Overly ambitious

The menus at the A Taste of History exhibit provided lots of insight into colonial fare.  In the colonial period, meals would have been influenced by seasonality, economic status, and cultural interpretations.  Philadelphia, as the birthplace of the nation, was at the crossroads of cultures - English, French, West Indian/African, and Native American - as well as influences from the many ethnic groups that called Philadelphia home.  With that in mind, I planned what I initially thought to be a straightforward meal - crab cakes, pepper pot, fish, duck, and root vegetables. 

I got started around 10am, however despite spending $130 yesterday for this meal, I needed a few items, so my husband went to Acme; in the interim I made up the crab cakes (back fin) and simmered the beef brisket.  My daughter made the chocolate cake and then got started chopping vegetables.  For the pepper pot, I simmered onions, garlic, scallions, shallots, and ginger; then added tomatoes, yuca, jicama, calabaza, the brisket, cabbage, and spinach.  It was after 2pm and I still had a lot more to do. 

I cut the head and the feet off of the ducks (my son wants to take them in for show and tell) and seasoned inside in out; for enhanced flavor I put celery, garlic, shallots, thyme, ginger, lemon, and dried cherries in the cavity and roasted that on high convection heat (not quite the 600 degree fire but close enough).  It was getting late and I was beginning to worry that my meal would not be ready by the time my 4 guests arrived.  It seemed so simple when I conceptualized it.  I reminded myself that it was simple considering that in the 18th century I would have been doing this daily with a wood fire instead of the luxury of a convection oven.

When I got started with the fish, it was clear that I was over doing it but I proceeded as planned.  I seasoned the bass inside and out then stuffed with peppers, scallions, garlic, shallots, celery, and thyme.  When the duck was finished I put the fish in the oven and low and behold there was grease fire (now we're talking 18th century); I kept slicing the root vegetables (turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, carrots) while my husband battled the flames.  I seasoned and tossed the vegetables with the garlic et al.  The fire was out so I put the veggies in the fish in the oven and hoped that everything would be ready by 5pm. 

My grandmother arrived with a cake and some cookies, so we set up a dessert table.  At 515pm I melted butter so that I could make the crab cakes for the first course.  I served the pepperpot in a tureen with the crab cakes on a platter alongside of it; I totally forgot about the symmetry when I placed the food on the table.  I also forgot that the second course should have been pies; instead it was fish, vegetables, and duck.  My grandmother reminded me that I told her I wasn't making anything complicated; theoretically it wasn't complicated, it just required more prep than I considered.

We followed our meal with dessert, cider, eggnog, and hot tea.  Everyone enjoyed the food and the accompanying history lesson; I'm just not sure where this meal, with only 5 dishes, would rank on the 18th century socioeconomic hierarchy.