Catherine Victoria Edmonstone (Recipe Book)
I have transcribed Catherine Victoria Edmonstone's recipe books into book form, partly so those who knew her can access them, but also because they paint a picture of the kitchen of an inland settler (Dubbo on the banks of the Macquarie, in Central New South Wales) between the great wars.
I spent a lot of time when very young with my great aunt, Catherine Victoria Edmonstone.
Her seanathair (old father or grandfather) came from Ireland. A doctor, he disappeared in the Victorian goldfields after the Eureka stockade uprising.
She lived alone in a large cool house in the inland town of Dubbo, on the banks of the Macquarie River, far from the cities along the edges of Australia. On her dressing table, a single picture of a young soldier, killed in a gas attack, on the front lines in the Great War.
I have a picture of her holding the hand of her younger sister on her sister's wedding day, after the Great War. Unlike her sister, Catherine Victoria Edmonstone never married. Instead she was an explorer and insisted on others calling her "Vic". She bought herself strange and wonderful horses, buggies and then cars. She travelled to unimaginably far places, bringing back pieces of coral or petrified wood. Once she caught a steamer to New Zealand with her camera, and spent weeks there, getting to learn the language and partly cooking herself in medicinal mud.
She loved new technology, driving fast, climbing high, flying and pressure cookers. A short wave radio took pride of place in her sitting room. She would listen to stories on the radio, often with tears in her eyes. On special evenings she would project slides onto a blank wall and tell us stories of her travels.
She had lots of stories. She was the first to tell me about the little people, the dark aelfs. She thought that they lived in red mushrooms in the deep woods. She was sure that they collect vast stores of gold coins and travel the sky using rainbows. They bury their loot at the end of their rainbows. She loved rainbows and would chase them with great determination.
Vic's recipes produce beaut results - and i still use them. Today (13 March 2020), i am making tomato sauce...
She had lots of recipes.
Her recipe book can be found HERE or be copying this link into your browser: https://goo.gl/eDYyia
Or you can just read on:
Recipes
Catherine Victoria Edmonstone lived at a time when kitchens were physically separate from the main house. She cooked on a wood stove, which also heated hot water for the laundry and hygiene. I remember it as a wonderful place of magic smells and ginger biscuits, where she fought a desperate war against small ants and flying insects.
She spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and her recipe books were always close to hand. Next to them was her camera, and a handbook on Australian birds. She was spectacularly unsuccessful in taking pictures of birds in her garden. I remember stories of her close calls at a time when before a shot was taken a manual light reading was first required.
Most of the recipes seem to have been collected in the late 1920's. However, most of the recipes are themselves much older. Many of the recipes show signs of gradual refinement with years of experience. In particular, her Tomato Sauce, first mentioned in a collection of recipes dating from the mid 1920's (and attributed to her sister, Blanche) underwent a series of gradual changes which continued into the late 1960's.
The recipes were probably originally carefully grouped and organised by Vic. Time and frequent use has taken toll on her books; many of the recipes are now on individual pages.
I have taken the liberty of reorganising the recipes. However, I have not converted imperial measures into metric.
All the recipes I have included are in Vic's handwriting. It is a very recognisable style (particularly 'c' which is always carefully formed with a flourish and looks like an 'e'). She didn't waste any paper on extraneous detail (although she was very careful to attribute a recipe): indeed, in a couple of cases, the recipes consist of simple lists of ingredients.
All the early recipes were written for a wood-fired oven. Accordingly, they are all very resilient. I have tried some of the recipes, particularly the Tomato Sauces, with some success.
Biscuits
Brownie (Mrs McCormick April1929)
Put into a large saucepan
2 cups hot water
2 cups sugar (brown or white)
2 large tablespoons dripping
2 cups mixed fruit
1 tablespoon mixed peel
Allow to simmer 5 minutes.
Stand aside to cool. When lukewarm stir in the following which has been prepared in the flour sifter 4 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoons each of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, 1 teaspoon carb soda
Put into well greased baking tray and cook about 3/4 hour in a moderate oven.
Brownie (Dubbo Show Prize)
1 cup dripping
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 pinch salt
2 cups currants and sultanas
1 large cup milk
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup plain flour
2 cups self raising flour
Beat dripping and sugar, add eggs, then milk and flour with spices and salt sifted together. A cup of peel may be used. Cook for 1.25 hours in a moderate oven.
Children's Brownies
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar rubbed in 1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup currants and sultanas
1 cup dates lemon peel
Beat 2 eggs and a little milk. Turn on floured board and knead. Grease baking dish. Place brownie in dish, sprinkle with sugar or nutmeg on top and cook slowly.
Sunbeam Biscuits
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 heaped cup self raIsIng flour
1 egg
Raspberry jam
Cream butter and sugar. Add well beaten egg. Add flour making into a stiff dough. Roll oblong shape and spread with jam.
Roll up and cut into slices with sharp knife.
Sugar Biscuits (Mrs Metcalfe)
2 heaped tablespoons
butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon C of S?
1 teaspoon soda
Cream. Cook in moderate oven
Ginger Nuts
1 lb flour
1/4 lb butter
1/4 lb sugar
1/2 lb treacle
2 or 3 teaspoons ginger
1 level teaspoon potash dissolved
2 tablespoons boiling water
Rub butter and ginger with flour.
Dissolve sugar and treacle and add potash and boiling water.
Musheroms
5 heaped tablespoons flour
1 heaped tablespoon icing sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Mix one egg with enough milk to make a paste
For the cream
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons sugar
Beat to a cream and add 2 tablespoons milk one at a time with vanilla and colour with cochineal
Pearlies
1/4 lb butter
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup dates
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
1 egg
Cream butter and sugar, add beaten egg, then flour, walnuts and dates.
Roll pieces the size of a walnut in flaked cereal.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
Indian Coffee Creams
1/4 lb butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Coffee Ess
1/2 lb SR Flour
1 egg well beaten
Cream. Cook in moderate oven
Filling for Indian Coffee Creams
1 cup icing sugar
1 dessertspoon butter
a little hot water and coffee essence
Coconut Biscuits
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup coconut
2 eggs
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, flour and coconuts.
