Random Cherished Recipes From History's Most Famous Figures (15 items)

• 

  (#1) Rosa Parks

  • Dec. at 92 (1913-2005)

  Rosa Parks spent her entire life fighting for justice. She was the recipient of dozens of honorary doctorates and humanitarian awards, remaining a powerful speaker and advocate for civil rights until she passed in 2005. In the midst of all her work, Parks apparently took time to cook - even jotting down a recipe for "Featherlite" peanut butter pancakes on the back of a shipping envelope. 

  Rosa Parks's Featherlite Pancakes

  1 cup all-purpose flour
  2 tablespoon baking powder
  ½ teaspoon salt
  2 tablespoon sugar
  1 egg
  1¼ cups whole milk
  ⅓ cup peanut butter
  1 tablespoon shortening, melted, or any neutral oil, like canola

  As for the recipe itself, Parks only writes, "Combine with dry ingredients; cook at 275° on griddle."
• 

  (#2) Emily Dickinson

  • Dec. at 56 (1830-1886)

  From The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, XLV:

  Undue significance a starving man attaches
  To food
  Far off; he sighs, and therefore hopeless,
  And therefore good. 

  While Dickinson was perhaps at her most opaque when she wrote about food, her personal recipes are light and quite easy to digest. Dickinson's coconut cake was developed in the same Amherst house where she spent most of her life. The cake is simple and sweet with a pleasant layering of coconut.

  Emily Dickinson's Coconut Cake

  1 cup coconut
  2 cups flour
  1 cup sugar
  ½ cup butter
  ½ cup milk
  2 eggs
  ½ teaspoon baking soda
  1 teaspoon cream of tartar

  Though Dickinson left no instructions for how to prepare the cake, you can find a 21st-century approximation of the recipe on NPR.
• 

  (#3) Al Capone

  • Dec. at 48 (1899-1947)

  Fine dining may not be the first thing that comes to mind when imagining the life of the legendary Al Capone. In 2010, multiple companies were selling Al Capone's "secret" spaghetti sauce, eventually causing the Capone family to become legally involved.

  It's unclear which, if any, of Capone's secret sauce recipes were truly written by the notorious figure, but this dish does have some of the Old-World charm and New-World boldness of Capone himself.

  Al Capone's Secret Spaghetti Recipe

  2 tsp. salt
  1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  1 cup parsley leaves
  ¾ cup walnut pieces
  2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  1 lb. fresh or dried spaghetti
  2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  Salt and freshly ground pepper
  ½ cup chopped or sliced tomato for garnish

  In a large pot, bring four quarts of water to a boil. Add the salt and vegetable oil. Add the spaghetti slowly, allowing the water to boil continuously. Cook until the noodles are tender, about 10 minutes. Chop and blend the garlic, walnuts, and parsley, then pour all of the olive oil slowly into the mixture. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese and blend again.

  Twist a mound of spaghetti on each plate. The sauce should be ladled in the middle of the plate, moist enough to coat the spaghetti when tossed for presentation tableside. Sprinkle each dish with the additional Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and diced tomato.
• 

  (#4) Francis Drake

  Legend has it that when Sir Francis Drake's crew were laid up with illness near Havana, Drake concocted an unusual beverage to boost their spirits. That beverage then became known as El Draque before eventually being dubbed the modern mojito.

  Though there is some doubt Drake was personally responsible for the drink (some say it was invented by his cousin, others by native Cubans), the name "El Draque" is a longstanding part of culinary folklore.

  Sir Francis Drake's Mojito

  1 lime
  2 ounce white rum
  6 mint leaves
  2 tsp. sugar

  Mix ingredients together in a cup.
• 

  (#5) Agatha Christie

  • Dec. at 86 (1890-1976)

  It's hard to imagine a more English dish than mystery author Agatha Christie's scone and cream mix. Christie loved her clotted cream made the old-fashioned way, "scalded and taken off the milk in layers." While later in life, she would have her butler cook for her, there is little doubt that she made these scones and cream herself, the passionate foodie that she was.

  Agatha Christie's Fig And Orange Scones With Devonshire Cream

  1 large egg
  ½ cup buttermilk
  1 tablespoon grated orange zest
  2 cups all-purpose flour
  ¼ cup sugar
  1½ teaspoons baking powder
  ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  ½ teaspoon salt
  ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
  1 cup fresh figs, chopped into half-inch pieces

  Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, and orange zest.

  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, and salt. Cut butter into flour with a pastry blender or rub together with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add chopped figs and toss lightly until spread throughout. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir until the mixture clumps together, being careful not to overmix.

