French Recipes, Podcast Episodes and France Travel Tips!
Gary Girod From The French History Podcast
Today is the last in the series I’ve been doing with Gary Girod from the French history podcast. We had an episode from Gary about Thomas Jefferson and an episode from me about James Hemmings as well as some bonus episodes of recipes from James Hemings.
Well on today’s episode of Fabulously Delicious, Gary and I had a chance to sit down and chat about our mutual love of France and interest in food and history. It’s a good chance to get to know each other and for your audience to get to know us a bit more as well.
James Hemings Mac and Cheese Recipe
Like many I’m sure watching the acclaimed food series on Netflix High on the Hog was not only entertaining, and delicious but highly educational. Food writer Stephe Satterfield traces back the origins of African-American cuisine and I was fascinated to learn connections to French food in this series for a dish that isn’t I would have thought had any connection to France, Mac and Cheese.
James Hemings, Thomas Jeffersons, slave, brother-in-law, personal valet, and then eventually chef created the version we know of today after having in France a dish of pasta and cheese that he called at the time macaroni pie. This is the dish that would then evolve into what we around the world would call Macaroni and cheese.
Here is James Hemings' version of Mac and Cheese. Well as far as we know.
James Hemings Snow Eggs Recipe
Snow Eggs or Isle Flotante or Oeufs a la neige as they’re known in France are wonderful poached meringues that sit on a custard or creme anglaise. The name snow was attributed to the whipping of the egg whites until they looked fluffy and stiff like snow.
In 1747 Hannah Glasse recorded in her cookbook The Art of Cooking Made Plain and Easy a recipe for floating islands, Glasse was an English cook but her recipe bears no resemblance to the recipe we know for today's version.
There is a note in a letter from Benjamin Franklin in 1771 about having a floating island dessert. But as far as we can tell James Hemmings's version that we know today was his own creation and is now enjoyed around the US and France, well even around the world.
Here is his original recipe for Snow Eggs
The Story Of James Hemings - The French History Podcast Collaboration
James Hemings was born into slavery in 1765 at the forest a plantation in Virginia owned by his father. James’ mother was Betty Hemings who was the mixed-race daughter of an enslaved African mother and an English sea captain.
John Wayles was James’s father. He took Betty as a forced concubine after he was widowed three times. His abuse of James’s mother Betty lasted 12 years and she had six children including James with this man.
At just the young age of eight years old, he was purchased by Thomas Jefferson at his residence of Monticello.
Update on all things Fabulously Delicious
I wanted to give you a little update on everything here in France, Montmorillon, life, tours, cooking experiences, new projects and the podcast I’ve been getting lots of emails and DMs recently so I thought we’d have a quick chat about everything.
Fabulously Delicious is now a part of the Evergreen Podcast network. I went to the London Podcast festival back in May and met the guys at Evergreen there and gave them some tips for Paris restaurants as one of the team was heading there next. Since then I’ve now been fortunate to join a network that has some amazing podcasts in it like The French History Podcast and Le Siecle. The partnership with Evergreen will mean that they will in the future be able to help with the growth and management of Fabulously Delicious and that will mean this French food podcast we all know and love will hopefully get a larger loving audience. Evergreen has already helped me with new artwork for the show and episodes which I love.
Thomas Jefferson's Paris and France - The French History Podcast Collaboration
Today we are doing something a little bit different. Over the next three weeks, I will be bringing you a collaboration with one of my favorite podcasters, Gary Girod from The French History podcast. As you know if you are an existing listener, oh by the way if you a new listener, bonjour and enchantee, and thanks so much for listening, I hope you love the podcast and subscribe and follow if you do.
So as I was saying recently I joined the Evergreen Podcast network and one of the many fabulous podcasts on the network is The French History Podcast. Gary I recently met and I was in awe, to be honest as his podcast is one that I love listening to and await the next episode of.