Resetas de Cocina: Refrescos, Reposteria, Dulces 1900-1928 -

Volante, Cármen. Resetas de Cocina: Refrescos, Reposteria, Dulces. ca. 1910-1919. TX716 .M4 V653 1910. Mexican Cookbook Collection. UTSA Libraries Special Collections. [Digital Surrogate]

Resetas de Cocina: Refrescos, Reposteria, Dulces. 1910 manuscript cookbook written by Cármen Volante. TX716 .M4 V653 1910. UTSA Libraries Special Collections.

Resetas de Cocina: Refrescos, Reposteria, Dulces is one of eleven school notebooks belonging to Hortensia Volante between 1900-1928. This particular volume is the only one ascribed to a different author, most likely one of Hortensia’s relatives.

At almost two hundred pages, this cookbook contains an impressive array of recipes not only for desserts and sweets (as the title implies), but also savory dishes and several menus for fairly elaborate dinners.

The handwriting of the menus is much more upright than that used for the recipes. This might suggest that a different author contributed the menus, or perhaps the menus were written at a later date when her handwriting habits had changed. It is worth noting that several of the recipes after around page 160 also appear to be in a different, less elegantly polished hand.

The title page (beautifully illustrated with wildflowers) contains this menu in French:

Pota[c]e a la Julienne / Potage
Omelette au jambon / Ham omelette
Canard aux salsi[f]is / Duck with sauce
Macaronie L’italienne / Italian Macaroni
Sole au gratin / Sole (fish) gratin
Filet de Boeuf roti / Fillet of roast beef
Desserts. The. Café. Liquers / Desserts, tea, coffee, liqueurs.

Page 46 contains four more menus. Although predominantly in Spanish, French and English words are used periodically

Sopa de tapioca / Tapioca soup
Huevos al raspado / Egg dish made with strips of bread [1]
Coles de Bruselas / Brussels sprouts
Vaca á la moda / Beef á la mode
Macarrones con leche / Macaroni with milk
Fricasse de pollo / Chicken Fricasse
Pina. Melón / Pineapple. Melon.
Crema á la vainilla / Vanilla cream

Sopa de poro / Leek soup
Pescado en salsa blanca / Fish in white sauce
Huevos Rusos / Russian eggs (deviled eggs topped with caviar)
Pichones en almendra / Squab with almonds
Alcachofas / Artichokes
Pollo asado / Roast chicken
Fresas con nata / Strawberries with cream
Crema de café / Coffee cream

Eleven more menus can be found on pages 49–50, most of which are entitled “Diner,” and make heavy use of French, as in the two examples below:

Diner

Potage purée de pois / Pureed peas potage
Vol-au-vent / Filled puff pastries
Veau a l’oseille [oviera?]/ Veal with sorrel
Salade russe / Russian salad
Oie rotie [ganso] / Roast goose
Crema saute groselle / cream with red currents?

Diner

Potage de arroz / Rice Soup
Croutes ause champignons / Crusts with mushrooms
Sole au gratin / Sole (fish) gratin
Pommes de terre roties / Roasted potatoes
Purée de Marrons / Mashed chestnuts
Desserts / Desserts
Le Café / Coffee

[1] The recipe for Huevos al raspado follows on page 47 – it appears to be something like an egg casserole, with raw eggs broken over a bed of bread crumbs, butter, anchovies, chopped parsley, and yolks of hard boiled eggs, and baked until the raw eggs set a little. Note: Many thanks to Dan Fromm for the interpretation of this recipe.