  On a floured countertop, gather mixture into a ball and knead once or twice to combine. Pat into a half-inch-thick circle. Cut into eight slices, like a pie, or into circles using a biscuit cutter. Place on lined baking sheet.

  Bake 13 to 15 minutes until lightly browned. Remove to cooling rack, and eat warm with an “enormous amount” of cream.
• 

  (#6) Jimmy Carter

  • 94

  Whatever your opinion of his politics, Jimmy Carter is not a flashy individual. The former US president's career after his time serving as the head of state is marked with the same kind of down-to-earth simplicity that he's displayed his entire life, especially when it comes to his cooking. 

  Jimmy Carter's Plains special cheese ring - named for the town of Plains, GA, Carter's birthplace - is a tasty treat that couldn't be easier to throw together for a casual gathering.

  Jimmy Carter's Plains Special Cheese Ring

  1 lb. grated sharp cheese
  1 cup finely chopped nuts
  1 cup mayonnaise
  1 small finely grated onion
  Black pepper
  Dash of cayenne

  Mix all of the ingredients, then mold with your hands into the desired shape. Place in the refrigerator until chilled.
• 

  (#7) Ernest Hemingway

  • Dec. at 62 (1899-1961)

  Ernest Hemingway was a master of simplicity. His prose is sparing and evocative, dealing with themes of masculinity, repression, and resilience. It would be logical to assume his hamburger recipe would reflect his spartan aesthetic. This is not the case, however, as it turns out Hemingway's burger recipe is as complicated as he is. 

  Ernest Hemingway's Favorite Burger

  1 lb. ground lean beef
  2 cloves, minced garlic
  2 little green onions, finely chopped
  1 heaping teaspoon, India relish
  2 tablespoons, capers
  1 heaping teaspoon, Spice Islands sage
  ½ teaspoon Spice Islands Beau Monde Seasoning
  ½ teaspoon Spice Islands Mei Yen Powder
  1 egg, beaten in a cup with a fork
  About ⅓ cup dry red or white wine
  1 tablespoon cooking oil

  Break up the meat with a fork and scatter the garlic, onion, and dry seasonings over it, then mix them into the meat with a fork or your fingers. Let the bowl of meat sit out of the icebox for 10 or 15 minutes while you set the table and make the salad.

  Add the relish, capers, everything else, including wine, and let the meat sit, quietly marinating for another 10 minutes if possible. Now make your fat, juicy patties with your hands. The patties should be an inch thick and soft in texture, but not runny.

  Have the oil in your frying pan hot but not smoking when you drop in the patties, and then turn the heat down and fry the burgers about four minutes. Take the pan off the burner and turn the heat high again.

  Flip the burgers over, put the pan back on the hot fire, then after one minute, turn the heat down again and cook another three minutes. Both sides of the burgers should be crispy brown, and the middle pink and juicy.
• 

  (#8) Julia Child

  • Dec. at 92 (1912-2004)

  There are hundreds of Julia Child's recipes floating around online. Most of those recipes were written for cookbooks, and there are a few that we know she used herself. Child's handwritten pain de mie recipe proves she did occasionally cook her world-famous dishes in her own kitchen. 

  Julia Child's Pain de Mie

  ½ cup milk
  ½ stick butter, sliced
  1 cup cold milk
  2 tsp. salt
  ½ tsp. sugar
  ½ cup starter
  3½ cups flour
  2 tsp. yeast

  Child's notes do not include the full recipe, but an adaptation of the preparation can be found on the blog From Fancy to Finger Food.
• 

  (#9) Thomas Jefferson

  • Dec. at 83 (1743-1826)

  Thomas Jefferson was an inventor, a man of science, and an architect, as well as a writer, politician, and diplomat. One of his easily forgotten achievements is the creation of the first-known ice cream recipe by an American.

  Thomas Jefferson's Ice Cream

  2 bottles of good cream
  6 yolks of eggs
  ½ lb. sugar

  Mix the yolks and sugar. Put the cream on a fire in a casserole... When near boiling, take it off and pour it gently into the mixture of eggs and 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 through a towel. Put it in the Sabottiere (an early ice cream maker). 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 cover lid of the Sabottiere and cover the whole thing 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 Sabottiere. Shut it and replace it in the ice. 

  Open it from time to time to detach the ice from the sides. When well taken, stir it well with the spatula. Put it in molds, justling it well down on the knee. Then put the mold into the same bucket of ice. Leave it there to the moment of serving it.

  To withdraw it, immerse the mold in warm water, turning it well until it will come out and turn it into a plate.

