Tag: Classic American Recipe


Apr
2022

Upside Down Cake

categories: 1970's food, 1970's recipes, Books, Classic Recipes, United States of America, World Cooking

Welcome to the best of March!  I have been dying to share this recipe ever since I made it over a month ago.  I held off because after tasting it I thought it would take something absolutely amazing to top it.  Whilst my tastebuds would have rejoiced had this been the case, the pineapple upside-down cake from Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery was last month’s winner.  It also made me realise that this is my favourite cake.  You can take your chocolate cake, your red velvet and even your Victoria Sponge, I will choose Pineapple Upside Down Cake over pretty much any other type of cake ( the one exception would be Sri Lankan Love Cake).

Upside Down Cake

Why do I like it so much?

  • It’s delicious!!!!
  • It has a delightful retro charm both in look and taste
  • It’s happy – the bright yellow pineapple and glossy red cherries can brighten a gloomy grey day
  • The half circles of pineapple look like they are smiling at you and the whole pineapple rings look like bright flowers

Upside Down Cake – The Recipe

Other Favourites of The Month

Reading

The best book I read in March was Turns Out,  I’m Fine by Australian comedian Judith Lucy.  I am a big fan of her work in general and this one did not disappoint.  Lucy tackles relationship breakup, money issues, death of loved ones, aging and menopause, women in comedy, activism and many other things in her typically frank, funny and vulnerable way.  This was a joy to read and really, who doesn’t want to know how not to fall apart?  (Added bonus is that she reads the audio book).

Cookbook

My favourite cookbook for the month is not actually a cookbook  The Alcorithm is about how to let your favourite flavours expand your palate.  It reminds me very much of one of my other faves, Niki Segnit’s Flavour Thesaurus.  I have only just started reading the Alcorithm but I am already fascinated.

The Alcorithm

 

Watching

I watched Pieces of Her on Netflix and I am mid-way through Bad Vegan and The Girl from Plainville. All of which I either enjoyed or am enjoying  We are watching Se7en for film club this week.  Is it weird to say that such a gory movie is probably in my top ten films ever?  I am fairly sure that there will be people in the club who do not share my passion but that is what makes these discussions so interesting.

 

I didn’t do a lot else this month apparently – I have been trying to get to the gym more so my viewing time has been significantly cut back.  I am on the lookout for some good streaming series to get stuck into and some new pods to listen to – please let me know if you have any recommendations!

Have a wonderful week!  And please, let me know, what is your favourite cake?

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Sep
2017

Tiny Waldorf Salads

categories: Apples, Celery, Grapes, Salad, United States of America, Walnuts

Is there a salad both more famous (and more mangled) than the Waldorf Salad?  I doubt it.  And because, pretty much since it’s inception, people have been mucking around with it, I thought I would put my stamp on it.  As I have a predilection for little food, I shrank my Waldorf Salad into individual serving sizes.

Waldorf Salad1Waldorf Salad – History

The Waldorf Salad was first made at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1896 and was, a huge success.  The original recipe only contained apples, celery and mayonnaise  The grapes and walnuts came later but are now considered integral ingredients.

The Waldorf precedes the other classic “American” salad, the Caesar, by 28 years.

The Waldorf Salad was also immortalised in an episode of Fawlty Towers.  I wonder if this is the only salad to ever have a sit com episode named after it.  If you have not seen this you must.  It is hilarious.  But here’s a taste!

So, celery, apples, walnuts grapes…in a mayonnaise sauce.  Which is pretty much what mine consisted of.

Waldorf Salad2So how did they manage to get it so wrong in the ’60’s?

Well, the top three reasons of what went wrong in the 60’s in general are:

  1. Charlie Manson
  2. Massive amounts of drug taking
  3. Gelatine

Now,Manson may be all kinds of crazy but I don’t think we can blame him for this:

Retro Waldorf via Bon AppetitOr this (even though this is kind of pretty)

california-waldorf-salad-gelatin-mold via bon appetitOr, Good Lord, even this:

Retro Waldorf SaladNope, the blame for that lies squarely with 3).  Possibly with a large dose of 2) thrown in

After those horrors i totally understand why the poor old Waldorf Salad is not nearly as popular today as the Caesar salad. The graphs below show internet interest in the words as search terms.


Kind of makes me wonder why I am bothering to post on Waldorf when it’s so unpopular.  Next week – Caesar Salad! And hit city!

The thing is, Caesar salad  is often awful and the Waldorf salad tasted good.  It’s crunchy and crisp and sweet and nutty.  Nothing wrong there.  The buttermilk dressing I used adds a little tang without being too cloying.  It’s delicious.  And easy to make.  And healthy.  And it’s fun to wrap up the main ingredients in a lettuce leaf like a salady sang choy bau.

What more do you need?

Go and make one now.  You already know how….it’s celery, apples, walnuts grapes…in a mayonnaise sauce.

Pop it all into a lettuce leaf, wrap it up and enjoy!

Waldorf Salad5

[yumprint-recipe id=’98’] Have a wonderful week!

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