Few of us would tag tall, lean Abraham Lincoln as a foodie. But apparently he was a man with a passion for oysters. Reports say he distributed fried oysters at his first inauguration in 1861. The bill of fare for his 1865 inaugural ball included oyster stew and pickled oysters.
It’s possible he ate oysters at home in Illinois, especially after Mary Todd became his wife and introduced him to more sophisticated foods. Living in the White House certainly put him in closer proximity to the oyster beds of the Chesapeake Bay.
Because Monday is Presidents Day, it seemed a good time to look at who’s been eating what in the White House over the past two centuries. After all, the president and first lady often serve as taste setters for the nation.
Until the mid-1800s when rail transportation made it easier to move food across country, the president and his family ate as the nation ate, enjoying what was in season and available locally. George Washington is said to have particularly enjoyed wife Martha’s crab soup, prepared with crustaceans harvested from the waters around Mount Vernon in Virginia.
Thomas Jefferson was known for his love of fine food and added French chef Julien Lemaire to the White House staff. In our recipes today, we’ve included a version of chicken fricassee attributed to Jefferson. A fricassee is a dish generally made of poultry, where the meat is browned, stewed and then served with the resulting gravy.
As the nation’s most visible private home, the White House has long set the standard for entertaining. A 1907 edition of “The White House Cook Book” by Hugo Zieman and Mrs. F. L. Gillette (Wenner Co., out of print) bills itself as a comprehensive cyclopedia (sic) of information for the home. Zieman is described as the steward of the White House, and one chapter outlines the management and directions for state occasions, including seating plans, arrangement of glassware and precisely how many roses are appropriate for a gentleman’s boutonniere. One.
Originally published during the first administration of Grover Cleveland, the book includes menus for a state dinner (oysters again) from 1887 and Mrs. Cleveland’s wedding lunch from June 2, 1886. Consommé, soft-shelled crabs and snipes on toast were featured. The wedding of Cleveland and Frances Folsom took place in the Blue Room, making him the only president to have married in the White House.
It was not until Dwight Eisenhower became president in the 1950s that we began to hear about chief executives taking a turn in the kitchen. Eisenhower, a World War II hero, was known as a creative cook who never forgot the saying, “An army travels on its stomach.” His claim to culinary fame was his beef stew and you can find his recipe (which serves 60) at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kan., or www.eisenhower.utexas.edu
In the 1960s, John and Jacqueline Kennedy brought René Verdon, yet another French chef, to the White House. Julia Child once credited the Kennedys and their chef as paving the way for her own success as the “French chef” for the rest of the country.
Putting together this story, we considered menus from across the centuries. A sampling from the era of the Founding Fathers would have included Abigail Adams’ hot crab salad, or from the 19th century, Martin Van Buren’s Charlotte Russe. Or perhaps something more contemporary like Ronald Reagan’s Rancho California rice or Pat Nixon’s meatloaf.
In the end, we decide to include a cross-section of presidential family favorites ranging from Jefferson’s chicken fricassee to Michelle Obama’s healthy creamed spinach.
It’s a delicious tour through White House culinary history.
Topper:
Dinner for six as elegant as any served on White House china. You can prepare this entire dinner from start to finish in 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Abraham Lincoln’s Scalloped Oysters
Hands on: 15 minutes Total time: 25 minutes Serves: 6
The original recipe calls for this to be baked in a small casserole dish. I’ve divided it into individual servings.
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, more for greasing dishes
2 cups coarse saltine crumbs
2 dozen small shucked oysters, drained, with liquid reserved
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sherry
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease 6 (6-ounce) ramekins. Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet.
In a small bowl, combine butter and cracker crumbs and stir until crumbs are uniformly coated. Divide crumb mixture in half and spread evenly on bottom of prepared ramekins. Place 4 oysters in each ramekin.
In a 1-cup measuring cup, combine cream, reserved oyster liquid, sherry, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Pour over oysters in ramekins. Top oysters with remaining half of crumbs, evenly divided. Bake 10 minutes or until crumbs are lightly browned. Serve hot.
