two yummy recipes from The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook (+ a giveaway!)

~ jama

“If you took some chamomile tea and spent more time rocking on the porch in the evening, listening to the liquid song of the hermit thrush, you might enjoy life more. Joy is there for the taking.” ~Tasha Tudor

It must have been lovely to join Tasha Tudor for afternoon tea at her beloved Corgi Cottage in southeastern Vermont.

Perhaps her Corgis would greet me at the door, and if I was a little early, she’d put me to work, melting semi-sweet chocolate to fill her speckled cookies. I would happily set the table with her favorite heirloom Blue Canton or hand painted pink lustre tea set, basking in the warmth and charm of her cozy kitchen, only too willing to immerse myself in her 19th century world.

Tasha’s older son Seth built Corgi Cottage in 1970 using only hand tools (photo via Tasha Tudor & Family).

I can’t remember when I first encountered Tasha’s work; it seems like her enchanting pastel watercolors were always part of my read-write-teach existence as they adorned nearly one hundred children’s books and a myriad of greeting cards and calendars. How I appreciated this gentle reminder of simpler times, the idyllic views of New England people, villages, woods, fields, farms, and gardens!

photo by Richard Brown/The Private World of Tasha Tudor

Tasha’s life was a work of art. She often remarked that she was the reincarnation of a sea captain’s wife who lived from about 1800 to 1840. Here was an artist who wholeheartedly lived and dressed the part, making her own clothes from flax she grew, raising her own farm animals, indulging her passions for gardening and traditional handcrafts such as basket-making, candle-making, calligraphy, weaving, sewing, knitting, and doll-making.

photo by Richard Brown/The Private World of Tasha Tudor

Of all her wide-ranging interests, I’m most fascinated with her cooking and baking (no surprise). Even before I saw actual photos of her kitchen, I enjoyed the paintings of her large open fireplace with cast iron pots hanging on hooks, cupboards full of canned fruits and vegetables, shelves laden with salt glaze crockery, yellow ware mixing bowls, antique cooking utensils, copper pots, glass jars, and wooden spoons. And that big wood burning stove! There was often a child or two nearby, happily helping out, eager to taste the spoils.

Tasha gathered recipes (or “receipts” as she called them) over her lifetime, many passed down for generations. Just as she loved cooking with heirloom equipment, she loved making dishes that had been in the family for centuries. One can just imagine how delicious her meals were, having been made with the freshest ingredients available — garden veggies, eggs from her own chickens, milk from her cows or Nubian goats, her own herbs, even flour from wheat she grew herself.

Tasha washing heirloom china dishes with Captain Pegler on her shoulder (photo by Richard Brown/Tasha Tudor’s Garden).

I was happy to learn that a new cookbook came out last Fall — The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook: Heirloom Recipes and Warm Memories from Corgi Cottage (Skyhorse Publishing, 2016). It was written and compiled by Tasha’s grandson Winslow Tudor, who lives on the Tudor estate with his parents, wife and two daughters. He’s responsible for maintaining Tasha’s home and extensive gardens, and helping to preserve her legacy through the family business.

© 2017 Winslow Tudor

Winslow grew up next door to his grandmother, whom he called “Granny,” and whom he saw every day until he was in his early 30’s. He’s written a wonderful introduction and many interesting recipe headnotes, interweaving personal anecdotes, cooking tips, and brief backstories about recipe origin, cooking tools and methods, when certain dishes were prepared, how the ingredients were grown. You get a pleasant glimpse of business as usual in this headnote for Beef Stew:

Every so often, the cookstove in Tasha’s house had a pot of stew simmering toward the back beside the copper double boiler. Tasha kept the double boiler full of water with the top on and used it to keep her meals warm or thaw the occasional fledgling waylaid by circumstance. One of the most famous birds resuscitated in this manner was Chickahominy, a bearded Belgium bantam whose mother abandoned him beneath an outbuilding. Tasha rolled the unresponsive orphan out with a hoe one late cold morning and resuscitated him. He lived happily and in great comfort for many years after. He never could stand the cold, however, and was inclined to pass out if exposed to temperatures approaching freezing. He was partial to beef stew.

