Mrs. Goodfellow

by Becky Diamond

The recipe for Filet Gumbo is one she describes as “a genuine southern receipt,” instructing the reader to “cut up a pair of fine plump fowls into pieces, as when carving,” but that actually “filet gumbo may be made of any sort of poultry, or of veal, lamb, venison, or kid.” The seasonings include chopped marjoram and two heaped teaspoonfuls of sassafras powder; but if that is unavailable, she suggests a clever substitution—stirring the gumbo frequently with a stick of sassafras root. As with other receipts, she recommends including three or four thin slices of cold boiled ham to improve the flavor. Adding a dozen fresh oysters and their liquor to the stew toward the end is another optional enhancement.83

  By including recipes and instructions from all these different cultures, Leslie was able to boost exposure to what was becoming established as “American cookery.” She also sought to strengthen America's position as a recognized culture in Miss Leslie's Behavior Book, a guide for ladies in regard to their conversation, manners, dress, introductions, entry to society, shopping, and so on. In this handbook she is not afraid to criticize long-established European traditions, explaining how and why things are done better in America. For example, in her chapter on how to behave while dining in a hotel, she instructs, “Abstain from picking your teeth at table. Notwithstanding that custom has allowed this practice in Europe, (even in fashionable society,) it is still a very disagreeable one, and to delicate spectators absolutely sickening to behold. Delay it till you are alone, and till you can indulge in it without witnesses.”84

  And although she does admit “the English travellers who visit America are often right in their remarks on many of our customs” (such as eating food too fast, chewing loudly, and not allowing enough time to enjoy meals), she recommends that instead of being offended by these comments, Americans should gain from this “constructive criticism” by choosing to reform their ways. She goes on to compare Americans to the French, who she says eat even faster (than Americans), ingesting “a surprising quantity of food in less time than any people in the civilized world.” She advises that the English are the better of the two nations to serve as a model for refined table manners, but “the best class of Americans are unsurpassed in the essentials of all these observances.” She claims that “the English attach too much importance to ceremonies merely conventional, and for which there seems no motive but the ever-changing decrees of fashion.”85

  Even though The Behavior Book was intended for upper-class ladies (usually in urban areas), its popularity spread throughout the nation. Perhaps the American public was so eager to be wealthy that they devoured this guidebook. It was as if Leslie were instructing the middle class on how to climb the social ladder to success, a theme that has embodied the “American dream” since the country's beginnings.

  Another of Mrs. Goodfellow's maxims that Leslie cleverly followed was advising women to learn to cook properly in order to please their husbands and families. In the preface of Miss Leslie's Complete Cookery (the revised edition of her best-seller Directions for Cookery), she claims that many women “who have entered into married life with no other acquirements than a few showy accomplishments” had informed her that Directions for Cookery helped shape them into practical housewives. “Gentlemen, also, have told me of great improvements in the family-table, after presenting their wives with this manual of domestic cookery,” she boasts; “and that, after a morning devoted to the fatigues of business, they no longer find themselves subjected to the annoyance of an ill-dressed dinner.”86

  Leslie conveys this concept and other social conventions of the time through her fiction works as well. She was a keen observer, basing characters and settings on her own experiences and dealings with people she likely met through the cooking school and her societal circle. Appropriate education for young ladies and their ability to capture the attention and esteem of eligible bachelors were common plot points, with characters that did not live up to the standards of proper decorum and housekeeping ability considered flawed.87 Leslie surely had a good deal of exposure to all these notions through Mrs. Goodfellow's teaching as well as watching the behavior of her classmates. She borrows from this experience by actually referencing Mrs. Goodfellow in her stories, depicting her and her confectionery products as the culinary benchmark ladies strived to measure themselves against.

  Leslie's fellow Philadelphians were especially proud of her achievements. In their 1884 History of Philadelphia, Scharf and Westcott refer to her as “one of the most popular female writers that has risen in any part of this country. The works of no other female American author have ever sold so well as those of Miss Leslie.”88 Over two decades since her death had passed at this point and she was still considered a best-seller.

