The Joys of Jello

I have a fascination with gelatin. Especially the monumental creations of the 1950's, the towering, jiggling confections that inspire more awe than hunger. I have a modest collection of molds, several cookbooks from the gelatin experts (Jell-O and Knox) and due to strange circumstances, a very large amount of unflavored gelatin.

I think it's time to stop lookin' and start cookin', don't you? I had originally planned to post a handful of photos depicting some of the more awesome "structures" and let you decide which one I should recreate. But then I remembered that these actually require a little skill. It's far beyond the basic boil and let set variety.

Oh no, you must first be a master of the jello. You must be aware of how different ingredients will affect or dilute the gelatin. Did you know that raw pineapple contains an enzyme that inhibits the jelling process? You must account for the sheer size of your masterpiece so it will not collapse under it's own weight.

So I will begin as a humble jello novice and start at the beginning. I shall document my progress - successes and failures- so that others who may follow in my gelatinous path may learn from them. I shall begin with basic desserts and Bavarians and simple salads. Then I'll work my way into the savory realm of aspics, perhaps conquering my fear of warm salmon mousse (pictured in the previous post) and tuna ring. And maybe, just maybe I'll be confident enough to take requests and accepts challenges.

Oh yes, I have high hopes. Very high hopes. And a lot of gelatin.

Mmmmm...Pie

I'm not much of a baker. I love baked goods but since there are only two of us to cook for and we're not really dessert people, I just don't bake.

All these older cookbooks are going to change my mind. Sure a majority of the recipes are dated and unhealthy but the baking hasn't really changed. It's the fat and heavy cream and loads of sugar that makes baked goods so delectable!

And the smell! I honestly don't think there is anything more wonderful than the smell of something baking. Fresh bread, hot cookies, gooey pies, buttery pastries...mmm, can't you smell it?

Well the previous owner of one of my cookbooks certainly could because she stashed many, many pages of cake and pie recipes inside. This is one of two magazine segments she kept, each from a consecutive year of the same magazine.


For a change the photography is stunning. It's no wonder she saved these. I wish you were able to see them full size!

Stepford Children

These rather unnatural looking children were on the back side of a recipe torn from a magazine circa 1953.

You know I'd steal that girl's little single serving size Jello dessert.

What on earth is she pouring into that Thermos? It looks rather green. Better be soup.

I have no idea what the ad was for...food product, the cookware, Ritalin?

Cooking with 7-UP

"You like it...it likes you!"

Wow, what a stellar slogan. Good thing they followed it up with an even more stellar idea - cooking with it!

"Seven-Up added to a prepared pie crust makes for a flakier crust."

7-UP Salad:

1 pkg lime Jello

1 c apple sauce

1 bottle seven-up

Where do they come up with these things??

So it looks like 7-UP's secret is to replace any liquid in a recipe with....7-UP?

Get your kid to drink milk by adding 7-UP to it!

"Mothers know that this is a wholesome combination. The addition of 7-UP gives milk a new flavor appeal that especially pleases children." Duh. It's soda.

I love product-specific recipes. I always feel sorry for all those cooks who had to slave away in a test kitchen with odd products to make an entire book of recipes. Think of the desperation as they started to run out of ideas.

Just wait til I share the Kraft Foods Cookbook! No shortage of products but a huge deficiency of nutrition!

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving everyone! To be sure, I am eating plate-fulls of food that I will look back on in revulsion in 30 years time. Enjoy!

More Mid-Century Cooking

Aspic, apsic, who's got the aspic?

Apsic is basically any kind of molded gelatin food that is not sweet or a dessert. Usually vegetables or meats. It's just gross.

Now don't you wish you could read the recipes more easily so that you could wow your friends and family with your culinary marvels?

More fantastic foods to come!

Nothing left but the wishbone

This little gem was another piece of 1950's cooking ephemera tucked away in a cookbook. Courtesy of the San Diego Gas & Electric Home Economics Department!

I still don't fully understand the idea of using spagetti (especially left-overs) in casseroles.

"Contrary to popular opinion, hot foods placed directly in the refridgerator will not spoil" You mean there was a time when that was popular opinion??

Ok, the last recipe lost me at the pimento and killed me with the toasted coconut and pineapple garnish. With turkey. And the fact that it's a soup?...what is that anyway?

So who's ready for Thanksgiving?

Mmmmm, delicious?

Since Thanks-for-giving-me-a-bellyache Day is near and I finally got a working scanner, I thought I'd share some authentic 1950's recipes this week.

I hope you ate already!

Main Curse! I mean, Course.

I'd actually eat this one. Accept I hate bananas.

This sounds like a great way of ruining perfectly good ice cream and Fig Newtons.

Big surprise that this is my favorite. I have a strange attraction to gelatin molds and desserts.

These just a few of the many items tucked into the pages of a 1938 cookbook. The most recent clipping I found was from the late 50's. Looks like this book had been well used for some time!

Stay tuned for more!

The Fifties Fete - Finally!