photo by Richard Brown

Oh, to have a Granny like that! Each day brought a new adventure. 🙂

Some of you Tudorites might be wondering how this new cookbook is different from The Tasha Tudor Cookbook published by Little, Brown back in 1993. Of course Tasha wrote and illustrated the older book, but Winslow’s  new book contains photographs of most of the finished recipes taken in Tasha’s kitchen. You get to see close-ups not only of the delicious food, but of some of Tasha’s antique plates, bowls, flatware and crockery — and yes, teapots and teacups. 🙂 Tasha’s watercolors are scattered throughout, but the best part is Winslow’s memories.

Tasha won first prize for her Oatmeal Bread at the Danbury Fair when she was 15.

What about the recipes? There are a few similar ones, like Oatmeal Bread, Pea Soup, Blueberry Muffins, and Baking-Powder Biscuits, but most of the recipes in Winslow’s book are different from those featured in the older cookbook. They’re organized accordingly: Breads and Muffins, Breakfast, Lunch and Supper, Fruits and Salads, Accompaniments, Desserts, and Beverages. Think in terms of traditional, wholesome family fare, nothing exotic or revolutionary, just good comfort food that’s definitely kid-friendly. The key is sourcing the freshest ingredients possible.

Making these recipes is a lovely way to channel your inner Tasha, to remember a woman with an enduring passion for gardening who cultivated enviable practical skills, lived simply and in concert with nature, was a friend to animals, respected history and tradition, created beautiful art, and was always only herself.

photo by Richard Brown (The Private World of Tasha Tudor)

Hungry yet?

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LENTIL SOUP AND APPLESAUCE CAKE

The hardest part about using this new cookbook was deciding which recipe to make first — so many were calling to us: Bean Stew, Chicken Pie, Charlotte Cake, Corn Bread, Parmesan Meatballs, Baked Custard, Pear and Arugula Salad.

Carrot Soup

On a rainy morning Mr. Cornelius said he wanted soup for lunch. Our choices: Carrot, Chicken Noodle, Split Pea, Tomato, Winter Squash or Lentil. All were very tempting, but we decided on Lentil, certain that it would hit the spot. We were right, of course. Lentils, a warm, nourishing bowl of yum for so little effort. Next time we’re making some of Tasha’s Corn Bread to go with it. If you have a furry sous chef chop the veggies, it’s a breeze. 🙂

This is an old and satisfying receipt. Adjustments of herbs and salt can be made to meet most anyone’s taste. Tasha stored dried beans and lentils on a top shelf in a series of graduated glass jars with metal press-on lids.

 

 

Lentil Soup

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 carrots, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 cups chicken stock, or 8 cups water
  • 2 tomatoes, diced, or 1 can stewed tomatoes
  • 2 cups uncooked lentils
  • 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat oil in large pot. Add celery, onion, and carrot. Stir in basil, oregano, garlic, and bay leaves.

Add chicken stock or water, tomato, and lentils. Bring to boil, then simmer an hour or so. Top each serving with fresh spinach tossed in balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This soup tends to thicken over time and you may want to add extra liquid. Sausage or beef makes a good addition.

