In honor of President’s Day, Monday February 20, I thought it would be interesting to research what foods our president’s have favored over the last 236 years of America’s culinary history. Here is the list of foods considered most yummy by all 44 commanders in chief:
MARY TODD LINCOLN'S VANILLA-ALMOND CAKE
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/3 cups milk
1 cup almonds, finely chopped
6 egg whites, stiffly beaten
White Frosting
Cream together sugar, butter, and vanilla extract.
Stir together the cake flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in almonds. Gently fold in the egg whites. Pour into two greased and lightly floured 9x1-1/2-inch round baking pans. Bake at 375 degrees F for 28 to 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Fill and frost with White Frosting.
White Frosting: In a saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and dash salt. Bring mixture to boiling, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
In mixing bowl place 2 egg whites; very slowly pour the hot sugar syrup over, beating constantly with electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Frost the cake and enjoy like the Lincolns!
- George Washington (1789-1797): Ice cream, fish, Martha’s fancy cakes
- John Adams (1797-1801): apple cider, pickles, kale and onions grown in his own garden
- Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809): gourmet who grew 300 varieties of vegetables and herbs at Monticello, also liked ice cream, pancakes, spoon breads,
- James Madison (1809-1817): Ice cream
- James Monroe (1817-1825): chicken fried with rice, spoon bread
- John Quincy Adams (1825-1829): fresh fruit grown in his own orchard
- Andrew Jackson (1829-1837): French food, floating islands and mini-custard tarts
- Martin Van Buren (1837-1841): oysters, doughnuts, raisins, figs, and apples
- William Henry Harrison (1841): squirrel stew, hard cider
- John Tyler (1841-1845): dessert puddings
- James K. Polk (1845-1849): ham, corn pone, Southern food
- Zachary Taylor (1849-1850): Creole food
- Millard Fillmore (1850-1853): plain food, meat, potatoes, vegetables
- Franklin Pierce (1853-1857): plain, New Hampshire food of his day, fried clams, chowder, apple pan dowdy
- James Buchanan (1857-1861): French cuisine, gourmet food, cabbage
- Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865): Fruit salad, crackers, cheese, chicken fricassee with herbed biscuits, Mary Todd Lincoln’s Vanilla-Almond Cake (see recipe below)
- Andrew Johnson (1865-1869): Fish, jam
- Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877): rice pudding with lemon sauce
- Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881): Cornmeal battercakes
- James A. Garfield (1881): squirrel soup, milk, homemade breads, apple pie
- Chester A. Arthur (1881-1885): mutton chops, rare roast beef, seafood
- Grover Cleveland (1885-1889, 1893-1897): pickled herring, corned beef and cabbage
- Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893): corn
- William McKinley (1897-1901): potatoes, meats and fish, eggs, bread
- Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909): coffee, wild game, biscuits and gravy
- William Howard Taft (1909-1913): Turtle Soup
- Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921): strawberry ice cream
- William G. Harding (1921-1923): chicken pot pie
- Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929): curry of veal, pork apple pies
- Herbert Hoover (1929-1933): Virginia ham, corn soup, potato soup
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945): scrambled eggs, fish chowder, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, and fruitcake
- Harry S. Truman (1945-1953): roast chicken, Senator’s Bean Soup
- Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961): onions, oxtail soup, succotash, prune whip
- John F. Kennedy (1961-1963): New England Clam Chowder, corn muffins, poached egg on toast
- Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969): Ice cream, pancakes, seafood, spinach soufflé, sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows, coffee, Fresca
- Richard Nixon (1969-1974): meatloaf, dried figs, cottage cheese, ketchup
- Gerald Ford (1974-1977): pot roast, red cabbage, butter pecan ice cream, waffles with strawberries and sour cream
- Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) eggplant, chicken, sirloin steak, cornbread, baked grits with cheese and, of course, peanuts
- Ronald Reagan (1981-1989): Jelly beans, macaroni and cheese, monkey bread, pumpkin pecan pie, anything chocolate – especially Nancy’s fudgy brownies
- George H. W. Bush (1989-1993): pork rinds, hated broccoli, loved hot sauce
- William Jefferson Clinton (1993-2001): enchiladas, ribs, McDonald’s hamburgers, pie, steak, onion rings
- George W. Bush (2001 – 2009): Mexican food, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, beef tenderloin, pretzels and like his dad, not a fan of greens
- Barack Obama (2009-present): Chili, hamburgers, honey, fresh veggies grown in the White House garden
MARY TODD LINCOLN'S VANILLA-ALMOND CAKE
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/3 cups milk
1 cup almonds, finely chopped
6 egg whites, stiffly beaten
White Frosting
Cream together sugar, butter, and vanilla extract.
Stir together the cake flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in almonds. Gently fold in the egg whites. Pour into two greased and lightly floured 9x1-1/2-inch round baking pans. Bake at 375 degrees F for 28 to 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Fill and frost with White Frosting.
White Frosting: In a saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar and dash salt. Bring mixture to boiling, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
In mixing bowl place 2 egg whites; very slowly pour the hot sugar syrup over, beating constantly with electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Frost the cake and enjoy like the Lincolns!
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