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Salad Dressing (Yolks of two eggs beaten)
The yolks of two eggs beaten thoroughly, one level tea-spoon salt, one of pepper, two of white sugar, two tea-spoons prepared mustard, one table-spoon butter; stir in the mixture four table-spoons best vinegar, put dressing into a bowl, set it in a kettle of hot water, and stir constantly till it thickens; set away, and when cool it is ready for use. This is sufficient for one quart finely chopped cabbage, and should be poured over while hot, and thoroughly mixed with the cabbage, which may then be placed upon a platter, formed into an oval mound, and served cold.
A boiled dressing of the sort that preceded oil-based mayonnaise in American kitchens — eggs and vinegar thickened over hot water, then poured hot over shredded cabbage. It is a slaw dressing first and foremost.
- The hinge: gentle heatThe bowl set in a kettle of hot water is a double boiler, and it is not optional. Keep the water below a simmer and stir without stopping; the yolks thicken around 170–180F and will scramble into grains if the mixture is put over direct heat or allowed to boil.
- That teaspoon of pepper"One of pepper" reads as a level teaspoon, matching the salt. With modern finely ground black pepper that is aggressive for a dressing this size; half a teaspoon may suit better, and can be adjusted to taste.
- Prepared mustardMeans jarred wet mustard, not mustard powder. A plain yellow or mild Dijon suits; two teaspoons is right. If you substitute dry mustard, use a good deal less -- commonly about a third the volume -- and let it hydrate in the vinegar first.
- Vinegar"Best vinegar" in 1877 usually meant cider vinegar, and household strength varied. Standard 5 percent cider vinegar works; four tablespoons is quite sharp, which is the point against sweet cabbage, but taste before dressing the slaw.
- Dress it hotPouring the hot dressing over the cabbage wilts it slightly and helps it absorb the seasoning — this is what distinguishes the dish from a cold, crisp modern slaw. The recipe then contradicts itself mildly: it says set the dressing away to cool, then pour it over hot. Use it hot from the pan for wilted slaw, cooled for a crisper one.
- YieldAbout half a cup of dressing, enough for one quart of chopped cabbage, serving four to six as a side.
- KeepingIt is an egg custard with acid, so refrigerate and use within two or three days. It will stiffen when cold; loosen with a spoonful of cream or vinegar.
Boiled dressings like this one were common in American cookbooks in the nineteenth century, and Buckeye Cookery (which first appeared in Ohio in 1876 as the Centennial Buckeye Cook Book, the title Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping belonging to the 1877 revision) gives several variations of it. The reason is practical: emulsified mayonnaise demands good salad oil and a steady hand, while a midwestern farm kitchen had eggs, butter and cider vinegar. Cooking the yolks over water gave a stable, tangy sauce. The recipe also instructs the cook to mound the finished slaw into an oval on a platter.