The White House Kitchen
When she toured the White House kitchen in 1933, Henrietta Nesbitt, Eleanor Roosevelt’s housekeeper, found cockroaches crawling about. In her book White House Diary she describes her first inspection of the premises—“I can’t work up any charm for cockroaches. No matter how you scrub it, old wood isn’t clean. This was the ‘first kitchen in America,’ and it wasn’t even sanitary. Mrs. Roosevelt and I poked around, opening doors and expecting hinges to fall off and things to fly out. It was that sort of place. Dark-looking cupboards, a huge old-fashioned gas range, sinks with time-worn wooden drains, one rusty wooden dumb waiter. The refrigerator was wood inside and bad-smelling. Even the electric wiring was old and dangerous. I was afraid to switch things on.”
“There is only one solution,” she told Mrs. Roosevelt. “We must have a new kitchen.”
Public Works Project No. 634 was instituted; demolition and new construction on the kitchen began in the summer of 1935. During the Depression, the jobless rate was exceedingly high and Franklin Roosevelt insisted relief workers be employed for the reconstruction whenever possible. The renovation, planned by the White House staff and engineers from General Electric and Westinghouse corporations, reconfigured the working space, replaced rusted pipes, put in a whole new electrical system with all-new electric appliances, and installed more efficient dumbwaiters to transport the food to the State Floor dining rooms above. New equipment included six roasting ovens, a sixteen-foot-long stove, eight refrigerators, five dishwashers, a soup kettle, a meat grinder, waffle irons, multiple mixers, a thirty-gallon ice-cream storage freezer, and a deep fryer that held five gallons of fat. Stainless steel storage and counter tops were installed throughout.
The President and Mrs. Roosevelt were delighted, but Mrs. Nesbitt reported that the staff was overwhelmed by the latest technological innovations. They continued to do things the way they had been done in the past: washing dishes, as well as chopping and slicing food—by hand. And unfortunately for President Roosevelt, a new kitchen did not improve the quality or variety of Mrs. Nesbitt’s menus. Mrs. Nesbitt believed in economical, simple, American fare: cheap cuts of meat including brains, sweetbreads, and beef tongues; mashed potatoes; flavorless canned vegetables; molded gelatin salads dotted with marshmallows; and insipid desserts. Franklin Roosevelt once joked that the only reason he sought a fourth term of office was so that he could return to the White House to fire Mrs. Nesbitt! Although Roosevelt won his fourth election, Mrs. Nesbitt and her bland menus remained, for Mrs.Roosevelt ran the household staff. In her biography Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume Two, author Blanche Wiesen Cook writes, “ER’s curious disregard for her husband’s tastes suggests an explanation for her persistent defense of Henrietta Nesbitt: The housekeeper was one expression of her passive-aggressive behavior in a marriage of remarkable and labyrinthine complexity.”
The Franklin Roosevelt Administration: Henrietta Nesbitt
When meat was rationed during World War II, the White House had to stretch its meat allotment, too. But Mrs. Nesbitt, Roosevelt’s housekeeper, said that she would not skimp on the president’s food if she could help it; others would have to sacrifice because she did not want to worry him about food. According to Mrs. Nesbitt, favorite White House meat-stretcher foods were: “stuffed peppers, stew, ham scallop, noodles and mushrooms with chicken scraps, spaghetti with meat-cakes cut down from the ‘good old American size’ to mere marbles, curries or omelets with meat tidbits; croquettes for a sustaining meal in themselves; minestrone soup or fish chowders, ‘both good meals in themselves;’ creamed cheeses (soft ones weren’t rationed) for a satisfying light meal; gumbo z’herbes (good light meal for children if less spiced); stuffed eggs (meat bits for stuffing); baked beans, deviled meats and casseroles.”
Gumbo Z’Herbes (Cheapest Soup)
2 tablespoons lard
2 tablespoons flour
1 bunch each of spinach, mustard greens, green cabbage, beet tops, watercress, radishes, chopped onion, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, green onion top, salt, pepper, red pepper pod or drop of Tabasco. Bacon strip, veal or port brisket, or hambone.
