Subliminal Bananas for a Better Finale

"Nothing is smarter, nothing more pleasing, than a fruit finale to a meal."

Clearly he agrees.

She, however, cannot bring herself to meet his gaze:

This disquiets me, and makes me wonder if an even more pleasing finale might be needed.

Might the downturned bananas be a subliminal message for hubby?

Mechanically Frozen Fruit Salad

The evolution of salads over the last century is interesting to study. Jellied salads were common, both sweet and savory, containing fruit, vegetables, and meats. Some of these concoctions sound delicious, others faintly (or even overtly) disgusting.

The New American Cook Book contains many of these recipes, such as the one below, titled Frozen Fruit Salad:

The caption for this photo reads "A loaf salad to feature your finest dinner."

Here's the recipe. I love that it refers to a "mechanical refrigerator." Similar recipes in the book refer to the "automatic refrigerator". Obviously refrigerators were still relatively newfangled even in the early 1940s.

Frozen Fruit Salad

6 ounces cream cheese

1/3 cup mayonnaise (recipe No. 701)

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 1/2 cups canned fruit cocktail

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Few grains salt

Mash cheese. Add mayonnaise. Whip cream. Fold into cheese mixture. Drain fruit cocktail. Fold fruit, nuts, and salt into first mixture. Pack into freezing tray of mechanical refrigerator. Freeze firm. Serve on lettuce. Serves 8.

Bread-free Banana French Toast

Apparently it's banana week here at Cookbook Love, so here's your second banana post in as many days.

I'm not sure what to think about this recipe. I'm used to omelets that are savory rather than sweet, though apparently sweet versions are not unusual in this era. The opposite page contains a recipe for a jelly omelet, in which 1/2 cup of jelly is spread on top of a cooked omelet prior to folding.

Maybe if I think of it as a flour-less crepe it will sound better.

Or a fried torte.

Or a bread-less banana french toast.

Hey, that almost sounds good! Let me know if you try it.

More recipes for ladies who lunched: Fonduloha

I'm starting to see why my Mom might have been intimidated by cooking for a ladies event. If the menus in the 1962 Betty Crocker's Cooking Calendar cookbook are any indication, ladies luncheons were not casual affairs. Clearly the menus were meant to impress.

Take the one below for example.

The name of the main dish alone is intimidating: Fonduloha. I can't pronounce it.

The book contains 7 or 8 ladies luncheon menus, and each of them is heavy on presentation. It must have been a lot of pressure.

Here's the recipe, in case you have a few friend's coming over later this week.

Fonduloha

Chicken Salad in Pineapple Boats

2 fresh pineapples

2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey

3/4 cup diced celery

3/4 cup sliced bananas

1/3 cup salted peanuts

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp. chutney or 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 to 1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 cup shredded coconut

mandarin oranges

Cut pineapples into quarters lengthwise, leaving green tops on. Cut around edges with curved knife, remove fruit, and dice. Drain pineapples and pineapple shells very well on absorbent paper. Combine pineapple, chicken, celery, bananas, and peanuts in 3-qt. mixing bowl. In small bowl, blend mayonnaise, chutney and curry. Lightly toss mayonnaise mixture with pineapple mixture. Fill pineapple shells. Garnish with shredded coconut and mandarin oranges. 8 servings.