A highlight of the July 2005 celebration of the opening of the site’s new permanent exhibit entitled Guns, Politics and Furs: Pemaquid and the Defense of the Eastern Frontier, 1677-1761 was a buffet of sweets and punch created with recipes adapted from 17th and 18th century originals for the modern kitchen.

We have begun a series featuring them in our semi-annual newsletter because so many of our guests requested the recipes. Here, we present them all. We hope you will enjoy using them in your own homes.

Shrewsbury Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
½ c. sugar
2 egg yolks
1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
zest of 1 lemon
1/3 c. currants

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease two large baking sheets. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and beat well. Stir in the flour, salt, lemon zest and currants. Mix at medium speed until you have a fairly firm dough. For a long time, it will look like breadcrumbs, but continue mixing until it all clings together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly. Roll out to about ¼” thick. Cut into rounds with a 2-2 ½” fluted cutter and place on the baking sheets. Bake for 15-20 minutes until firm and light brown at the edges. Makes about 30 cookies.

Ginger Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. ground ginger
2 c. dark brown sugar
½ c. butter
1 large egg
1 t. baking soda
1 T. milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Mix flour, ginger and sugar together. Rub in butter. Dissolve baking soda in milk and add to the dry ingredients. Mix well by hand. Flour hands and roll mixture into small balls. Place on greased cookie sheets about 2” apart and press each ball once on top. Bake for about 30 minutes and cool on trays until firm enough to remove to cooling rack.

Cobblestones

Ingredients:

1 c. brown sugar
½ c. butter
1 egg, beaten
1½ c. sifted all-purpose flour
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
1 t. vanilla
½ c. white raisins (sultanas)

Method:

Cream together butter and sugar; add beaten egg and vanilla. Sift flour, soda and salt together. Stir this into the creamed mixture, bit by bit. Fold in white raisins. Form a heaping tablespoon and drop 3” apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes at 375ºF.

Hobnobs

Ingredients:

1 c. brown sugar
½ c. shortening or margarine
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ c. flour
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
½ c. raisins

Method:

Cream together sugar and shortening. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Mix dry ingredients together in another bowl. Add dry ingredients slowly to sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in raisins. Form into small balls and place on greased cookie sheet, 3” apart. Bake at 375ºF for 12-15 minutes.

Shropshire Cakes

Ingredients:

8 oz. butter
1 lb. flour
8 oz. sugar
¼ t. grated nutmeg
1 egg
1 t. rosewater

Method:

Rub the butter into the dry ingredients, then work in the egg and rosewater to form a very stiff dough. Cut off lumps of dough and work into ¼” thick cakes, 4” in diameter. Using a comb, mark the top surface into diamonds, cutting half-way through the cake, then use a broad skewer to prick through the center of each diamond. Transfer to baking sheets and bake for 20 min. at 350ºF. Remove from sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire rack to cool. From Madam Susanne Avery: A Plain Plaintain, p. 33

Maids of Honor

Ingredients:

½ c. butter
½ t. salt
1 t. vanilla
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1½ c. flour
2 t. baking powder
2/3 c. milk
1 recipe pie pastry
apple or currant jelly

Method:

Make yellow cake batter: Cream butter, adding to it salt and vanilla. Gradually blend in sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, measure, and sift together with baking powder. Add alternately with milk to creamed butter and egg mixture. Line muffin tins with pastry. Into each pastry cup, put 1 T. jelly. Then drop in cake batter to fill cup about ¾ full. Bake at 350ºF for about 20-25 minutes or until cake is done. Makes 12 tarts. Note: for Colonial Pemaquid celebration, mini muffin tins were used and recipe yielded 24 tarts.

Switchel

Ingredients:

1 gallon water
2 c. sugar
1 c. molasses
1 c. apple cider vinegar
1 t. ground ginger

Method:

Stir all ingredients together thoroughly and chill. An old hay-makers refreshment.