they earned money by publishing their housekeeping expertise , the money gave women a stronger voice in community affairs and institutions . The Up-To-Date Cookbook of Tested Recipes “ compiled and published by Mrs . Spencer Watkins and Mrs . Francis F . Field ” seems to be based on a template ; the Ladies Aid Society of the Mt . Zion Church in Spring Grove , Pennsylvania also compiled an up-to-date cookbook , and many of the Montgomery County version ’ s recipes also appear in a Kenton , Ohio edition .
Watkins was born Maria Brooke and lived with her father and sisters at Oakland plantation , where they owned slaves . Her Southern loyalties were recorded by Horace H . Shaw in The First Maine Heavy Artillery , 1861-1865 . Shaw describes her as self-reliant , but “ convinced that all this fuss and war , this loss and suffering , and this excitement , was due to the wild imaginings , perverse distractions , and evil intent of Northern Yankees .” Maria learned to shoot to defend her family ’ s farm from chicken-stealing troops . But her attitude seems to have been turned by the Maine Regiment . Her family enjoyed the regimental band ’ s music , she rode with the officers and their wives , and eventually dined with them . Shaw finishes by writing , “ She is a loyal Unionist now . She married Mr . Spencer Watkins … and writes of her love for the First Maine as one of the sweetest memories of her young life .”
A project of her married years , The Up-to-Date Cookbook was compiled to benefit St . John ’ s Norwood Episcopal Church in Bethesda . The Watkins were founding members and the church was built on land donated by the Dodge family , neighbors of the Watkins ’ s farm . The book ’ s recipes feature dishes with a Maryland heritage — Delicious Turtle Soup , crabs in various preparations ( but not crab cakes ), terrapin , and Maryland Biscuit . It includes a homey recipe for Potato Pie made with lemon peel , sugar , wine , and nutmeg on the same page as one for elegant Cream Puffs . Recipes have a Southern heritage including Okra Soup , Gumbo , and Owendaw Cornbread — a kind of spoonbread . Mrs . Robert E . Lee ’ s family cookbook includes a recipe for Owendaw Cornbread made with cooked grits and cornmeal . ( Mrs . Lee was a niece of Martha Custis Washington — whose granddaughter would live at Montevideo off River Road .)
The book ’ s recipes also reflect a move toward Victorian-era elegance and the availability of luxury grocery items ; quite different from Lea ’ s sturdy farm cooking . Dishes are deviled , escalloped , and formed into croquettes . Salads are served on nests of lettuce or scooped into hollowed-out tomatoes . Creamed Turkey with Mushrooms is served in patty shells and a recipe for Pate de Foie Gras Sandwiches offers a substitution — caviar .
Further sophistication comes from “ ethnic ” recipes including three uncredited Cuban dishes and a recipe for Macaroni a L ’ Italienne , that asks for “ 12 sticks of macaroni ” in a sauce of cream , butter , flour , cheese , and milk , spiced with mustard and paprika . Mrs . M . C . D . Johnson , who shared the recipe , makes this suggestion , “ If the sauce and macaroni stand long after being mixed the dish will be spoiled ,
therefore , if they cannot be served immediately , keep both hot on separate dishes . As it is awkward to serve the macaroni in unbroken sticks , some prefer to break the sticks before boiling , but the true Italian way is to serve with unbroken sticks .”
Unlike Ellicott Lea ’ s sensible Domestic Cookery , a tool to help manage a farm and its production , The Up-To-Date Cookbook reflects the County ’ s shift from farming to a more urban and suburban character — supporting a church in down-county Bethesda , advertising commercial establishments in D . C ., and offering recipes that mix practicality with more elegant preparations meant to reflect wealth and sophistication .
You can find more Montgomery County culinary stories in A Culinary History of Montgomery County , Maryland by Claudia Kousoulas and Ellen Letourneau at www . arcadiapublishing . com
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