~ from The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook by Winslow Tudor (Skyhorse Publishing, 2016)

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photo by Richard Brown (Tasha Tudor’s Heirloom Crafts)

As if we needed even more reason to love Tasha, here’s what Winslow said about Tea:

Every afternoon, Tasha set out a teapot, creamer, sugar bowl, cups, and saucers, and put the teakettle on to heat.  If she expected more than three or four visitors, she used two teapots and put out an extra plate of crackers or cookies. Once everyone was settled, she lit the beeswax candles, poured the tea, inquired if milk or sugar was desired, and if so how much, then settled into her usual spot. She sat in a rocking chair with a black woolen blanket over the back and blue-check pillow cushion on the seat. She used a cup without a handle and warmed both hands with it. The coziest teatimes occurred in winter by the woodstove, and in familiar company Tasha propped her feet on the fender. There was always a background of corgi dogs pattering about, canaries singing, the grandfather clock chiming every half hour, the cat purring or a teakettle coming to a boil, the soft gleam of candlelight on copper, and the scent of herbs drying and fresh-baked bread or cookies. Tasha did much of her correspondence from this spot, and kept a few art pencils and erasers on the little table beside the chair. The corgis loved to chew those erasers if they fell to the floor.

Tasha’s famous Speckled Cookies
Table set with Tasha’s Pink Lustre Tea Set

With a note like that, we simply had to make one of the sweet recipes for tea. Nice choices: Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies, Quick Yellow Cake, Banana Bread, Cinnamon Raisin Bread, Applesauce Cake.

We decided on Applesauce Cake after reading about the six apple trees in Tasha’s garden, and how she liked to make applesauce using two or three varieties. Even though we didn’t use homemade applesauce, this cake was mighty good — not overly sweet and oh, so moist. Didn’t frost the cake this time to cut down on sugar intake. Loved this recipe and will definitely make it again. Mr. Cornelius ate such a big piece he had to take a long nap afterwards.

Tasha collected apples in a green-ash-splint basket before they fell and stored them on the counter beside the bread box, where over the next few days she made them into applesauce or pies. She baked cookies or a cake each day to have ready for afternoon tea and visitors. If guests arrived early they helped prepare tea, carried in an armload of firewood, put new candles in the candleholders, or moved weed piles to the compost, depending on the season. Sometimes Tasha frosted the applesauce cake, other times she didn’t.

 

Applesauce Cake

  • Servings: 10
  • Difficulty: average
  • Print

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 8 tablespoons butter, soft
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup applesauce, unsweetened

Frosting:

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

First make the cake. In large mixing bowl, beat together sugar, egg, and butter. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and applesauce. Mix until just combined.

Bake in greased 8×8-inch pan 25-30 minutes or until a fork or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the frosting. Bring brown sugar and cream to a simmer and cook to 235° F. Turn burner off and cool until about 100° F. Add butter and vanilla. Beat until frosting thickens and frost cake right away.

~ from The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook by Winslow Tudor (Skyhorse Publishing, 2016)

To go with our cake, we ordered a sample of Tasha’s Welsh Breakfast Tea from the online shop. The tea arrived lickety split, with a nice “W” written on the invoice. Winslow, is that you?  🙂

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THE TASHA TUDOR FAMILY COOKBOOK: Heirloom Recipes and Warm Memories from Corgi Cottage
written by Winslow Tudor
published by Skyhorse Publishing, October 2017, 176 pp.
*Includes Conversion Charts and Index

❤️ Be sure to visit The Tasha Tudor and Family Website, a beautiful spot on the web featuring information about Tasha’s life, her books, Corgi Cottage, her family and friends, receipts, tea time stories, DIY projects, the museum, upcoming events, and the shop (prints, greeting cards, fabric, books, family-made items, seeds, and more!).

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🐶 SPECIAL BOOK GIVEAWAY! 🌷

The publisher has generously provided a copy of The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook for one lucky Alphabet Soup reader. For a chance to win, simply leave a comment at this post no later than midnight (EST) Tuesday, March 14, 2017. You may also enter by sending an email with TASHA in the subject line to: readermail (at) jamakimrattigan (dot) com. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, please. Winner will be announced on St. Patrick’s Day. Good Luck!

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“I enjoy doing housework, ironing, washing, cooking, dishwashing. Whenever I get one of those questionnaires and they ask what is your profession, I always put down housewife. It’s an admirable profession, why apologize for it. You aren’t stupid because you’re a housewife. When you’re stirring the jam you can read Shakespeare.”~ Tasha Tudor

*Recipe photographs posted by permission of the publisher, copyright © 2016 Winslow Tudor, published by Skyhorse Publishing. All rights reserved.

