pan). Again, reserve the drained juice, and add to the other reserved juice.

Step 5. In the meantime. put the butter in a skillet. Heat using medium heat. Allow it to bubble, while stirring occasionally. Continue heating until the butter turns a light brown, then stir in the flour. Gradually add some of the reserved cabbage water (about 1/2 cup), while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until it thickens. It should be about the consistency of gravy. If it is too thick add additional cabbage water. Stir in the salt.

Step 6. Pour the thickened cabbage “gravy” over the cabbage in the saucepan. Add the chopped apples. Heat until hot and bubbly (and the apples pieces are heated through), while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and serve.

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1926 Q&A: Are Candy Cigarettes and Jaw Breakers Good for Children?

Q&A Candy Cigarettes — Source: Good Housekeeping (February, 1926)

Whew – Thank goodness some things have changed over the past hundred years. How could anyone back then think that candy cigarettes might be a good idea?

The question about whether licorice candy cigarettes and jaw breakers had any food value appeared in a question and answer column written by Dr. Harvey Wiley in the February, 1926 issue of Good Housekeeping. Dr. Wiley was concerned about adulterated foods, and advocated for more regulation of food and drugs. He was the first commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and later worked for Good Housekeeping Institute.

It’s interesting that Dr. Wiley focused his response on whether licorice was good for children rather than on whether candy cigarettes might encourage children to becomes smokers — though in 1926, people weren’t yet fully aware of the dangers of smoking.

The 1920’s was the era of the flappers, and social norms were rapidly changing. Many young women started smoking (and drinking alcohol – even though it was during prohibition) as a way of demonstrating their independence. Men also were smoking more cigarettes. Previously men were more likely to smoke cigars, but in the 1920’s many shifted to cigarettes.

Candy cigarettes were still popular when I was a child. There was a candy store near where I lived that prominently displayed them. I remember friends buying packs of the candy cigarettes. (I don’t think that I ever bought any, but am not sure.) They would gently tear the cellophane away from the top of the pack and tear it open. They’d take a “cigarette” out, maybe offer another one to a friend, then tap it on a table or hard surface, put it to their mouth, pretend to light it, pretend to inhale, then dramatically remove it from their mouth and pretend to exhale. Just thinking about it now makes me cringe, but at the time, it seemed like a fun activity.

Bottom line – I agree with Dr. Wiley, “Away with them!” I can’t remember the last time I saw a candy cigarette. It must have been at least 40 years ago. Candy cigarettes may still be legal; but, as we’ve become aware of the dangers of smoking, they thankfully seem to have vanished from the marketplace.