In 1955 the Eisenhower family had a special reason for joy at Christmas. President Eisenhower had suffered a heart attack in September during a visit to Colorado. By Christmas he was back in Washington and gradually working his way back to his usual busy schedule.
Chef François Rysavy was in charge of the Christmas dinner that year and published the menu in White House Chef.
Home cooks could easily recreate some of the dishes served that Christmas and Rysavy does provide instructions for the Mashed Sweet Potato in Orange Shell and Fresh Spinach Goldenrod. Not skilled at recipe writing, Rysavy’s instructions often ramble and leave some steps to the reader to fill in. A hollandaise sauce might be a nice addition to the spinach.
For the flaming plum pudding, the chef selected one from among the puddings given to the Eisenhowers as Christmas gifts. The pudding was reheated and served it with a hard sauce of 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and 2 teaspoons of brandy creamed throughly together.
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