**Tasha’s illustrations shown here all appear in the Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook. Please note that some of the photographs of her in this post were sourced from other publications, and do not appear in the cookbook.

Copyright © 2017 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

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70 thoughts on “two yummy recipes from The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook (+ a giveaway!)”

  1. What a delightful post! I remember one of her granddaughters as a volunteer in my children’s elementary school library in northern Virginia. She loved to show me her grandmother’s books every week when she’d come in!

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    1. Wonderful to hear that, Sandy! I did read that one of Tasha’s sons lives in Fairfax Station. So near, yet so far . . .

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  2. Oh how I love this! A cozy, simple, yet industrious, close to nature and creative life! So, I wanted to read the housewife quote to my husband, Rob, and I asked him if he knew who Tasha Tudor was. He replied, ” Not only do I know who she was, I met her. I spent a night in her house and slept in a real feather bed. I had to step on a special stool to get into it properly. In the morning she made an amazing breakfast.” (At which pint MY breakfast spilled out of my mouth!!) It turns out Rob went to high school ( High Mowing school- a Waldorf boarding school in New Hampshire) with Tasha’s daughter, Efner, and he and a buddy spent a night at her house, on their way home for the weekend!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Wow! That is SO cool, Iza! What a small world. I did read that Tasha was very sociable and often had visitors and guests. And she was a smart businesswoman too. I love that Rob remembers that “amazing” breakfast!

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    2. Here’s a video of Tasha working in her garden. Ask Rob if he remembers these views of Corgi Cottage and the gardens surrounding it.

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    3. Wow! That is amazing that you just learned this! ❤
      The cottage is so close to where I grew up – we were always wondering how to find it (pre-Internet era). Pondering whether to sign up for one of the handful of tours…

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  3. Pingback: author/illustrator recipe archive | Jama's Alphabet Soup

  5. Forgot all about Tasha Tudor. So enjoyed this warm and delicious post, Jama. I’m going to try the lentil soup for sure. That particular picture is so yummy, who could resist making that soup. Tasha reminds me of my Baba–so gentle and kind. I wish I would have been around my Baba the last few years like Winslow. I miss Baba and all the things I should have learned from her. Thanks for the journey, Jama!

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    1. Winslow was lucky indeed to grow up next door to his grandmother. I’m glad the family is keeping Tasha’s legacy alive. I so enjoyed reading Winslow’s words. You can read more from him at the Tasha Tudor and Family website. 🙂

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  6. When I was a child we had a book called Take Joy by Tasha Tudor. It had Christmas songs, recipes and art. I loved it then. Now when I am feeling low or self-constrained in my art I sometimes write Take Joy on a piece of paper and stick it up in my studio as a mantra.

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  7. I had no idea of this site, Jama, so thank you for that and of course sharing about this new cookbook, my favorite kind with stories & pictures! I’ve given Tasha’s books to the granddaughters, but kept My Brimful Book, partially illustrated by her. What a joyful place this must still be! Thank you for sharing all. (I just had lentil soup last night!)

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    1. Nice to hear you’ve shared some of Tasha’s books with your granddaughters, Linda. There’s something so comforting in her gentle, old fashioned illustrations.

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  8. What a charming life she led! I would love to visit her home sometime (I just looked it up, quite pricey…). Thanks for sharing this peek into Tasha’s world. The cookbook (and applesauce cake!) look wonderful.

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  9. I have always admired Tasha Tudor’s work. I own and use a book, Kitchen Gardens, illustrated by Tasha Tudor. The new book is a beautiful tribute to her.

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    1. It’s amazing how many books she illustrated. Love that most of her pictures were a reflection of her personal life, filled with the objects and places she interacted with every day.

