Tag: recipe

Old-Fashioned Cranberry Banana Dessert

 

Cranberry Banana Dessert in dishCranberries were a popular fruit a hundred years ago, and many old cookbooks contain a few cranberry recipes. This year, I was intrigued by a recipe in a 1926 community cookbook from Peoria, Illinois. It contained a recipe for Cranberry Banana Dessert.

The Cranberry Banana Dessert was easy to make, tasty, and a delightful “new” way to serve cranberries. Sliced bananas, cranberries, chopped walnuts, and sugar are layered in a flat baking dish, which is then put in the oven until the cranberries burst, and the mixture is hot and bubbly. This dessert is allowed to cool before serving. It is then put into serving dishes and topped with whipped cream.

Here is the original recipe:

Recipe for Cranberry Banana Dessert
Source: 1926 cookbook compiled by the Domestic Science Class of the Peoria (IL) Women’s Club

When I made this recipe, I was befuddled by the directions to serve the Cranberry and Banana Dessert with “whipped cream and marshmallows.” I couldn’t quite picture how to combine those two things into a topping, so I just went with the whipped cream and skipped the marshmallows.

The old recipe called for 1/4 to 1/2 cup nuts. When I made the recipe, I used 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts.

It took longer for the cranberries to burst, and for the mixture to become hot and bubbly than indicated in the original recipe. I used an oven temperature of 350° F.  Maybe the recipe author used a higher temperature. In any case, when I updated the recipe, I increased the cooking time.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Cranberry Banana Dessert

  • Servings: 3 - 5
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

3 medium bananas

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

2 cups cranberries

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

whipped cream

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

Step 2. Peel and slice the bananas, then put the slices in a flat baking dish. (A 9-inch by 9-inch baking dish works well.)

Step 3. Spread the chopped walnuts over the banana slices.

Step 4. Spread the cranberries over the walnuts, then sprinkle the sugar over the cranberries.

Step 5. Pour the water into a corner of the dish.

Step 6. Place the dish in the oven, and bake until the cranberries burst and the liquid is hot and bubbly (about 30 – 35 minutes), then remove from oven and gently stir the top layers of the mixture to mix the cranberries and sugar. (Use care not to stir so deeply that the banana slices are mixed into the cranberry layer.)

Step 7. Return to oven and cook until the mixture again begins to bubble (about 3 – 5 minutes).

Step 8. Remove from oven and let cool, then serve with whipped cream.

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Grilled Apples (Apples with Caramel Sauce)

Grilled Apples (Apples with Caramel Sauce) in baking dish

Sometimes hundred-year-old cookbooks contain recipes with names that seem incorrect or make little sense. I recently came across a 1926 recipe for “Grilled Apples” that basically was for peeled apple quarters that were smothered in a caramel-flavored sauce and then baked until tender. Dark corn syrup provided the caramel flavor in the sauce.  The recipe did indicate that the baked apples were supposed to be put under the broiler to brown the apples after they were baked, so maybe that’s why the recipe author called them “Grilled Apples.”

The Grilled Apples (Apples with Caramel Sauce) were tasty and made a nice fruit dessert. The sauce had a rich, robust sweetness with hints of caramel and a slight molasses flavor.

Here is the original recipe:

Recipe for Grilled Apples (Apples with Caramel Sauce)
Source: The Modern Method of Preparing Delightful Foods (1926)

This recipe was in a cookbook published by the Corn Products Refining Company. The cookbook promoted the use of Karo corn syrup, but any dark corn syrup would work in this recipe. I have a somewhat negative opinion of corn syrup, but the brand I used said on the label that it contained “0 grams” of high fructose corn syrup which reassured me a little.

I also did an online search to learn more about high fructose corn syrup, and found a FAQ page on the Karo website. It says that Karo does not currently contain high fructose corn syrup:

When Karo® was introduced in 1902, it did not contain high fructose corn syrup. In the 1970s, high fructose corn syrup was added to the Karo® Light, Karo® Dark and Karo® Pancake Syrups. In response to consumer requests, high fructose corn syrup was removed from Karo® Light and Karo® Dark.

