George and Martha Washington welcomed thousands of guests to Mount Vernon and were well known for their boundless hospitality, frequent and memorable parties, and the wide variety of culinary treats served.
This was only possible because of the work of enslaved butlers, housemaids, waiters, cooks, and others.
Explore recipes and learn more about food culture at Mount Vernon.
Appetizers & Hors D'oeuvres
- Apple Hors D'Oeuvres
- Baked Potato Skins
- Cheese Filled Kumquats
- Cocktail Sausage
- Deviled Cheese Balls
- Egg and Caviar Mousse
- Elizabeth's Hors D'oeuvres
- Grilled Oyster Hors D'oeuvres
- Grits (from the Gristmill)
- Hot Peanut Butter Canapes
- Monterey Jack Lace Cookies
- Mushroom Snacks
- Mushrooms Greek Style
- Onion Puffs
- Sea Island Shrimp
- Snow and Cream
- Susan's Spinach Dip
- Tidewater Mushrooms
- Virginia Ham Biscuites
Breads
- Ale Bread
- Apple Pancake
- Breakfast Gems
- Buttermilk Honey Bread
- Corn Sticks
- Cornbread
- Date Nut Bread
- Easy Spoon Bread
- French Rolls
- Hoecakes
- Hoosier Biscuit
- Mattie's Muffins
- Mrs. Fitzhugh’s Buns
- Nancy's Oatmeal Muffins
- No-Beat Popovers
- Old Virginia Batter Bread
- Pancake Mix (From the Gristmill)
- Paper Pancakes
- Peter Cook's Pancake
- Potato Rolls
- Pumpkin Bread
- Rice Pancakes
- Spoon Bread
- Tea Muffins
- The Worster House Hot Cross Buns
- Theodore's Famous Whole Wheat Bread
- Toasted Marmalade Tea Sanwiches
- White Yeast Bread
- Yellow Corn Bread
Cakes, Cookies & Candies
- Apricot Nectar Cake
- Brandy-Jam Loaf Cake
- Butterscotch Goodies
- Casserole Cookies
- Chocolate Cakes
- Chocolate Leaves
- Chocolate Puffs
- Christmas Fudge
- Congo Squares
- Crystallized Ginger
- Danish Loaf Cakes
- Delia's Ginger Cookies
- Elegant Brownies
- French Lace Cookies
- Fresh Apple Cake-Walter Heacock
- Gateu De Nancy
- Granny's Lazy Daisy Cake
- Great Cake
- Hard Liquor Balls
- Hopkins House Cookies
- Melt In Your Mouth Blurberry Cake
- Miniature Cheese Cake
- Mount Vernon Gingerbread
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Old Fashioned Divinity
- Pink Pancakes
- Pound Cake
- Queen Cakes
- Rum Cake
- Sheery Cake
- Shrewsbury Cakes
- Spong Cake
- Washington Cake (Currant Pound Cake)
- Whiskey Truffles
Desserts & Sauces
- Almond Torte
- Apple Crisp
- Apple Dumplings
- Apple Fritters
- Apple Pie
- Applesauce
- Apricot Souffle
- Baked Bread Pudding
- Blackberry Mousse
- Blancmange
- Blender Pastry
- Boiled Custard
- Brandy Whipped Cream Sauce
- Brown Flour
- Butter
- Cantaloupe A La Mode with Blueberry-Wine Sauce
- Cherry Pie
- Chocolate Bavarian Meringue Torte
- Chocolate Butter Cream Pie - Chocolate Wafer Pie Shell
- Chocolate Iced Cream
- Chocolate Tart
- Cold Chocolate Souffle
- Common Pie Crust
- Compote of Apples
- Cranberry Pudding
- Dessert Sauce
- Fairy Butter
- Fruit Sherbet
- Fruit Syrups
- Irish Trifle
- Judge Peter's Pudding
- Lafayette Gingerbread
- Large Crème Brulee
- Lemon Angel Mousse
- Lemon Cheese Pie
- Melt Butter
- Mushroom Sauce
- Nantucket Cranberry Pie
- Old Fashioned Floating Island
- Onion Sauce
- Orange Fool
- Parmesan Ice Cream
- Peach Ice Cream
- Plain Pastry
- Pumpkin Pecan Pie
- Raspberry Ice Cream
