Next, an unexpected history involving food that's closely connected to the struggle for women's rights.

- So it does seem counterintuitive, a cookbook - for women who are trying to gain the right to vote.

- Well, from a modern sensibility, it does, but it made sense.

- in that it began in the 19th century.

Discover the cookbooks published in support of Suffrage, recipes carefully cultivated to advance the cause.

- Well, of course I'm curious to see what you pulled for us today.

- Well, I have three recipes, - each one from a different era in the Suffragists' moment.

- Ah, okay.

Then the ingredients of Suffrage.

Leslie Williams Ellis prepares three of these sweet treats, all popular confections from another era that capture the flavor of this history.

- You don't want to deflate anything, so you're not going to - bang it on the counter to make it even or anything.

Will these recipes stand the test of time and win your vote, too?

That's next on Drive By History... [SOUND OF MIXER] - That is really good.

- It's lovely.

...Eats.

[MUSIC] Made possible by the New Jersey Historical Commission, enriching the lives of the public by preserving the historical record and advancing interest in and awareness of New Jersey's past.

Every day, thousands of motorists pass by countless history markers and say to themselves, 'One of these days, I'm going to stop and read that.'

If you watch Drive By History, you know that's how every episode begins.

I start with a history marker, then go on an investigation to find out what happened and why it mattered.

What you don't know is that the food or the 'eats' often plays into that part of the history, but there's just not enough time to chew on that part of the past.

And that got me thinking... why not revisit that history but with a focus on the food?

This is Drive By History: Eats.

The investigation we're revisiting today begins in Tenafly, New Jersey, at the home of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of our nation's best known suffragists.

This is where Elizabeth Cady Stanton lived after the Civil War, at a time when she was extremely active in the Suffrage Movement.

It was and still is a privately-owned residence.

However, at the time of the investigation Drive By History was able to obtain exclusive access to the property.

- So this is actually Elizabeth Cady Stanton's home.

- This was the house that was actually built for her.

- And you are now treading upon ground that she once walked upon.

- That's amazing.

[MUSIC] Elizabeth Cady Stanton moved here in part to be near the Tenafly Train Station.

Not only did she receive a tremendous amount of mail delivered by railroad at the time, she also traveled considerably, going to and from speaking engagements.

In fact, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was among the most popular speakers of her day.

- She made a lot of money.

- She actually made between $100 and $200 per speech, which is - Wow, that's a lot of money.

- Quite a lot of money in the mid-19th century.

Lecturing was just one way in which Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others suffragists attempted to sway public opinion.

from silent sidewalk protests to massive and spectacular parades, Suffragists embraced all sorts of methods to advance their cause.

One of these methods involved publishing cookbooks, filled with all kinds of recipes.

From the 1880s through 1920, when the 19th Amendment was passed, at least a half dozen suffrage cookbooks came out.

- And that's why I wanted to revisit this history.

- Now, it was surprising to me to discover that Suffragists published traditional cookbooks in an attempt to advance a progressive idea -- women voting.

But why do that?

What recipes send that message?

To find out more, I head to Lloyd Harbor, New York, to the home of Libby O'Connell, one of our nation's esteemed Food and Culture Historians and author of The American Plate .

- So it does seem counterintuitive, a cookbook - for women who are trying to gain the right to vote.

- That's because we're in the 21st century.

- In the 19th century and the early 20th - it made all the sense in the world.

- But it's a traditional female role.

- That's true.

- But there are two things they're trying to do, right?

- One of them is to generate revenue.

- So it's fundraiser.

- So that's a fundraiser.

- They know it works.

It worked during the Civil War.

- Women grouped together and sold fundraising cookbooks - to support the union cause.

- The second thing is they're being depicted in the press - as women who have left the domestic front behind.

- You know, supposedly they smoke cigars, they drink, - they leave the husband with the crying children.

- They never cook again.

- And all of that sort of parody - is actually starting to influence people.

- And they want to say, we are not leaving our roles - as women, as mothers, as wives.

- But we do want equal rights in the political realm.