It’s interesting that cooks using Karo both a hundred years ago and now are not using a syrup that contains high fructose corn syrup, but that during some of the intervening years they were.

Mazola Corn Oil is another product made by the same company that makes Karo. I didn’t bother to grease the baking dish, but, if desired, it could be greased with butter or any cooking oil.

Here is the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Grilled Apples (Apples with Caramel Sauce)

  • Servings: 3 - 4
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

4 cups quartered apples (Use an apple variety that keeps its shape when baked – Haralson, Rome, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Braeburn, etc.)

3/4 cup corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1/8 teaspoon salt

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

Step 2. Put the corn syrup, water, and salt in a bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.

Step 3. Put the quartered apples in a single layer in a flat baking dish. (A 9-inch by 9-inch baking dish works well.)

Step 4. Spoon the corn syrup mixture over the apples, then put the apples in the oven.

Step. 5. Bake until the apples are tender (approximately 30 – 45 minutes); occasionally baste the apples with some of the syrup while baking.

Step 6. Put the cooked apples under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to lightly brown the apples. The apples can be served either hot or cold.

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Old-Fashioned Marshmallow Fudge

Pieces of Marshmallow Fudge on plate

It’s always fun to look through hundred-year-old cookbooks and magazines to find recipes to make for this blog. I generally select recipes I think would be tasty and fun to make. Often the recipes use seasonal ingredients.

This week I decided to make a hundred-year-old recipe for Marshmallow Fudge for a very practical (and perhaps boring) reason. Several weeks ago, I made Apple Mallows (Baked Apples with Marshmallows), and I had some left-over marshmallows. When I was flipping through an old cookbook and saw a recipe for Marshmallow Fudge, I immediately thought, “What a great way to use up those marshmallows in the cupboard!”

The recipe called for melting marshmallows in a hot fudge mixture. The melted marshmallows helped create a lovely smooth fudge, as well as provided some of the sugar in this recipe.

I’m glad I decided to make Marshmallow Fudge. It was easier to make than many candies and turned out beautifully. The fudge contained walnuts, was rich, and melted in my mouth. It was not the least bit grainy.

Here is the original recipe:

Recipe for Marshmallow Fudge
Source: Pennsylvania State Grange Cook Book (1926)

And, here is the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Marshmallow Fudge

  • Servings: about 40 pieces
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

1 tablespoon butter

3 cups sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 teaspoons cocoa

3 tablespoons water

8 ounces marshmallows

1 cup chopped walnuts

Step 1. Melt and lightly brown butter in a large saucepan. (Use care not to burn the butter.)

Step 2. Add sugar and cream; stir until combined.

Step 3. Bring to a boil using medium heat, then reduce heat, but continue to gently boil until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage (235-240° F.). (Do not stir the boiling mixture to avoid crystallization.)

Step 4. In the meantime, put the cocoa in a small bowl; Gradually add the water while stirring. Stir until the mixture is smooth.

Step 5. Add the salt and the cocoa mixture to the boiling sugar mixture which has reached the soft ball stage; gently stir until thoroughly combined.

Step. 6. Continue boiling for a little longer until the mixture again reaches the soft ball stage (235 – 240° F.).

Step 7. Add the marshmallows to the mixture and immediately remove pan from heat; stir until the marshmallows are melted, then continue stirring until the fudge is creamy and begins to thicken.

Step 8. Stir the chopped walnuts into the fudge.

Step 9. Line a 9-inch by 9-inch pan with parchment paper (or thickly butter the pan), then spread the fudge in the pan. Lightly score the fudge to mark where it will be cut.

Step 10. Allow fudge to cool, then cut into pieces.

