Free Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen by Rae Katherine Eighmey Page A

beating well after each addition. Stir the sweetened gooseberries and the breadcrumbs gently into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center of the pudding comes out clean, about 65 to 75 minutes. Store any leftover pudding in the refrigerator.
    Makes 4 to 6 servings
    ADAPTED FROM “GOOSEBERRY PUDDING,” MISS ELIZA LESLIE,
SEVENTY-FIVE RECEIPTS FOR PASTRY, CAKES, AND SWEETMEATS
, 1828.
    PUMPKIN BUTTER
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    I’ve adapted this recipe using readily available canned pumpkin. If you have home-cooked pumpkin puree, it will be even better. The pumpkin butter is good on corn bread or even as a not-too-sweet topping for pancakes. It is also quite nice as a relish alongside roast pork or turkey
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    1 15-ounce can pumpkin or 2 cups homemade pumpkin puree (see Pumpkins for Pumpkin Puree )
    Â½ cuphoney, molasses, or sorghum syrup
    Â¼ cup cider vinegar
    Â¼ teaspoon ground allspice
    â…› teaspoon ground cinnamon
    Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat until the mixture has thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir frequently to keep the butter from scorching. Cool. Ladle into a clean jar. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. For longer storage see home-canning directions .
    Makes about 2 cups pumpkin butter
    ADAPTED FROM PERIOD SOURCES.
    PUMPKIN PIE WITH HONEY
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    Easy-to-grow pumpkins played a variety of important roles in pioneer kitchens. Served fresh as a vegetable, dried into a kind of fruit leather as a winter treat, simmered into a long-lasting butter, or blended with honey and treasured spices for a pie, pumpkins were praised by farmers and travelers alike. This pie is rich with pumpkin flavor. A small slice is very satisfying
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    PUMPKINS FOR PUMPKIN PUREE: Choose the smaller pie or sugar pumpkins for making pies and pumpkin butter, not the large, fibrous jack-o’-lantern pumpkins. Cut a 3- to 4-pound pie pumpkin into quarters. Scrape out seeds. Place the pumpkin pieces in a baking dish and sprinkle with 2 or 3 tablespoons apple cider or water. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F until tender, 60 to 75 minutes. Let cool and scoop out the cooked pumpkin flesh. Mash to a smooth puree. You should have about 4 cups. Pumpkin puree can be frozen for several months.
    Â½ of the Double-Crust Pie Dough recipe
    2 cups homemade pumpkin puree or one 15-ounce can pumpkin
    Â½ cup milk
    Â¼ cup honey, molasses, or sorghum syrup
    1 large egg, lightly beaten
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    Â½ teaspoon ground ginger
    Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line an 8-inch pie plate with the pie dough. In a mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, milk, honey, egg, cinnamon, and ginger and whisk until smooth. Pour into the unbakedpie shell. Bake for 15 minutes at 425°F. Then lower the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 to 55 minutes longer.
    Makes an 8-inch pie to serve 8
    RE-CREATED FROM PERIOD SOURCES.
    DOUBLE-CRUST PIE DOUGH: Although fancy puff pastry is mentioned in some recipes, the basic piecrust described in Lincoln-era cookbooks is not very different from the one I learned from my mother and she learned from hers. It is ashort crust, where the flour is “shortened” as fat is cut into it. Some of the period recipes specifylard; many others call for butter, which would have been the more readily available, year-round fat on the farm or in the city.
    1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
    â…› teaspoon salt
    Â½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter or ½ cup lard, cut into small chunks
    4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
    Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter or lard into the flour until the mixture looks like uncooked oatmeal. Stir in 3 tablespoons of ice water with a fork. Gradually add more water until the mixture just begins