Cook In moderate oven.
Date Cookies
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups SR flour
1 cup chopped dates
Cream butter and add egg, then milk gradually.
Then sifted flour and dates.
Place dessertspoon on greased tray.
Sprinkle with sugar and bake in a hot oven 12 to 15 minutes.
Lamingtons
1/2 lb butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon butter in 1/4 cup
boiling water
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons cornflour
Mix butter and sugar.
Add eggs one at a time, the flour and lastly boiling water.
Delicious Pancakes
3 eggs
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 large cup milk
3 teaspoons butter
pinch salt
Separate yolks from whites.
Beat yolks with dessertspoon cold water.
Slightly warm milk and butter.
Add flour to egg yolks a tablespoon at a time and between each tablespoon add some of the
warmed milk and butter.
When all is added, stand aside till wanted.
This can stand all day if one likes to get it ready in the morning.
Just before cooking add the well beaten egg whites.
Bran Biscuits
1 1/2 cup flour rubbed in 1/2
cup butter
add 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 scant cub bran
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
add 1 beaten egg
and lastly 1 teaspoon soda dissolved in 1/4 cup milk.
Roll out thinly and cut.
Bake moderate oven 10-15 minutes.
Raspberry Slice
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
yolk of 3 eggs
1 cup SR flour
Mix together and press in dish - not too thick.
Whip whites of 3 eggs and add 2 dessertspoons of sugar and 2 dessertspoons of coconut.
Spread with raspberry jam and pour whites of eggs, sugar and coconut on top and bake nice and brown.
Uncle Toby's Biscuits
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 dessertspoon treacle
1 teaspoon bicarb of soda
Mix rolled oats, flour and sugar, and butter and treacle (melted).
Add 1 teaspoon bicarb of soda, dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water.
Bake slow oven for 1/2 hour.
Coconut Fingers
4 ozs butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup SR flour
1 egg
pinch of salt
raspberry or apricot jam
Topping
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 coconut
Soften butter a little, cream with sugar, add egg and beat again.
Sift in flour till all is absorbed.
Spread on a greased lamington tin, spread with jam.
To make topping, beat egg, add sugar gradually.
Add coconut and spread on jam.
Bake in moderate oven for about 20-30 minutes.
Cut in fingers and cool in tin.
Cakes
Rich Fruit Cake (very good)
1 lb butter
1/2 lb brown sugar
1/2 lb caster sugar
9 eggs
1.5 cups whisky, sherry or milk
1 1/4 lb flour
1 level teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon treacle
2 teaspoons mixed spice
OR 1 teaspoon nutmeg and
1 teaspoon spice and ginger
2 lbs raisins
1 lb sultanas
1/2 lb currants
1/2 lb cherries
1/2 lb mixed peel
1/2 lb almonds
4 oz dates
4 oz figs
Caramel colouring is desired.
Cream butter and Sugar.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add whisky/sherry and half prepared fruit, soda. and spice.
Then add remainder or fruit and flour.
Darken with caramel.
Put in well greased and papered tins, hollow centre of moisture and cook in a very slow oven.
Using 12' tin bake 5.5 hrs
2 * 8" tins bake 3.5 hrs
4 * 5" tins bake 2.25 hrs
Xmas Cake Mrs Metcalfe
1 lb butter
1 teaspoon BP
1 lb currants
1/4 lb lemon peel
1/4 lb dates
2 oz cherries
1 doz eggs
1 lb sugar
1 1/4 lbs flour
1 lb sultanas
1/4 mixed nuts
1/2 lb chopped muscatels (?)
1 tablespoon vanilla
Beat butter and sugar, add eggs well beaten then flour and BP vanilla and lastly fruit.
Line cake tin with well greased paper and bake in slow oven 5 hrs.
Prepare all fruit day before.
Egyptian Cake
3 tablespoons suet butter
1 cup plain floor
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon jam
1 cup dates
1 tablespoon spice
1 small cup of milk
1 tablespoon carb soda
Mix butter into flour and sugar.
Add dates and spice then jam.
Moisten with milk.
Heat well.
Boil 2.5 - 3 hours.
Coffee Cake (Mrs AKV Blacket)
1/4 lb butter
1/4 lb sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon coffee essence
5 ozs flour
1 small teaspoon caking powder
Mix
Coffee Cake (Mrs AKV Blacket)
1 tablespoon coffee essence
2 tablespoons milk
6 oz flour
1/4 lb butter
1/41b sugar
2 eggs
1 small teaspoon caking
powder
Mix
Caraway Cake
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar with flour
1 teaspoon soda dissolved in milk
4 eggs
2 tablespoons seeds
Butter Cake
1/4 lb self raising flour
1/4 lb butter
1/4 lb sugar
3 eggs
Cream butter.
Add flour and beat 10 minutes.
Beat yokes and sugar for 10 minutes.
Add to flour and butter.
Fold in beaten whites.
Bake 35 minutes.
Orange Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
10 ozs butter
1 orange
3 eggs
Beat sugar and butter to cream.
Add 2 eggs one at a time. beat well.
Then add half flour, heating well all the time.
Add grated rind of orange and half the juice then put in remainder of flour and add the third egg.
Bake 1 hour or longer in moderate oven.
Icing for Orange Cake
6 oz icing sugar
1 remainder of Orange
Chocolate Cake (Jean)
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon soda
3 teaspoons cocoa
3/4 cups boiling water
1 ozs butter
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Whip eggs well.
Add sugar then flour.
Put butter and cocoa in pan.
Add boiling water then soda and add to cake last.
Put cream or tartar in flour.
Cook 1/4 hour in fairly hot oven.
Tennis Cakes
4 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
6 eggs
1 cup melted butter
2 cups milk
Mix dry ingredients, beat eggs.
Slightly mix milk, butter last.
Jean Bootie's Whipped Cream Cake - 6.1.43
1 cup whipping cream
2 eggs beaten until think and lemon coloured
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Whip cream until it holds shape.
Add eggs and whip until light as foam.
Add sugar and beat again.
Add vanilla.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder together 3 times and add to egg mixture.
