A Dish for the First 4th of July... and why it should be on the 2nd.

While we may think of BBQ, hot dogs, and potato salad as traditional 4th of July fare, the Founding Fathers certainly did not. We'll take a look at one of the earliest celebratory meals and explore why John Adams wasn't a fan of July 4th.

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Poached Salmon in Egg Sauce
ORIGINAL RECIPES (From The Martha Washington Cook Book)
EGG SAUCE
Make a drawn butter; chop two hard-boiled eggs quite fine, the white and yolk separately, and stir it into the sauce before serving. This is used for boiled fish or vegetables.

TO MAKE DRAWN BUTTER
Put half a pint of milk in a perfectly clean stewpan, and set it over a moderate fire; put into a pint bowl a heaping tablespoonful of wheat flour, quarter of a pound of sweet butter, and a saltspoonful of salt; work these well together with the back of a spoon, then pour into it, stirring it all the time, half a pint of boiling water; when it is smooth, stir it into the boiling milk, let it simmer for five minutes or more, and it is done.
Drawn butter made after this recipe will be found to be most excellent; it may be made less rich by using less butter.

Boiled Salmon
The middle slice of salmon is the best. Sew up neatly in a mosquito-net bag, and boil a quarter of an hour to the pound in hot, salted water. When done, unwrap with care, and lay upon a hot dish, taking care not to break it… Garnish with parsley and sliced eggs.

MODERN RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Hard Boiled Eggs, chopped into small pieces
- 1 Cup (240ml) of whole milk
- A heaping tablespoon of flour
- 1 Stick or 113g of softened butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 Cup of boiling water
- Salmon
- Salted Water

METHOD
1. Add the milk to a sauce pan and set over medium heat and simmer making sure not to scorch it.
2. In a small bowl, add the flour, the butter, and the salt, and mix together. Slowly add the boiling water while continuing to stir. Once smooth, pour into the milk and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Then stir in the chopped eggs and allow to simmer for another minute, then remove from the heat.
3. Fill a medium saucepan half full with water and add some salt (about 2 tsp). Set over low heat and bring to a simmer of 175-180°F/80°C. Place salmon into the water and cook until ready (12-15 per pound). Make sure not to let the temperature raise past the 180°F.
4. Once cooked, place salmon on a warm dish and pour the egg sauce on top. Garnish with parsley.

PHOTO CREDITS

MUSIC CREDITS

#tastinghistory #colonialcooking #4thOfJuly #IndependenceDay

[TastingHistory]

SLIGHT EDIT: The heaping teaspoon of flour should be a heaping TABLESPOON. Clearly, I need a continuity editor.

[albieatsworld]

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO STOP WATCHING THESE??

[DrFranklynAnderson]

“We do not use less butter on this show.”

_Julia Child has entered the chat._

[sonipitts]

Max: "...we do not use less butter on this show."
Me: ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

[Karadoxical]

In high school, my best friend and I used to pass notes to each other in class written in "Old English." We'd be like, "What's say, dear friend, we skipeth henceforth the day's education, for these studies are so terribly dull. Let us go forth and forevermore explore mischief together!" Oh, how we amused ourselves with our delinquency. lol
Max, I declare thy channel the most wondrous!

[TwinkleTwinkleTruly]

Ngl, the fact that they died only 5 hours apart is crazy, and also that he was actually unaware that he was the last of the group, which is somehow really chilling for some reason.

[MistressDragonFlame]

She probably used something close to cheesecloth. There have been recipes where I've cooked salmon in cheesecloth, it makes removal easier and helps it keep it together while cooking. It's uncommon, but not unheard of.

[JSCRocketScientist]

Got a huge laugh. I grew up in New England. My mother’s idea in the 50’s of seasoning was salt. And maybe more salt. And then there was... you boiled EVERYTHING. Especially fish. No herbs at all. Now living in Texas with an herb garden, 10 citrus trees, grapes, blackberries and a fig tree in a suburban yard (yeah try that), we appreciate good food. I loved the food I grew up with. But college friends, asking me to help cook good Italian food, wanted me to peel garlic. I said, “What’s a garlic?” So yes. More seasoning.

[clarissayoung]

I may be showing my age, but that Bill and Ted reference was on point. Most excellent!

[DWchan]

I just want to appreciate that you are honest when you dont know something, or when you feel confused about something. It makes it feel more genuine that a *person* is talking to me, not a presenter or some face figure.

[liiewem]

wait a minute... egg-sauce and that pokemon has an egg. I'm onto you Mr. History

[Moonguided]

Holy crap I love this channel. Max is adorable and engaging and it just feels like listening to a knowledgeable friend talk about history while you're just chillin out at their house.

[IPostSwords]

Do you take suggestions?

You did an episode on food that toppled a king, but there's one king who died literally directly due to food: King Adolf Frederick of Sweden was a famous glutton and died after consuming an enormous final meal in 1771, and his death is often attributed to Semla, a cream filled bun, which may have given him food poisoning

And Henry the first died after a meal of lampreys.

Could make a series of dishes that killed monarchs.

[melenatorr]

A huge fan of "1776", which I saw onscreen when it first came out. It started a lifelong appreciation of John Adams, and, so I must stick up for my man a little. Yes, he was abrasive, often depressed, and extremely thin-skinned. But he was amazingly open-minded, foregoing the contemporary views of African-Americans and of Jews. He and Abigail also composed one of the most wonderful collections of letters in American history. One of my favorite examples of their relationship is his answer to a letter Abigail wrote:

Abigail was extremely intelligent but not formally educated. Realizing she and her husband would be well-known, and their correspondence made public at some point, and ashamed of her writing style, she asked Adams to destroy all her letters to him. He replied: "The Conclusion of your Letter makes my Heart throb, more than a Cannonade would. You bid me burn your Letters. But I must forget you first."

[pothospathic]

You are one heck of a musical theater nerd and I guess that's why I can't stop watching these.

[jst]

I just got a degree in history and American studies in May, so this is the best channel to discover.

[FestiveJeff]

Thicken is what’s happening to me from trying these recipes

[marianachaffee]

That "drawn butter" is closer to what we would now call a bechamel, made with beurre manie rather than with a roux. And I would use cheesecloth to wrap it, since that may be closer to what Martha Washington had as mosquito netting. It would help hold the salmon together, and perhaps provide a little insulation from the bottom of the pan. Thus, a slight change of vocabulary brings the recipe right into the present.

[Julessa]

“😂 We do not use less butter on this show. 😐😠”. Lol

[rachelball]

"We do not use less butter on this show. "The spirits of every southern cook have just entered the room.