Book of Days Tales

Today is the birthday (1743) of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father of the US who served as the third president from 1801 to 1809. Previously, he had served as the second vice president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. He was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights motivating North American colonists to break from the kingdom of Great Britain and form a new nation. He produced a number of formative documents and decisions at both the state and national level that are of fundamental importance to this day. Arguably he made the most critical ideological contributions to the fabric of the nation.

Jefferson’s time in France as an official minister of the United States in the 1780s had culinary outcomes back home in the US. He is frequently credited with inventing ice cream as well as macaroni and cheese, which is utter nonsense. I can produce recipes for both from ancient Roman sources. It is quite correct to say that he learned about these dishes whilst living in France, and brought them back to the US where he made them popular.  He served both at presidential banquets making them instantly the talk of the town. Nowadays, imagining mac and cheese served as the crowning achievement of a White House banquet is perhaps laughable (although under Trump it’s possible, I suppose), but in Jefferson’s day it was a big hit among the guests.

As it happens, Jefferson’s handwritten recipe for vanilla ice cream survives. It’s a perfectly serviceable recipe although you might want to scale back the quantities. Ice cream makers of the time did not have internal paddles, hence the need to open the container during the freezing process and scrape down the sides and break up the ice crystals.

Jefferson’s Vanilla Ice Cream

2. bottles of good cream.
6. yolks of eggs.
1/2 lb. sugar

mix the yolks & sugar
put the cream on a fire in a casserole, first putting in a stick of Vanilla.
when near boiling take it off & pour it gently into the mixture of eggs & sugar.
stir it well.
put it on the fire again stirring it thoroughly with a spoon to prevent its sticking to the casserole.
when near boiling take it off and strain it thro’ a towel.
put it in the Sabottiere [inner container of the ice cream freezer]
then set it in ice an hour before it is to be served. put into the ice a handful of salt.
put salt on the coverlid of the Sabotiere & cover the whole with ice.
leave it still half a quarter of an hour.
then turn the Sabottiere in the ice 10 minutes
open it to loosen with a spatula the ice from the inner sides of the Sabotiere.
shut it & replace it in the ice
open it from time to time to detach the ice from the sides
when well taken (prise) stir it well with the Spatula.
put it in moulds, justling it well down on the knee.
then put the mould into the same bucket of ice.
leave it there to the moment of serving it.
to withdraw it, immerse the mould in warm water, turning it well till it will come out & turn it into a plate.