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timetraveltasting · 1 month ago

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HOT DR PEPPER (1968)

It's been a spooky and scary week or so in many ways, and what better way to comfort myself than trying out this Halloween-branded Hot Dr Pepper for my next Tasting History , or rather, Drinking History, concoction. This alcohol-free drink is exactly what it sounds like: Dr Pepper pop warmed up. Dr Pepper, currently the second highest-selling carbonated soft drink in the United States, was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885. It was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904, and went on to become a favourite soda with broad and structured marketing campaigns by the 1950s. In the 1960s, the company noticed that Dr Pepper sales dipped in the winter months. So, they launched a marketing campaign, with Dick Clark as the spokesman, to popularize hot Dr Pepper in order to boost winter sales. There were printed ads, there were TV commercials, restaurants began featuring the drink on menus, and you could buy special hot Dr Pepper mugs. However, the drink never quite caught on, and those who drink it today tend to favour it as a way to soothe symptoms of the common cold. I decided to try this recipe because Dr Pepper is one of my favourite pops, and I also like a warm drink in the colder months. See Max’s video on how to make it here or see the ingredients and process at the end of this post, sourced from his website.

My experience making it:

This is most definitely the easiest 'recipe' I have made yet. I just bought one can of Dr Pepper (I got the Halloween-branded can, which has no flavour difference, but a fun design!) and a lemon.

I poured the can into a pot and heated it on the stove on medium heat until it reached 85 degrees Celsius (180 Fahrenheit), using my brand new cooking thermometer. I then poured it into my favourite mug (shaped like a curling stone), sliced the lemon, and added a slice to the mug. It smelled good, and looked kind of like a hot, sweet black tea.

My experience tasting it:

After waiting for it to cool down a little and for the lemon to hopefully impart some of its flavour into the hot Dr Pepper, I took a sip. Shockingly, it tasted of... Dr Pepper! Surprise, surprise. The only differences I could detect were the hot temperature and the flatness. There were simply no bubbles left in this formerly-fizzy drink. My tastebuds kept searching for a hint of lemon, but not much could be found - perhaps it blended too well with the 23 spices Dr Pepper claims to contain. Regardless, I did like the drink, but only because I already like Dr Pepper. I suppose the heat of the drink was comforting, but I would probably prefer to make tea, hot chocolate, or mulled wine if that's the mood I was in. Of course, Max did warn me of all of this - he had a near identical reaction to hot Dr Pepper - but I decided to make it because it is one of my favourite pops, and why not? While I did think it tasted good, it didn't taste good enough for me to make it again. I could imagine, however, that this recipe could be improved upon by adding a fruit juice or two, or a few more spices on top of the 23 apparently already in the Dr Pepper recipe. If you end up making it, if you liked it, or if you changed anything from the original recipe, do let me know!

Hot Dr Pepper original recipe (1968)

Sourced from Dick Clark's instructions in a Dr Pepper commercial (1968).

Just heat Dr Pepper in a saucepan till it steams. Then pour over a thin slice of lemon. That’s a hot idea! Yes, Dr Pepper is delicious cold or hot.

Modern Recipe

Based on Dick Clark's line in a Dr Pepper commercial (1968) and Max Miller’s version in his Tasting History video.

Ingredients:

1 can of Dr Pepper

1 lemon slice

Method:

Pour the Dr Pepper into a saucepan. Set it over medium heat until it reaches 180°F (85°C).

Place a lemon slice in a mug. Pour the hot Dr Pepper over it, then serve it forth.

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timetraveltasting · 4 months ago

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POULET REINE ELIZABETH (THE ORIGINAL CORONATION CHICKEN, 1953)

I've been building myself up to make this Tasting History dish for weeks, and I finally had the time, ingredients, and confidence to give it a go: Poulet Reine Elizabeth, the original recipe for Coronation Chicken created by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume for the luncheon following the coronation of the United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953. This dish is composed of poached chicken in a creamy, sweet curry sauce. Though there is evidence the new Queen did not attend the luncheon and try her namesake dish that day, it did later become a favourite dish of hers for when she would summer at Balmoral Castle. I decided to make this dish because I absolutely adore it in wrap and sandwich-form, even from a cheap supermarket (I will order it whenever I see it available!), and because Max's eyes positively lit up when he tried this recipe. I'm a mayo-loving girl, so I knew there was a high chance I would love this mayo-forward dish! I also made it as a little treat for my husband, who broke his leg quite badly the night before. Despite us nearing the end of summer, it's still pretty hot out, and I thought this cold Coronation Chicken dish would do wonders to cool us off a little. See Max’s video on how to make the dish here or see the ingredients and process at the end of this post, sourced from his website.