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Brussels Sprouts with Sauce Piquante

Brussels Sprouts with Piquante Sauce in dish

When browsing through hundred-year-old cookbooks, I came across a recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Sauce Piquante. Sauce Piquante is known for its complex, spicy flavor. Since many old-time sauce recipes make very mild and delicate sauces, I was intrigued by this recipe and decided to give it a try.

The Brussels Sprouts with Sauce Piquante was excellent. The delightful, tangy sauce worked well with the earthy, slightly bitter Brussels sprouts. I may not see many old recipes for spicy sauces, but based on how well this recipe turned out, cooks a hundred-years ago definitely knew how to make lovely, lively sauces.

Here is the original recipe:

Recipe for Brussels Sprouts - Sauce Piquante
Source: 1926 cookbook compiled by the Domestic Science Class of the Peoria (IL) Women’s Club

The recipe calls for “mustard.” It does not say whether it is for dry mustard or prepared mustard. In general, hundred-year-old recipes call mustard in a jar “prepared mustard,” so I assumed that the recipe author was referring to dry mustard.

Since the Brussels sprouts were boiled in salted water, adding an additional 1 teaspoon of salt in the sauce seemed like a lot, so I reduced it to 1/2 teaspoon when I updated the recipe.

I didn’t use a double boiler when I made the sauce. Rather I cooked the sauce using medium-low heat while stirring constantly.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Brussels Sprouts with Piquante Sauce

  • Servings: 4 - 6
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

1 quart (about 1 pound) Brussels sprouts

water and 1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup vinegar

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon, chopped parsley (or use parsley flakes)

1/2 teaspoon onion juice (or use finely minced onions or onion powder)

Step 1. Trim Brussels sprouts and remove any damaged outer leaves. Put in a saucepan and cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil using high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until tender (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and drain.

Step 2. In the meantime, put the olive oil, vinegar, beaten eggs, dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, powdered sugar, and paprika in a saucepan. Stir to combine, then heat using medium-low heat until the mixture thickens while stirring constantly. (If the thickened sauce is lumpy, strain and then return the sauce to the saucepan.)

Step 3. Add the melted butter, curry powder, chopped parsley/parsley flakes, and onion juice/minced onions/onion powder to the sauce. Stir to combine; heat with medium-low heat while stirring constantly until the mixture is hot and just beginning to bubble.

Step 4. Put the cooked Brussels sprouts in a serving dish, then pour the sauce over Brussels sprouts. Serve immediately.

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Old-Fashioned Halloween Spice Cupcakes

Halloween Spice Cupcakes

Since photos are few and far between in hundred-year-old cookbooks, I was surprised to see a photo of Halloween Spice Cupcakes in a 1926 cookbook. The adorable cupcakes (Can cupcakes be called adorable?) were decorated to look like jack-o-lanterns. Raisins were used to make the faces.

Halloween Spice Cupcakes
Source: Mrs. Peterson’s Simplified Cooking (1926)

I decided to try to replicate the cupcakes in the photo. The recipe on page 180 of the cookbook is for a loaf cake and does not specifically mention Halloween Spice Cupcakes, so I just put the batter in a cupcake tin that I had lined with paper liners.

Recipe for Spice Cakes
Source: Mrs. Peterson’s Simplified Cooking (1926)

I decorated the cupcakes similarly to the way the cupcakes in the old photo were decorated. Since the photo in the old cookbook is black and white, it is difficult to tell what color the icing was. Since food coloring was readily available in 1926, I assumed that the icing was tinted orange.

The cupcakes were fun to make, and turned out wonderfully. The cupcakes were tasty and had a lovely spice flavor.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Halloween Spice Cupcakes

  • Servings: 12 - 14 cupcakes
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

1/2 cup shortening or butter (softened)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 1/4 cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon mace

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon allspice

frosting, tinted orange

raisins

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Put paper cupcake liners in cupcake tin(s).

Step 2. Put the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mace, cloves, and allspice in a bowl. Stir to combine, then set aside.

Step 3. Put the shortening (or butter) and sugar in a mixing bowl, then cream.

Step 4. Add the eggs; beat until combined.

