Yesterdays Recipes, Cooked Today
Only the pure in heart can make a good soup”
– Ludwig van Beethoven
But any bozo in 1977 could photo it. The sign, the snails, the baguettes.
It’s French. We get it.
Nous l’avons.
The soup looks like a hot mess too.
Whereas this from 2004? Gorgeous! So elegant. I just want to grab that spoon and tuck right in!
Which is your favourite?
Also, all going well in scheduled post land…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM, LOVE YOU LOTS !!!!
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“What wonderful memories I have of soup and my Scottish mother’s kitchen. We had soup everyday and each one had it’s own character and charm”
– Margaret Fulton
To me, the character and charm of the soups in the 1977 picture are rather overwhelming. How much nicer are the modern pictures? I do however like that there is a nod to the past in the dish for the Soup Chiffonade…
And I just love the orange pumpkin soup in the blue bowl.
In fact, I have used this particular combination more than once on this blog. Once in one of my posts on Valli Little’s Slow:
And it will shortly feature in my post on Cantina…hmm…maybe it already has?
“When a substantial first course is called for, it is hard to improve on a savoury tart served warm”
– Margaret Fulton
I so totally agree!
I think the Onion and Olive Pie looks pretty good in both of these pictures. It’s certainly the best looking item on the 1977 page. In the modern picture though, it really shines.
Both make me wonder why this is not called a Tomato and Olive Pie.
If like me, you really want to eat this, here is the recipe. From the 1977 version. This ain’t called Retro Food For Modern Times for nothing.
Have a great week…if you want to know what I’m up to on holidays check out my daily Instagram!
If nothing else, the two editions of the Margaret Fulton Cookbook are a lesson in how food photography has changed over the years. The theme of yesteryear seems to be very much “more is more” with multiple items on a page, whereas now we are far more minimalist with a much cleaner page.
Margaret’s words of wisdom on hors d’œuvre and canapes from 1977 seem to support the modern view:
“Hors d’œuvre and canapés are served with drinks before dinner (to give you an appetite). They should be light, piquant and small, never larger than bite-size. Attempting too many varieties has been the downfall of many a hostess and death to the meal that follows”
Having said that, this is one of the few pages in where the 1977 version is my favorite. Maybe it’s my love of fingerfood but give me the loaded page from 1977 (below) rather than the restrained simplicity of the modern photo (above) any day!
I truly believe that when it comes to fingerfood more is more….I could scoff the lot on this page…except for maybe the green triangles in the bottom right corner. I don’t know what they are nor do I want to. But the rest…gimme, gimme, gimme…
By the time you read this, I will be wending my way to (hopefully) sunny Sri Lanka. I’m super excited to be visiting the country where I was born. We will be travelling around Sri Lanka for a couple of weeks then stopping by our beloved Vietnam on the way home.
However, just so you don’t miss me too much, this year, like a television chef, I have a few things I have prepared earlier for which should (fingers crossed) come out every couple of days while I am gone.
The Margaret Fulton Cookbook was recently the book of the month over at The Cookbook Guru. I have the 1977 version of this book which is what I used to cook most of my recipes. However, my local library had the modern version. And because I am a cookbook nerd I did a side by side reading of the two. The results of that reading inspired this holiday series.
But first, taken from the blurb on the 1977 edition, for those of you who do not know her, here is all you need to know about Margaret Fulton. It’s a bit of a long quote but utterly delightful and indeed points to why she is such a treasure and legend of Australian cooking. The modern version has nothing like this which is an absolute shame!
“Margaret Fulton is a good cook – that’s indisputable. She is also an intriguing personality. This gives lie to those who think that someone whose career is cookery is bound to be staid and homely with conversation that hovers on or around matters culinary. Margaret’s conversation sparkles with wit and shows no preoccupation with her career. She is fascinated by the stock market. Will discuss big business, high fashion, the theatre, modern literature and child care with verve and intelligence.
Margaret has travelled widely, living every moment of every day with an enjoyment, an enthusiasm that would exhaust most people…..
Petite and feminine, she loves good clothes and smart shoes. Although she would never dream of putting up with anything but the best quality food, her Scottish thrift (and plain good sense) prompt her to buy most of her fruits and vegetables at a farmer’s market where the freshest quality is available and the prices are low. She is not a food snob. Rather a fresh wing of skate than an Alaskan crab or Scotch salmon that may not have travelled well…
And when Margaret entertains, which she does with the same zeal she applies to everything else, her friends are sure of a memorable meal and lively conversation. Her definite personality, her bubbling zest for living make her an outstanding human being”
Enjoy the next few weeks! How could you not in such good company? By which I mean Margaret of course. If you want to keep up with my travel adventures and general nonsense, I’ll be on FB and Insta.
See you in four weeks!