  Leslie's character can perhaps best be summed up in an entry written about her by Sarah Josepha Hale in the 1855 publication Woman's Record. Subtitled Sketches of All Distinguished Women, from the Creation to A.D. 1868, the book is arranged in four eras, each containing biographies of women who made a difference: the varied entries include Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Anne Boleyn, and Abigail Adams, to name a few. Leslie was still alive when this book was published, and is described as having “quick observation, a retentive memory, a sprightly fancy, and a persevering mind. She has also the great merit of being free from affectation; her purpose is always to be useful. Miss Leslie is such a truehearted American, that she earnestly desires to aid her countrywomen in becoming perfect, few of our female writers have wielded so powerful an influence, or been more widely read.”89

  It is interesting to note that this book contains only one other cookbook writer—Betty Gleim, a German self-taught educator who opened Bremen's first private school for girls in 1806 and wrote two cookery books. Since Hale's book was published, many women have provided innovation and expertise on cooking and domestic economy (Fannie Farmer and Julia Child are just two). Their achievements were possible because Leslie and Goodfellow helped pave the way.

  SIX

  Lemon Meringue Pie

  Philadelphia, 64 Dock Street

  Wednesday, September 20, 1815

  Noon

  A quiet murmur could be heard among the restless girls standing around the dining table awaiting their next instruction. Clapping her hands together to get their attention, Mrs. Goodfellow explained they needed to finish a few last-minute things before they ate, and proceeded to guide the group back to the kitchen work table. Taking a large hunk of butter from the butter kettle, she flipped it into an iron saucepan and carried it over to the fire. Placing it on top of the coals, she stirred it around until the butter melted. She then promptly poured the melted butter into a china sauceboat, explaining that this was to be served with the artichokes.

  While the students had been learning table-setting techniques from Mrs. Goodfellow, Hannah was busy making the custards for the order that had come in earlier in the week. She was now standing at the work table, whipping up egg whites at a rapid pace. As she quickly worked the hickory egg beater, she told Mrs. Goodfellow that the custards were cooling on the larder shelf, the kisses (meringue cookies) were in the oven, and the egg whites she was beating were for the icing that would top the custards. “But please, ma'am, what shall we do with the little bit of egg white left over?” she said, nodding her head in the direction of a small dish. “I have already iced the Queen cakes…they are drying near the fire.”

  Mrs. Goodfellow thought for a moment, and then walked over to the work table, gesturing for her students to follow. “We never want to waste something as valuable as some extra egg whites,” she told them. “Since we have no way to preserve them, we will have to use them right away. I have an idea.”

  First she poured the extra egg whites into the bowl Hannah had been using for the custard topping, added a pinch more sugar, and proceeded to beat the mixture until it stood up in soft peaks. She then got the custards from the larder and spooned a generous mound of icing on top of each one, finishing them off by placing a dot of red nonpareils in the middle of each icing stack.
Next, she took one of the lemon puddings and spread the rest of the egg whites on top with a small flat wooden paddle. She swirled it around decoratively, making a very pretty, lacy pattern, like icing on a cake, and then placed it near the fire so the topping would set and harden a little. For the other lemon pudding, she just grated a little loaf sugar over the surface, as was customary. She then moved the custards back to the cool larder until it was time to package them up for delivery, and put the other lemon pudding back on the shelf.

  Wiping her hands on her apron, Mrs. Goodfellow told the girls that they were now ready to carry the serving dishes over to the table. Hannah had already retrieved the now-empty trays from the dining area, and carefully held one out in front of her while Mrs. Goodfellow first put the sauceboat's saucer on the tray, and then gently placed the sauceboat of melted butter on top. Mrs. Goodfellow then grabbed a kitchen towel for each hand so she wouldn't burn them on the hot dish, and set the platter of artichokes on the tray next to the butter, making sure the cover was still on tightly.

