Food as Resistance

 This is a great read from CAROLYN WILKE over at Saipens. Makes me appreciate cooking all the more!

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/enslaved-people-foodways/

Update:

Here are articles on James Hemings. Slave Chef to Jefferson.

https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/james-hemings

Here is a recipe from James. Happy Cooking!!

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/james-hemings-jefferson-chef

5 eggs
6 ounces sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 cups whole milk
½ teaspoon rose water or orange blossom water
Small pinch of salt
Honey to serve

1. Make the crème anglaise

Separate your eggs into two containers and put the egg whites aside. Over a medium heat, heat the milk, sugar, and about ¼ teaspoon of either rose water or orange blossom water in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally. When the milk is simmering but not boiling, add the egg yolks, whisking continuously. Continue whisking over a medium heat until the mixture has begun to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Place a mixing bowl full of ice in the sink; place a smaller bowl inside it to chill. Once the mixture has thickened—but while it is still runny enough to pour—run through a fine mesh sieve into the smaller bowl and leave to chill, stirring occasionally. Place in the fridge to chill further.

2. Make the meringue

Beat the egg whites, powdered sugar, a small pinch of salt, and another ¼ teaspoon of rose water or orange blossom water until the whites are stiff and shiny, or “until you can turn the vessel bottom upward without their leaving it,” in Hemings’s words.

3. Poach the meringue

Place a wide, shallow pan of water on a medium-high heat. As it comes to a simmer, line a large plate or baking tray with paper towels. Using a large tablespoon, scoop a generous dollop of the egg white mixture into the simmering pan of water, where it will float. You should be able to fit two or three in there, depending on the size of your pan. After two minutes of poaching, very carefully flip over the meringues, poach for another two minutes, then lift out and drain on the paper towels.

Serve each person two or three meringues along with a generous serving of the cold crème anglaise. Drizzle with honey to taste (the dessert is already very sweet).