Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford

I don't mind saying, I was a bit confused when I was first introduced to Count von Rumford in a book titled The Delectable Past by Esther Bradford Aresty. At first, I assumed Count Rumford was associated with the Rumford Chemical Works Company the maker of Rumford Baking Powder. After all, Benjamin Thompson (ie: Count von Rumford) was an active inventor. He developed improvements for chimneys, fireplaces and he invented the double boiler. He also made numerous practical inventions such as the kitchen range, a dripolater coffeepot and, thermal underwear. The Rumford fireplace was also invented by Count Rumford. So what's all the confusion about? Well, it seems that the name Rumford is distantly "related" to both. Rumford Baking Powder, which was patented in 1859, was invented by a former Rumford professor at Harvard University by the name of Eben Norton Horsford. Eben Norton Horsford was co-founder of the Rumford Chemical Works of East Providence Rhode Island. It was in Count Rumford's honor that Horsford named the baking powder after him.

Count Rumford courtesy of wikipedia

Benjamin Thompson was born on March 26, 1753 in Woburn Massachusetts. There is much detail about the man and his inventions at Dartmouth College. Here is an excerpt from the article.

Benjamin Thompson was born a farmer's son on 26 March 1753 in North Woburn, Massachusetts; his father died before the boy was two years old. During his boyhood years, Thompson had limited schooling. Largely self-taught, as he grew older he sought information from friends and acquaintances. His inquisitive mind led him to pose scientific questions at an early age. But at thirteen, he apprenticed as a clerk to an importer and later worked for a dry-goods merchant. Then he became an apprentice to Doctor John Hay of Woburn, to learn the science and art of medicine.

Have you ever experienced Baked Alaska? Well, it seems Count Rumford also has his name encased in this sponge cake based, meringue topped insulated ice cream dish. Before we get into the discovery of Baked Alaska, I would like to try and clarify how Benjamin Thompson also became known as Count von Rumford. According to Esther B. Aresty, Thompson installed a kitchen range in a Bavarian nobleman's kitchen in 1789. A thankful reward was given as the title of Count.

Thompson was largely responsible for lifting cooking out of the fireplace and transferring it to ranges built-in ovens. In 1789 he installed the forerunner of the modern kitchen range in a Bavarian nobleman's kitchen. A grateful Bavaria rewarded him with the title of Count Rumford for the scientific researches he conducted in that country.

Much like Benjamin Thompson, Baked Alaska is also legendary. Not only does it have a few other names, (omelette surprise, omelette á la norvégienne, Norwegian omelette, and glace au four) it also has a few people who claim to have invented it. Most agree it was invented by Benjamin Thompson in 1804 as a result of his interest in the insulating qualities of egg whites. He named his dish omelette surprise. Others believe it was "reinvented" by Charles Ranhofer as a tribute to Secretary of State William Henry Seward, Sr. who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867. The famous Delmonico's chef called his creation Alaska Florida Cake. An earlier theory stems from a column written on June 6, 1866 in a French publication. The author of the article Baron Brisse suggests the dessert was brought to France by the master cook of a Chinese mission in Paris who disclosed his technique to the French chef Balzac of the Grand Hotel. (source) By 1895, Baked Alaska had become a privileged dessert popularized by chefs such as Jean Giroix at the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. In 1896, Baked Alaska found its place in the archives of America's top 100 dishes when it was published in the "Bride's Bible" The Boston Cooking School Cookbook by Fannie Farmer.

The following recipe for Baked Alaska comes from The Settlement Cookbook: The Way to a Man's Heart by Mrs. Simon Kander. Enjoy!

Baked Alaska

Whites 6 eggs, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, 2 quarts of ice cream, Thin sheet sponge cake. Make two quarts of ice cream after any receipt and when frozen remove the beater and pack it well in the freezer can. Let it stand till hard. Just before serving make a meringue by beating the whites of six eggs till stiff, then beating in, gradually, six rounding tablespoonfuls of sifted powdered sugar. Put a thin, round sheet of sponge cake on a plate suitable for serving, and turn out the mould of cream on the cake. Pile the meringue thickly round the edge and top of the cream, but do not smooth it. Place the dish on a wooden box cover and brown the meringue quickly in a hot oven. Serve at once. The plate should be larger than the cake, and the cake larger than the bottom of the can. The cream will not melt, for the wood and the meringue serve as non-conductors of the heat. This is recommended chiefly for its novelty.

