Feast on Gay Nineties Recipes from My Grandparents Elite Broadway New York City Restaurants Circa 1890. Authentic Original Lillian Russell 1890 Recipe Collection from the New York City Theater District Eat the Same Special Meals Prepared for Lillian Russell and "Diamond Jim" Brady. Compiled by E. J. Gelb Page 1 of 108 © Copyright 2006, Gelb Organization, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. Feast on Gay Nineties Recipes from My Grandparents Elite Broadway New York City Restaurants Circa 1890. Feast on the authentic recipes that were created for gourmands and personalities, especially Tony Pastor, Lillian Russell, J. B. "Diamond Jim" Brady, Thomas Edison, Marshall Field, Adolphus "Anheiser - Budweiser" Busch, Victor Herbert, and Sam Schubert. This was New York City at a renaissance of culture.. "The 1890's", "Gilded Age" or the "Naughty Nineties", if you prefer. This is a computerized electronic book (eBook). This method of distribution is very cost effective and saves publishing costs; therefore the cost that we can offer this book to you is very reasonable. The book consists of links and these links are ALL UNDERLINED AND IN BLUE. Clicking on these links will take you directly to a recipe or author note. Thus you can not only find a recipe quickly but you can also make a print out of it by clicking on the PRINT icon on your computer. If have any questions about the recipes, please contact the author at [email protected]. To order additional copies of this book please visit URL: www.gelb.com/gayninetiescookbook/ All text © Copyright 2006 by Gelb Organization, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States of American by E. J. Gelb. No part of this book, including interior design, cover design, and images, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form except by the author. This includes electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. Page 2 of 108 © Copyright 2006, Gelb Organization, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. Feast on Gay Nineties Recipes from My Grandparents Elite Broadway New York City Restaurants Circa 1890. FOREWORD by William L. Cramer The Gay Nineties, the Gilded Age, the Era of Plush… all terms that have been used to describe the fabulous final decade of the Nineteenth Century. That is the decade when Lillian Russell was in her finest hour of fame and fortune. Born Helen Louise Leonard, December 4, 1860, in Clinton, Iowa, “Nellie”(as her family called her) was destined to become “An American Beauty.” Undoubtedly the most photographed woman of her time, a blonde bombshell imitated even by Marilyn Monroe, and as buxom as Dolly Parton, Lillian Russell was the queen of the American stage. Her introduction to the theater was in 1878 as a chorus girl in Pinafore. Two years later, Tony Pastor, the “father of Vaudeville,” introduced her as Lillian Russell, the “English ballad singer,” and extolled her as “a vision of loveliness and a voice of gold.” She soon went on to become the first lady of light comic opera. She was known as a diva, and referred to as “the peerless prima-donna.” Alexander Graham Bell convinced her to make the first long distance telephone call, singing from her dressing room in New York City (during an intermission of The Grand Duchess) into a large metal funnel to President Grover Cleveland on the other end at the White House. Thomas Alva Edison also tried to persuade her to make a recording of her voice on one of the first phonograph cylinders, but this idea she unfortunately declined. Can you imagine what such a priceless treasure, if it existed, would bring on eBay today? We do not possess this phonograph but we do possess the first portrait of her. But aside from her illustrious career, Lillian Russell, together with her long time companion and comrade James Buchanan Brady (better known as “Diamond Jim”), was well known for her insatiable palette. She especially loved corn on the cob (she was a true Iowa girl!) and onions, but let us not forget oysters, Page 3 of 108 © Copyright 2006, Gelb Organization, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. Feast on Gay Nineties Recipes from My Grandparents Elite Broadway New York City Restaurants Circa 1890. clams, filet mignon, pork chops, roast beef, lobster, lamb, turtle soup, and anything else which could be consumed! In a 1914 interview with Djuna Barnes, Lillian offered the following information: “I have a particular passion for mushrooms, you know. Wait, I’ll give you the recipe, then you poor, deluded persons may really discover what heaven is dished up in onions. “Put a lump of butter in a chafing dish (or a saucepan) and a slice of Spanish onion and the mushrooms minus the stem; let them simmer until all are deliciously tender and the juice has run from them – about twenty minutes should be enough – then add a cupful of cream; let this boil. After it has come to a boil, squeeze in the juice of a lemon. There you are; that’s the only way in the world to cook them, and it’s the only way that you will want them after you have had them that way once.” “But fancy,” said I, “if you had a date that evening!” “Oh, you’re worrying about the onion. It is no longer an onion when the cream and the lemon have been added; not an onion, but an epic.” And one night after dinner with Diamond Jim Brady at the Palm Garden, Miss Russell was undecided what to have for dessert. According to John Burke’s book Duet in Diamonds, “First she ordered ice cream, but that wasn’t quite what she wanted. Then she decided on cantaloupe. ‘Why not have both?’ Jim suggested, unaware that he would be adding an item to the American menu for all time. The waiter returned with half a cantaloupe in which a scoop of vanilla ice cream was imbedded. On the spot the dessert was christened Cantaloupe a la Lillian Russell, which placed her alongside Nellie Melba (Peach Melba) in the annals of inspired confectionery.” It wasn’t until after the turn of the twentieth century that the American ideal of feminine beauty would become slenderized, (putting Lillian Russell in contention with Kirstie Alley for the role of “Fat Actress?”). Lillian was aware of this phenomenon, and began bicycling with Diamond Jim in an effort to shed pounds, but that didn’t stop her from taking up the gauntlet when Jim placed a bet with her (she was also quite a gambler – she especially loved playing poker, and might be seen today on Page 4 of 108 © Copyright 2006, Gelb Organization, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. Feast on Gay Nineties Recipes from My Grandparents Elite Broadway New York City Restaurants Circa 1890. “The World Series of Poker!”). He bet her a diamond ring that he could eat more than she could. After a visit to the powder room to remove her corset, she returned to the table, “ate plate for plate with Brady, and beat him fair and square.” Yes, Lillian Russell loved a good meal, especially when shared with Diamond Jim Brady. And though nowadays we aren’t accustomed to sitting down to a twelve- or fourteen-course dinner, the recipes in this book are sure to invoke a delightful taste on your palette as you journey with the master chef into the fabulous cuisine of America’s gilded age. Page 5 of 108 © Copyright 2006, Gelb Organization, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. Feast on Gay Nineties Recipes from My Grandparents Elite Broadway New York City Restaurants Circa 1890. Contents Foreword by William L. Cramer ………………………………………. Preface and History ……………….………………………………………. About the Portrait …………………………………………………………. Introduction ………………………………………………………………….. About the Master Chef …..……………………………………………….. Table of Measures ………………………………………………………….. Table of Proportions ………………………………………………………. Household Hints …………………………………………………………….. How to Make Liquid BBQ Smoke ………….…………………………… How to Make Vanilla, Almond, Pineapple, etc. Extracts ……….. Master Chef Butcher Information .……………………………………. Original Recipes …………………………………………………………….. Dinner Entrees .. Meat, Fish, Sauces and Poultry ..……………… Salads ………………………………………………………………………….. Starters and Specialty Items .. Appetizers and Side Dishes … Soups …………………………………………………………………………… Jelly’s ……….………………………………………………………………….. Breads and Coffee Cakes ………………………………………………… Strudel ….……………………………………………………………………… Pies ……………………………………………………………………………… Cookies ………………………………………………………………………… Cakes …………………………………………………………………………… Desserts …………..…………………………………………………………… Page 6 of 108 © Copyright 2006, Gelb Organization, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. Feast on Gay Nineties Recipes from My Grandparents Elite Broadway New York City Restaurants Circa 1890. Preface and History One of the major features of this book is the considerable diversity of flavors in the recipes. The recipes are ORIGINAL and AUTHENTIC created by my great grand and grandmothers. They were developed from the mixed culture of New York City during the 19th Century. Some of the recipes are Jewish, Jewish-American, German, Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Polish. This could only happen in the City of New York and especially during the renaissance of culture – The “Gilded Age”. In the early 1800’s, my great-grandparents started a restaurant/saloon business in the Bowery [Bow·er·y (bou'-rē, bou'rē) pronunciation]. This was a section of lower Manhattan in New York City. The street that gives the area its name was once the road to Peter Stuyvesant's bouwerij, or farm. During this time, the Bowery was one of the city's leading entertainment areas and was populated with saloons and dance halls. Unfortunately by 1850 the Bowery was inundated with gangs, swindlers, and petty criminals. This forced my great-grandparents to relocate their business. By the late 19th century, my grandparents were continuing the tradition set by my great-grandparents and were a large part of the Gilded Age scene. My Grandmother was a recognized “Master Chef”.