- Sailor Duff - A Steamed Pudding
- Sauce Called Ramolade
- Southern Ice Box Cake
- Stewed Pears
- The King's Plum Pudding (receipt used by the Royal Family since the days of George I)
- The Worster House Baked Indian Pudding
- Uncle James Likes It Cold
- Very Good Custards
- Wine Jelly
Libations
- Cherry Bounce
- Chocolate Cream
- Dandelion Wine
- Eggnog
- Gloucester Julep
- Grandmother Harrison's Eggnog
- Hot Mulled Wine
- Iced Tea
- Kir
- Lemonade
- Mulled Cider
- Mulled Wine
- Orange-Lemon Punch
- Philadelphia Fish House Punch
- Punch
- Regent's Orange Cordial
- Shery Flip
- Spiced Tea, Hot or Cold
- Syllabub
- Tavern Rum Punch 1748
- The Lindens' 18th Century Punch
- Virginia Peach Cordial
- Warming Toddy Cocktail
Meats & Stews
- Apple Cream Pork Chops
- Baked Pork Chops
- Beef Brisket
- Beef Collops
- Beef in a Crust
- Brandied Sirloin Steak
- Common Patties
- E. Smith’s Roast Pork
- Effortless Oven Beef Stew
- Eliza Leslie’s Collared Pork
- Filet De Boeuf Marie-Louise
- Force-Meat Balls
- Forced Beef Tenderloin
- Fry a Loin of Lamb
- Hanover's Easy Brisket
- Horseradish Mousse
- Howard Ham Sauce
- Individual Ham Loaves
- Kidney Stew for Sunday Breakfast
- Lamb and Rice Casserole
- Lamb and Vegetable Stew
- Leg of Lamb with Spicy Sauce
- Louisiana Country Stew
- Marinated Pork Chops
- Maud's Sweetbreads in Cream Sauce
- Mustard Sauce for Ham
- New England Ham Loaf and Sweet-Sour Sauce
- Roast Ham or Gammon
- Roast Loin of Pork with Baked Beans
- Rump of Beef to Stew
- Savory Patties
- Scotch Collops
- South Carolina Hoppin' John for Many People
- Swedish Ham Balls
- Veal Kidneys in Mustard Cream Sauce
- Veal Olives
Seafood
- Baked Fish Florentine
- Baked Shad
- Bantry Bay Scallops
- Broiled Shrimp with Garlic
- Charleston Meeting Street Crab
- Crabmeat Remick
- Fried Catfish with Turnip Greens
- Hickory Glazed Salmon
- Lobster, Shrimp and Crabmeat Casserole
- Mussels Madeira with Linguini
- Ragoo of Oysters
- To Dress Crab
- To Dress Fish
- To Dress Salt Cod
Soups
- Asparagus Soup
- Basic Beef Stock
- Black Bean Soup
- Broccoli Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Cantaloupe Soup
- Carrot Vichysoisse
- Carrot Zucchini Soup
- Chicken Soup
- Crab Bisque
- English Beef Soup
- Green Peas Soup
- Maud's Cream of Mushroom soup
- Onion Soup
- Oyster Soup
- Susie's Sorrell Soup
- Tomato Bisque
- Winter Vegetable Soup
Vegetables
- Asparagus and Eggs
- Baked Mushrooms
- Baked Onions with Pecans
- Braised Onions
- Butternut Squash Puree with Thyme
- Cabbage Cooked in Orange Juice
- Carrot Casserole
- Carrot Fritters
- Carrot Ring
- Cauliflower in White Sauce
- Cheese Au Gratin Potatoes
- Cherry Tomatoes with Rum
- Corn Fritters
- French Beans (or Carrots) Dressed the Dutch Way
- Fried Green Tomatoes
- Fried Tomatoes
- Great Grandmother's Corn Pudding
- Green Bean Casserole
- Green Peas with Cream
- Mary Gene's Onions with Cheese
- Mustard Sauce for Hot Vegetables
- Onion Pye
- Ragoo of Asparagus
- Ragoo of Onions
- Salamongundy
- Snibbled Beans
- Stewed Parsnips
- Stewed Peas and Lettuce
- Summer Squash or Zucchini Casserole
- Sweet Potato and Orange Casserole
- To Dress Turnips
- To Dress a Dish of Mushrooms