Bake in greased layer cake pans in moderate oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
Make 2 (8") layers.
Cool and spread seven minute icing or whipped cream icing.
Cocoa Cake
2 ozs butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 dessertspoon cocoa
1 1/2 cups SR flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon bicarb of soda dissolved in dessertspoon boiling water
Beat butter and sugar, lastly soda.
Xmas Cake
1/2 lb sultanas
6 eggs
1/2 lb raisins
2 oz almonds
1/2 lbs sugar
10 ozs flour
1/2 lb currants
2 ozs dates or figs
1/4 Ib peel
gill brandy
1/2 lb butter
1 teaspoon caramel.
Chocolate Cake
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups SR flour
1 small cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Walnut Cake - Elsie R
2 tablespoons butter
1 small cup sugar
a level cup flour
1/4 lb walnuts
1 tablespoon cocoa
4 eggs
a teaspoon baking powder
vanilla
Beat butter and sugar, add eggs 1 at a time and beat till it looks light.
Sift in flour and add cocoa and walnuts.
If too stiff add a little milk, beat thoroughly for 5 minutes then add 1 teaspoon baking powder and also vanilla.
Bake 15 minutes.
Potato Cake
6 ozs flour
4 ozs potatoes
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ozs margarine
6 ozs sugar
1 1/2 ozs cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons water
Cream butter and sugar, add sieved mashed potatoes, sift in flour, salt, baking powder, salt and cocoa and sufficient water to mix to still paste.
Put into buttered and floured tin.
Bake in cool oven for 2 hours.
Let shrink a minute.
Cold fill with jam or cream.
Rainbow Cake
2 cups flour
1/2 lb butter
1/2 pint milk
12 ozs sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
Beat butter and sugar to a light cream.
Add eggs one at a time and beat well then add milk and flour and baking powder before mixing in the milk.
Now divide the mixture into three parts leaving one yellow and one pink and the other the add two large teaspoons of cocoa dissolved in about two tablespoons of boiling water.
To this last mixture add a level dessertspoon of flour flavoured with vanilla and bake from 15-
20 minutes.
The Hall Speciality
1 cup sugar
1 bit less than 1/2 lb margarine
about 1 lb mixed fruit
1 cup water
Boil up for about 3 minutes.
When cool or cold add 1 cup SR flour and 1 cup plain flour and 2 well beaten eggs and spice or nutmeg or sherry or anything you like and cook on low gas for about 1 1/2 hours.
Rolls and Loafs
Nut Loaf
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Soak nuts in milk 1 hour.
Add sugar and egg well beaten.
Add flour last. Cook in moderate oven
Nut or Date Roll
4 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup dates/nuts
2 large tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups milk
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.
Mix butter into flour.
Add dates/nuts and sugar.
Mix with eggs beaten in the milk.
Bake in moderate oven for .5 hour.
Date Loaf
1 lb dates sprinkled with 1 teaspoon soda.
Dissolve 1 tablespoon butter in 1 cup boiling water, mix with dates.
Add 1 cup sugar, 1 beaten egg, 2 cups flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder.
Cinnamon Roll
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 teaspoons baking
powder
1 cup milk
salt
Cream butter and sugar, add egg, milk, flour etc.
Bake in tins for 1/2 hour.
Puddings
Baked Lemon Pudding
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
juice and grated rind of a
lemon
1 cup milk
2 eggs
Cream butter and sugar.
Add flour, lemon juice and rind, then milk and well beaten yolks of the eggs and beat all together well.
Beat the whites stiffly, fold into the mixture, pour into a pie dish and set it in a dish of water in the oven and bake slowly for about 1 hour.
Moonshine Pudding
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 oranges
1 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
white of 1 egg
Boil water and sugar together.
Mix cornflour to a paste with juice of orange and add to sugar and water.
Cook for about 8 minutes and when cool add stiffly-beaten egg white.
Serve with cream or custard.
Sponges and Sandwiches
Sponge Sandwich
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 dessertspoon butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons boiling water
vanilla essence
Beat eggs and sugar for 20 minutes, add flour, baking powder.
Dissolve butter in boiling water, vanilla.
Bake from 15 to 20 minutes.
Walnut Sandwich P.K.D.
3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 heaped teaspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
a little milk
Beat butter and sugar, add milk, walnuts, flour and baking powder.
Bake 15 minutes.
Chocolate Sandwich
1/4 lb butter
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cocoa
1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 lb self raising flour
4 teaspoons milk
salt
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one by one, then sifted flour and cocoa.
Add milk.
Bake 15 minutes.
Ginger Cream Sponge
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon spice
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup syrup
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one by one and beat well.
Then add syrup dissolved in milk, flour, dry ingredients, then soda dissolved in boiling water.
Cook for 20 minutes in a moderate oven.
Sweets
Lemon Cream Fluff
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
2 lemons
4 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
Warm the milk and pour breadcrumbs in a pie dish.
Allow to soak for a few minutes.
Add grated lemon rind and juice of lemons, . sugar and yolks of eggs.
Mix together then add the stiffly beaten whites and bake in a dish of water until lightly set.
Serve with custard.
It is a delicious summer sweet when chilled.
Caramel Icing
2 cups brown sugar
4 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter
Do not stir after butter has melted.
Boil exactly for 7 minutes.
Beat till creamy and add vanilla to taste.
Chocolate Sauce (Dorothy Cale)
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt
Mix then boil 5 mins.
When cool add a teaspoon vanilla (or more).
If to be used hot on ice cream add 1/2 teaspoon butter.
Place in a covered jar or a container - this mixture will keep for weeks in an ice chest.
Pastry (Mrs Cate)
6 tablespoons self raising flour
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 egg
pinch salt
Mix dry ingredients and mix butter with them.
Roll thin.
Batter
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons self raising flour
1 egg (well beaten)
.25 cup milk
Pour over fruit
Sponge
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn flour and fill rest of cup up with flour
1 cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoons soda
1 dessertspoon butter dissolved in 3/4 cup boiling milk.
Beat 1/4 hour.
Add flour etc.