  Firmly grasping the tray with both hands, Hannah headed over to the dining area, put it down on the tray stand and then took one of the kitchen towels and a round silver hand-waiter and stood behind the foot of the table and a little to the left of the chair. Taking two more cloths, Mrs. Goodfellow positioned the hot fricassee platter on the other tray and picked it up herself, nodding for the rest of the girls to make their way over to the table as she followed.

  When they got to the table, Mrs. Goodfellow put the chicken down at the foot and remained standing behind it. Once the girls were all seated at their places, Hannah leaned over and removed the dish cover, releasing the chicken's savory, peppery smell. She put the cover upside down on the tray, careful not to let any moisture get on the tablecloth, and then walked around to the left side of the girl nearest to her, picked up her plate, put it on the hand-waiter, and carried it over to Mrs. Goodfellow. She then held the plate while Mrs. Goodfellow lifted up a piece of chicken with a serving fork, placed it on the plate, and then spooned a bit of the gravy over it. She handed it to Hannah, who put it back on the hand-waiter, and then carried the plate back to the student and set it down in front of her. She then proceeded to the next student, serving each one in turn.

  While the chicken was being dished up, Mrs. Goodfellow explained that when the menu contains a meat dish, it is placed at the foot of the table in front of the man of the house to carve. If soup and fish are on the menu, the mistress of the house serves the soup from her place at the head of the table, and the fish is placed in front of the master. If there is only one of these items, it goes in front of the lady, and the largest dish of meat or poultry is placed at the foot, as is the case with today's chicken fricassee, she said, nodding her head toward the platter.

  For their “classroom” purposes, she explained that Hannah was taking the role that would usually be filled by a waiter at a dinner party. If there is only one waiter, he normally takes his position behind the person who is carving in order to determine what might be needed. When there are two waiters at a party, the second one stands near the lady of the house, she continued, and if there are four, two should stand at the sides of the table. She told the girls to notice how Hannah reached around the left side of each person to take their plate and put it back, always putting it on and taking it from the small server. This is proper decorum for table attendants, she explained. If there are men and women eating together, the ladies are always served first, she added.

  Mrs. Goodfellow stressed that even though the girls would not be performing these tasks themselves, they would need to know these skills when seeking servant assistance. She added that a dinner party's success hinges on all these factors coming together—food, table setting, service, even the guest list and careful seat assignments.

  Once the chicken was served to all the girls, Hannah took the cover off the artichoke platter and put it on top of the tray. She then transferred the platter and the sauceboat to the hand-waiter and began to move around the table, serving Mrs. Goodfellow and each girl an artichoke dressed with a little melted butter. As a last step she placed the small dishes of colorful preserves and pickles on the hand-waiter and walked around the table, offering the sweet and tart accompaniments to those who wanted to taste a spoonful or two.

  Once Hannah was finished serving, Mrs. Goodfellow finally said that the girls could begin eating. They gladly tucked into the tasty dishes they had watched being transformed from basic simple foods into fare worthy of a dinner party, and under Mrs. Goodfellow's watchful eye they made sure they used their best table manners.

  Hannah counted the dessert forks and plates, making sure all would be ready when the girls were finished the main course. Then she went back to the kitchen to finish up with the kisses and packaging orders for delivery.

  While the students were eating, Mrs. Goodfellow worked in a little instruction about appropriate dinner-party conversation for young ladies. Looking around the table at each girl in turn, she said that they must keep in mind that it takes time and experience to develop into a lively and respectable conversationalist. Ticking off the necessary components on her fingers, she first listed the importance of having well-rounded knowledge about books and the world, and being able to talk intelligently about these things. It is also key to have a fresh and imaginative mind, combined with a good memory and an intuitive perception of what is best to say, and what should be left unsaid. Good taste, an even temper, and proper manners are other appealing attributes. In addition, a clear, distinct voice is indispensable—ladies who speak in too low a tone will sound unintelligible. Last, the ability to quickly and seamlessly change topics and dialogue is very important—not laboring over any one subject as to bore the other guests. All these things will make a young lady a successful and sought-after dinner-party companion, she emphasized.

