Friday, October 04, 2013

Luncheon on an Alaskan cruise, 1930.

It is time I took you out to virtual luncheon again. Today we are aboard the Alaska Steamship Company’s S.S. Northwestern and it is Saturday, October 4, 1930.

LUNCHEON
Indian Relish                        Pickled Onions
Dill Pickles                                             Sweet Mixed Pickles
SOUP
Vermicelli                                              Beef Bouillon
FISH
Broiled Alaska Chicken Halibut with Shrimp Sauce
HOT DISHES
Grilled Pork Chops with Saratoga Chips
Boiled Short Ribs of Beef Spanish Sauce
Ragout of Veal with Brown Potatoes
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Boiled Carolina Rice
Baked Alaska Potatoes      Stewed Lima Beans Lyonnaise
COLD MEATS
Roast Sirloin of Beef                          Roast Mutton
Corned Beef                                         Blood Sausage
SALAD
Old Fashioned Potato en Mayonnaise
DESSERTS
Grape Nut Custard Pudding with Jelly
Peach Pie                                               Green Apple Pie
Lemon Jell-O
Fresh Apple Sauce               Lunch Cake          Stewed Prunes
American Cheese                                Old English Cheese
Coffee   Black or Green Tea                             Chocolate

What are you going to choose for lunch? The Chicken Halibut had me intrigued for a few moments, but it turns out that it is simply young halibut, which certainly sounds better than old halibut, but is still not sufficiently tempting today. Sometimes it is easier to decide what NOT to have, isn’t it? The Lemon Jell-O does not do it for me, and although anything labeled ‘custard’ normally gets me in, there is something not-tempting about one made with Grape-Nuts.

A dessert made from a commercial breakfast cereal seemed to me to be a strange dessert option aboard a cruise ship, but Grape-Nuts Custard Pudding had its time in the limelight in the ‘30’s and 40’s, even finding its way onto the menus of some quite acceptable hotels. Some of you may remember it with fondness. Here is a recipe for it from The Washington Observer of 13 July, 1963.

Grape-Nuts Custard Pudding.
3 tablespoons melted margarine or butter
¾ cup Grape-Nuts
3 large eggs, beaten
½ cup granulated sugar
2 cups milk
Dash salt
Dash ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup seedless raisins.

A perfect warm dessert that enables you to add Grape-Nuts to your diet, even if on a bland set-up. Melt margarine or butter and mix into the Grape-Nuts; seet aside. Beat eggs; stir in sugar, milk, salt, nutmeg, vanilla, and raisins. Add the grape-nuts mixture. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Turn into a 1 ½ quart casserole or baking dish. Place dish into a pan of hot water one-inch up on dish in depth. Bake in pre-heated oven 375 degrees, until brown and puffy, about 55 minutes or until knife inserted half way to center of pudding comes out clear; stir pudding every 10 minutes(3 times) during first half-hour of baking. Remove from oven when done: cool 45-60 minutes and spoon into pretty dessert dishes while slightly warm. Makes 5 to 6 servings.

4 comments:

vegetablej said...

Yikes, how times have changed -- the only salad was potato. Even worse -- jello on the menu. About the only thing I would have liked, assuming it was freshly made, is the applesauce. Apparently, from the recipe, grape nuts must have been thought of as health food.

~~louise~~ said...

Hi Janet,

As soon as I saw that menu I could not take my eyes off the notion of Saratoga Chips on an Alaskan Cruise menu in 1930. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Pork Chops and Potato Chips for lunch?

Every now and again I will get an email requesting a recipe for Grape-nuts Custard Pudding. Rather than dig it out, I'll just send them here!

Thanks for sharing, Janet...



Jay said...

My family is originally from central Massachusetts, and Grape Nut Custard is, or was, a staple in the homes of both sets of my grandparents. I've never seen it anywhere else! Possibly the steward or the chef was an Old Yankee from New England!

korenni said...

My father used to love Grape Nuts, although I never could figure out why. But custard, hmmm... Seems to me if you added a little more nutmeg and a few other flavorings, it might be pretty good.