Adapted from a recipe in “Capitol Hill Cooks: Recipes From the White House, Congress and All the Past Presidents” by Linda Bauer (Taylor Trade Publishing, $26.95)
Per serving: 263 calories (percent of calories from fat, 58), 5 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 17 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 57 milligrams cholesterol, 442 milligrams sodium.
Thomas Jefferson’s Chicken Fricassee
Hands on: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Serves: 6
Prepare this dish with whatever chicken parts your family prefers and serve over rice.
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups fresh small mushrooms (about 1/2 pound)
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
In a small bowl, combine salt, nutmeg, pepper and paprika. Sprinkle evenly over chicken pieces.
In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and cook until well-browned on both sides, 7 to 10 minutes total per piece, depending on size. Do not crowd pan. When chicken is browned, remove from pan and keep warm. Continue until all chicken is browned and removed from Dutch oven. Add flour to fat in Dutch oven and cook until flour is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in water and wine and stir until smooth. Return chicken to pot and bring liquid to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat and simmer chicken 45 minutes, rearranging chicken if necessary during cooking time so all pieces spend time in the liquid.
While chicken is cooking, in a medium pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms. Cook until vegetables are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in half-and-half, sage and parsley. Keep warm.
When chicken is finished cooking, arrange on serving platter. Stir mushroom mixture into chicken cooking liquid, combine and pour over chicken. Serve hot.
Adapted from a recipe in “Capitol Hill Cooks: Recipes From the White House, Congress and All the Past Presidents” by Linda Bauer (Taylor Trade Publishing, $26.95)
Per serving: 364 calories (percent of calories from fat, 59), 26 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 22 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 99 milligrams cholesterol, 463 milligrams sodium.
Michelle Obama’s No Cream Creamed Spinach
Hands on: 15 minutes Total time: 15 minutes Serves: 6
This recipe was created by White House executive chef Cristeta Comerford and served at President Barack Obama’s first state dinner, a February 2009 event for the National Governors Association.
Salt
2 pounds baby spinach, rinsed, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Freshly ground pepper
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
Add 1/2 pound spinach to the boiling water, wait 30 seconds and then remove, plunging spinach into ice water bath. After 5 minutes, drain spinach, squeeze out all water and puree in blender or food processor. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add remaining whole spinach leaves and sauté until wilted. You may need to add spinach in batches. Once all spinach is wilted, fold in spinach puree. Keep over heat until puree is warmed. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Adapted from a recipe in “A White House Garden Cookbook: Healthy Ideas From the First Family to Your Family” by Clara Silverstein (Red Rock Press, $24.95)
Per serving: 93 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 5 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 121 milligrams sodium.
Jacqueline Kennedy’s
Strawberries Romanoff
Hands on: 10 minutes Total time: 10 minutes Serves: 6
Jacqueline Kennedy’s French chef René Verdon created this recipe to be served at a luncheon honoring Princess Grace of Monaco on May 24, 1961.
4 cups small strawberries, halved
2 tablespoons Curacao
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
In a medium bowl, combine strawberries, Curacao and Grand Marnier. Stir gently to combine. Berries may be prepared up to 4 hours in advance and refrigerated.
When ready to serve, in large chilled bowl and using an electric mixer, beat heavy cream at low speed for 45 seconds or until slightly thickened. Add vanilla; increase speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes or until cream forms stiff peaks.
In medium bowl, stir softened ice cream; fold in whipped cream.
Into each of 6 chilled glass dessert dishes, spoon enough strawberries to just cover bottom. Divide cream mixture evenly among dessert dishes. Top with remaining berries and any juices. Serve immediately.
Adapted from a recipe in “In the Kennedy Style: Magical Evenings in the Kennedy White House” by Letitia Baldrige, with recipes from René Verdon (Doubleday, $29.95)
Per serving: 177 calories (percent of calories from fat, 56), 2 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 10 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 37 milligrams cholesterol, 26 milligrams sodium.
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