American Plate - Bite #5: American Bison

Most American kids learn about the noble bison/buffalo in their first history classes. Inevitably, they learn about how invaluable a resource they were to Native Americans. The massive beasts generally topped out at 700-2000 pounds, and every part of them was utilized by early native tribes. A species that once dominated the landscape was killed to near extinction, but what those kids in history class might not be learning is that this population crash was not entirely due to over-hunting.

Bison caught diseases from cattle, they were dispatched to make way for incoming railroads, and worst of all, a government policy directing the slaughter of bison in order to force desperate Native Americans onto reservations all contributed to their near disappearance.

Fortunately, we still have bison, not only for a diversity of species, but because they're still a damn fine food source. It's more nutritious than domestic animals such as pigs, cows, and chickens; it's got higher vitamin content, is lower in calories and cholesterol, and their fat does not marble their meat. 

Dried buffalo meat can be incorporated with nuts and berries into pemmican, a sort of early version of a Clif bar. Without access to the warm buffalo fat needed to make that, I had to rely on ground bison meat. At home, I made it into meatballs to serve on pasta, while out at restaurants, bison burgers are a popular choice.

They were both very good, which did not come as a surprise. Bison is easy to overcook, but if you can avoid that, and season it properly, it can be a highly satisfying star of any meat dish.

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American Plate - Bite #29: Tea and Coffee

By modern standards, tea is the hot drink of choice for England, China, and many other countries, while America favors coffee. Such was not always the way. As colonists, Americans enjoyed tea just as much as their mother country. Drinking it was not only done to satisfy thirst; the ritual of preparing and serving tea was just as important as the consumption of it.

Then a little thing called The Boston Tea Party happened. Perhaps you've heard of it? At the time (1773), coffee was not an unheard of drink in the colonies. As of the early 1700s, it was already the preferred breakfast drink. The American Revolution came as a heavy blow to tea's reputation. Drinking it was akin to supporting the redcoats, and coffee's popularity surged. Just as now, its use as an energy booster gave it a leg up.

Tea regained some of its clout after the war, but it was another war that would make coffee the dominant hot drink in American mugs. When Union soldiers came home from the Civil War, they were used to having coffee as part of their standard battlefield rations, and saw no reason to stop. Coffee's popularity proliferated from there, and today, it accounts for 83% of all hot beverages consumed in the United States.

I am certainly contributing to that large percentage. Every workday is kicked off with a mug of coffee, with one or two more throughout the day. I can get pretty irritable without it. I also tend to order it when having breakfast out at a diner or restaurant. That doesn't mean there isn't a place for tea in my heart, too. Hot tea hits the spot when the mood strikes, or if I'm not feeling particularly well. I'm not a huge iced tea drinker, but once in a while, I'll indulge. And then, of course, there's dinner or dim sum at Chinese restaurants, which would feel incomplete without a pot of hot tea on the table.

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American Cake - Cake #21: Mary's Cherry Upside-Down Cake

Time Period: 1946 - 1962

The entry for this cake is a little strange. It details a short history of Mary Drabik, a woman who had to make every penny count, so she grabbed every free sour cherry she could from her sister's trees, and made all sorts of things out of them, including this cake, which won first prize at the Minnesota State Fair in 2014. Why is some random lady's recipe included in a book meant to be a holistic representation of the country's cake history? Unclear. I suppose I could see an argument for it, since cherries are so popular nationally, and heirloom recipes are important when describing the evolution of American cake over time.

Here's another fun fact: I hate cherries and anything cherry-flavored. Still, a deal is a deal, and I agreed to bake every cake in this book. I used the opportunity of a Memorial Day BBQ to bake it for a potluck, and foisted it off on friends instead of eating any myself. I'm told it turned out very tasty, and will take their word for it!

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American Cake - Cake #20: George Washington Carver's Peanut Cake

Time Period: 1917-1945

George Washington Carver is synonymous with peanuts, and I need only the barest of excuses to put peanuts or peanut butter into a dessert. Carver is justifiably hailed for elevating the peanut to hero status, demonstrating how they could revive soil, and be used to make oil, soap, medicine, insecticide, coffee, cookies, candy, and cake. He not only improved the Southern economy, but the health and diet of struggling black families. 

