I was curious over English recipes for cheesecakes in the 1700's which upon investigation, there appeared to be no cheese in them at all.
Perhaps was healthier, but things fascinate me like this, as did all early cheesecakes not include cheese and it was only a later cream cheese inclusion.
Potato, or Lemon Cheesecakes:—Take six ounces of potatoes, four ounces of lemon-peel four ounces of sugar, four ounces of butter; boil the lemon-peel til tender, pare and scrape the potatoes, and boil them tender and bruise them; beat the lemon-peel with the sugar, then beat all together very well, and melt all together very well, and let it lie till cold: put crust in your pattipans, and fill them little more than half full: bake them in a quick oven half an hour, sift some double-refined sugar on them as they go into the oven; this quantity will make a dozen small pattipans.
To make Almond Cheesecakes:—Take a good handful or more of almonds, blanch them in warm water, and throw them in cold; pound them fine, and in the pounding put a little sack or orange-flower-water to keep them from oiling; then put to your almonds the yolks of two hard eggs, and beat them together: beat the yolks of six eggs, the whites of three, and mix with your almonds, and half a pound of butter melted, and sugar to your taste; mix all well together, and use it as other cheesecake stuff.
I do recall in my Grandmother's cookbook of ancient age, that she had a great deal of orange flower water included in the recipes too. How many things have changed now in cheesecakes without cheese and no one would think of adding orange flower water to anything.
agtG