Resources

1. Benjamin Thompson @ wiki

2. What is a Rumford Fireplace, Anyway?

3. Esther Bradford Aresty @ Months of Edible Celebrations

4. Fannie Farmer @ Months of Edible Celebrations

George Mortimer Pullman

Today is the birth anniversary of George Mortimer Pullman. George Mortimer Pullman was an American inventor and industrialist. He is responsible for developing the railroad passenger sleeping car business. The Pullman sleeping car revolutionized the sleeping arrangements for overnight travel on trains. Before Pullman's invention, passengers had to sleep in their seats which were pulled together for long trips. Below are some resources to explore about George M. Pullman...

George Mortimer Pullman, inventor of the Pullman sleeping car, was born on March 3, 1831 in Brocton, New York. He dropped out of school at age 14, but he had a natural knack for business. He began working with a merchant and then took on an apprenticeship in cabinet-making at age 17. source

The railroad sleeping car was developed during the industrial revolution. Within a few years, its success created huge increases in the transportation industry. This national need for labor provided free African-Americans with new employment opportunities in a new industry. The passenger railroad industry provided national travel for people even before the invention of the automobile and construction of the national highway system, and the advent of commercial air flight. The Pullman Palace Car Company built, owned, and operated the majority of the passenger trains during this era. These luxurious trains were known as "hotels on wheels" because passengers could amuse themselves with social activities and conversation in the lounge cars, eat meals in the dining cars, and rest comfortably overnight in the sleeping cars. Train travel was truly revolutionary because it allowed the common person a higher level of personal freedom and traveling comfort than ever before in history. source

The San Francisco Railroad History website has information about Pullman's invention and also includes a vintage brochure which details the assets of modern travel by Pullman. Unfortunately, the Pullman Porter Museum doesn't mention anything about a chef on Pullman's train who invented the first biscuit mix. Nor, does it mention A. P. Ashbourne an African American who invented the biscuit cutter. In my travels, I did locate a bit of information about Rufus Estes, a Pullman chef who wrote a book in 1911 titled Good Things To Eat. Here is an excerpt from his book which is available at the Gutenberg Project.

In 1883 I entered the Pullman service, my first superintendent being J. P. Mehen. I remained in their service until 1897. During the time I was in their service some of the most prominent people in the world traveled in the car assigned to me, as I was selected to handle all special parties. Among the distinguished people who traveled in my care were Stanley, the African explorer; President Cleveland; President Harrison; Adelina Patti, the noted singer of the world at that time; Booth and Barrett; Modjeski and Paderewski. I also had charge of the car for Princess Eulalie of Spain, when she was the guest of Chicago during the World's Fair.

There are quite a few resources available on the internet in search of George M. Pullman. Here is one from The Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum which has a newspaper which highlights an excursion taken across the continent on a Pullman car dated June 18, 1869. Very Cool!

In 1868, Pullman introduced a dining car, equipped with a kitchen. This was the first passenger car designed exclusively for cooking and serving meals. The passengers took this new innovation immediately. For them it was more comfortable and convenient. Before dining on the trains was made available, passengers had to wait for the train to stop at a designated station and literally run off the train as they usually only had about 20 minutes to eat. Most stations they stopped at were not equipped for such an influx of traffic and those who got to the preset tables first usually got the better food. Dinner served in a dining car was very exclusive. The "hotel car" was equipped with a kitchen for preparing meals, with tables for serving meals and with berths for sleeping, so that passengers could actually live in the car like they could in a home or a hotel. source

Pullman's designs for sleeping cars and dining cars, set the standard for comfortable railroad travel and many other future innovations in railroad delivery.