20 May 2010 No Comment

From Fried Summer Squash and Delectable Cookies… let the lawn parties begin.

What Long Beach was cooking up in 1910!

These recipes are a sampling of the 125 recipes from Long Beach women in the 1908 cookbook. Delightfully provided by Charles Perry, President of the Culinary Historians of Southern California.

BANANA AND GUAVA SALAD (Alice Reynolds, General Delivery, Long Beach) -- Allow 1 banana and half a dozen guavas to each person. Halve the banana lengthwise and guavas crosswise. Place all on a bed of lettuce. Cover with mayonnaise, allowing the fruit to show through. Sprinkle with finely chopped almonds or walnuts.

FRIED SUMMER SQUASH (Mrs. M.E.R., Long Beach) – Cut nice young summer squashes into slices about ½ inch thick. Dip each slice into flour and fry in hot butter. Salt and pepper to taste, and pour over them a cup of sweet cream. Eat hot.

MACARONI SPANISH (Mrs. H.B. Root, RFD No. 2, Box 169, Long Beach) – Add ½ pound macaroni, 1 clove garlic to pot of salted boiling water; cook 15 minutes. [Drain pasta.] Three slices of bacon, cut in small squares, fry brown with 1 onion and 1 red pepper, cut fine. Then add 1 pint tomatoes, salt to taste. Place alternately in baking dish a layer of macaroni, then layer sauce, then layer grated cheese. Bake 1 hour in moderate oven.

PEARL CAKE (Mrs. M.D.R., Long Beach) -- To 1 cup butter and 2 cups sugar, creamed together, add 1 cup sweet milk, whites of 5 eggs beaten stiff, 1 cup cornstarch, and 2 cups flour sifted 5 times with 3 teaspoons baking powder. Bake in 3 layers [in buttered and floured pans at 350 until layers spring back when lightly touched in the center and are starting to pull away from the pans, 20-30 minutes]. WHIPPED CREAM FILLING -- Beat 2 cups thick sweet cream one day old, with egg beater; when about half done, or quite light, add 1 cup sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla and finish whipping. Put between layers when cake is cold. FROSTING -- Beat white of 1 egg very stiff; add 11 teaspoons powdered sugar. Beat thoroughly and spread over top of cake.

DELECTABLE COOKIES (Persis Bergen, Box 223, R.F.D. No. 1, Long Beach) – Two cups sour cream, 3 cups brown sugar, 1 scant teaspoon soda, 1 scant teaspoon baking powder, 1 cup chopped raisins, 1 cup chopped nut meats, enough flour to make stiff batter. Drop from spoon onto buttered pans and bake in moderate oven [350 degrees]. Though baking powder and soda are not supposed to be used together, I have better success in using a scant amount of soda and some baking powder.

GRAPE DESSERT (Nina Bell Sherman, Long Beach) – Scald 1 pint milk, add 1 pint grape juice, tablespoon vanilla. When at boiling point, stir in tablespoon flour mixed with a bit of milk when cold. Cook until creamy; add pinch of salt, beaten yolks 3 eggs; cook until mixture coats spoon. Cool and freeze [in an ice cream maker]. Pack in mold and set in ice and salt 2 hours. Unmold and garnish with bunch of grapes.