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Presidents/Woodrow Wilson

AT THE TABLE WITH WOODROW WILSON

Warm peach cobbler

A bubbling filling tells you the cornstarch has had time to thicken.

Dessert55 minServes 6
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Warm peach cobbler — the black-and-white years
The black-and-white years · Serving illustration

THE STORY ON YOUR PLATE

A wartime Thanksgiving table

More about Woodrow Wilson →

The twenty-eighth president served during World War I.

Historical reconstruction

Peaches and baking connect this dessert to Wilson’s Southern background. The cobbler is a regional reconstruction, with a soft fruit layer beneath a golden topping.

The president & the table

Wilson’s 1917 Thanksgiving menu included oyster soup, turkey with vegetables, and pumpkin pie. The meal also belonged to a period when food conservation had become a public responsibility. A presidential holiday table could celebrate tradition while responding to the pressures of war.

Behind this story

Wilson White House Thanksgiving menu, 1917; regional culinary reconstruction for the cobbler.

APRON ON. HISTORY CAN WAIT.

Make it at home.

Serves 6

What you’ll need

Let’s make it

  1. Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Toss peaches with sugar, cornstarch and lemon in a 1.5 litre / 6 cup baking dish.

  2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and topping sugar. Rub in butter, then stir in milk to form a soft dough.

  3. Drop spoonfuls over the peaches, leaving small gaps.

  4. Bake for 30–40 minutes until the topping is cooked through and fruit juices bubble. Rest for 10 minutes.

Cooking notes

Metric and US measures are approximate equivalents. For baking, use weights when you can.

STAY FOR ANOTHER COURSE

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