Filling for Neenish Tarts (loose) (Judy Matthews)
2 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons condensed milk
1 tablespoon rum or sherry
Beat all together
Mock Filling
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon butter
white of 1 egg
Beat butter and sugar to a cream.
White of egg well beaten then beat altogether.
Condiments
Chutney April 1924
12 large tomatoes 4.5 lbs
4 large onions 1 lb
3 cups sugar
level tablespoons turmeric, mustard and curry powder, cayenne
1 handful salt
3 tablespoons flour
1 lb dates, sultanas or raisins (sultanas best)
Cover with vinegar and boil until cooked. Mix.
Potted Steak (Mrs Wonalson March 1925
1 lb steak
2 tablespoons anchovy sauce
1/4 lb butter
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoons mace
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
Steam 6 hours
Tomato Sauce - Myrtle
20 lbs green tomatoes
2 lbs onions
2 cups garlic
1/2 cup pepper corns
1/2 cup whole spice
1/2 cup cloves
and a little mace
about 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Boil together for 2 hours.
Strain and add 2 lbs sugar, 1/2 lb salt, 2 pts vinegar
Boil for 1 hour.
Tomato Chutney - Mrs Rogers
3 lbs green tomatoes
4 large onions
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon each of mustard, turmeric, curry powder
4 tablespoons flour
1 handful salt
1 lb dates, raisins or sultanas.
Cover with vinegar and boil till well cooked.
Thicken with powders and flour mixed with vinegar and cook a little longer.
Cauliflower Pickle
3 lbs cauliflower
2 lbs onions (or other vegetables)
2 tablespoons mustard
and
2 qts vinegar
3/4 cup flour
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon turmeric
or
6 cups vinegar and 2 water
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon curry powder
Leave in brine overnight (4 qts water Ipt salt).
Bring to boil and strain (boil 5 minutes).
Cover with vinegar, cook and thicken with powders.
(This recipe, is repeated. with variations in a number of places.
A variation of the recipe, in her sister's handwriting, suggests that slightly more
flour and less mustard should be used and that the sugar should be added at the very end of the process. It also notes that tomatoes can be substituted for cauliflowers. Another version recommends adding beans, cumber (cucumber?), red and green capsicums to the mix.)
Tomato Sauce (dated 23.2.67)
12 lb tomato (red make best colour)
1 lb onion
2 oz garlic sliced
3 teaspoons cloves
3 teaspoons peppercorns
2 . teaspoons whole spice (pimento)
Boil all for about 1.5 hours.
After boiling it needs stirring!
Strain through colander.
Put into pan with:
1 1/4 lb sugar
3 oz salt
14 oz vinegar
1 teaspoon mace
and a small amount of cayenne pepper (a pinch on end of teaspoon)
Boil all again about 1 1/4 to 11/2 hours.
(This is Aunty Vie's best guarded recipe. Take care not to neglect the mace and cayenne which were her secret ingredients. Today you might be tempted to reduce the salt and add a handful of small dried red chillies and a clove of fresh ginger to turn the base into a pleasantly warm chilli sauce.
Substituting green for red tomatoes gives you a sweet sauce.
Substituting plums for the tomatoes makes a warm rich sauce.)
Boiled Salad Dressing (Mrs Metcaffe)
1 egg
3 tablespoons sugar
1 heaped tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup vinegar
1 dessertspoon butter
Mix egg, sugar, flour, mustard, butter, cayenne pepper and salt then add milk then vinegar.
Put on fire and stir till thickened but do not boil.
Salad Dressing (will keep 6 months)
4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons mustard
1/4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 pint thin cream or milk
2 eggs
2 oz butter
1/2 pint vinegar or lemon juice
Mix salt,mustard and sugar together.
Add cream and beaten eggs.
Cook like custard sauce (in jar placed in boiling water stirring all the time).
When custard thickens, add butter.
Cool and when lukewarm stir vinegar in gradually.
Bottle for use.
Notes
The recipes were kept in a series of books and loose pages
which are now yellowed with use and age or stained with oil.
The first book is a Walker's "Thumb Index" Book. Over the
years, many of the interior pages have come loose as the spine
has fallen apart. The front cover is entitled "Recipe Index".
There are some indecipherable marks on the cover. On the
converse of the front cover is the single entry "B Bootle
25.12.28". On the first page are the following entries:
Mrs VRG BootIe
'Carinya'
Narromine
L Robertson
C.
23 462936
Sept
21st 34
On the converse of the back but one page are the following
entries:
Mary Bootle } In pen
St Chatherines' }
Miss Mary Bootle
Mrs Jean Bootle
Mr William BootIe
Mr Robert BootIe
Mrs Beth Quinton
Mrs Dora McKinnon
The later entries are in pencil.
The second book is in far better condition. It is in fairly good
condition having retained all of its pages. It is a "Shell"
exercise book ('for use in all schools'). The front page is
entitled J Bootle, Recipes. On the back page are a series of
arithmetic tables including sterling money tables, troy,
apothecaries', avoirdupois, and hay and straw weights.
Measures are given for lineal, cloth,' cubic, imperial heaped,
imperial dry and square measure (a copy of this page is
included for general reference). On the converse of the front
cover is the single entry "Rich Fruit Cake C.V.E. Page 6". On
the converse of the back cover is the
entry:
Great Heart
The Smuggler
Red
Unpainted
This book is organised into a number of different sections:
Biscuits
Cakes
Chutney and Sauces
Puddings
Clippings from newspapers and magazines
There is a loose coupon inside (worth 2 coupons) which
promises that presentation of sixty coupons to the Sydney
Flour Company (1 Glebe Road, GLEBE) will result in a
Handsome Gift.
The remainder of the material is contained on a number of
pages of different sizes. Some come obviously from the one
book. Others are copied onto envelopes, waxed paper and
'writing pads.
I spent a lot of time when very young with my great aunt, Catherine Victoria Edmonstone.
Her seanathair (old father or grandfather) came from Ireland. A doctor, he disappeared in the Victorian goldfields after the Eureka stockade uprising.
She lived alone in a large cool house in the inland town of Dubbo, on the banks of the Macquarie River, far from the cities along the edges of Australia. On her dressing table, a single picture of a young soldier, killed in a gas attack, on the front lines in the Great War.