My experience making it:

I stuck very closely to the list of ingredients for this dish. I used 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I should probably have used larger ones, or perhaps one more breast in order to match the amount of sauce made). I used four peppercorns, and for my bouquet garni, I used the Scarborough Fair herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme) and dill, because I am obsessed with dill. For the white wine (for poaching) I used a German Riesling, and for the red wine in the sauce, I used an Italian Primitivo. I'll admit, I did use maybe twice the amount of curry powder overall than what the recipe stated, but it was only because I wanted my sauce to be that satisfying yellow colour... which I never quite achieved anyway! For the mayonnaise, I used Hellmann's (the only brand of mayo I will ever buy), and, purely by accident, I used Heinz Curry Ketchup instead of normal ketchup (despite my tomato allergy, ketchup has been processed to the point that I can consume it without side effects, so I tend to use it as a substitute for tomato puree or paste in some recipes). I grabbed the wrong bottle from the fridge, but luckily this was a curry-flavoured dish anyways, so it ended up working out! For the rice salad, I kind of veered away from the recipe a little. I used all the same ingredients except for the French vinaigrette, which I replaced with tzatziki because I had some in the fridge that needed to be used up.

For the method, I went a little out of order, but I think this was a good idea. First, I made some whipped cream, then set that aside in the fridge. Next, I began making the sauce, since I also wanted this to have time to cool in the fridge before dressing the chicken. I followed the method for the sauce very closely, adding all the ingredients when called for. When the recipe said to taste to see if the sauce needed any more ingredients to balance it, I predictably added more curry powder. Letting it to simmer, then straining and letting it cool completely, I next mixed the mayonnaise with the apricot spread. I added the darker sauce to the mayonnaise mixture little by little, using all of it, as Max predicted I would. I tasted it as I went, and I kept wanting to add a bit more flavour. Even when I had added all the sauce in to the mayo, I still thought it could use a little extra curry flavour, so I added a bit more curry powder until I was happy with it. I chilled the creamy curry sauce in the fridge, then folded in the pre-chilled whipped cream. This is what changed the sauce from thick globs into a beautifully light and silky sauce.

I tossed the finished sauce in the fridge and began working on the chicken. Adding the liquids to the pot first, I then put the carrot chunks at the base of the pot, dispersed in order to 'hold up' the chicken (I was worried if the chicken touched the base, the bottom of the chicken would cook too fast). I also added the bouquet garni at the bottom, then layered the chicken breasts on top. I added the salt and peppercorns, then slowly brought the pot to a simmer. Once it just started to bubble, I turned off the heat and covered the pot for 8 minutes or so. Because I don't have a meat thermometer, I cooked it a bit longer than what Max suggested and I cut into the middle of one chicken breast to act as an indicator. At about 10 minutes, the chicken was cooked in the centre, and I removed the breasts from the pot to let cool. They smelled lovely, thanks to the herbs, and the texture was so tender. After they cooled completely, I bathed them in the sauce, then cut them into slices. I had whipped up the rice salad while the chicken was poaching, and had let it cool in the fridge in its tzatziki 'dressing'. I served the chicken on a plate with the salad, and drizzled plenty more sauce on the chicken, because after tasting the sauce as I went, I was already in love with it! There was a lot of sauce left over, and a bit of chicken, so I diced the chicken and mixed it with the sauce to keep for the next day.

My experience tasting it:

I tried a bite of the sauce-covered Coronation Chicken and fell immediately in love with this dish! I totally understand Max's excited reaction when tasting this dish, because mine was equivalent. The chicken is the softest, most tender I have ever made, melding wonderfully with the light, creamy sauce. Despite all that curry powder I added, the curry flavour was not overpowering. Instead, the sauce had a sweetness from the sugar and apricot spread, a saltiness from the mayonnaise, a sourness from the lemon, and a complexity from the wine, bay leaf, onion, and curry powder. What resulted was a perfectly balanced sauce. It had a faint hint of a mustard taste, but as someone who doesn't really like mustard, it wasn't enough to spoil my enjoyment. The temperature was cold and refreshing, and the light tzatziki rice salad was the perfect pairing for the rich flavour of the Coronation Chicken sauce. My husband raved about this dish, as did I. The following day, we had the leftover diced and sauced chicken with some of the leftover rice salad and some cabbage in wraps at lunchtime - it was also amazing used in this way! I have already planned to make this dish again for my family back in Canada next time I visit, and I intend to make it every once in a while as a treat. Unfortunately, because it takes so long to make and uses lots of wine, I will probably not make it too often. However, I can see myself making just the sauce sometimes, because it could go well on so many things. One thing's for sure, if you want to feel the excitement and joy Queen Elizabeth felt on the day of her coronation, this recipe for Coronation Chicken is a must-make. If you end up making this dish, if you liked it, or if you changed anything from the original recipe, do let me know!

Poulet Reine Elizabeth (Coronation Chicken) original recipe (1953)

Sourced from The Constance Spry Cookery Book by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume, 1953.

