We’re so excited about the Victoria and Albert Ball. It’s our first event in Mechanics Hall, so we’re already busy making arrangements and getting ready!
I heated the vinegar and spices, poured over cucumbers and popped them in the refrigerator overnight. They came out very tangy, so I rinsed the pickling liquid off before serving.
2 lbs small cucumbers, cut in 1/4 inch slices
2 cups cider vinegar
4 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
4 tsp mustard seeds
4 cloves garlic, peeled and split in half
Bunch of fresh dill
2 cups water
EQUIPMENT – Katy
15-20 silverplate trays
stack of doilies
2 silver, 3 tiered, trays
2 XXL silver trays for topping garbage cans
3 long table cloths
XXL long white cloth fabric (used for punch tables)
lace table cloth
8 stainless pitchers
PAPER GOODS – Katy
1 package paper napkins (cocktail size) (used 1/2)
2 bags hot cups 8 oz. (used 1 bag approx)
3 bags plastic tumblers
3 bags cold cups 8 oz.
3 packages white paper plates 6″ (used approx 2 packages)
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT – Katy
trash bags
ziplocs
paper towels
knives, cutting board, 2 punch ladles, 2 meat forks, pastry server, tooth picks
Cider – brought 4 gallons, 3.5 used (3.5 gallons fit in 3 crock pots; 1 smallish, 2 large)
Punch (cran and ginger) – Quinn: bought 5 gallons (5 each of 2 liter bottles of cranberry juice and ginger ale), used all of it and probably could have used at least one more bottle of each
Figgy pudding and sauce – Raven: brought 5 puds and 3 batches of sauce; needed 4 puds and 2 sauces
Wrapped popcorn balls – Antonia: a lot
Hedgehogs – Carlana: brought 3 hedge hogs; needed 2
Bread
Cheese slices brought 3 pkgs, 2 lbs each; (just under 1/2 lb left)
Grapes bought 3 bags (~2lbs each) each of green and red, about 2-3lbs leftover with lots of single grapes
Pineapple
Clementines (oh, sorry, tangerines…) – Mark: Yes, these should have been clementines and not tangerines–clementines, as Barbara pointed out, are easier to peel and might have been more popular. She also suggested that distributing them around the food tables (on the unused compotes) might have been a better strategy than putting them all in one big bowl. Next year I’ll try two or three five-pound boxes of clementines, and will hope for a better rate of consumption.
Hams – James and Catherine: 2 hams
Macaroons – brought about 10 dozen, needed about 6-8 dozen
Cookie #1 Chocolate Chip Meringues (GF) – Barbara: 8 dozen, no leftovers
Cookie #2 –
Cookie #3 –
Pound Cake – Barbara: 2 large cakes, just under 1/4 cake left
Hot Chocolate
1 gallon of milk, heated on the stove in a large pot
8 oz milk chocolate
10 oz bittersweet chocolate
Melt chocolate in the microwave with 30 second bursts, stir into the hot milk (it really doesn’t work if it’s not hot, which is annoying).
1 qt heavy cream, whipped with 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar. Very little left over, good amount for this year.
We made 4 gallons, but used about 2.5 gallons of hot chocolate. 3 gallons would have been perfect for this year (60 registered, 9 at door, 17 cvd and friends).
These ball refreshments were meant to be uncomplicated. We had 40 people registered, plus walk-ins, CVD, and Band for a total of 60. The refreshments were just the right amount, with some left at the end of the break, but none left at the end of the ball.
4 2ltr bottles Gingerale
4 64oz bottles Apple Juice
4 cups very strong brewed tea
2 packages lemon cookies
2 packages sugar cookies
1 pkg cranberry nut bread
1 pkg banana bread (no nuts)
1 pkg lemon pound cake
1 pkg carrot cookies (baked in store)
1 pkg hermit cookies (baked in store)
6 lbs grapes (green and red)
2 lbs sliced cheese
2 boxes club crackers
Refreshments Coordinator: Barbara Pugliese
Because this ball was in honor of Dolley Madison, we served ice cream as she was famous for doing at the White House.
| Sweet Refreshments |
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| Savory Refreshments |
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| Punch |
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Leftovers:
- approximately 1.5 doz. Dolley Madison cookies
- approximately 2-2.5 doz. gingersnaps
- small amount of ice cream
- aprx. 3/4 cup compote
Notes:
The rest of the cookies probably would have gone if the trays had been refilled, but no one did. Also, all 10 lbs of ice were added to the water, so there was none left for the punch. If there are no frozen punch ingredients, we need to remember to conserve ice for the punch from the purchased amount.
From the Jane Austen Centre website, these cookies are “claimed to have been served by Dolley Madison to her husband James Madison,” which puts them in the 1810s.
2 cups butter
¾ cup milk
4 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
10 egg yolks, beaten
1 tsp cinnamon
10 egg whites, beaten
Flour to suit
Preheat oven to 375 F. Cream butter and sugar in large wooden mixing bowl. Stir in custard-like egg yolks. Follow this by lightly stirring in stiffly beaten egg whites. Add milk. Dissolve baking soda in a little boiling water and blend with other ingredients. Lastly add cinnamon and blend. Add flour until dough gets to a workable consistency. Bake for 100-12 minutes (cookies won’t change color).
These are best with syllabub!!
Refreshments Coordinator: Raven
Refreshments for RH went pretty well this year! The “sandwich team” was at the hall quite early in the day (around 1pm) to start making sandwiches, and so we were done and fully staged before the ball. The refreshment choices were a big hit, especially Barbara’s Charlotte Russe. Having someone serve it was also extra special–next time we need to make sure we have an apron. If Antonia hadn’t had one with her, my dress would have been in serious trouble!
| Registration | About 60? |
| Leftovers |
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| Sweet Refreshments |
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| Savory Refreshments |
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Additional Notes:
- We were short roast beef (bought based on the estimates from last year), so we didn’t have as many sandwiches as originally planned
- mix of sweet and savory was pretty good
Serving Size : 50
12 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 2/3 cups currants (almost 1 box)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the eggs to a thick froth and combine with the sugar mixture. Sift the flour and spices together twice. Fold the currants into the batter, then sift in the flour. Thoroughly work the ingredients together to make a very stiff dough. Break off pieces and roll them into balls the size of walnuts. Set these on baking sheets lined with baking parchment. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Cool on racks or serve immediately.
Source: Maria Rundell. A New System of Domestic Cookery (Philadelphia: Benjamin C. Buzby, 1810), p. 198. Redacted by William Woys Weaver, The Christmas Cook. New York: Harper Collins, 1990. p. 128.
There’s a lot of valuable information (recipes, event reports, etc.) that exists in the archives, in email, and some on the current website. Now you can access or add things related to event refreshments via the resource page!