I have a picture of her holding the hand of her younger sister on her sister's wedding day, after the Great War. Unlike her sister, Catherine Victoria Edmonstone never married. Instead she was an explorer and insisted on others calling her "Vic". She bought herself strange and wonderful horses, buggies and then cars. She travelled to unimaginably far places, bringing back pieces of coral or petrified wood. Once she caught a steamer to New Zealand with her camera, and spent weeks there, getting to learn the language and partly cooking herself in medicinal mud.
She loved new technology, driving fast, climbing high, flying and pressure cookers. A short wave radio took pride of place in her sitting room. She would listen to stories on the radio, often with tears in her eyes. On special evenings she would project slides onto a blank wall and tell us stories of her travels.
She had lots of stories. She was the first to tell me about the little people, the dark aelfs. She thought that they lived in red mushrooms in the deep woods. She was sure that they collect vast stores of gold coins and travel the sky using rainbows. They bury their loot at the end of their rainbows. She loved rainbows and would chase them with great determination.
Vic's recipes produce beaut results - and i still use them. Today (13 March 2020), i am making tomato sauce...
Tomato Sauce (dated 23.2.67)
12
lb tomato (red make best colour)
1 lb
onion
2 oz
garlic sliced
3 teaspoons
cloves
3
teaspoons peppercorns
2
. teaspoons whole spice (pimento)
Boil all for about 1.5 hours.
After
boiling it needs stirring!
Strain
through colander.
Put
into pan with:
1
1/4 lb sugar
3
oz salt
14
oz vinegar 1 teaspoon mace
and
a small amount of cayenne pepper (a pinch on end of teaspoon)
Boil
all again about 1 1/4 to 11/2 hours.
(This is Aunty Vie’s best guarded recipe. Take
care not to neglect the mace and cayenne which were her secret ingredients.
Today you might be tempted to reduce the salt and add a handful of small dried
red chillies and a clove of fresh ginger to turn the base into a pleasantly
warm chilli sauce.
Substituting
green for red tomatoes gives you a sweet sauce.
Substituting
plums for the tomatoes makes a warm rich sauce.) She had lots of recipes.
Her recipe book can be found HERE or be copying this link into your browser: https://goo.gl/eDYyia
Or you can just read on:
Recipes
Catherine Victoria Edmonstone lived at a time when kitchens were physically separate from the main house. She cooked on a wood stove, which also heated hot water for the laundry and hygiene. I remember it as a wonderful place of magic smells and ginger biscuits, where she fought a desperate war against small ants and flying insects.
She spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and her recipe books were always close to hand. Next to them was her camera, and a handbook on Australian birds. She was spectacularly unsuccessful in taking pictures of birds in her garden. I remember stories of her close calls at a time when before a shot was taken a manual light reading was first required.
Most of the recipes seem to have been collected in the late 1920's. However, most of the recipes are themselves much older. Many of the recipes show signs of gradual refinement with years of experience. In particular, her Tomato Sauce, first mentioned in a collection of recipes dating from the mid 1920's (and attributed to her sister, Blanche) underwent a series of gradual changes which continued into the late 1960's.
The recipes were probably originally carefully grouped and organised by Vic. Time and frequent use has taken toll on her books; many of the recipes are now on individual pages.
I have taken the liberty of reorganising the recipes. However, I have not converted imperial measures into metric.
All the recipes I have included are in Vic's handwriting. It is a very recognisable style (particularly 'c' which is always carefully formed with a flourish and looks like an 'e'). She didn't waste any paper on extraneous detail (although she was very careful to attribute a recipe): indeed, in a couple of cases, the recipes consist of simple lists of ingredients.
All the early recipes were written for a wood-fired oven. Accordingly, they are all very resilient. I have tried some of the recipes, particularly the Tomato Sauces, with some success.
Biscuits
Brownie (Mrs McCormick April1929)
Put into a large saucepan
2 cups hot water
2 cups sugar (brown or white)
2 large tablespoons dripping
2 cups mixed fruit
1 tablespoon mixed peel
Allow to simmer 5 minutes.
Stand aside to cool. When lukewarm stir in the following which has been prepared in the flour sifter 4 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoons each of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, 1 teaspoon carb soda
Put into well greased baking tray and cook about 3/4 hour in a moderate oven.
Brownie (Dubbo Show Prize)
1 cup dripping
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 pinch salt
2 cups currants and sultanas
1 large cup milk
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup plain flour
2 cups self raising flour
Beat dripping and sugar, add eggs, then milk and flour with spices and salt sifted together. A cup of peel may be used. Cook for 1.25 hours in a moderate oven.
Children's Brownies
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar rubbed in 1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup currants and sultanas
1 cup dates lemon peel
Beat 2 eggs and a little milk. Turn on floured board and knead. Grease baking dish. Place brownie in dish, sprinkle with sugar or nutmeg on top and cook slowly.
Sunbeam Biscuits
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 heaped cup self raIsIng flour
1 egg
Raspberry jam
Cream butter and sugar. Add well beaten egg. Add flour making into a stiff dough. Roll oblong shape and spread with jam.
Roll up and cut into slices with sharp knife.
Sugar Biscuits (Mrs Metcalfe)
2 heaped tablespoons
butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon C of S?
1 teaspoon soda
Cream. Cook in moderate oven
Ginger Nuts
1 lb flour
1/4 lb butter
1/4 lb sugar
1/2 lb treacle
2 or 3 teaspoons ginger
1 level teaspoon potash dissolved
2 tablespoons boiling water
Rub butter and ginger with flour.
Dissolve sugar and treacle and add potash and boiling water.
Musheroms
5 heaped tablespoons flour
1 heaped tablespoon icing sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Mix one egg with enough milk to make a paste
For the cream
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons sugar
Beat to a cream and add 2 tablespoons milk one at a time with vanilla and colour with cochineal
Pearlies
1/4 lb butter
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup dates
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
1 egg
Cream butter and sugar, add beaten egg, then flour, walnuts and dates.
Roll pieces the size of a walnut in flaked cereal.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.