 

I decided to make this one for Tiddy's birthday, and it's got quite the ingredient list. 2 sticks of butter! A full 2 cups of molasses! Half a jar of peanuts! It made so much batter, I was concerned that the mixer would overflow. It turned out pretty well; the molasses and spices make it reminiscent of gingerbread, but being packed with peanuts gives it a much earthier flavor that improved over time. It won't top the list of favorites from this project, but I could easily see myself making it again, and there are certainly worse ways to honor an American hero.

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American Cake - Cake #19: New Orleans King Cake

 Time Period: 1650-1799

During the earliest days of the United States becoming a country, plenty was going on outside those thirteen original colonies. Over in Louisiana, French, Spanish, Basque, and Haitian influences were blending into a melting pot of their own, and introduced countless culinary wonders we still enjoy. The King Cake is heavily associated with Mardis Gras, and since we can't do anything in public thanks to an ongoing pandemic, I decided to try and save some portion of the holiday by taking on the book's most complicated recipe so far.

King Cakes can take different forms, but the first one was brought to North America by Basque settlers in 1718, and was a cinnamon-swirled brioche-style cake, rather than more modern ones made with puff pastry dough. Since we're trying to honor the cake's roots here, this recipe honors that earlier preparation, using bread flour and yeast. 

I could have just sprinkled powered sugar on top, but wanted to fully embrace the holiday by preparing an almond-tinged glaze with the traditional Mardis Gras colors. So how did it turn out? Considering it was my first try, and preparing the dough took some complex measuring and temperamental proving, not bad! It was time-consuming enough that I don't know how often I'll be rushing to make another one, but for being stuck at home during a bitterly cold winter weekend, it certainly earned some beads.

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American Cake - Cake #18: Ocracoke Fig Cake

Time Period: 1980-1999

I wasn't aware there was a place in America that figs proliferate, but you learn something new every day. Ocracoke Island lies off the coast of North Carolina, and holds an annual fig festival to celebrate their local export. Apparently, the weather conditions there make figs very happy, but once they're harvested, they don't keep well, so they've got to be eaten or preserved quickly. So, when I was looking for a recipe to make for Christmas, I decided to veer away from a traditional fruitcake, but still wanted something seasonal. A cake that incorporated fig preserves sounded perfect, and I decided to whip up a batch of my family's lemon curd to accompany it.

Happily, everything came together. The cake is not a complex one; toasting and chopping the pecans was the most time-consuming step, and even that is quick if you've got a food processor. The final product is quite tasty, though adding whipped cream or the aforementioned lemon curd is highly recommended for a burst of extra texture and flavor. It was a very nice finale to our holiday meal, and we're still snacking on it a couple of days later.

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American Cake - Cake #17: Cowboy Cake

 Time Period: 1800-1869

Americans have always been a people on the move, so in order to satisfy their cravings for sweets, recipes were developed that didn't require a lot of the equipment or ingredients necessary for a lot of traditional cakes. 

Cowboy Cake is a perfect example: It's baked in a Dutch oven, and doesn't use eggs, butter, or milk. Pioneers and prospectors could simply stir together some flour, sugar, spices, fruit, and water, set it on the fire, and voila. Dessert is served.

I took the book's suggestion, and replaced the raisins in the recipe with dried apricots and peaches. The fruit was simmered in water, and shortening was then dissolved in the infused liquid. Once you stir in the dry ingredients, you've got a batter. Then I made the syrup with additional water, shortening, and sugar, and poured it over the top. Then simply bake until done.

It's a pretty tasty cake, and if I hadn't stupidly burned myself on the syrup, would have been a fairly simple preparation as well. We always think that cowboys were limited to things like trail mix and beef jerky, but as it turns out, they could turn out a cake worthy of anything available back in the urban jungle.

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