Savoy Biscuits

Lots of people enjoy playing chef, experimenting with recipes, creating their own. But how about a US president? Yes! As a matter of fact Thomas Jefferson, the 18^th Century man for all seasons, spent time in the kitchen. He actually wrote a recipe for Savoy biscuits, exclaiming, “Take care not to shut the oven til the biscuit begins to swell up, then close the oven.”

Savoy biscuits are tasty indeed, buttery and rich in flavor, though light and airy.  They are kind of a “ladyfinger”, and folklore suggests that Peter the Great of Russia and his wife so enjoyed them when they had them in France when visiting King Louis XV, that they purchased the baker and sent him to St. Petersburg!

Though the Library of Congress gives no specific date, it is assumed Jefferson wrote out his recipe when in Paris sometime from 1784-1789. See below his words:

 

 

To make biscuit de Savoy

 

12 eggs 12 table spoonfuls of sugar
separate the yolk and white perfectly
grate [zest] the peal of one orange.
mix the whole and beat them very well
6 spoonfuls of flour; put this a searce [sieve]
beat well the whites separately
mix the whole gently
grease the mould with butter
powder it with sugar.
put in the mixture and put it in the oven.
of the eggs beat as directed
in the _?__ of the Macarons.
["beating them always to prevent
their turning into oil"]
take care not to shut the oven till
the biscuit begins to swell up,
then close the oven.
a half an hour suffices to bake
more or less according to size.

 Monticello Kitchen