- So I'm curious, did the cookbooks work?

- They actually did work.

- Yeah?

- They raised some money.

- And the other thing that they did was include people - who were leaders of the Suffragist Movement.

- So you got that sort of cachet of a recipe from - Susan B. Anthony, for example, or Carrie Chapman Catt.

- Okay.

- And these were real celebrities within the Suffragist community, right, - but you also got people who were hesitant to join - and have their name in public.

- They might just use their initials, - or where they're from when they signed the recipe, - because it was still kind of a radical thing to be out there - arguing, fighting for the right to vote.

As we head to the table, Libby reminds me that the first Suffragist Cookbook was published over 40 years before women won the right to vote.

- Well, of course, I'm curious to see what you've pulled for us today.

- Well, I have three recipes, - each one from a different era in the Suffragist Moment.

- Okay.

- And the first one is from the 1880s.

- It's New Jersey Indian Pudding.

- Okay.

- So, Indian Pudding, or I think what we should be calling - it today, cornmeal molasses pudding, - is a very traditional dish.

- Sometimes the Suffragists were accused of being anti-patriot, - just like today.

- So this is a symbol then that they are not anti-patriot.

- They're saying, we respect old values.

- Just because we are marching for women's rights, - or we're rioting in favor of women's rights, - doesn't mean that we don't love our country.

- In fact, it means we care about our country.

- So what makes this New Jersey Indian Pudding?

- Well, it's New Jersey Indian Pudding - because it's from somebody who lives in New Jersey.

- she's differentiating herself from...this is a national cookbook.

- And, you know, New Jersey is really a central part - of the Women's Suffragist Movement.

- You know that Elizabeth Cady Stanton living in Tenafly.

- Her friend Susan B. Anthony comes to visit.

- They are having some of their most - productive years of working for the Suffragist Movement - while in New Jersey.

- Well, I'm curious to see what's next.

- I have a very special recipe.

- It was in the cookbook I want to share with you.

- Here, let me help you there.

- Thanks.

- This is Anti's Favorite Hash.

- Oh.

- One pound of truth, - thoroughly mangled.

[LAUGHTER] - A generous handful of injustice.

- And it goes on and on.

- So obviously, this isn't an auntie, A-U-N-T-I-E, - It's A-N-T-I meaning anti suffrage.

- Gotcha.

- We think this may be written by Susan B. Anthony.

- She's serious, but this would be the type of thing - that might appeal to her sense of humor.

- Well, maybe we'll skip that one for today.

[LAUGHTER] - But nobody needs to make this.

- But it's good to remember that - the Suffragist Movement did have a sense of humor, - and this is their idea of making fun of their opponents.

- And in a not so subtle message.

- That's right.

- Obviously, my dog has been offended.

[LAUGHTER] - It's all right, it's all right.

- So the other recipe I have is by Susan B. Anthony.

- Okay.

- We don't have many of her recipes at all.

- This is the one that we know is written by her.

- It was in response to a letter from some young women who said, - could you please send us one of your own recipes?

- And she sent a perfectly traditional yellow sponge cake - flavored with a little almond.

- Mmhmm.

- I can just imagine Susan B. Anthony - sitting with Elizabeth Cady Stanton in Mrs. Stanton's - beautiful house in Tenafly, New Jersey, - and enjoying a cup of tea and a slice of this cake.

- And Susan B. Anthony would have it on a little plate with a fork, - and Elizabeth might have it covered in heavy cream.

- She might enjoy it a little more.

- Yeah.

[LAUGHTER] Libby thinks these recipes were probably family favorites.

Will 19th century New Jersey Indian Pudding and Susan B. Anthony Sponge Cake become one of your favorites, too?

To find out, I turn to one of the best cooks I know, my good friend Leslie Williams Ellis.

- Now we're starting with the New Jersey Indian pudding.

- And that name might be a little misleading, - but the Indian actually refers to the Indian corn - that's used as one of the ingredients.

- That's right.

- I am so excited to be here and make this with you, - particularly because we are using - an incredible amount of molasses.

