The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook
by Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
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Book Summary Information
Author: Colonial Williamsburg FoundationEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-03-20
ISBN: 0609602861
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Book Reviews of The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook
Book Review: Deliciously Updated for the Modern Cook with a Taste for History
Summary: 5 Stars
Living in Virginia and being a native North Carolinian means I've spent my fair share of time at Colonial Williamsburg. In recent years, I've been many times just to stroll about and enjoy a good dinner. My particular favorite is Game Pie at the King's Arms.
I picked up this cookbook there one day when I realized how much I loved the food! Like a critical reviewer said, many of these recipes may be found by ones or twos in other cookbooks (Williams Sonoma series comes to mind) but I've never seen them all together except in this book. After enjoying it thoroughly and getting compliments on the food, I bought more through Amazon to give as gifts and spread the love.
Another note on the recipes seems pertinent for the modern cook. Many of the recipes have been brought up to date in terms of ingredients and cooking methods. An example is the prevalent use of lard, woodstoves for baking and the ubiquitous use of massive quantities of salt in traditional Virginia cooking. All these have been updated to be a bit less heavy in those areas and useful for your modern stove and oven. I have several recipes from the original time period as passed down from my own Northeastern North Carolina family and have long lamented that they are just inedible or do-able with modern methods and ingredients. I can now get a taste of them from this book.
As far as content, there are a full range of recipes from Appetizers to Desserts and Beverages with everything in between. A good many of the dishes are friendly to vegetarians. And if they are choices that are good to make ahead of time or partially make ahead of time, it is generally stated for your planning ease.
I've made a good half of the recipes so far and liked almost all that I have made. After I first got the book, we decided to have a full colonial Christmas and I had a houseful of happily full folks who adored the offerings. They were also happily toasted after serving Egg Nog from the book recipe, something we now do annually, but with slightly less booze!
If I had one criticism it would be that I would like to see them narrow back down a bit in using local ingredients that are seasonal. By updating some of the recipes they mixed seasonal and local with imported or out of season ingredients. Most of this seems to be due to those ingredients no longer being raised locally or no longer harvested from our local ocean area or rivers, so it is a minor complaint.
Whether it is the candies (we love the Bourbon Balls) or the vegetables (we love the Slaw, Celery Root Slaw, Polenta with Veg and so many more) or anything in between there is much to love. I think this is a fabulous thing to bring home from your visit or just purchase here for a few dollars less and enjoy.
Cooking Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced depending on recipe.
Summary of The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook
The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern CookbookEvery year, millions of people visit Colonial Williamsburg's re-creation of eighteenth-century America for the ambience, the education, and the unparalleled experience of glimpsing our prerevolutionary past.
Williamsburg's fascinating form of time travel encompasses not only the architecture and the artisans, but all the details of our rich cultural heritage, including the food. And The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook presents that food, our nation's culinary heritage: from stews and slaws and soups to puddings and pies and pot pies--nearly 200 recipes in all. Focusing on Williamsburg's Southern roots and coastal proximity, the dishes owe their inspiration to the distant past, but their preparations have been tailored for contemporary palates--no need to run out and get some suet in which to cook your mutton over the open hearth.
Here are perennial standbys such as Brunswick Stew, Standing Rib Roast with Yorkshire Pudding, Virginia Ham with Brandied Peaches, and Cream of Peanut Soup, as well as Spoon Bread, Lemon Chess Pie, and Mulled Apple Cider. There are also unexpected twists on age-old favorites, such as Oyster Po' Boys with Tarragon Mayonnaise, Oven-Braised Gingered Pot Roast, and Carrot Pudding Spiced with Cardamom.
Just as the historic town of Colonial Williamsburg is a singular adventure in understanding our nation's history, so too this cookbook is a unique appreciation of our culinary history. In April 1772, George Washington, writing about one of the taverns in Williamsburg, noted, "Dined at Mrs. Campbells and went to the Play--then to Mrs. Campbells again" --twice in a single week. The hearty fare that George found so enticing is enjoying a profound renaissance, and The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook will enable home cooks to relive the great American culinary tradition--the ultimate in comfort food.
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