Free Their Last Suppers: Legends of History and Their Final Meals by Andrew Caldwell

they followed a blood trail outside, where they found him crawling to a side gate. Kicking, beating, and shooting him repeatedly, they at last believed him dead, so binding his arms and legs, they rolled him in a carpet and threw him into the freezing Neva River, which ran along the side of the palace.
    Incredibly, Rasputin’s body was found the next day on the banks of the river with his restraints broken, and the ensuing autopsy showed his lungs were full of water, meaning that after all they did to him that night, he actually died of drowning.
    Although the nobility of the country enjoyed their liberation from “the monster,” the common people mourned him. The revolution quickly gathered pace, and within months the whole Romanov family was murdered by Stalin and his revolutionists. The prophecies of Rasputin were fulfilled to the letter.

MENUS
     
Last Meal
     
    Honeyed Cakes
     
    Madeira Wine
     
    Zakuski
     
    Russian Black Bread
     
    The range of Zakuski is infinite, from simple smoked sprats to Beluga caviar, savory stuffed eggs, or tender kidneys in Madeira sauce; they are an integral part of any Russian gathering.
Favorite Foods
     
    Codfish Soup
     
    Pickled Cabbage
     
    Borscht
     
    Sturgeon in Champagne Sauce
     
    Zakuski
     
Honeyed Cakes
     
    To make 24 2-inch cakes. This recipe dates from 1872.
    8 tbsp butter
4 cups flour
3 tbsp superfine sugar
2 tbsp honey
1½ tbsp baking powder
1 egg yolk
1 whole egg + one white of the egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
salt
For honey topping
:
1 cup heather honey
3 tbsp almonds, blanched and ground
     
In a bowl, rub the butter into the flour. In another bowl add the milk.
In a saucepan over low heat, gently heat the sugar and honey until well mixed. Then stir in the baking powder. Alternatively, add the honey mixture, the eggs, and the milk to the flour, mixing the ingredients very well. Add a pinch of salt and put the resulting dough on a floured board; roll it very lightly to about ½ inch.
Cut out about 24 rounds. Place the rounds on a buttered baking tray in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until they are brown. Remove the cakes to a rack. Put the rack of cakes in a 250°F oven for no longer than 5 minutes to set. The cakes can be served either hot or cold.
Baked Sturgeon
     
    1 sturgeon
1 oz sour cream
salt and pepper
¼ oz shredded cheese
½ oz fat
For garnish
:
2 oz fresh or pickled cucumbers
2 oz tomatoes
sliced lemon
½ oz greens
     
Preheat the oven to 480 to 540°F.
Cut the fish into pieces. Grease the frying pan with fat.
Spread sour cream over the fish and sprinkle with cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake the fish until it is ready.
Serve with vegetables and greens.
Codfish Soup
     
    2 small whole cod
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
     
Cut fish into 2-inch pieces; add milk and cream. Simmer gently, without boiling, until the fish is tender. Season and serve with toasted bread.
Pickled Cabbage
     
    1 cabbage, shredded
1 squash, cubed
For marinade
:
2 quarts water
3 cups sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp oil
4 tbsp salt
     
Blanch vegetables for 5 minutes and cool them in cold water. Drain and put in a sterilized jar and then pour in the marinade.
Allow to cool and then refrigerate.
Borscht (10)
     
    1 cup navy beans, dry
2½ lb lean beef
½ lb slab bacon
10 cups water
1 bay leaf
8 whole peppercorns
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 large red onion
1 tsp salt, optional
8 large beets for soup
2 small beets
2 cups green cabbage, shredded
2 large leeks, sliced
3 medium potatoes, cut into eighths
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp wine vinegar
4 tbsp sugar
1 lb kielbasa, optional
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter, melted
½ cup sour cream, optional
     
Cover the beans with water and allow them to soak overnight, then cook them until tender and drain before setting aside. Place the beef, bacon, and water in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Skim any fat from the surface. Add the bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, parsley,