- I've never seen that much molasses in a recipe.

- Not by modern standards.

- That's a full half cup.

So shall we get started?

- Let's do it.

- Terrific.

- What's first?

- Why don't you go ahead and put the brown sugar - in there so we don't splash after we put... - Oh, that's smart.

Good tip.

- Right?

- And we're going to pour in a full cup of heavy cream.

- It's going to be a rich one.

- It's going to be delicious.

- And then we've got two cups of whole milk.

- And then we can get started on that molasses.

- Okay, here you go.

- Great.

- It's all sticky.

- Yep.

[LAUGHTER] - And it's a lot.

- Yeah, I can smell the molasses.

- It really has a strong flavor.

- It's very flavorful which is great - because we've got those wonderful spices that are - going to really hold up to it.

- All right.

- I am going to bring this now....

I'm going to stir this a little bit - and we're going to bring this up to a simmer.

[MUSIC] - All right, so while that's being stirred - is there something I can do?

- There is, as a matter of fact.

- If you don't mind taking the cornmeal and incorporating - the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg that are in here.

- Also, there's a pinch of salt in there.

- Ah, there's always a pinch of salt.

- There's always a pinch of salt, - particularly with things that are sweet.

- It just helps with the sweetness.

- All right, so this is certainly easy.

- Yeah.

- So this is just about at the simmer point.

- Okay.

- So I think we can go ahead and start putting some of this - in very slowly...we're going to add this slow.

- This smells so good.

- I know doesn't that smell great.

- How much should I put in?

- Just...we're going to do a little by little and there you go.

- Okay.

- That looks good.

[MUSIC] - You can put a little more in.

- Yeah?

- Just to make sure it really gets incorporated... - no lumps, no bumps, no sticking.

- All right.

- And you're going to stir the whole time?

- I am going to stir this the whole time.

- Because otherwise the milk would burn, right?

- It very easily burns.

[SOUND OF WHISKING] - Wow, it really has thickened up a lot.

- I know, hasn't it?

- Yeah.

- I mean, it really looks like a batter now.

- That's because all those grains are soaking up all that cream.

- Ah, okay.

So they swell, and it actually gets thick.

- That's absolutely do.

- So, it's going to get even thicker when we put it in the oven.

- So we're going to get this into a buttered pan right now.

- You ready?

- Yep.

- Here we go.

- We want to get all of this.

- Yeah, you don't leave any behind.

- Yeah, no, no, no, no.

- All that molasses.

- Right?

- We need it.

[MUSIC] - We need all that pudding goodness to go in there.

- So this is pretty simple, actually.

- It really is.

It's really lovely.

- And it smells amazing.

- All right, let me get rid of that for you.

- It absolutely does.

- All right, ready for the oven?

- It is ready for the oven.

- All right, I know my chore.

[MUSIC] - Okay, so we baked it for 40 minutes at 350 - stirring it after 20 minutes.

- And now here we are - out of the oven 20 minutes later and ready to garnish.

- Wow.

Let's go.

- So I made some kind of candied pecans - for the top of it, and these are going to be delicious.

- I mean, I love this dish because it is so simple.

- Yeah, this really, I mean it's... - You have these ingredients - in your cabinet.

- A lot of people have them in their fridge or their cabinet, - and it is delicious.

- I can't wait to try it.

- On to the sponge cake.

- Now, this recipe comes from a letter - that was written by Susan B. Anthony.

- So the recipe itself is in narrative form.

- What we're making today includes some interpretation.

- Ah, I see.

- Yes.

- Susan B Anthony.

- Ah.

- Can we talk about how incredible and forward thinking?

- Yes, she's a giant.

- Big shoulders I stand on.

- So let's get to it.

- All right.

- So, first we've separated out our eggs, - so we're going to do a little bit of a batter over here.

- We're going to put six egg yolks right in this bowl.

- Okay.

- And we are going to beat this - with one and a half cups of powdered sugar.

- That's interesting.

- And a pinch of salt.

- Powdered sugar and not granulated sugar?

No, no.

- This is going to be really light and smooth.

