The African-American cook and her daughter are not permitted to eat the dessert they’ve made instead, they serve it to the white family, and the two are left to lick the bowl in a dark closet. Unfortunately, an attempt at historical authenticity backfires as the 19th-century plantation family’s blackberry fool is made for them by their slaves. Blackall’s (The Baby Tree) scrupulously researched ink, watercolor, and blackberry juice (!) spreads document the dress, furnishings, and cooking methods of each family, and they repay close study and comparison watching cream-whipping technology evolve is particularly enlightening. “What a fine dessert!” each cook exclaims. In this inventive culinary history, Jenkins (Water in the Park) traces a single dessert through the centuries as four families-from 1710, 1810, 1910, and 2010, respectively-puree blackberries and whip heavy cream to enjoy blackberry fool after dinner.
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