Fannie's Last Supper

Join culinary expert Christopher Kimball and his team of test kitchen sleuths as they attempt to recreate an authentic turn-of-the-century 12-course dinner. For two years, Kimball painstakingly researched and tested recipes from The Boston Cooking School Cook Book, written in 1896 by Fannie Farmer. Tracking down unusual ingredients, discovering forgotten techniques and battling a finicky wood stove are just part of the fun as the pressure builds for the crew to pull off a perfectly orchestrated meal for their distinguished guests. The project required the team, lead by head chef Erin McMurrin, to constantly regulate the heat on a cast-iron wood stove and work in the Victorian-era kitchen without the benefit of modern appliances. The courses they prepare include: rissoles (filled and fried puff pastry), mock turtle soup with fried brain balls, lobster à l'Américaine, roast goose with chestnut stuffing and jus, wood-grilled salmon, roast saddle of venison, Canton punch, three molded Victorian jellies and a spectacular French-inspired Mandarin cake.