Random Cherished Recipes From History's Most Famous Figures (15 items)

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  (#8) Julia Child

  • Dec. at 92 (1912-2004)

  There are hundreds of Julia Child's recipes floating around online. Most of those recipes were written for cookbooks, and there are a few that we know she used herself. Child's handwritten pain de mie recipe proves she did occasionally cook her world-famous dishes in her own kitchen. 

  Julia Child's Pain de Mie

  ½ cup milk
  ½ stick butter, sliced
  1 cup cold milk
  2 tsp. salt
  ½ tsp. sugar
  ½ cup starter
  3½ cups flour
  2 tsp. yeast

  Child's notes do not include the full recipe, but an adaptation of the preparation can be found on the blog From Fancy to Finger Food.
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  (#6) Jimmy Carter

  • 94

  Whatever your opinion of his politics, Jimmy Carter is not a flashy individual. The former US president's career after his time serving as the head of state is marked with the same kind of down-to-earth simplicity that he's displayed his entire life, especially when it comes to his cooking. 

  Jimmy Carter's Plains special cheese ring - named for the town of Plains, GA, Carter's birthplace - is a tasty treat that couldn't be easier to throw together for a casual gathering.

  Jimmy Carter's Plains Special Cheese Ring

  1 lb. grated sharp cheese
  1 cup finely chopped nuts
  1 cup mayonnaise
  1 small finely grated onion
  Black pepper
  Dash of cayenne

  Mix all of the ingredients, then mold with your hands into the desired shape. Place in the refrigerator until chilled.
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  (#3) Al Capone

  • Dec. at 48 (1899-1947)

  Fine dining may not be the first thing that comes to mind when imagining the life of the legendary Al Capone. In 2010, multiple companies were selling Al Capone's "secret" spaghetti sauce, eventually causing the Capone family to become legally involved.

  It's unclear which, if any, of Capone's secret sauce recipes were truly written by the notorious figure, but this dish does have some of the Old-World charm and New-World boldness of Capone himself.

  Al Capone's Secret Spaghetti Recipe

  2 tsp. salt
  1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  1 cup parsley leaves
  ¾ cup walnut pieces
  2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  1 lb. fresh or dried spaghetti
  2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  Salt and freshly ground pepper
  ½ cup chopped or sliced tomato for garnish

  In a large pot, bring four quarts of water to a boil. Add the salt and vegetable oil. Add the spaghetti slowly, allowing the water to boil continuously. Cook until the noodles are tender, about 10 minutes. Chop and blend the garlic, walnuts, and parsley, then pour all of the olive oil slowly into the mixture. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese and blend again.

  Twist a mound of spaghetti on each plate. The sauce should be ladled in the middle of the plate, moist enough to coat the spaghetti when tossed for presentation tableside. Sprinkle each dish with the additional Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and diced tomato.
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  (#1) Rosa Parks

  • Dec. at 92 (1913-2005)

  Rosa Parks spent her entire life fighting for justice. She was the recipient of dozens of honorary doctorates and humanitarian awards, remaining a powerful speaker and advocate for civil rights until she passed in 2005. In the midst of all her work, Parks apparently took time to cook - even jotting down a recipe for "Featherlite" peanut butter pancakes on the back of a shipping envelope. 

  Rosa Parks's Featherlite Pancakes

  1 cup all-purpose flour
  2 tablespoon baking powder
  ½ teaspoon salt
  2 tablespoon sugar
  1 egg
  1¼ cups whole milk
  ⅓ cup peanut butter
  1 tablespoon shortening, melted, or any neutral oil, like canola

  As for the recipe itself, Parks only writes, "Combine with dry ingredients; cook at 275° on griddle."
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  (#10) Nancy Reagan

  • 97

  When Ronald Reagan ran for president, the Reagans portrayed themselves as the classic American family. Nancy Reagan assumed the role of homemaker-in-chief. While the White House chefs did most of the cooking, Nancy was more than capable of throwing together some truly impressive dishes.

  Guests at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the '80s might have been treated to this decadent, Southern-influenced dessert.

  Nancy Reagan's Persimmon Pudding

  ½ cup melted butter
  1 cup sugar
  1 cup flour, sifted
  ¼ tsp. salt
  1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  1 cup persimmon pulp (3 to 4 chopped nuts (optional), ripe ones)
  2 tsp. baking soda
  2 tsp. warm water
  3 tbsp. brandy
  1 tsp. vanilla
  2 eggs, slightly beaten
  1 cup seedless raisins

  Stir together the melted butter and sugar. Resift the flour with salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then add to the butter and sugar mixture. Add the persimmon pulp, solids dissolve in warm water, brandy, and vanilla.

  Add the eggs, mixing thoroughly but lightly. Add the raisins and nuts. Put this in a buttered, steam-type covered mold and steam two and a half hours. Flame at the table with brandy.

  For instructions on how to make the cream sauce and monkey bread, check out Esquire.
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  (#12) George Washington

  • Dec. at 67 (1732-1799)

  A small beer has lower alcohol content than most other beers. It was a colonial favorite partly because of its low cost. George Washington, ever a practical man, developed a recipe for small beer that could have been quite a hit at the very first Fourth of July celebration.

  George Washington's Small Beer

  1 large sifter of bran hops
  3 gallons of molasses
  1 quart of yeast

  Take a large sifter full of bran hops to your taste. Boil these three hours. Then strain out 30 gallons into a cooler, put in three gallons molasses while the beer is scalding hot, or rather drain the molasses into the cooler and strain the beer on it while boiling hot.

  Let this stand until it is little more than blood warm. Then put in a quart of yeast. If the weather is very cold, cover it over with a blanket and let it work in the cooler 24 hours. Then put it into the cask [and] leave the bung [hole] open [until] it is almost done working. Bottle it that day [or] week it was brewed.

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