Praline Recipe from 1879

This is what pralines really tasted like in the 1800's. Most of today's pralines have milk in their recipes and are not the authentic taste. The Godchaux Sugar Refinery was an old company

in New Orleans , LA. If you don't cook this long enough, put it back and cook longer. If you've cooked it too long and it gets hard before you've finished "dropping...", add a little more

water and return to simmer once more. (From an old Godchaux Sugar Refinery recipe book printed approx. 1879)

3 cups white sugar

 1 cup light brown sugar

 1-1/2 cups water

 3 cups broken pecan meats (you can use halves; I prefer pieces)

 1 tbsp butter or margarine

 1 tsp. vanilla

Place sugars and water in larger heavy pot. Bring to boil. When sugars are dissolved, add pecans. Turn heat down and allow mixture to gently simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Cook for approx. 15 - 20 minutes..."until the mixture grains when metal spoon is rubbed against side of pot."

(this is direct wording from original copy)

Civil War Cake

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 t. vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
3 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
8 oz. dried apples
3/4 cup sugar
Water

Cream together sugar, shortening, and vanilla. Add egg and milk and mix well. Add flour, salt and baking powder. Divide into 4 or 5 parts, shape into balls roll out thin, like cookie dough, to size of a plate. Bake on cookie sheet at 325 until light brown. Put dried apples in pan and cover with water. When almost done, sweeten with 3/4 cup sugar, mash with potato masher. If too runny, pour off some liquid. Allow apples to cool before stacking cake layers with apples between each layer. Don't put apples on top. Just before serving, sprinkle with a little granulated sugar on top. Best if cooked the day before serving. Trim cake to an even round shape as you are cutting it to serve.
Note: A freed slave taught her former mistress to bake this cake. Mother passed the recipe to daughter by word of mouth until recent times, when it was written down by Eunice Phillips Clark.
Source: Jean Duff Alligator