  For a simpler, more modern version adapted by historian Marie Kimball, check Monticello.org.
• 

  (#10) Nancy Reagan

  • 97

  When Ronald Reagan ran for president, the Reagans portrayed themselves as the classic American family. Nancy Reagan assumed the role of homemaker-in-chief. While the White House chefs did most of the cooking, Nancy was more than capable of throwing together some truly impressive dishes.

  Guests at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the '80s might have been treated to this decadent, Southern-influenced dessert.

  Nancy Reagan's Persimmon Pudding

  ½ cup melted butter
  1 cup sugar
  1 cup flour, sifted
  ¼ tsp. salt
  1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  1 cup persimmon pulp (3 to 4 chopped nuts (optional), ripe ones)
  2 tsp. baking soda
  2 tsp. warm water
  3 tbsp. brandy
  1 tsp. vanilla
  2 eggs, slightly beaten
  1 cup seedless raisins

  Stir together the melted butter and sugar. Resift the flour with salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then add to the butter and sugar mixture. Add the persimmon pulp, solids dissolve in warm water, brandy, and vanilla.

  Add the eggs, mixing thoroughly but lightly. Add the raisins and nuts. Put this in a buttered, steam-type covered mold and steam two and a half hours. Flame at the table with brandy.

  For instructions on how to make the cream sauce and monkey bread, check out Esquire.
• 

  (#11) George Orwell

  • Dec. at 47 (1903-1950)

  In 1945, the same year he published Animal Farm, visionary satirist George Orwell wrote an essay on the state of British cuisine called "British Cookery." Orwell laments the design of food preparation in England saying, "Cheap restaurants in Britain are almost invariably bad, while in expensive restaurants the cookery is almost always French, or imitation French."

  After his survey of the state of British cuisine, Orwell included a few of his own recipes, including this take on the classic British Christmas pudding.

  George Orwell's Christmas Pudding

  1 lb. each of currants, sultanas, and raisins
  2 ounces sweet almonds
  1 ounces sweet almonds
  1 ounces bitter almonds
  4 ounces mixed peel
  ½ lb. brown sugar
  ½ lb. flour
  ¼ lb. breadcrumbs
  ½ teaspoonful salt
  ½ teaspoonful grated nutmeg
  ¼ teaspoonful powdered cinnamon
  6 ounces suet
  The rind and juice of 1 lemon
  5 eggs
  A little milk
  ⅛ of a pint of brandy, or a little beer

  Wash the fruit. Chop the suet, then shred and chop the peel. Stone and chop the raisins, and blanch and chop the almonds. Prepare the breadcrumbs. Sift the spices and salt into the flour. Mix all the dry ingredients into a basin. Heat the eggs, mix them with the lemon juice and the other liquids.

  Add to the dry ingredients and stir well. If the mixture is too stiff, add a little more milk. Allow the mixture to stand for a few hours in a covered basin. Then mix well again and place in well-greased basins of about eight inches diameter.

  Cover with rounds of greased paper. Then tie the tops of the basins over the floured cloths if the puddings are to be boiled, or with thick greased paper if they are to be steamed. Boil or steam for five or six hours.

  On the day when the pudding is to be eaten, reheat it by steaming it for three hours. When serving, pour a large spoonful of warm brandy over it and set fire to it.
• 

  (#12) George Washington

  • Dec. at 67 (1732-1799)

  A small beer has lower alcohol content than most other beers. It was a colonial favorite partly because of its low cost. George Washington, ever a practical man, developed a recipe for small beer that could have been quite a hit at the very first Fourth of July celebration.

  George Washington's Small Beer

  1 large sifter of bran hops
  3 gallons of molasses
  1 quart of yeast

  Take a large sifter full of bran hops to your taste. Boil these three hours. Then strain out 30 gallons into a cooler, put in three gallons molasses while the beer is scalding hot, or rather drain the molasses into the cooler and strain the beer on it while boiling hot.

  Let this stand until it is little more than blood warm. Then put in a quart of yeast. If the weather is very cold, cover it over with a blanket and let it work in the cooler 24 hours. Then put it into the cask [and] leave the bung [hole] open [until] it is almost done working. Bottle it that day [or] week it was brewed.
• 

  (#13) Ezekiel

  • Dec. at 52 (621 BC-569 BC)

  There are few recipes as ancient as the Ezekiel Bread found in the Bible. This bread has been found to be such a reliable recipe throughout history that there is even a successful brand of bread that calls its baked good Ezekiel.

  Ezekiel's Bread (Taken from Ezekiel 4:9)

  Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt;
  Put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself.
  You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side.
  Weigh out [20] shekels of food to eat each day and eat it at set times.
  Also measure out a sixth of a hint of water and drink it at set times.
  Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread;
  Bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking