The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook Signing with Becky Diamond

A collective fascination with the Gilded Age continues, fueled by the HBO Max series of that very name and the recently premiered A Newport Christmas, the Hallmark Channel time-travel romance filmed partially last April at Bowen’s Wharf and on Thames Street. Newport Mansions tours of the “summer cottages” of the newly rich (circa 1870-1910), including a servant life tour at The Elms continue to be popular with tourists and locals alike, but beyond the grand ballrooms and Baccarat crystal chandeliers, what did life taste like? In The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook: Cookies and Treats from America’s Golden Era by Becky Libourel Diamond, you can find out in your own home.

Filled with historic context and fun facts, this beautifully styled and photographed book is as much a cookbook and hosting guide as it is an engaging reference volume. Well-researched recipes are revised for today’s kitchens, with accessible ingredients and modern equipment. “All the lavish dinners, balls, luncheons, and other celebrations that took place in Newport’s opulent mansions and hotels were key to learning more about the foods people ate, how they entertained, and what was important and trendy at the time,” says Diamond. Speaking of time, she adds, “Some of the dinners and other events were served so late in the evening – often midnight – and the sheer amount and variety of food that were served for the various courses [made for a long event].”

A follow-up to her Gilded Age Cookbook, Diamond’s research led to discovering that many holiday traditions we celebrate today have roots in the era. “Reviewing books, menus, and newspaper accounts from these events really painted a vivid picture of the rich history we can learn through food,” explains Diamond, who notes there are dishes she came across in her research that have fallen out of favor. Apologies, aspic. “Probably the two that seem to come up over and over are turtle – especially turtle soup, and cold dishes like cold cooked foods set in clear gelatin; also very small game birds such as woodcock, snipe, and plover, often served whole.”

In addition to learning to make “visions of sugar plums” into an edible reality for Christmas, there are recipes for Hanukkah and New Year’s desserts. Cooks, history buffs, and devotees of Victoriana will enjoy learning about lore while making cookies, cakes, pies, puddings, custards, and more.

Based in Bucks County, PA, the author enjoys spending time in Newport and cites The Mooring and Midtown Oyster Bar as go-tos for dining, and Thames Street shops like Rochelle’s Boutique (“I got the coziest poncho there!”). “Newport and its ties to the Gilded Age were a natural fit in my culinary research of the era,” says Diamond. “All the lavish dinners, balls, luncheons and other celebrations that took place in Newport’s opulent mansions and hotels were key to learning more about the foods people ate, how they entertained, and what was important and trendy at the time.”