Indian Coffee Creams
1/4 lb butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Coffee Ess
1/2 lb SR Flour
1 egg well beaten
Cream. Cook in moderate oven
Filling for Indian Coffee Creams
1 cup icing sugar
1 dessertspoon butter
a little hot water and coffee essence
Coconut Biscuits
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup coconut
2 eggs
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, flour and coconuts.
Cook In moderate oven.
Date Cookies
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups SR flour
1 cup chopped dates
Cream butter and add egg, then milk gradually.
Then sifted flour and dates.
Place dessertspoon on greased tray.
Sprinkle with sugar and bake in a hot oven 12 to 15 minutes.
Lamingtons
1/2 lb butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon butter in 1/4 cup
boiling water
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons cornflour
Mix butter and sugar.
Add eggs one at a time, the flour and lastly boiling water.
Delicious Pancakes
3 eggs
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 large cup milk
3 teaspoons butter
pinch salt
Separate yolks from whites.
Beat yolks with dessertspoon cold water.
Slightly warm milk and butter.
Add flour to egg yolks a tablespoon at a time and between each tablespoon add some of the
warmed milk and butter.
When all is added, stand aside till wanted.
This can stand all day if one likes to get it ready in the morning.
Just before cooking add the well beaten egg whites.
Bran Biscuits
1 1/2 cup flour rubbed in 1/2
cup butter
add 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 scant cub bran
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
add 1 beaten egg
and lastly 1 teaspoon soda dissolved in 1/4 cup milk.
Roll out thinly and cut.
Bake moderate oven 10-15 minutes.
Raspberry Slice
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
yolk of 3 eggs
1 cup SR flour
Mix together and press in dish - not too thick.
Whip whites of 3 eggs and add 2 dessertspoons of sugar and 2 dessertspoons of coconut.
Spread with raspberry jam and pour whites of eggs, sugar and coconut on top and bake nice and brown.
Uncle Toby's Biscuits
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 dessertspoon treacle
1 teaspoon bicarb of soda
Mix rolled oats, flour and sugar, and butter and treacle (melted).
Add 1 teaspoon bicarb of soda, dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water.
Bake slow oven for 1/2 hour.
Coconut Fingers
4 ozs butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup SR flour
1 egg
pinch of salt
raspberry or apricot jam
Topping
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 coconut
Soften butter a little, cream with sugar, add egg and beat again.
Sift in flour till all is absorbed.
Spread on a greased lamington tin, spread with jam.
To make topping, beat egg, add sugar gradually.
Add coconut and spread on jam.
Bake in moderate oven for about 20-30 minutes.
Cut in fingers and cool in tin.
Cakes
Rich Fruit Cake (very good)
1 lb butter
1/2 lb brown sugar
1/2 lb caster sugar
9 eggs
1.5 cups whisky, sherry or milk
1 1/4 lb flour
1 level teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon treacle
2 teaspoons mixed spice
OR 1 teaspoon nutmeg and
1 teaspoon spice and ginger
2 lbs raisins
1 lb sultanas
1/2 lb currants
1/2 lb cherries
1/2 lb mixed peel
1/2 lb almonds
4 oz dates
4 oz figs
Caramel colouring is desired.
Cream butter and Sugar.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add whisky/sherry and half prepared fruit, soda. and spice.
Then add remainder or fruit and flour.
Darken with caramel.
Put in well greased and papered tins, hollow centre of moisture and cook in a very slow oven.
Using 12' tin bake 5.5 hrs
2 * 8" tins bake 3.5 hrs
4 * 5" tins bake 2.25 hrs
Xmas Cake Mrs Metcalfe
1 lb butter
1 teaspoon BP
1 lb currants
1/4 lb lemon peel
1/4 lb dates
2 oz cherries
1 doz eggs
1 lb sugar
1 1/4 lbs flour
1 lb sultanas
1/4 mixed nuts
1/2 lb chopped muscatels (?)
1 tablespoon vanilla
Beat butter and sugar, add eggs well beaten then flour and BP vanilla and lastly fruit.
Line cake tin with well greased paper and bake in slow oven 5 hrs.
Prepare all fruit day before.
Egyptian Cake
3 tablespoons suet butter
1 cup plain floor
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon jam
1 cup dates
1 tablespoon spice
1 small cup of milk
1 tablespoon carb soda
Mix butter into flour and sugar.
Add dates and spice then jam.
Moisten with milk.
Heat well.
Boil 2.5 - 3 hours.
Coffee Cake (Mrs AKV Blacket)
1/4 lb butter
1/4 lb sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon coffee essence
5 ozs flour
1 small teaspoon caking powder
Mix
Coffee Cake (Mrs AKV Blacket)
1 tablespoon coffee essence
2 tablespoons milk
6 oz flour
1/4 lb butter
1/41b sugar
2 eggs
1 small teaspoon caking
powder
Mix
Caraway Cake
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar with flour
1 teaspoon soda dissolved in milk
4 eggs
2 tablespoons seeds
Butter Cake
1/4 lb self raising flour
1/4 lb butter
1/4 lb sugar
3 eggs
Cream butter.
Add flour and beat 10 minutes.
Beat yokes and sugar for 10 minutes.
Add to flour and butter.
Fold in beaten whites.
Bake 35 minutes.
Orange Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
10 ozs butter
1 orange
3 eggs
Beat sugar and butter to cream.
Add 2 eggs one at a time. beat well.
Then add half flour, heating well all the time.
Add grated rind of orange and half the juice then put in remainder of flour and add the third egg.
Bake 1 hour or longer in moderate oven.
Icing for Orange Cake
6 oz icing sugar
1 remainder of Orange
Chocolate Cake (Jean)
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon soda
3 teaspoons cocoa
3/4 cups boiling water
1 ozs butter
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Whip eggs well.
Add sugar then flour.
Put butter and cocoa in pan.
Add boiling water then soda and add to cake last.
Put cream or tartar in flour.
Cook 1/4 hour in fairly hot oven.
Tennis Cakes
4 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
6 eggs
1 cup melted butter
2 cups milk
Mix dry ingredients, beat eggs.
Slightly mix milk, butter last.
