Any early American food experts out there? I need some assistance planning a menu.
My lodge has its annual "Founders' Day" coming up next month, and I have to plan and cook suitable food for three dozen-plus people. This is a special Founders' Day, since this year is the semiquincentennial (250th anniversary, for those of you who don't do Latin) of the birth of our first master (president), James Hoban, and I'd like to do something in tribute to him.
It just so happens that Mr. Hoban is an early Washington Irish-Catholic celebrity. Born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1758, then going to Dublin for architectural studies, he immigrated to the United States, first to Philadelphia about 1786, then to Charleston in 1791, then to Washington by October of the next year. What brought him to Washington? He was selected as the architect and building superintendent for the White House. Along the way, he also took over as supervising architect of the Capitol's construction, then after the War of 1812, he oversaw the restoration and reconstruction of the White House.
The lodge was founded in 1793, and Hoban stayed in Washington until his death in 1831. Nearly all the early members of the lodge were Irish and Scotsmen who were working on the White House and Capitol projects, so we've a strong Irish connection. This all gives us a broad range of menu options, with forty years of early Washington/American culinary history from which to choose.
Here's what I've got so far, with some explanation as to why I've picked it:
a common one-pot supper for Irish workers of the 1790s
Tavern Meat and Pork Pie
this recipe comes from Philadelphia, where Hoban first immigrated from Ireland
Virginia Ham with Fried Eggs
pork and ham were the predominant meat in early America
fried eggs graced the table of many dinners in the Adams and Jefferson White Houses
Cornmeal Fried Oysters
oysters from the Chesapeake Bay were cheap and commonly eaten back then
Colcannon
a traditional potato and cabbage dish from Ireland
Mushy Peas
mentioned in a 1771 Valley Forge commissary return
Bacon Spoonbread
George Washington’s favorite
Kilkenny Irish Ale
beer originally made in Hoban's county of birth
Huguenot Torte with Whipped Cream and Pecans
this apple dessert comes from Charleston, where Hoban lived before coming to Washington
Assorted Irish Whiskeys for Tasting
what would an Irish dinner be without whiskey?
Coffee
No tea. Duh!
Yes, I know that three entrées is a lot of meat, but that was the common practice back then (actually, there would have been even more!). I also thought we should do four courses (my Oxford training harping in the back of my mind! LOL), but I don't know what to fix. I'm thinking, though, that I might be able to find a cheese from County Kilkenny, and if so, we can have a cheese course or use it in some sort of amuse bouche.
Questions? Comments? Stray thoughts? Your suggestions are appreciated!
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