Pineapple Fruit Salad - 1960's (Marguerite Patten Recipe Card)

If I had to choose a dessert to epitomise the sixties, this would be on the Top 3 list.  The fact that its served in a freaking pineapple just says so much about this dish.

LOOK AT ME I CAN AFFORD PINEAPPLES!!!

American Chocolate Pudding - 1960's (Marguerite Patten Recipe Card)

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I give you Marguerite Patten's American Chocolate Pudding.  It has walnuts, it has cream, it is amazing.

Serve it to your friends, serve it to your enemies, serve it to your grandmother.  If you do, you will make friends and influence people when they realise you are brandishing an American Chocolate Pudding.

Pots Au Chocolat - 1960's (Marguerite Patten Recipe Card)

First post for 2014, well only 5 months late.  But let me make it up to you with Chocolate!

Crepes Au Mocha - 1970's (Robert Carrier Cookery Card)

There is nothing better, in my world, that coffee flavoured stuff.  And here is a fantastic little recipe for Coffee flavoured Crepes :) :)

Happiness Tree Cake; Christmas Pudding Cake - 1960's (Marguerite Patten Recipe Card)

I have included this one for its pure weirdness.  A Marshmallow covered Christmas Pudding and a Happiness Tree Cake...also covered in marshmallows.

Moist Chocolate Sandwich - 1960's (Marguerite Patten Card Index 6)

Moist Chocolate Sandwich.  Very much a variation on a theme, but a quite delicious theme.  

Speedy Orange Cake - 1960's (Marguerite Patten Index Card 5)

I have such good memories of this recipe.  It reminds me of that quintessentially English past time of High Tea or even being a young lad at the village Fete etc.

It is also pretty easy, as most of Marguerite Patten's recipes are.  If you don't like Orange, you can use Lemon rind instead.

Summer Pudding - 1960's (Robert Carrier Cookery Card)

Another amazingly easy recipe from the hayday of the Beatles...

This recipe is in anticipation that we might actually have a summer.  My mum always makes this recipe, and although the whole 'bread-as-pudding' concept is not one I can quite get my head around it is always enjoyable with lashings of custard.

Fruit and Walnut Sponge - 1960's (Marguerite Patten Index Card 3)

I love Walnuts.  That is all.

Valentine Special! Extra Rich Brandy Fudge - 1960's

Good old Marguerite Patten, she has a recipe for just about everything you can imagine.  And with Valentines Day looming over us like some heart shaped inevitable tsunami of soppyness and love, (read hatred and resentment for the single-and-proud types) the whole question about what to get your admired comes to mind.

Image taken from candyhero.com, go forth and drool as its an amazing website!

In my experience there is nothing better than a handmade token of love or gratitude, way above any bought chocolate.  So I give you a basic fudge recipe which is classed as 1960's as it comes from a book of that vintage, but its simply timeless.  Not only that but its also a damn bit cheaper.

If you just want to make Rich Vanilla Fudge you can replace the brandy with water.  Try a variation and add Apricot Brandy? What about Disaronno or even White Rum?  The possibilities are endless!

You will need:

1lb granulated sugar
1/2 pint cream
2oz butter
3 tablespoons brandy
half pint of milk
1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence or 1 vanilla pod

1. Put all the ingredients, including the vanilla essence or cut the vanilla pod, into a strong saucepan, this is very important because of the strong cream content.  Here I would recommend a non-stick pan of high quality.

2. Stir until sugar is thoroughly dissolved.

3. Boil steadily, stirring quite frequently, until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage.  This is a nicer fudge if rather soft so do not let it exceed 238F (best use a thermometer).  Take out the pod, rince under water and store in a jar of sugar.

4. Beat until slightly cloudy, pour into a well oiled or buttered tin.

5. Allow to set and cut into squares.

Scotch Pancakes - 1920s

I am assuming that The Anerley Recipe Book from which I found this recipe is 1920s as I can't find an exact date!

It was compiled by Mrs G Wilson with this recipe simply coming from someone called MD.

Ingredients:
4ozs flour
2ozs sugar
4 ozs butter
2ozs ground rice

Method:
Cream the butter, add the rest of the ingredients and knead into a smooth paste.
Roll out and cut into rounds about 1/4 inch thick, bake in a slow oven for half an hour.

Slow oven? More than likely as around the 180 mark or even lower possibly.

