Frozen Desserts and Virginia Dishes–Just in Time for July 4th!

While hunting for either a) July 4th themed recipes or b) summery desserts for the holiday, I stumbled upon Frozen Desserts: A Little Book Containing Recipes for Ice Cream. Water Ices, Frozen Desserts Together with Sundry “Famous Old Virginia Dishes,” by Mrs. Clement Carrington McPhail. (Quite a long title for 16 pages!) It probably dates to the early part of the 20th century. What’s more intriguing, though, is the combination…

Front cover

It’s hard not to look at this more like two 8 page publications by one author that were sort of stuck together. There isn’t a real connection between, say, Frozen Banana Bisque and Old Virginia Hoecake, but what cook doesn’t have a diverse knowledge of foods. I suppose Mrs. McPhail was just sharing what she knew.

Sample ice creams

More ice cream, plus some other interesting ideas (“Ice Jelly” aka frozen gelatin?)

Creative uses for citrus and coffee…and mayonnaise? (Mrs. McPhail lost me there…)

The second half of this little publication takes an odd turn. Frozen desserts and Virginia classics don’t necessarily go together, but that doesn’t detract from the recipes themselves.

With so few pages, the author can’t cover everything, but she does seem to represent a variety of foods.

And the booklet even finishes with helpful advice on freezing and shaping desserts!

So, whether your three day weekend needs some tutti frutti, pineapple ice, apple dumplings, or wild duck, take a little inspiration from Virginia past. (Though you may want to skip the frozen mayonnaise, whether you’re picnicking or not!)

Happy July 4th!

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