- Powdered sugar has cornstarch in it.

- It's going to help lighten everything.

- So we are just going to beat this for 3 minutes.

[SOUND OF HAND MIXER] - All right.

- What's next?

- I am going to pour in a little bit of almond extract.

- I'm going to get that quickly incorporated.

[SOUND OF HAND MIXER] - And then it's time to add the flour -- if you don't mind.

- No, I'm happy to help.

- We're going to do a little bit at a time - so we don't have a big flour spray.

- And with the mixer off - Yep.

- Throw that in...that's perfect.

- so my shirt doesn't turn white.

- Yes, that would be weird.

- I'll do it on low, too.

- You don't want to overwork the gluten in flour.

Leslie mixes in the rest of the flour, a third at a time, until we have a nice light batter.

Then she asked me to beat the egg whites.

- All right.

- And we're going to put those in.

- All together?

- All together.

- You got it.

- Put those in first, - and then we're going to beat those until they're foamy.

- So you can put...you can turn it up a little bit.

- Egg whites can take it.

- Yeah.

[SOUND OF MIXER] - It's looking pretty foamy.

- That's perfect.

- Okay.

- So now we can just incorporate the powdered sugar.

- Okay.

- Put it all in there.

Perfect.

- Turn that on until we've got some peaks formed.

[SOUND OF MIXER] - So we're going to start with about a third of this.

- Okay.

- And we're just going to very gently fold this in.

- Because you don't want to deflate your egg whites.

- You do not.

So we're going to start by just.. - this helps thin out that initial fold - and then we'll put the rest of them in there - and they'll be ready to get in that pan.

Leslie folds in the rest of the egg whites, again being careful not to overwork them.

Then Leslie pours the batter into a bundt pan lined with parchment paper.

- You don't want to deflate anything, - so you're not going to bang it - on the counter to make it even or anything.

- You're literally going to put it in like this.

- It doesn't matter if it's lumpy?

- We're not smoothing out the top.

- That's all taken care of in the baking.

- The only thing I might do - is take my towel and get this piece right here - because we don't want that on the side.

- But this is ready to go in.

- Good to go?

I'll put it in the oven.

- All right.

- Okay.

So our cake is now out of the oven - after 40 minutes to this beautiful golden color.

- We are ready to dress it up if we choose.

- It looks like you've made some decisions here.

- I have.

I mean, the recipe we were left was left plain.

- But I'd like to imagine Susan B. Anthony maybe giving - a hat tip to Queen Victoria and a Victoria sponge.

- So this is my interpretation of that.

- I love that, a 19th century hat tip.

- So, let's get started.

- So I've already sliced the cake in half, - and I've made this raspberry syrup that we are going to - brush the insides with.

- I mean, this is going to be a lot of flavor here.

- Yeah, that's gorgeous.

Leslie brushes the bottom layer, then asks me to brush more raspberry syrup - onto the top layer while she spreads whipped cream liberally.

Then she adds fresh raspberries.

- And if you don't want to waste your fresh berries - on the syrup, you can use whole frozen berries.

- Oh, yeah, I suppose you could.

- Totally fine, totally fine.

- But don't use whole frozen berries on the cake.

- No, no, no, no.

- All right, I am going to just spludge a little - bit more cream in there to make our layers stick.

- So is this a stablized cream?

- This is a stabilized whipped cream.

- Thank you for asking.

- Yeah.

- If you want your whipped cream to last a little longer, - you can add unflavored gelatin to it.

- It's a...you basically... you make the whipped cream - to a certain point, - and then you're going to add the gelatin, - you're going to activate it with some water - and a little bit of heat so that it gets clear.

- And then you can very slowly stream that - into the whipped cream.

- This is going to go on here.

- And then you've got something that holds better, too.

- Yes, you do.

And then we are just... - Oh, you're going to coat it, too?

- Oh, yes, absolutely.

[MUSIC] - Libby had a lot to choose from, but for our last dish, - she went with a recipe from someone who helped win over - perhaps our nation's most powerful Suffrage skeptic, - President Woodrow Wilson.

