Pork and Beans for Breakfast

Wash a quart of small white beans in cold water; pick them over while in the water; reject all imperfect beans; drain; cover with fresh cold water, and let them soak over night. Next morning change the water twice; then put them in a large iron pot; add a liberal quantity of cold water, and simmer them slowly for four hours. Pour them into a colander carefully to drain. Heat an old-fashioned beanpot with hot water, and wipe it dry; place a small piece of pork in the pot, and add the beans to within two inches of the top; now place a small piece of pork (properly scored on its rind) on the beans. Dissolve a tablespoonful of black molasses in a pint of warm water; add half a teaspoonful of salt and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce, and pour this over the beans; place the pot in a moderate oven, and bake for three hours, at the end of which time take them out, and add a little more warm water, to prevent them from becoming too dry. Bake for three hours longer, and serve with hot Boston brown bread.

The old-fashioned manner of preparing this dish was to place all the pork on top, the result being that the first few spoonfuls of beans contained all the pork fat, while the remainder had not been seasoned by it.

The above recipe distributes the pork fat evenly through the beans, as it is lighter than water, and naturally rises; and for this reason only half the usual quantity of pork is required to produce the desired result.

Southern-Style Chicken and Turkey Hash

Cut the meat small, freeing of skin and gristle. If there is rich gravy left, put it into a skillet, and cook tender in it, half a dozen sliced tomatoes, three shredded green peppers, a small sliced onion, and a cupful of raw potato cubes. Lacking gravy, cook in butter or bacon fat, and season to taste—gravy requires less seasoning than plain fat. Add the meat, pour in a cup of boiling water, stir all well together, and cook for five minutes. Serve in a hot dish lined with thin toast. Fine for breakfast, or a very late supper.

From "Dishes and Beverages of the Old South", 1913

Fried Tomatoes

Select three smooth, medium-sized, well-filled tomatoes; cut into slices half an inch thick; dredge them with flour or roll in egg and crumbs, and fry (or, rather, sautée) in a small quantity of hot fat, turning and cooking both sides evenly. Have prepared the following sauce: Add to a pint of milk a tablespoonful of flour, one beaten egg, salt, pepper, and a very little mace. Cream an ounce of butter; whisk into it the milk, and let it simmer until it thickens; pour the sauce on a hot side dish; arrange the tomatoes in the center, and add the chops opposite each other, and serve.

Plain broiled or papered chops may be served in this way.

From "Breakfast Dainties", by Thomas J. Murrey, 1885.

Baked Macaroni Omelet

Boil 2 ozs. short cut macaroni in salted boiling water, and drain. Put 3 dessert-spoonfuls flour in a basin, smooth with a little cold milk, and pour a breakfast-cupful boiling milk over it, stirring vigorously all the time. Add one or two spoonfuls of cream--or a little fresh dairy butter or nut butter beat to a cream--2 beaten eggs, teaspoonful minced parsley, same of grated onion, the macaroni, a large cup bread crumbs, seasoning of pepper, salt, &c. Mix very well.

Put in buttered pie-dish and bake 30 to 40 minutes in brisk oven. Turn out and serve with brown or tomato sauce. Some grated cheese may be added if liked.

From the "Reform Cookery Book (4th edition), Up-To-Date Health Cookery for the Twentieth Century", by Mrs. Mill

Old-Fashioned Southern Waffles

Separate three eggs. Beat yolks and whites very light. Add to the yolks alternately a pint of very rich sweet milk, and handfuls of sifted flour. Enough to make a batter rather thicker than cream. Put in also half a teaspoon—scant—of salt, and half a cup of lard, or lard and butter, melted so it will barely run. Mix well, then add the beaten whites of egg. Have the waffle irons hot but not scorching—grease well with melted lard—the salt in butter will make the batter stick. Cook quickly but take care not to burn. Lay on hot plate—have a pitcher of melted butter to pour on. Lay the second waffle upon the first, butter, and keep hot.

It is not safe to begin serving without at least six waffles in plate. This, of course, provided you have several eaters with genuine appetites. Syrup can be passed with the waffles—but it is profanation to drench them with it—strong clear coffee, and broiled chicken are the proper accompaniments at breakfast.

From "Dishes and Beverages of the Old South", by Martha McCulloch Williams, 1913.

Fruit for Breakfast

Melons.—The best way to eat melons is unquestionably with a little salt; they should be kept over night in an ice-box and served at the following breakfast; but melons are very deceptive; they may look delicious, but, from growing in or near the same garden where squashes and pumpkins are raised, they often taste as insipid as these vegetables would if eaten raw. In this case they are made very palatable by cutting the edible part into slices, and serving them with plain dressing of oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt.

Oranges.—Of the many ways of serving oranges, I prefer them sliced. If in summer, keep them cold until wanted. Remove all seeds, and cut large slices in two. Mandarins are served whole, with the peel scored but not removed.

Peaches.—If the peaches are large and perfect do not slice them, but serve them whole; wipe or brush off the feathery coating, arrange them neatly on the fruit-dish, and decorate them with fresh green leaves and flowers.

Sliced peaches turn a rusty brown color if allowed to stand after cutting them. Should this occur, cover them with whipped cream properly sweetened.

Pears.—Fine-flavored pears should be served whole; inferior pears, sliced and dredged with sugar; they are acceptable when mixed with other fruits.

Pineapples are best served as a salad. Pare and dig out the eyes; take hold of the crown of the pine with the left hand; take a fork in the right hand, and with it tear the pine into shreds, until the core is reached, which throw away. Arrange the shredded fruit lightly in a compote, add a liberal quantity of powdered sugar, a wine-glassful of Curaçoa, and half a wine-glassful of brandy.

Alternate layers of shredded pineapple and fresh cocoanut served with a sauce of orange juice, seasoned with sugar and liquors, is excellent.

Plums are too often picked before they are quite ripe, which prevents them from becoming popular as a breakfast fruit; this is true of Apricots also.

Strawberries are often objectionable, owing to grit; wash, or rather rinse them in water, drain on a napkin, and serve with vanilla-flavored whipped cream for a change.

Nearly all tropical fruits that are imported are excellent breakfast fruits, such as the alligator pear, Lechosa prickly pear, pomegranate, tropical mango, and many others.

Breakfast Chef: Omelet a la Duchesse

This is a sweet baked omelet, and is served the same as one would serve an omelet souffle.

6 eggs
1/2 cupful of water
1/2 a lemon's yellow rind, grated
1/2 cupful of thick cream
1/2 cupful of granulated sugar
1 teaspoonful of vanilla or orange flower water
1 small bit of cinnamon

Put the sugar, water, cinnamon and lemon rind over the fire, boil until it spins a thread and stand aside to cool. Separate the eggs; beat the yolks until creamy, and add the cream, then the strained syrup. Add the vanilla, and when cool fold in the well-beaten whites.

Turn at once into a shallow silver or granite dish, dust thickly with powdered sugar and bake in a quick oven until brown.