Step 5. Add the milk and dry ingredients; beat until smooth, then put in the prepared cupcake tin(s). Fill each cupcake cup 2/3 full.

Step 6. Bake 30 – 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Step 7. Let the cupcakes cool, then ice the cupcakes with icing that has been tinted orange.

Step 7. Use raisins to make the faces on the cupcakes. Use round raisins for the eyes, elongated raisins for the nose, and chopped raisins to make the mouth.

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The Charm of Candlelight

Tapioca in serving dishes
Source: Ladies Home Journal (November, 1926)

Candlelight evokes so many warm, cozy feelings. Candles are calming and make me feel peaceful and hopeful.  And, sometimes candles help create a lovely romantic atmosphere. I recently was browsing through several hundred-year-old magazines, and was surprised to see two items that featured candles.

The first was an advertisement for Minute Tapioca in a 1926 issue of Ladies Home Journal. It included a recipe for Cream Supreme that was embedded in an image of a beautiful tablescape with candles. I probably will never make that recipe, but my eyes lingered for several minutes on the picture. It was so relaxing, and it made me remember times long gone when I ate a special dessert in a room decorated with candles.

A few minutes later, I flipped through a hundred-year-old issue of American Cookery and was surprised to find an article titled “The Charm of Candles.” Here are some excerpts:

The Charm of Candles

Candlelight and the romantic evolution of lighting devices is a truly fascinating thing to think about.

The romance of candlelight remained a shadowy companion to progress. Like some silvery-haired, gentle-faced old lady, candlelight kept alive hallowed memories that linked the present with the past.

Within my own memory is the friendship of candlelight – that little bedside candle of childhood, linking us to a world of reality, with its warm glow after prayers were said.

Have you never lain in a big-four-poster bed watching the dancing shadows your candle cast on the old, hard-hewn timbers? If you have never seen your candle “burn blue with terror”, as the wind steals in noisy gusts about the house, then you certainly have missed a deep, undefinable kinship with the past.

Candlelight against our modern backgrounds has a soothing, quieting influence, like old hands. It offers a sort of antidote for that ache of antiquity which sends us on passionate quests after old furniture, old books, old ships, old pictures, and old things. It indicates our inability to quite sever our life cord from the past.

American Cookery (August September, 1926)

Much has changed over the past hundred years, but some things stay the same. Candlelight still has a soothing, quieting influence.

Old-Fashioned Escalloped Cabbage

Escalloped Cabbage in baking dish

The farmers’ market had some lovely cabbages, so I bought one and then started looking through my hundred-year-old cookbooks for a cabbage recipe. I found a recipe for Escalloped Cabbage in a 1926 women’s club cookbook from Peoria, Illinois

The Escalloped Cabbage was a delightful, simple, side dish.  It’s just boiled shredded cabbage in a white sauce. It is then put in a baking dish. topped with bread crumbs, and put in the oven until it is hot and bubbly.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Escalloped Cabbage
Source: 1926 cookbook compiled by the Domestic Science Class of the Peoria (IL) Women’s Club

The bread crumbs for the topping can be made by grating 1/2 slice of bread using a box grater.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Escalloped Cabbage

  • Servings: 4 - 6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

1/2 cabbage, coarsely shredded

water

1 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon butter (melted)

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Step 1. Preheat oven to 375° F.

Step 2. Put the shredded cabbage in a large saucepan, then add about a quarter inch of water. Bring to a boil using medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the cabbage is tender (about 20 minutes). (If the water evaporates while cooking, add a small amount of additional water.) Then remove from heat, and drain to remove any remaining liquid.

Step 3. In the meantime, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan, then stir in the flour. Gradually, add the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens.

Step 4. Pour the white sauce on the boiled cabbage; stir to combine.

Step 5. Put the cabbage mixture in a baking dish.

Step 6. In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon melted butter, then spread the bread crumbs on top of the cabbage mixture.

Step 7. Put in oven and bake until hot and bubbly (20 – 30 minutes).

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