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It was April of 1969 and the Officers’ Quarters at Fort York was scheduled to open to the public after months of research, repair and restoration. The team that had been working on this project was led by Brigadier John McGinnis, the Managing Director of the Toronto Historical Board, Deputy Director and Design Chief Chris Matthews, restoration architect B. Napier Simpson Junior, Curator of Fort York, George Waters and myself. Brigadier McGinnis and members of the Toronto Historical Board decreed that this opening must be unique – a series of historic dinners served at mid-day to the media, members of Toronto City Council and members of the Toronto Historical Board.
My heart lurched when Brigadier McGinnis announced that this new duty fell to me, as well as the expectation that these meals must not only be historic, but tasty as well! I was already knee deep in finishes, furniture and furnishings for the newly restored rooms and knew that only a miracle would transform the building in time for the public opening on April 26, the eve of the anniversary of the Battle of York, April 27, 1813.
I flew to my historic food files and limited number of historic cookery books, searching for historic and tasty recipes. Unknown to Brigadier McGinnis I was also searching for easy solutions, as I was aware that the newly hired interpretive staff, Ruth Keene and Jeanne Lomas, would have to be trained, not only to use the recently restored bake ovens and cooking fireplaces, but look as if they prepared meals there daily! I had lots of questions and very few answers. What could the officers and men at the fort, as well as the residents of York, be eating and drinking in the first quarter of the 19th century? What was available in the town or in the garrison? What could be made palatable to 20th century tastes? These were just a few of my challenges.
After a few panic filled days the Bill of Fare began to take shape, with the exception of a dessert to conclude the meal. I finally settled on Indian Pudding with Hot Rum Sauce as I had found several versions of this recipe in my historic files, spanning the late 18th century and continuing well into our time period. I always began research on a historic dish by trying it at home and serving it to my family for their comments as to palatability. The first attempt was dreadful! I tried another version the following evening and found that it was marginally better. So began the dance of the desserts. Every evening I would make a new version of Indian Pudding as well as a real dessert, each time announcing to my husband Gordon, and daughters, Carol and Barbara, that they could not have the real dessert until they had voted on the latest version of Indian Pudding. Thankfully, the Hot Rum Sauce was never in question, for it was an unqualified success from the first taste.
As the calendar and the clock raced towards the opening it appeared that everyone in the City of Toronto and beyond who received an invitation to one of the dinners planned to attend! The two kitchens became hives of activity as Ruth, Jeanne and I prepared for the wave of guests that would appear on each of the three days. Helen Gagen, Food Editor for the Telegram reported to her readers: “The meals were prepared on the hearth and in the hearth ovens and consisted of apple cider; ham glazed with dry sherry, ginger and celery seeds; scalloped potatoes; old fashioned relishes; green salad with a hot, mustardy dressing; homemade bread and freshly churned butter; Indian Pudding with Sauce; and green and black tea.”
Meanwhile, Anne Wanstall, Food Editor for the Toronto Daily Star painted a word picture for her readers: “The new-old kitchen is a copious room with an enormous brick fireplace and huge pine Welsh dressers. The restored floor planks are joined by old-style wooden pegs and bleached white as though from years of constant scrubbing. Over the crackling wood hangs a massive copper kettle and other authentic cooking implements of the age, and the women (Ruth and Jeanne of course) work together at a long wooden table. From this Saturday (April 26, 1969) the Officers’ Quarters will be open to the public, and visitors will be able to sample delicious breads and cookies straight from the oven. Admission to the Fort is 75 cents for adults, 25 cents for children, and there is a family rate for two adults and two or more children at $2.”
Anne Wanstall went on to give several of the recipes for the meals and of course Indian Pudding had pride of place in her article. This is the recipe that we finally used for those special meals (scaled down so that visitors could try it at home).
Indian Pudding
1/4 cup corn meal
2 cups of hot milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup cold milk
Stir the corn meal, a little at a time, into the hot milk and cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 15 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat. Mix the sugar, salt and spices and stir into the corn meal mixture. Add the molasses and cold milk, mixing thoroughly. Pour into a 1 quart casserole or oven proof dish and bake in a preheated oven at low heat for 2 hours. Serve with rum sauce or whipped cream. Serves 6.
The guests as well as the media approved our humble Bill of Fare and our modest attempt to bring some of the foods of the past to the visitors of the present at a time when there was very little interest in our culinary history. Ruth Keene and Jeanne Lomas proved to be perfect interpreters for, as they continued to work in the kitchens, they became “hooked on historic foods” and true pioneers in researching, experimenting, and preparing a multitude of recipes for the visitors to Fort York to enjoy. They were to lay the foundation for the fine historic food programme that Fort York has to-day.
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