- The final recipe I chose because it was submitted by - someone who was very famous in her time, - but sadly, has been largely forgotten.

- Her name was Carrie Chapman Catt.

- Yeah, I don't know the name.

- She inherited the mantle of the leadership - of Women's Suffrage from Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

- She did something very important.

- She ran the conference for her political party - at Atlantic City in New Jersey and invited the - former governor, Woodrow Wilson, to come and attend - and essentially said, we support what you do.

- We want your support also as we go across the country - trying to get women's right to vote.

- And he accepted the invitation?

- He did not actually endorse Women's Suffrage at this point.

- That came later.

- But he was pleased to have the support of the women in the room.

- So another event in New Jersey's history - that really is going to shape how women's right to vote turns out.

- Well, what's her recipe?

I'm curious to see what she made.

- Well, today we would call it creme caramel or caramel custard.

- But oddly to our mind, she called it pain d'oeufs which... - Egg bread?

- Yeah, egg bread.

- Well, good, then, I'm glad we have this recipe so we can remember her.

- I am, too...and remember her, she's very important.

- So what do you think our takeaway is from this?

- Well, my first takeaway is that it's important - to eat the food from the past and experience that.

- Absolutely true.

- And also remember that these are recipes - people shared with their families.

- So it humanizes them.

- It does, it humanizes them - and it gives you that experience of sharing.

- Before we begin, I want to let you know that - Libby took a look at this recipe and realized - it needed a few additional instructions.

- That's the version we're working with today.

- Well, I'm excited to get trying it.

- As am I.

- All right, what do we do first?

- First, we've got three cups of milk -- whole milk -- going in here - because we're going to scald that, - meaning we're going to bring it up to about 170-180 degrees.

- Okay.

- We don't want it to boil.

- We just want it to get hot.

- That's going to keep this dish really soft and light.

- And you also have to be careful it doesn't burn.

- Right, we definitely don't want to burn it.

[MUSIC] - All right, how are we doing with the scalding?

- I think we're there.

- Yes, it's got a little foam on the side.

- A little foam on the side, that's right.

- So I'm going to go ahead and turn this off.

- Yep.

That's off.

Yep.

- Okay, and I think it's time right now for the eggs.

- All right.

All together?

- All together.

- All right.

- So we got eggs.

- Six eggs.

- Six eggs.

- Six tablespoons of vani...sugar.

- Sorry, six tablespoons of vanilla -- that's a lot.

- That would be a lot.

[LAUGHING] - That would be crazy.

- I wouldn't let you do that.

- No, I know.

- Friends don't let friends do that.

- And don't forget a pinch of salt.

- A pinch of salt.

- Good.

All right.

- And we're going to just get that incorporated.

- Okay.

[SOUND OF MIXER] - Okay, looks pretty good to me.

- You think?

- Yeah, definitely.

- I am going to put this here and just give - that a little bit more time to call.

- We're eventually going to temper that.

- But we're going to do a little magic trick over here.

- Oh, I like magic.

- So, for the caramel bottom, I had no idea but you can melt - the sugar directly in the pan.

- Genius.

[LAUGHTER] - I know.

Crazy, right?

- It takes a little bit, but I'm going to... - The things you learn.

- I know.

I'm just going to spread this out.

- And you don't have to stir it.

- You're just going to sit.

- You might give it a little push now and again, - but we're going to sit there on like a medium high heat.

[MUSIC] - Oh, this looks perfect.

- Looks like caramel.

- It looks like it's time to turn it off and temper the eggs.

- Okay.

- I'm going to take this off of here, - because I don't want it to continue to cook.

- All right.

- And we're going to do this a little bit at a time.

By tempering, we're combining two ingredients slowly due to a big temperature difference.

- And we are going to pour it - into our caramel pan.

- So you pour right on on top.

- Directly on top.

- I know, isn't that great?

- Mm hmm.

- I am going to put it in a water bath over here.

- So we've got this pan with hot water.

- Mm hmm.

- About an inch up the sides.