  As far as what topics should be discussed at a party, a little common sense goes a long way, Mrs. Goodfellow continued. First of all, never ask a gentleman about his profession unless he mentions it himself. Also, women who had formerly lived under more modest circumstances do not like to talk about their prior experiences. Instead of questioning them about domestic economy, speak with them as if they had always been living in comfort, she advised.

  It is also best to stay away from malicious behavior and speech, Mrs. Goodfellow cautioned. If a gentleman speaks highly of a lady whom you do not think deserving of his praise, nothing will be gained by trying to disagree; especially if she is attractive. It will only make you appear spiteful and envious, tainting his impression of you. Even if you dislike the lady, ignore her faults and try to think up a few positive traits, agreeing cordially with the gentleman.

  And avoid talking about religion—it is too sacred a subject for discussion at balls and parties, Mrs. Goodfellow warned. As her final piece of advice, she told the girls to be very cautious if asked for a candid opinion of someone, as it may lead to unpleasant consequences. Even close, lifelong friends are not always to be trusted—a bit of conversation meant to be told in confidence can sometimes be revealed to others later on.

  She then began to do a bit of her famous match-making, asking the girls questions about their current beaus—particularly their family backgrounds and ambitions. Most of the girls squirmed in their seats, too shy to reveal details of any blossoming romances. Some of the bolder ones, however, did disclose a few tidbits of information, and Mrs. Goodfellow nodded her head if she knew the family, or pressed for more specifics if she didn't.

  She once again voiced her opinion, telling the girls that here in America, nearly every young man must make a living in some way. Few can afford to spend most of their time lolling around engaging in flirtatious behavior, and those who make this a habit are not worth having. A man who is a deserving match has something purposeful to do with his day, she advised.

  While they were eating and having their lessons in deportment, Hannah had come back over to the dining area a few times to refi
ll water glasses and see if anything else was needed. As the girls finished up, Mrs. Goodfellow gave her the signal to clear the plates and dishes, and Hannah began to remove them, placing the larger items on the tray, and the forks and knives in the knife-basket, each in their separate compartment. She next went around the table and collected all the pieces of bread that were left, and then brushed off all the crumbs with a crumb-brush and a small server.

  Finally it was time for the lemon pudding. Hannah hurried off to retrieve the one topped with meringue drying in front of the fire, and brought it into the dining area, placing it on the side table. She then cut the pudding into wedges, putting a slice and a small fork on a dessert plate. She arranged them on the hand waiter and went around the table, carefully serving every student. As she passed them out, Mrs. Goodfellow explained that this was a very rich pastry, pure dinner-party fare, and not appropriate for children or invalids. Just a taste for each one of them would be enough, she cautioned.

  The tiny golden triangles capped with a fluff of white meringue looked almost too lovely to eat, but the girls were eager to try the luxurious treat. They all waited until everyone was served a piece, and then each took dainty bites of the glistening custard accented by the airy “icing.” The sweet, light topping melted in their mouths, a perfect accent to the smooth, lemony custard. As they savored the richness, they all nodded around the table to each other with expressions of delight, raving about how incredibly delicious it was. Mrs. Goodfellow also took a small forkful and agreed that adding a sweet, delicate top layer to the thick, rich pudding was a tasty contrast.

  The description above is just one possible scenario of how lemon meringue pie first came to be, as no one knows for sure exactly how and when it was originally conceived. However, according to food historian William Woys Weaver, we can thank Mrs. Goodfellow for inventing this popular dessert. Lemon pudding was known as one of her signature confections, but it is not clear how and when the meringue topping was added. The rich sweet-tart pudding was either spooned into a pastry crust before baking (like a pie), or simply poured into a dish and baked without a bottom shell. Lemon puddings existed before her version, but as we know it in America, lemon meringue pie is a Goodfellow creation. The English made lemon curd, and her rendering is essentially lemon curd baked in a piecrust.1