Honey Cheesecake - 1970s

Last night I decided it would be a fantastic idea to take a photo of this recipe.  It was a fantastic idea, but, it didn't work as the photo came out far too small.

So here it is again, but this time done properly.

For a Honey Cheesecake you will need...

225g / 8oz Wholeweat Biscuits (digestives) crushed.
125g / 4oz melted butter
5ml / 1 teaspoon ground allspice
350g / 12oz cottage cheese
125g / 4oz clear honey
10ml / 2 teaspoons brown sugar
 2 eggs
pinch of salt
10ml / 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Mix the biscuits, butter and allspice together then press in to the bottom and sides of a well greased 23cm / 9 inch flan tin.
2. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
3. Mix all the remaining ingredients, except the cinnamon, together.  Spoon into the biscuit crust and dust with cinnamon.
4. Put in to a pre-heated oven at 170C / 325F and bake for 40 minutes or until filling is set

Butterscotch Walnut Brownies - 1970s

I love butterscotch, it appeals to my sweet tooth and my general gluttonous side.  Wikipedia says that the origin of butterscotch is a bit of an unknown, read about it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterscotch.

So in my 1001 Recipe Cook Book: Recipes For All Occasions, I found Butterscotch Walnut Brownies. This doesn't appear to be a 'typical' 1970s recipe and if I was asked to write what dishes personified the 1970s I wouldn't necessarily say that this was really one of them.  However this includes two of my favourite ingredients so I can't really keep it to myself.

You'll need:

125g/4oz Butter
125g/4oz brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
5ml/1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
75g/3oz self-raising flour, sifted.
50g/2oz chopped walnuts

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
2. Beat in the eggs then the vanilla essence.
3. Fold in the flour, then the walnuts and mix well.
4. Spoon the batter into a well-greased 18cm/7 inch square baking tin and put into a preheated oven at 170 Celsius/325 F and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until firm.  Cut in to squares and serve.

Tollhouse Cookies - 1930s

So we made some Tollhouse Cookies from this recipe which is pretty well documented in nearly every single recipe book you could care to read that includes recipes for biscuits/cookies.  This recipe is pretty generic and very easy.

Here is an interesting thought.  Chocolate Chip Cookies come under the 1930s category because they were first developed at that point, only becoming popular during the war.  Well that is what the wikipedia article says.

180g/6.5 oz unsalted butter, cubed and softened
140g/5 oz soft brown sugar
110g 3.75 oz granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
280g/10oz plain all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
350g/12 oz dark chocolate bits
100g/3.5 oz pecans (or flaked almonds) roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 190C/375F and line two large baking trays with baking paper/greaseproof paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugars with electric beaters until light and fluffy.
3. Gradually add the egg, beating well after each addition.
4. Stir in the vanilla extract, then the sifted flour and bicarbonate until just combined.
5. Mix in the chocolate bits and pecans/almonds.
6. Drop table spoons of mixture onto the trays; leave room for spreading.
7. Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on the trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  When completely cold, store in airtight container.

Apple Tansy (1950s)

Apples are my favourite fruit.  I am sorry but a banana doesn't hold it for me and there are so many varieties to choose from.  If you travel back fifty or sixty years ago however there were countless different varieties, even more than today but many have become extinct down to neglect and the commercial homogeneity of the cider industry in the eighties and nineties.

About.com has a whole bunch of information about Apples as I am more interested in what you do with them once you get them.

They feature quite heavily in vintage cooking given their ease of growth and availability.

So what is an Apple Tansy? It is essentially a sweet omlette.  As with most things, there are many different takes on this recipe, but this take is provided by Farmhouse Fare being contributed by Kathleen Thomas.

You will need:

3 large apples
Sugar to taste
1 pint of milk
3 eggs
A little mixed Spice
1 cupful of fine breadcrumbs

1. Peel and slice the apples, cook gently in a little butter until soft and pour into a greased fireproof dish.
2. Beat the eggs and add them to the milk, sweeten to taste and add a pinch of the mixed spice and the nutmeg.
3. Pour the mixture over the breadcrumbs and beat lightly then pour the mixture over the apples and bake very slowly till set.

There isn't any indication about what temperature you should cook it at so your guess will be the right one.

Vinegar Cake (pre 1950s)

So it has been a few months since I've posted a recipe, so I thought I would kick off with something really appetising.

For Vinegar Cake you'll need...

