Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Promotional Menus.

A short but sweet story for you today folks. This time it is from a menu book put out by a commercial company in 1916 to promote their product. It is the Crisco Book, from Procter & Gamble, and gave lots of ideas for incorporating more trans-fats into the diet in a completely flavourless way in the form of processed cotton-seed oil. I understand that modern science and consumer pressure have led to a trans-fat free version, now made from soybean oil, which may or may not be healthier – which we may not find out until another generation of consumers have trialled it. For my Australian readers – it is the same concept as Copha, (made from fully hydrogenated coconut oil) - and who amongst our citizens could have negotiated their childhood in any meaningful way without Chocolate Crackles, for which it is an essential ingredient?

The dinner menu for August 27 suggested in this little book is:

Steamed Clams
Vegetable Salad
Brown Bread Sandwiches
Peach Tapioca
Princess Cake
Coffee

And the recipe included for the day is:

Princess Cake
Line small square cake tin with plain Crisco pastry. Sprinkle in ½ cup cleaned currants. Cream ½ cup Crisco with 1 cup sugar, then add 3 well beaten eggs, 3 cups flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Divide mixture into 2 portions. Add 1 tablespoon grated chocolate and 4 tablespoons milk to 1 portion. Put cake mixtures in spoonfuls on top of currants and bake in moderate oven for 35 minutes. Serve in square pieces.

Copha-lovers do not despair, I will give some ideas soon from an equally vintage Copha cookbook.

Quotation for the Day …

As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists. Joan Gussow

2 comments:

srhcb said...

What are "Eggs, Canada"?

The Old Foodie said...

Eggs, Canada, according to the Hotel St Francis Cook Book are:

Eggs, Canada.

Cut the tops from four solid even-sized tomatoes, scoop out the insides, season with salt and pepper, break a raw egg in each, put a small piece of butter on top, season with salt and pepper, place on a buttered plate and bake in the oven for about eight or ten minutes. Serve on a china platter with a little tomato sauce around the tomatoes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.