Wash well the greens, bacon strip, hot water and boil well. Drain off water and save it. Fry meat in one tablespoon lard, chopping up the while with the greens with the onion and seasoning. Take out the meat and fry the greens, stirring. When well fried, all the flour, stir. Season well. Add meat and the treasured water of the boiled greens; leave all to simmer for an hour or so.
Croquettes (Can be Done Day Ahead)
Make thick heavy cream sauce, let it get cold. Use left-over fish made into regular croquettes. Dip in fine bread crumbs, then into eggs, and back into bread crumbs. Cover with cloth if you want to keep until next day to cook.
Lismore Stew (Serves Six)
2 pounds lean chuck cut in cubes
12 onions size of walnut or quarter
2 bunches carrots cut
Tops of bunch of celery cut in short lengths.
Use Dutch oven or iron pot. Braise meat in some fat until nicely browned on all sides so as to have nice gravy. Add vegetables and water, salt and pepper to taste. Add a clove of garlic, then one-fourth teaspoon of stew herbs. Simmer over low fire several hours, watch and stir. Before serving add teaspoon of Worcester or similar sauce. Simmer few minutes.
Here are some of the menus of special occasions at the White House:
Mock Turtle Soup
Corned Beef and Cabbage Parsley Potatoes
Blackberry Pie Coffee
Abraham Lincoln was not known for his culinary sensibilities. He was more of a “food for fuel” kind of guy and often got so caught up in his work that he forgot to eat. He was partial to cornbread drizzled with honey and good cup of strong coffee. He did have a sweet tooth. A Washington, D.C., baker claimed the president was one of his best pecan pie customers. Despite his apparent lack of interest in cuisine, Lincoln did plan the menu for the luncheon that followed his inauguration. It was served midday at the Willard’s Hotel in Washington after the ceremonies at the Capitol had ended. Immediately after the luncheon, Lincoln and his family moved into the White House.
Soft-Shell Crab Amadine
Puligny-Montrachet 1958
Spring Lamb Á La Broche Aux Primeurs
Château Croton Grancey 1955
Salade Mimosa
Dom Pérignon 1952
Strawberies Romanoff
Petits Fours Secs
Demi-tasse
Joining President and Mrs. Kennedy and the Prince and Princess of Monaco for lunch were Senator and Mrs. Claiborne Pell, Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. (the third of Mr. Roosevelt’s five wives), movie producer and director Fred Coe and his wife, and Mr. William Walton, a journalist, painter, and close friend of the president. Princess Grace, the actress Grace Kelly before her marriage, wore a fringed green jacket over a matching sheath dress, white gloves, and an unusual white turban from which exploded a froth of curled feathers or ribbons. The hat was definitely a fashion faux pas. Mrs. Kennedy’s social secretary, Letitia Baldrige, in her conversations with the President the week before the luncheon, had jokingly referred to Prince Rainier of Monaco numerous times as Prince Reindeer. At one point during lunch the president turned to respond to Prince Rainer and out slipped “Prince Reindeer.” For a few days after the luncheon, Miss Baldrige was not one of the president’s favorite people. But four years later, in an interview, Princess Grace was able to recall every detail of the lunch including all the dishes she had eaten. By that measure, the lunch was a huge success.
John F. Kennedy’s Favorite Boston Clam Chowder
2 lb little neck clams in shells (or 1 cup shucked clams)1 tbsp butter1 oz salt pork or bacon, cubed1 onion, finely chopped2 potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 lb)1/2 tsp each salt and pepper1 cup warm milk
3/4 cup warm whipping cream
3/4 cup warm whipping cream
Under cold running water and using a clean nylon scrub pad or small brush, scrub clams to remove loose barnacles and dirt. Place clams in a large deep saucepan; add just enough water to cover. Bring to boil; boil for 5 minutes or until shells open. Strain through fine mesh sieve set over bowl, reserving broth. Remove clams from shells; chop flesh into 1⁄2 inch pieces. Reserve.
In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add salt pork; cook, stirring often, for 2 to 3 minutes or until just translucent. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until translucent but not brown.
Add potatoes; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add reserve broth and bring to boil; boil for about 8 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Add clams, salt, and pepper; cook for 1 minute or until clams are heated through. Remove from heat; stir in milk and cream. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.
Tip: if re-heating, do not boil.
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