1lb Flour
1/2 pound Sugar
1/2 pound butter and dripping
1/2 pound of currants
1/4 pound of stoned raisins
3 tablespoons of vinegar
1 teaspoonful of Bicarbonate of Soda
1/4 pint of milk

1. Rub fat well into the flour add fruit and sugar.
2. Put the milk into a large jug and add the vinegar.
3. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with a little milk and pour it into the milk and vinegar quickly taking care to hold the jug over the cake mixture as it will froth up.
4. Stir into the flour, fruit etc and put in to a well greased tin and bake in a hot oven for the first half hour, then a cooler one until cooked.

Wimbledon Cake - 1950's

Here is one for cake lovers who have just discovered that the milk has gone off.  It is from Farmhouse Fare, so its a bit short on description but it sounds awesome.



1lb flour
1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb sugar
1/2 lb currants
2 ozs chopped candied peel
1 teaspoonful mixed spice
1/2 pint sour milk
1 teaspoonful bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoonful of syrup

1. Rub the butter into the flour then add sugar, currants, peel, and spice.
2. Warm the syrup and stir it into the milk, now add the soda and mix altogether.
3. Pour into a greased tin in a moderate oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Fig Parkin Gingerbread - 1950's

Figs are nice but not common.  If you can get your hands on some, then here is a little recipe that'd make a nice tea accompaniment or a quick fix for gingerbread-heads.

6 ozs. self raising flour
2 ozs. margarine
2 ozs. oatmeal
1 oz. sugar
4 ozs. figs
1 egg
1 teaspoonful of ground ginger
2 tablespoonfuls of syrup
Pinch of salt
little milk

1. Sift flour and salt into a bowl.  Rub in the marge, add sugar, ginger, oatmeal and chopped figs.
2. Melt syrup and add with beaten egg and milk to make a soft dropping consistency.
3. Turn into greased and lined tin and bake in a moderately hot oven for about 1.5 hours.

Treacle Scones - 1930's

This comes from Farmhouse Fare, a book first published in 1935 and revised over the years.  I have the 1971 edition which contains lots of great recipes from over the years.  Some of these are older than the thirties, but for the sake of cataloging I am sticking to the date of first publication.
The ease of this dish would make a great little starter for beginners, or something quick to whip up at the last minute.  Again, with many of these recipes, timings are not exact and one has to use ones own instinct when it comes to how quickly they will take to cook.  This recipe also calls for a vintage ingredient, Cream of Tartar.  It is still available from supermarkets or online.  If you don't have it to hand, then white vinegar will be a good substitute.

8 oz Flour
1 oz sugar
1 oz treacle
1 oz margarine
1 teaspoonful of cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda
Buttermilk or ordinary milk

1. Rub the margarine into the flour, add the sugar, cream of tartar and soda and mix to a rather soft dough with the treacle which has been been dissolved in half a cupful of buttermilk.

2. Turn out on to a lightly floured board, stamp quickly into rounds and bake in a fairly hot oven.

Ratafia Cream (1851)

I need to explain a few things with this recipe.  First of Ratafia is a type of liqueur or cordial flavoured with lemon peel, herbs in various amounts (nutmeg, cinnamon,clove, mint, rosemary, anise, etc.).  Thanks Wikipedia.


It is a classic recipe that appeared even in a 1789 cookery book entitled Cookery and Pastry by Mrs MacIver that you can access on Google books.  I have embedded the book below so you can see what other fantastic recipes exist.  It even has a search function!  This little drink would make excellent party appetisers or even a pudding course, depending on how thickly it turns out.




But this seems to be the non-alcoholic version.  By 1851 it had morphed into a concoction using Brandy and Ratafia, but if you don't have Ratafia to hand, then a good malt whiskey should do nicely.
The recipe calls for heating the mixture over boiling water, so in a similiar way that you would make a chocolate sauce with a bowl in a large saucepan.

1.  Gradually stir two glasses of Brandy in to a quart of cream.  Heat over boiling water stirring constantly, until hot but not boiling.
2.  Then gradually stir into 4 or 5 well-beaten egg yolks.  Return to the top of double-boiler and stir over hot water until thickened but do not allow to boil.
3. Flavour the taste with Ratafia or Noyeau (generic word for liqueur).  Add the strained juice of a lemon or a Seville orange can be stirred in as well before reheating.

Serve in glasses after chilling.