Saturday, January 4, 2014

A Seton Breakfast

"So earnest was every heart that carrot-coffee, salt pork, and buttermilk seemed too good of a living." --Mother Seton, on her community's first days at Emmitsburg, MD.
In honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's feast today, we will be having a special breakfast based on the fare of the sisters’ first winter in the log cabin at Emmitsburg. Their meals often consisted of bread made of coarse rye and such fare as Mother Seton described above.

So here's our modern version of this breakfast, with admittedly a more festive than penitential spirit!

* Bacon (for Salt Pork)
* Rye Toast
* Buttermilk Pancakes
* Carrot Coffee

Carrot Coffee??! Yep! Believe it or not this coffee substitute was often used in early America when the real thing was either scarce or too expensive.

How to make Carrot Coffee

Wash and cut up a carrot into slices about 1/4” thick. Dry the slices in a dehydrator or in a low oven (around 150°) until they become crispy. Then lightly roast them until they brown, after which take them from the oven and let them cool. They can then be ground in a coffee mill and brewed just like regular coffee.

We'll also be praying the Chaplet of Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Have a great feast day everyone!!

P.S. Catholic Cuisine has a recipe for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Colonial Brown Bread that is worth checking out.