The punch froze. So did the canaries. Brought in to sing for the guests, the poor creatures stiffened seemingly in mid-air, falling to their deaths onto the guests below.
Luckily, supper began at 9 p.m. with hot coffee and hot oysters. And the people needed something hot to forget their blue noses and the sad fate of the canaries. Most of the gala took place outside in tents, society women dancing in their furs and men in heavy coats.
But the chill in the air didn’t stop the flow of food. A New York Times article dated March 5, 1873 almost trills with the following mind-boggling list of dishes and provisions:
10,000 fried oysters
8,000 scalloped oysters
8,000 pickled oysters
63 boned turkeys
75 roast turkeys
150 roast capons, stuffed with truffles
15 saddles of mutton
40 pieces of spiced beef, 40 pounds each
200 dozen quails
100 game patis [sic], 50 pounds each
300 tongues, ornamented with jelly [aspic]
200 hams, ornamented with jelly [aspic]
30 salmon, baked, Montpellier butter
100 chickens hot and cold
400 partridges, Washington style
25 boar’s heads, stuffed and ornamented
40 patis [sic] de foie gras, 10 pounds each
2,000 head-cheese sandwiches
3,000 ham sandwiches
3,000 beef-tongue sandwiches
1,600 bunches celery
30 barrels salad
2 barrels lettuce
350 chickens boiled for salad
6,000 eggs for salad
2,000 pounds lobster, boiled for salad
1 barrel of beets
2,500 loaves of bread
8,000 rolls
24 cases of Prince Albert crackers
1,000 pounds of butter
300 charlotte russes, 17 ½ pounds each
200 moulds wine jelly
200 moulds blanc mange
300 gallons ice-cream, assorted
200 gallons ices, assorted
400 pounds mixed cakes
150 large cakes, ornamented
60 large pyramids, assorted
25 barrels Malaga grapes
15 cases oranges
5 barrels apples
400 pounds mixed candies
10 boxes raisins
200 pounds shelled almonds
300 gallons claret punch* [Recipe below]
200 gallons coffee
200 gallons tea
100 gallons chocolate
Grant could only have dreamed of this food and abundance as he chased General Robert E. Lee across northern Virginia during the Civil War. That less than ten years separated this culinary abundance from the devastation of that war is a sobering thought. And testimony to the resiliency of Americans …
(A special “Thank You” to Janet Clarkson of The Olde Foodie blog for pointing me to this marvelous list.)
Note: You may buy reproductions of various presidential china sets from the JFK Library online store, including copies of the Grant china:
The Grant White House china was created under an alliance of an American artist and the considerable talents of France’s Haviland and Company. William E. Seaton created a range of floral decorations to grace the center of each plate. Lissac, painter-engraver of Haviland then transmitted these designs to porcelain, adding the same yellow-colored border, as well as the Grant coat of arms to each. During the Grant administration, this china received a great deal of use as the Grants were known for their lavish entertaining.
CLARET PUNCH
Serves 25
“Claret,” technically a dark red wine from Bordeaux, is essentially a Cabernet Sauvignon with a pinch of Merlot.
1 ¼ cups confectioner’s sugar
15 cups Claret
10 cups sparkling mineral water
1 ¼ cups lemon juice
2 measures Curaçao
Place the ingredients in a large punch bowl containing plenty of ice. Stir gently until the sugar is dissolved. Decorate with orange and apple slices. Keep the punch bowl packed with ice.
© 2008 C. Bertelsen
CYNTHIA D. BERTELSEN 