Faux Recipes to Help Make Hard Times Easier

faux recipes

The other day I wrote an article on Pioneer cooking, one of the things that was mentioned was making do with what you have.  So today, I am going to post some faux recipes (fancy French word for fake). There are many things that can be substituted to make good-tasting delicious meals when food is in short supply.

So here are some old faux recipes

I have been searching for old faux recipes and some of them are a real surprise.  For example.

Mock olives – Soak full-grown green grapes for 48 hours in salt water and then scald with strong vinegar.  I haven’t tried this one yet, but I will.

Mock mince pie – Real mince pie was an easy way to get rid of scraps of meat and even vegetables.  However, if you didn’t have meat.  Take two eggs, two crackers, ½ cup vinegar, one cup sugar, one cup molasses, one cup each of hot water, current and raisins.  Season to your taste and pour in an uncooked pie shell.  Bake until done.

Mock Pecan Pie –

  • Two eggs
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ¾ cup old regular oats, not instant or quick-cooking
  • ¾ cup dark corn syrup
  • ¾ cup coconut
  • 2 tbs. melted butter

Combine your ingredients and pour them into an unbaked pie crust.  Bake until it is done.

Mock Duck

  • 1 lb ground sausage
  • 8 oz of onions grated
  • 8 oz tart apples peeled and grated
  • 1-2 teaspoons of fresh sage or 1/2-1 teaspoon dried sage
  1. Spread half the ground sausage into a flat layer in a well-greased baking pan
  2. Top with a layer of the grated apples, onion, and sage mixed together
  3. Add the rest of the ground sausage and try and form into a duck breast shape
  4. Cover with well-greased paper or foil and bake in a moderately hot oven for 40 minutes or until the sausage is cooked.
See also  Baking Bread Without an Oven

Many of the pioneer recipes used substitutions that we would never think of using today.  But we can be at the store in just a few minutes, for them it may have taken days or weeks.

Howard

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1 thought on “Faux Recipes to Help Make Hard Times Easier”

  1. I’m a Brit. Mince pies are a regular Christmas thing this side of the pond and I’ve always wondered where it came from.
    Your recipe looks quite close! How interesting!

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