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    1. She is definitely fascinating. There’s supposedly a movie about her called “Take Joy” that will be live streamed on youtube on May 5:

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  12. I know a number of women who would love to visit Tasha’s home in VT…but a lot of folks don’t realize she & her first husband actually had a farm in Webster, NH (right next to the town I live in). Her illustrations are so comforting and familial.

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    1. you made my day. no, my life. i am homesick. i want my mother’s lentil soup. heck, i just wanna go hoooooome 🙂 this is more than wonderful, jama – it is throbbing with alive –

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      1. Thank you, Bev! I know what you mean about being homesick. Back to a place of safety and comfort where the world is halfway sane.

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  13. What a warm, wonderful and homey post today, Jama–love this! I wish I were in Corgi Cottage today. And I love the photos with the parrot and her dogs. Thank you!!

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    1. Yes, that parrot photo is one of my favorites because it shows her dishes!! I’m now enamored of 19th century Staffordshire pink lustreware — I did get one teacup and saucer but now want more. 🙂

      Tasha sounds like your kind of person — she once had as many as 11 Corgis all at once . . .

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    1. It looks idyllic, but I admit it wouldn’t suit me — a lot of hard work went into maintaining that lifestyle. Doing most things from scratch forces you to slow down, though . . and there is a lot of satisfaction from doing things by hand, so that’s good. I have so much respect for Tasha, living true to herself, something she knew from childhood.

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  16. What a great post! I would love to win this book. I have many books that Tasha Tudor illustrated and books about her life. Thank you for the give away.

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  18. I have so much admiration for Tasha Tudor and the way she lived her life. Such a commitment to live an 18th (19th?) century life in all ways – and yet it seems like it wasn’t any sacrifice for her, but simply who she was. The book looks beautiful, and I bet the recipes are all delicious!

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  20. I’ve always been very interested in Tasha Tudor. I would love to win her cookbook. Lovely! Thanks! Come by and see us at Prairie Cottage Corner when you have a minute.

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  21. My children adore Tasha Tudor! She has her own shelf in our home to store her lovely books. Thank you for posting the recipes – I think we will make them both tomorrow. I very much appreciate the comparison between the old and new cookbooks, as I have them both on my wishlist and had been wondering why her grandson made a new version. Now I know :).

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  23. Wow how gorgeous is that cookbook and what a great post –and the story about Rob in the comments. I want to be Tasha! I can’t believe I’ve never heard of her. If I don’t win the copy of the book, I will definitely be buying a copy.

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    1. I think you will find her life and accomplishments very interesting. I’m sure you’ve seen some of her greeting cards or calendars along the way and never realized who the artist was behind them. She has an international following. 🙂

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  24. A lovely, lovely blog and so informative, Jama!! And the comments as well. I thank you all for starting my morning off in this most delightful way!

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  25. The name “Tasha Tudor” always fascinated me on the Little Golden Books that she illustrated. Her style of painting was really distinctive. I guess I would be more tempted by the cookbook with her own actual recipes!

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Nice that you noticed her name on those books. When I was little I had a lot of Golden Books but never really paid attention to the author’s or illustrator’s names. It was all about the story for me.

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  26. What a beautiful post, and lovely memories from her grandson. However she found the time and energy for all she accomplished is the real wonder.

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  29. What a wonderful post! This is the first time that I have read anything about Tasha Tudor and she sounds like she was an extraordinary person. How incredible that her legacy is continuing and there is a new book available. Thank you so much for sharing this. 🙂

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    1. Since writing this post I’ve been motivated to read as much as I can about her life and work. I’m now reading The Private World of Tasha Tudor and Tasha Tudor’s Garden. Very interesting!

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  31. How did I miss this book? Everything looks wonderful – especially that lentil soup. Thank you for such a nice overview of Tasha and the new cookbook.

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  32. Lovely post. I enjoyed learning about Tasha Tudor and the cookbook is beautiful, Both the lentil soup and the applesauce cake look amazing. Thanks for sharing! 😉

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