Culinary Heritage

President Truman's Pound Cake

President Harry S. Truman was known to start his days with a brisk walk around the White House grounds, followed by a dram of Wild Turkey or Old Grand-Dad. Although Truman’s breakfast habits were common knowledge, the cooking prowess of his wife, Bess, was mostly unknown until thousands of pages of her letters and writings were released by the Truman Library. One letter contained a recipe for a pound cake that had been passed down through her family for over 200 years. President Truman requested that this recipe be made for him at The Capital Hilton while he was in office. This pound cake is still served today at The Capital Hilton during breakfast.

President Harry S. Truman's Pound Cake Recipe
Yields 1 dozen

Cake

• 1 lb sugar
• 1 lb butter, softened
• 9 eggs, separated
• 1 lb flour
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 12 walnut halves

Preheat oven to 250°F. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, set aside. Cream sugar and butter together. Add the egg yolks and lemon juice to the creamed sugar and butter mixture. Fold in the egg whites. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Glaze

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 lemon, juice

Let the cake cool on a wire rack before adding glaze. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until well mixed. Top cake with glaze and a walnut half on each.

President Eisenhower's Tomato Preserves

In October 1958, The Capital Hilton hosted a breakfast to celebrate President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 68th birthday. Eisenhower eschewed the traditional birthday cake, and requested that guests be served his favorite tomato preserves. Today, his legacy lives on at The Capital Hilton with its exclusive Eisenhower’s Tomato Preserves, featuring local tomatoes.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Tomato Preserves Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 lbs fresh tomatoes
• 10 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 black garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups red wine vinegar
• 2 star anise pods

Directions
Puree the tomatoes, garlic, black garlic and ginger together in a food processor. Combine all of the ingredients in a stainless-steel saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until mixture reaches a jam-like consistency. Cool and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.