Review written for ClubReading.com by Sally

The authors do an excellent job of researching and presenting a brief overview of Shaker origins and history. For instance, did you know that the Shakers were “the first people in this country to grow herbs on a large scale for the pharmaceutical market.” And that “the best medical gardens in the United States are those established by the communities of Shakers.”

The Shakers would fit right in with today’s obsession with diets. They “fought adulteration of food products, abhorred waste, and were moderate in their eating habits. While some of their recipes may seem excessively rich and fattening to us today, we must remember that they ate in moderation and thrived on a well-balanced diet.”

The index of The Best of Shaker Cooking is well organized. Most of the recipes are edited (with ingredient quantities) for today’s cooks, but many are left in the original wording of the Shaker cooks. At one point the Shakers tried (without success) to convert all of their colonists to a vegetarian diet. So, there are a great many meatless recipes.

Here is a recipe I have used . . . excellent!

SHAKER CHICKEN FRICASSEE

1 young hen (roasting chicken), 3-4 pounds
Seasoned flour
3 tablespoons clear fat
3 cups boiling water
1 bay leaf
5 peppercorns, ground
1 teaspoon summer savory
1 teaspoon tarragon
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream, heated

Cut up the chicken into four pieces; wash and dry it. Roll in seasoned flour and brown to a golden color in the fat in a deep pot. When richly golden, add boiling water to cover, bay leaf, pepper, herbs, parsley, and onion. Cover the pot and simmer until chicken is tender, 1 to 1 ½ hours. Add salt and pepper. More salt may be used if needed. Remove chicken from the stock and keep it warm. There should be 3 cups of stock; if not, add heated chicken broth or hot water with butter in it to make 3 cups.

In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter, stir in the flour, and cook lightly, but do not permit it to color. Stir it constantly, then pour over it gradually 1 cup of the hot stock. Simmer a moment, then add rest of stock, stirring constantly. Simmer 10 minutes.

In a bowl beat egg yolks well and pour the hot cream over them gradually, stirring constantly. Add to the chicken and gravy in the pot and very slowly reheat, but do not permit to boil, as the egg-cream mixture might curdle.

This sauce and indeed the entire dish should be golden and rich in taste. Serves 4.

The trolley line ended in West Pittsfield a mile short of the Hancock Shaker community. Such was the fame of the Shaker Chicken Fricassee, however, that old-timers declared it was worth every step through the summer dust or the frigid blasts of the fall weather.