The Missouri History Museum is one of the many gems in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s definitely one of the must-do places to go when visiting. In fact, I’d recommend visiting it and the iconic St. Louis Arch and its museum (both museums are free!) as soon as you get there. Both provide a great sense of the history of St. Louis and of Missouri as a whole, which influences so much of what visitors will see, do and experience.

Save this article and these recipes from the 1904 World’s Fair at the Missouri History Museum to Pinterest to keep it handy. Photos and graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

I love the Missouri History Museum in beautiful Forest Park for its manageable size (you can see every exhibit and not wear yourself out). Currently on display is a wonderful exhibit about the 1904 World’s Fair, with many artifacts from it, including furniture, serve ware, architectural elements and clothing. And that includes clothing and other memorabilia from the popular Judy Garland film, Meet Me in St. Louis. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a large scale model of the two square miles in which dozens of palaces, exhibits, attractions and concessions stood. It was massive! Periodically, the scale model morphs to show what’s in that space today. It’s fascinating! And, kudos to the Museum, they don’t shy away from some of the more controversial aspects of the Fair experience. Allow time to really take it all in. And then, take in lunch at The Key Bistro which, for a limited time, is serving a special menu of dishes that were served at The 1904 World’s Fair! Until you can enjoy them at the Bistro yourself, here they are: Chicken Yakitori and Lobster Newburg. The recipes are provided to Real Food Traveler readers courtesy of the Missouri History Museum and were researched by Suzanne Corbett, food historian and food ways interpreter. Small world thing – Suzanne is also RFT’s celebrated Food History Editor!

Recipes From the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis to Make Now

Chicken Yakitori

This recipe comes from the Pike’s Fair Japan Restaurant and Roof Garden at the Fair, one of many places offering Fair-goers a taste of cuisine from around the world. Yakitori translates to “grilled bird” and gained popularity as a Japanese street food during the 1860s.

Serves 8

Ingredients: 
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup sake
2 TBS sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped
8 bamboo skewers

Instructions:
Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
Cut chicken thighs into bite-size pieces and thread onto skewers.
In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, garlic and green onion.
Reserve half the sauce for a dipping sauce.
Brush chicken skewers with sauce and grill over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked.

Save this recipe for Yakitori to Pinterest so you can make this recipe from the 1904 World’s Fair anytime. Photo courtesy of the Missouri History Museum. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Hungry for more? Make royal Coronation Chicken Salad.

Lobster Newburg

Served at the Fair’s Restaurant de Paris, this French favorite creamy, lobster-studded dish was popular toward the end of the Gilded Age in the U.S. Often ordered by “ladies who lunch” and the après-theatre crowd, it was Delmonico’s restaurant in New York that really made Lobster Newburg famous. This recipe is based on that one.

Serves 6

Ingredients: 
3 egg yolks, beaten
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup butter
2 cups cooked lobster meat, cut into chunks (fresh, frozen or canned)
3 TBS dry sherry or Madeira
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch ground nutmeg
Puff pastry shells or toast
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions:
In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat.
Add lobster meat and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in wine and cook for 1 additional minute, then remove lobster meat from pan.
Gradually whisk in cream and cook until sauce thickens.
Do not let the sauce come to a boil.
Remove a tablespoon of sauce from the pan and add it to the beaten egg yolks, stirring it in quickly. This helps temper the eggs to prevent them from curdling.
Reduce heat to low and whisk tempered egg yoks into the sauce.
Add the salt and nutmeg and return lobster meat to the sauce.
Cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes to reheat lobster.
Remove from heat.
Serve ladled into baked puff pastry shells or over toast points.
Garnish with fresh parsley.

Keep this recipe for Lobster Newburg handy by saving it to Pinterest. Photo by Suzanne Corbett. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

To learn more about the Missouri History Museum, visit the website, here. And to see The Key Bistro’s entire menu, click here. To learn more about visiting St. Louis, head to their website.

-by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher and Managing Editor, Real Food Traveler

Hungry for more? Try the recipe for Alaskan Pumphouse Seafood Chowder.

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