- That's going to help it bake evenly and keep it soft.

- I've made cheesecakes like this.

- Exactly.

- And then you can just put it in the oven for me, - and we're great.

- Excellent.

- All right.

- Yes, mitts.

- Just to be safe.

- Just to be safe.

- All righty.

- Well, it looks beautiful as it is, but I see - you've got some decorations here.

- I do.

- Look, I was inspired by that caramelized sugar in the pan, - because as I took it out, - I realized it was at the hard crack stage, - and I happened to have a silpat mat, - so I made a few abstract, fun little decorations.

- I love it.

- I know, right?

- It's so fun.

[MUSIC] - Well Leslie, this is really a treat today.

- Three desserts from three different suffragists.

- I can't wait to taste what we've got here.

- So we're starting with the New Jersey Indian Pudding.

- This is really something novel for me.

- I know, this is really great.

- All right.

Cheers.

- Cheers.

- Mmmm.

- This is autumn in a cup.

- It really is.

- It's all the spices that you look forward to in the fall.

- Absolutely.

- But... - It's smooth.

- It's smooth, but also the... it's not overwhelming.

- It's not.

- I was afraid the molasses was going to overpower the whole dish.

- It doesn't.

- No, I think with those spices, it really it warms it up.

- Everything blends so nicely.

- That is...yeah... very well done.

- Mmmm.

Now we get to try the Susan B. Anthony sponge.

- With the nod to Queen Victoria.

- Absolutely.

Absolutely.

- All right.

- Let's see how this cuts.

- See how this came out.

- I know.

- All right, Susan, - let's see how your cake is.

- Get that raspberry... - Mmmm.

- It's really good.

- It is really good.

- You know, the cake itself - is sort of a combination of an angel food cake, - but with that egg yolk in there - Right.

- it gives it...I don't know... - it's just that little eggy forward flavor.

- It feels a little denser than a typical angel food cake.

- It's a little bit denser, but it still has the lightness and the fullness.

- I think it's so versatile.

- Right.

- It can be so many different things.

- And speaking of versatility, you know, your nod to Queen Victoria - with this is duly noted and delicious.

- Well, thank you.

- I mean, the traditional Victoria sponge - has that jam and the regular like a pastry cream.

- But this whipped cream, the lightness and then that tang - of this...those raspberries.

- Right.

- The flavors meld so beautifully.

- And you you stabilized whipped cream.

- I did, so it holds up and stays fluffy.

- It looks beautiful.

- I know, and you would never know.

- And now our nod to Carrie Chapman Catt - and her Pain d'Oeufs, - an interesting name for this dessert, - which I would really call a flan or a creme caramel.

- I probably would, too.

It's very interesting.

- But you know, - the way it looks... - I'm hoping we call it delicious.

- I was just going to say, - I think we're going to call it delicious.

- I think we are.

- All right, let's see how we she did.

- Fork or spoon?

- Oh, you know what?

Let's do spoon.

- I want to get every drop.

- Exactly.

[LAUGHTER] [MUSIC] - That is really good.

- It's lovely.

It is silky.

- But I can taste the vanilla in it.

- I can also taste...it's a sweet, but not overly sweet.

- Right - And that egg milk blend is just delightful.

- Yeah, yeah.

- It really is.

And the caramel.

- Mm hmm.

- But the caramel isn't too sweet.

It's interesting.

- It kind of balances out.

- The entire recipe only has twelve tablespoons of sugar.

- So by modern sensibilities, it's not a lot.

- Well, and to be honest with you, for historic recipes, - they tend to have a ton of butter, - a ton of sugar, a ton... this is not.

- I know.

So I kind of love these ladies.

- Yeah.

At the time, suffragists knew that they were making history.

They left us lots of photographs so that we could see that history for ourselves.

But what if they left those cookbooks so that we can taste a little bit of it, too?

See you next time.

All of today's recipes are available on our website, DriveByHistoryEats.org.

Made possible by the New Jersey Historical Commission.

Enriching the lives of the public by preserving the historical record and advancing interest in and awareness of New Jersey's past.