Jean Bootie's Whipped Cream Cake - 6.1.43
1 cup whipping cream
2 eggs beaten until think and lemon coloured
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Whip cream until it holds shape.
Add eggs and whip until light as foam.
Add sugar and beat again.
Add vanilla.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder together 3 times and add to egg mixture.
Bake in greased layer cake pans in moderate oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
Make 2 (8") layers.
Cool and spread seven minute icing or whipped cream icing.
Cocoa Cake
2 ozs butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 dessertspoon cocoa
1 1/2 cups SR flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon bicarb of soda dissolved in dessertspoon boiling water
Beat butter and sugar, lastly soda.
Xmas Cake
1/2 lb sultanas
6 eggs
1/2 lb raisins
2 oz almonds
1/2 lbs sugar
10 ozs flour
1/2 lb currants
2 ozs dates or figs
1/4 Ib peel
gill brandy
1/2 lb butter
1 teaspoon caramel.
Chocolate Cake
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups SR flour
1 small cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Walnut Cake - Elsie R
2 tablespoons butter
1 small cup sugar
a level cup flour
1/4 lb walnuts
1 tablespoon cocoa
4 eggs
a teaspoon baking powder
vanilla
Beat butter and sugar, add eggs 1 at a time and beat till it looks light.
Sift in flour and add cocoa and walnuts.
If too stiff add a little milk, beat thoroughly for 5 minutes then add 1 teaspoon baking powder and also vanilla.
Bake 15 minutes.
Potato Cake
6 ozs flour
4 ozs potatoes
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ozs margarine
6 ozs sugar
1 1/2 ozs cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons water
Cream butter and sugar, add sieved mashed potatoes, sift in flour, salt, baking powder, salt and cocoa and sufficient water to mix to still paste.
Put into buttered and floured tin.
Bake in cool oven for 2 hours.
Let shrink a minute.
Cold fill with jam or cream.
Rainbow Cake
2 cups flour
1/2 lb butter
1/2 pint milk
12 ozs sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
Beat butter and sugar to a light cream.
Add eggs one at a time and beat well then add milk and flour and baking powder before mixing in the milk.
Now divide the mixture into three parts leaving one yellow and one pink and the other the add two large teaspoons of cocoa dissolved in about two tablespoons of boiling water.
To this last mixture add a level dessertspoon of flour flavoured with vanilla and bake from 15-
20 minutes.
The Hall Speciality
1 cup sugar
1 bit less than 1/2 lb margarine
about 1 lb mixed fruit
1 cup water
Boil up for about 3 minutes.
When cool or cold add 1 cup SR flour and 1 cup plain flour and 2 well beaten eggs and spice or nutmeg or sherry or anything you like and cook on low gas for about 1 1/2 hours.
Rolls and Loafs
Nut Loaf
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Soak nuts in milk 1 hour.
Add sugar and egg well beaten.
Add flour last. Cook in moderate oven
Nut or Date Roll
4 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup dates/nuts
2 large tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups milk
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.
Mix butter into flour.
Add dates/nuts and sugar.
Mix with eggs beaten in the milk.
Bake in moderate oven for .5 hour.
Date Loaf
1 lb dates sprinkled with 1 teaspoon soda.
Dissolve 1 tablespoon butter in 1 cup boiling water, mix with dates.
Add 1 cup sugar, 1 beaten egg, 2 cups flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder.
Cinnamon Roll
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 teaspoons baking
powder
1 cup milk
salt
Cream butter and sugar, add egg, milk, flour etc.
Bake in tins for 1/2 hour.
Puddings
Baked Lemon Pudding
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
juice and grated rind of a
lemon
1 cup milk
2 eggs
Cream butter and sugar.
Add flour, lemon juice and rind, then milk and well beaten yolks of the eggs and beat all together well.
Beat the whites stiffly, fold into the mixture, pour into a pie dish and set it in a dish of water in the oven and bake slowly for about 1 hour.
Moonshine Pudding
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 oranges
1 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
white of 1 egg
Boil water and sugar together.
Mix cornflour to a paste with juice of orange and add to sugar and water.
Cook for about 8 minutes and when cool add stiffly-beaten egg white.
Serve with cream or custard.
Sponges and Sandwiches
Sponge Sandwich
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 dessertspoon butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons boiling water
vanilla essence
Beat eggs and sugar for 20 minutes, add flour, baking powder.
Dissolve butter in boiling water, vanilla.
Bake from 15 to 20 minutes.
Walnut Sandwich P.K.D.
3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 heaped teaspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
a little milk
Beat butter and sugar, add milk, walnuts, flour and baking powder.
Bake 15 minutes.
Chocolate Sandwich
1/4 lb butter
2 eggs
1 tablespoon cocoa
1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 lb self raising flour
4 teaspoons milk
salt
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one by one, then sifted flour and cocoa.
Add milk.
Bake 15 minutes.
Ginger Cream Sponge
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon boiling water
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon spice
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup syrup
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one by one and beat well.
Then add syrup dissolved in milk, flour, dry ingredients, then soda dissolved in boiling water.
Cook for 20 minutes in a moderate oven.
Sweets
Lemon Cream Fluff
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
2 lemons
4 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
Warm the milk and pour breadcrumbs in a pie dish.
Allow to soak for a few minutes.
Add grated lemon rind and juice of lemons, . sugar and yolks of eggs.
Mix together then add the stiffly beaten whites and bake in a dish of water until lightly set.
Serve with custard.
It is a delicious summer sweet when chilled.
Caramel Icing
2 cups brown sugar
4 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter
Do not stir after butter has melted.
Boil exactly for 7 minutes.
Beat till creamy and add vanilla to taste.
Chocolate Sauce (Dorothy Cale)
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
pinch of salt
Mix then boil 5 mins.
When cool add a teaspoon vanilla (or more).
If to be used hot on ice cream add 1/2 teaspoon butter.
Place in a covered jar or a container - this mixture will keep for weeks in an ice chest.
Pastry (Mrs Cate)
6 tablespoons self raising flour
2 tablespoons icing sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 egg
pinch salt
Mix dry ingredients and mix butter with them.
Roll thin.