Coronation Chicken (Cold) (For 6-8) 2 young roasting chickens water and a little wine to cover carrot a bouquet garni salt 3-4 peppercorns cream of curry sauce (see below) Poach the chicken, with carrot, bouquet, salt, and peppercorns, in water and a little wine, enough barely to cover, for about 40 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool in the liquid. Joint the birds, remove the bones with care. Prepare the sauce given below. Mix the chicken and the sauce together, arrange on a dish, coat with the extra sauce. For convenience in serving on the occasion mentioned, the chicken was arranged at one end of an oblong dish, and a rice salad as given below was arranged at the other. Cream of curry sauce 1 tablespoon oil 50g/2 oz onion, finely chopped 1 dessertspoon curry-powder 1 good teaspoon tomato purée 1 wineglass red wine ¾ wineglass water a bay-leaf salt, sugar, a touch of pepper a slice or two of lemon and a squeeze of lemon juice, possibly more 1-2 tablespoons apricot purée 450ml/ ¾ pint mayonnaise 2-3 tablespoons lightly whipped cream a little extra whipped cream Heat the oil, add onion, cook gently 3-4 minutes, add curry-powder. Cook again 1-2 minutes. Add purée, wine, water, and bay-leaf. Bring to boil, add salt, sugar to taste, pepper, and the lemon and lemon juice. Simmer with the pan uncovered 5-10 minutes. Strain and cool. Add by degrees to the mayonnaise with the apricot purée to taste. Adjust seasoning, adding a little more lemon juice if necessary. Finish with the whipped cream. Take a small amount of sauce (enough to coat the chicken) and mix with a little extra cream and seasoning. This is an admirable sauce to serve with iced lobster. Rice salad The rice salad which accompanied the chicken was of carefully cooked rice, cooked peas, diced raw cucumber, and finely chopped mixed herbs, all mixed in a well-seasoned French dressing.

Modern Recipe

Based on The Constance Spry Cookery Book by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume (1910) and Max Miller’s version in his Tasting History video.

Ingredients:

Chicken

4 large chicken breasts, or other cut that you like

6 cups (1 1/2 L) water

2 cups (475 ml) white wine

1 carrot, chopped into large chunks

1 bouquet garni*

2 tbsp salt

3-4 peppercorns

Cream of Curry Sauce

1 tbsp oil

1/2 cup (50 g) finely chopped onion

2 heaping tsp (about 5 g) curry powder

1 heaping tsp (about 6 g) tomato puree

1/2 cup (120 ml) red wine

6 tbsp (90 ml) water

1 bay leaf

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1/2 tbsp (10 g) apricot spread or puree

Generous 1 3/4 cups (450 g) mayonnaise

3 tbsp, plus a little extra, lightly whipped cream

*A bouquet garni is a small bunch of herbs tied together with some twine. Which herbs you use is up to you, some common ones are 🎶parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme 🎶. Any savory herb will work, but I’d steer clear of mint, as it can overpower the dish.

Rice Salad

Cooked rice

Cooked peas

Diced cucumber

Finely chopped herbs, your favorites

French dressing, your favorite French vinaigrette

Method:

For the chicken: Mix the water and white wine to a large pot, then add the chicken, salt, carrot, bouquet garni, and peppercorns and set the pot over medium-low heat. The goal is to raise the temperature very, very slowly so that the chicken cooks all the way through without overcooking the outside and undercooking the inside.

When the water just starts to let off bubbles from the bottom, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Check the internal temperature of the chicken after 5 minutes, you want it to be 150°F (66°C), but not much over. If it’s not up to temperature yet, cover and check it again every couple of minutes (it could take up to 10 minutes).

Take the chicken out of the pot and let it rest for at least 5 minutes, but it’s better to let it cool completely.

For the cream of curry sauce: Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the curry powder. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the tomato puree, red wine, 6 tablespoons of water, and bay leaf and bring it to a gentle boil.

Add the brown sugar, salt, pepper, two lemon wedges, and a generous squeeze of lemon juice.

Cook for 1 minute, then taste and add more of any of the ingredients to adjust the flavors to what you want.

Simmer the sauce uncovered for 10 minutes.

Strain the sauce into a bowl and let it cool completely.

In a medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and apricot puree, then add the cooled sauce a little at a time until it’s as strong as you like, mixing well before adding more. You’ll probably end up using all of it. Taste again and add more of any of the ingredients to adjust the taste to your liking.

Gently fold in the 3 tablespoons of whipped cream until well combined.

Mix a little of the finished sauce with a little of the extra whipped cream, then coat the chicken in the mixture.

For the rice salad: There are no measurements given for this in the historic recipe, and to be honest, I didn’t measure anything when I made it, but added amounts of each that I thought looked good. Toss all of the ingredients together, adjusting amounts to your liking.

Slice the chicken, pour the sauce over it, and serve it forth with rice salad, coronation optional.

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