After much planning and a few delays, we finally had our big 50's party. We wanted to have an end-of-summer party and decided to combine it with my sweetie's birthday and a local festival, so everyone was in a festive mood!

Unfortunately, once folks started arriving I forgot about my camera. So think of this as the quiet before the storm. I hope someone got a snap-shot of my outfit because it really was fantabulous!

Getting the Lemon Meringue recipe just right...

The tower of salami...

And my crowning achievement, the Sputnik-inspired Apple, Celery and Cheese kebabs. Too bad no one ate it. They didn't want to ruin the display!

A quiet sitting area away from the party...

We later grilled sliders (mini-burgers) and hot dogs, ate cheese and chocolate fondue, hula hooped, I brought out more canapes (shrimp and avocado), and made s'mores. I forgot about the gelatin desserts chilling in the down-stairs fridge (see my previous post for a pic) but we had so much food I didn't mind.

Some other folks dressed up too so we had quite a real-gone bash!

Adventures with Gelatin

Today I decided to re-try the gelatin dessert, Pineapple Bavarian. I tried this last week with my brand new mini Jello molds and it didn’t set. Here is the exact recipe, verbatim, from The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking circa 1959. “Bavarian” is a rich cream mixture thickened with just enough gelatin to make them set.


Pineapple Bavarian
1 T plain gelatin
¼ cup cold water
9 oz can crushed pineapple (1 cup)
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
dash of salt
¼ cup sugar
2 T Maraschino cherry juice
6 Maraschino cherries, halved

"Sift gelatin over the water measured into a custard cup. Let stand for 5 min to soften. Meanwhile turn pineapple into a 2 qt mixing bowl. Stir in cherry juice, salt, and sugar. Set custard cup of gelatin in a pan containing hot water and let stand until it melts into a clear liquid, then stir into pineapple mix. Set aside or in refrigerator until mixture becomes consistency of thick unbeaten egg white. Have cream whipped until just stiff, but not lumpy. Quickly scrape cream onto top of pineapple mixture, then using scraper, quickly cut and fold in the cream lightly but thoroughly. Cover and place in refrigerator to chill. Serve heaped lightly in sherbets. Garnish with cherries."

I really wanted a molded dessert so I amended a bit. I used a full package of gelatin, ½ pint whipping cream and 2 oz cream cheese. It is important you use canned pineapple as fresh pineapple has some sort of enzyme that inhibits the gelatin from setting! (This could be why my first attempt failed, though I cooked the pineapple.)

To release these guys from their molds I had to warm the bottoms a bit under warm water. It was too hot and the first one melted a bit. The second one was perfect. This is a very rich dessert to these little single serving size molds will be perfect for the party.

Adventures with Canapes

Here's how my explorations in to Mid-Century appetizers played out.

Good and bad. I’m glad I tried these out before hand. Firstly, ALL of the apps included some sort of cheese AND mayo, with the exception of the apple-celery kabob which just had a hunk of cheese. And I had to skip the smoked salmon canapé because I forgot the sour cream (to blend with the cream cheese).

I started with the Stuffed Olives:
Cream Cheese
Roqufort Cheese
Finely chopped nuts
Large Black Olives

Mash it all up and fill the olives. The filling tasted great but after filling two olives I said hell with it! And the wonderful subtle flavor disappeared when combined with the olive. So I piped it into the celery instead, which upon closer examination of the recipe, was essentially the same thing sans the nuts and maybe a dash of French Dressing. When I get a proper tip for piping it won’t look so slug like on the celery. Results? Thumbs up! But it needs a fancy garnish me thinks.

Next was Avocado Canape:
NOTE: A canapé is something typically served on a bread or cracker. I always wondered!

1 Avocado
Cream Cheese
Salt
Grated onion
Mayo
Crumbled Bacon
Top with olive slices

Yum! This is my fave, hands down. It was supposed to be served on a bread cutout but I hated the taste of the bread I got so it went on a Ritz. Two thumbs up!

Then came the Egg-Cucumber Canape:
Hard-boiled Eggs
Cucumber
Cooked bacon in 2” pieces
Mayo (of course)
Ritz

Very disappointing considering how nice they looked. It was very bland and dry. Perhaps it needs something yummy spread on the cracker first?

Next up : Apple-Celery Kabobs
Lemon juice, water, sugar
Red Apple-cubed
Sharp Cheese – cubed
Celery- cubed

Toss apple in lemon juice mixture and chill for an hour. Tastes great and prevents apple from browning.
Very tasty and by far the healthiest thing on the “menu”. I need to cube everything more carefully for proper effect and color contrast. And I think I will slice the celery thinner so people actually eat it. When served on a larger scale they should be poked into a large grapefruit, not a withered mango!



Conclusion-
I’ll keep the Avocado Canape and the Apple-Celery Kabobs for sure. I need some meats/shrimp too.
Next I think I’ll play with the Melon Cocktail, Maraschino Cherry Soda, and gelatin desserts!



Here's a bird's eye shot, in all it's cheesy splenor.