Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1182230
quarts of sweet cider, one pint of boiled cider, one tablespoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of pepper, one tablespoonful of mace, one tablespoonful of all- spice and four tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, two grated nutmegs, one table- spoonful of cloves; mix thoroughly and warm it on the range until heated through. Remove from the fire and when nearly cool, stir in a pint of good brandy and one pint of Madeira wine. Put into a crock, cover it tightly and set it in a cold place where it will not freeze, but keep perfectly cold. Will keep good all winter. Chef de Cuisine, Astor House, N.Y. Every recipe reads like a novel, and its dialogue, often with some sarcasm thrown into the mix, guides you through the cooking process. Among all the many fascinating recipes is a daily menu for the entire year, ending in how to prepare a buffet for 1,000 peo- ple and even a guideline on the treatment of guests. This book is valued between $50-225, depending upon condition, and was the most successful cook- book of its time. Dear to my heart is Je Sais Cuisiner, copyright 1932. It's all in French and I have no idea what it is saying, but everything looks better in this romantic language. It is worn and stained and was very much cooked from, and I understand that it states inside that "the Vanilla Souffle did exactly as told." Sounds just like what a French chef would say. Another wonderful find is La Bonne Cuisine, copyright 1929, purchased only for its 1920s flapper era cover. Again, all in French, but who cares. The fourth most coveted cookbook from my collection is Joe Tilden's Recipes for Epicures, copyright 1907. Back in the early 1900s, Major Joseph Tilden was one of the most famous Bohemians and epicureans on the Pacific Coast. Upon his death, friends had been trying to learn his culinary secrets. One of the most favored of his companions gave the complete col- lection of his recipes for publi- cation which resulted in this small but rare book of extraor- dinary dishes. His recipes for Sweetbreads with Mush- rooms, Pheasant a la Savarin, and Salmi of Duck with Olives boast of his celebration of food. It is valued at $85-125. At Thanksgiving, the joy of eating starts with the long hours spent cooking old family recipes. It's what the holidays are all about. I always make my mom's sausage stuffing, only with a new twist using corn- bread. My piecrust is my sis- ter's, and the sweet yams soaked in dark rum and mud- dled peaches is a recipe bor- rowed from a favorite aunt. The power of the fork has endured along with music, histor y and language. And while we may think that there is a collapse in home cooking, we are reminded by the dis- covery of these wonderful old cookbooks of the many hours spent by a home cook gone desperately mad in preparing things cooks love, for the people they adored. Marjorie Snow is a published writer and photographer with a vast knowl- edge of antiques and their history. Snow was the owner of Terra Cotta in Las Vegas, an exclusive architectural vintage gallery, which has been featured in numerous West Coast magazines. C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 9 89 French and charming cookbooks from the 1920s-1932, La Bonne Cuisine and Je Sais Cuisiner, and Joe Tilden's rare 1907 Recipes for Epicures.