Batter
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons self raising flour
1 egg (well beaten)
.25 cup milk
Pour over fruit
Sponge
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn flour and fill rest of cup up with flour
1 cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoons soda
1 dessertspoon butter dissolved in 3/4 cup boiling milk.
Beat 1/4 hour.
Add flour etc.
Filling for Neenish Tarts (loose) (Judy Matthews)
2 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons condensed milk
1 tablespoon rum or sherry
Beat all together
Mock Filling
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon butter
white of 1 egg
Beat butter and sugar to a cream.
White of egg well beaten then beat altogether.
Condiments
Chutney April 1924
12 large tomatoes 4.5 lbs
4 large onions 1 lb
3 cups sugar
level tablespoons turmeric, mustard and curry powder, cayenne
1 handful salt
3 tablespoons flour
1 lb dates, sultanas or raisins (sultanas best)
Cover with vinegar and boil until cooked. Mix.
Potted Steak (Mrs Wonalson March 1925
1 lb steak
2 tablespoons anchovy sauce
1/4 lb butter
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoons mace
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
Steam 6 hours
Tomato Sauce - Myrtle
20 lbs green tomatoes
2 lbs onions
2 cups garlic
1/2 cup pepper corns
1/2 cup whole spice
1/2 cup cloves
and a little mace
about 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Boil together for 2 hours.
Strain and add 2 lbs sugar, 1/2 lb salt, 2 pts vinegar
Boil for 1 hour.
Tomato Chutney - Mrs Rogers
3 lbs green tomatoes
4 large onions
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon each of mustard, turmeric, curry powder
4 tablespoons flour
1 handful salt
1 lb dates, raisins or sultanas.
Cover with vinegar and boil till well cooked.
Thicken with powders and flour mixed with vinegar and cook a little longer.
Cauliflower Pickle
3 lbs cauliflower
2 lbs onions (or other vegetables)
2 tablespoons mustard
and
2 qts vinegar
3/4 cup flour
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon turmeric
or
6 cups vinegar and 2 water
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon curry powder
Leave in brine overnight (4 qts water Ipt salt).
Bring to boil and strain (boil 5 minutes).
Cover with vinegar, cook and thicken with powders.
(This recipe, is repeated. with variations in a number of places.
A variation of the recipe, in her sister's handwriting, suggests that slightly more
flour and less mustard should be used and that the sugar should be added at the very end of the process. It also notes that tomatoes can be substituted for cauliflowers. Another version recommends adding beans, cumber (cucumber?), red and green capsicums to the mix.)
Tomato Sauce (dated 23.2.67)
12 lb tomato (red make best colour)
1 lb onion
2 oz garlic sliced
3 teaspoons cloves
3 teaspoons peppercorns
2 . teaspoons whole spice (pimento)
Boil all for about 1.5 hours.
After boiling it needs stirring!
Strain through colander.
Put into pan with:
1 1/4 lb sugar
3 oz salt
14 oz vinegar
1 teaspoon mace
and a small amount of cayenne pepper (a pinch on end of teaspoon)
Boil all again about 1 1/4 to 11/2 hours.
(This is Aunty Vie's best guarded recipe. Take care not to neglect the mace and cayenne which were her secret ingredients. Today you might be tempted to reduce the salt and add a handful of small dried red chillies and a clove of fresh ginger to turn the base into a pleasantly warm chilli sauce.
Substituting green for red tomatoes gives you a sweet sauce.
Substituting plums for the tomatoes makes a warm rich sauce.)
Boiled Salad Dressing (Mrs Metcaffe)
1 egg
3 tablespoons sugar
1 heaped tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup vinegar
1 dessertspoon butter
Mix egg, sugar, flour, mustard, butter, cayenne pepper and salt then add milk then vinegar.
Put on fire and stir till thickened but do not boil.
Salad Dressing (will keep 6 months)
4 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons mustard
1/4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 pint thin cream or milk
2 eggs
2 oz butter
1/2 pint vinegar or lemon juice
Mix salt,mustard and sugar together.
Add cream and beaten eggs.
Cook like custard sauce (in jar placed in boiling water stirring all the time).
When custard thickens, add butter.
Cool and when lukewarm stir vinegar in gradually.
Bottle for use.
Notes
The recipes were kept in a series of books and loose pages
which are now yellowed with use and age or stained with oil.
The first book is a Walker's "Thumb Index" Book. Over the
years, many of the interior pages have come loose as the spine
has fallen apart. The front cover is entitled "Recipe Index".
There are some indecipherable marks on the cover. On the
converse of the front cover is the single entry "B Bootle
25.12.28". On the first page are the following entries:
Mrs VRG BootIe
'Carinya'
Narromine
L Robertson
C.
23 462936
Sept
21st 34
On the converse of the back but one page are the following
entries:
Mary Bootle } In pen
St Chatherines' }
Miss Mary Bootle
Mrs Jean Bootle
Mr William BootIe
Mr Robert BootIe
Mrs Beth Quinton
Mrs Dora McKinnon
The later entries are in pencil.
The second book is in far better condition. It is in fairly good
condition having retained all of its pages. It is a "Shell"
exercise book ('for use in all schools'). The front page is
entitled J Bootle, Recipes. On the back page are a series of
arithmetic tables including sterling money tables, troy,
apothecaries', avoirdupois, and hay and straw weights.
Measures are given for lineal, cloth,' cubic, imperial heaped,
imperial dry and square measure (a copy of this page is
included for general reference). On the converse of the front
cover is the single entry "Rich Fruit Cake C.V.E. Page 6". On
the converse of the back cover is the
entry:
Great Heart
The Smuggler
Red
Unpainted
This book is organised into a number of different sections:
Biscuits
Cakes
Chutney and Sauces
Puddings
Clippings from newspapers and magazines
There is a loose coupon inside (worth 2 coupons) which
promises that presentation of sixty coupons to the Sydney
Flour Company (1 Glebe Road, GLEBE) will result in a
Handsome Gift.
The remainder of the material is contained on a number of
pages of different sizes. Some come obviously from the one
book. Others are copied onto envelopes, waxed paper and
'writing pads.
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