A few years ago, I bought a book at Goodwill that talked about Thomas Jefferson’s recipes. I really never looked at it so didn’t realize that it was not really a cookbook but more of an overview of recipes and how French cooking influenced his meals upon returning back to Virginia (ok, so that was a really long, wordy sentence). Anyway, I decided to do some researching on recipes and came across this recipe. I had a ton of Vardaman, MS sweet potatoes so decided to try this recipe (with a few changes based on other websites). If you didn’t know, Vardaman (MS) is known as the sweet potato capital of the world!
So, these biscuits were incredibly good! Everyone enjoyed them! I didn’t have heavy cream at home so used milk which was fine. I also didn’t have shortening so used butter (which was also fine). The brown sugar and pecans in the biscuits also satisfied my sweet tooth!
I learned a few interesting things about Thomas Jefferson and cooking…first, he did not “invent” ice cream but is the first known American to have written down an ice cream recipe. Also, he attributed his long life to eating salads and vegetables. Meat was actually more of a side dish instead of the main course (which was completely opposite during his time). His time in France also influenced recipes upon his return to America. Here is a fun article about Jefferson and French cuisine – article link. Last year, I read American Eden (about America’s first botanical garden). It was through this book that I first learned about Jefferson’s horticulture (gardening) research/experiments. I love reading various books and seeing the overlap of themes.
To the book…
I am so glad I came across Stephanie Dray! She is an AMAZING historical fiction writer. Not only is her research in-depth but she does a great job of explaining the “fictional” aspects of the novel and why she took liberty in certain areas.
My family has always had a fascination with Thomas Jefferson. When my oldest daughter was in kindergarten, she said Thomas Jefferson was her favorite president because he was on the nickel. I still have that hanging in my classroom. I laugh every time I see it. In 2015, when I was selected to participate in Street Law Supreme Court Teacher Institute, we (the family) decided to do a vacation. One stop was Monticello. We were thrilled to see this beauty of a landmark. I think my husband and I would have enjoyed it more if we had not been up and driving for over twenty-four hours (which explains why I looked like a hot mess).
In today’s “woke”/”cancel” culture, many believe that we should just wipe away any evidence of our Founders because they owned slaves. I had a student this past year tell me they do not celebrate Independence Day because of slavery. First, believe it or not, our Founders were humans and fallible like all people. Second, individuals need to do more reading and research before making vast assumptions. Although Jefferson owned slaves, he worked on ways to abolish this practice (link). However, could he have done more to abolish this evil practice? Could he have chosen to NOT participate in the institution as a way to truly convey that it needed to end? Historians still debate and write papers on this paradox. Knowing that, do we need to wipe away everything that is “Jefferson” or “Washington” because they owned slaves? No. They were sinners as each of us. I compare this to David in the Old Testament. Marriage is between one man and one woman. David had several wives (8, maybe?). Does that mean that we disregard David? According to today’s “cancel culture,” David should be removed from any reference from the Old Testament. I digress…
Our Founders were brilliantly-minded men who took a risk in signing their names on the Declaration of Independence. If they were caught, they would have been deemed as traitors (hung, quartered… execution of a traitor was the worse). They knew what was awaiting them when they signed their names and if they were captured. Would we do that today? Would any of us take a stand on an issue if we knew it would cost us our life? That is a way to put what they did in perspective. Look at how many of us cower down to the “woke” culture (sorry, soapbox). To say that America’s Independence doesn’t mean anything to you is a slap in the face of every individual who fought for freedom and liberty. Our independence away from England was more than just freedom from the “mother country.” It entailed freedom to live in peace…a freedom towards self-governance. It was freedom to worship without persecution.
As John Adams once said, “Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it.”
So should you read this book (because I totally got off on a tangent on this post)…YES, YES, YES!!!!!! Did I say yes? If you love historical fiction, you will love this book. Dray’s books are written where you learn so much history (I do google as I read, too) while reading it through the voice of a historical figure. I am still in shock that I am just now coming across Dray’s books! So educate that mind and start reading…
