20th Century American Classics

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to frequent contributor George Schoenbaum for this one:

After telling the customs agent he had nothing in his bags but
clothing, Mark was alarmed when the official decided to open them up
and check. In the very first one she opened, cushioned between his
socks was a bottle of cognac.

"Nothing to declare but clothing, huh?"

"Right," Mark extemporized. "That, madam, is my nightcap."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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According to "The American Century Cookbook"* this appetizer was
popularized by Vic Bergeron via his famous chain of Trader Vic's
restaurants, and gained widespread popularity in the '50s. I have
had people who swear they hate chicken livers tell me that these are
delicious. The original recipe called for deep frying, but this baked
version eliminates at least some of the fat.

* Available from Amazon.com at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0517705761/worldwiderecipes

Rumaki

12 chicken livers
12 to 15 slices of bacon, cut in half crosswise
2 (500 ml) cups soy sauce
1 Tbs (15 ml) chopped fresh ginger (optional)
1 small can (8 oz., 227 g) sliced water chestnuts, drained
About 1/2 cup brown sugar

Combine the chicken livers, the soy sauce, the bacon slices, and the
optional ginger in a bowl and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Drain off
and discard the soy sauce and cut each chicken liver in half (or
smaller if needed to make a bite-sized piece). Dip each slice of
bacon in the brown sugar, lightly coating both sides. Place the bacon
on a flat work surface and place a slice of water chestnut in the
center. Place a piece of chicken liver on top of this. Fold both
ends of the bacon over the top of the chicken liver and secure all
with a toothpick. Bake on a wire rack placed over a shallow baking
pan (to catch the drippings) in a preheated 400F (200C) oven for 20 to
30 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Serve immediately. Makes 24 to
30 appetizers.

You might have thought that Vichyssoise was a French dish, and so did
I. Actually, its roots are French but it was created about 1917 at
the New York Ritz-Carlton Hotel by Chef Louis Diat. Chef Diat modeled
it after a leek and potato soup his mother used to serve when he was
growing up in a town near Vichy, France. According to Jean Anderson
in her excellent "The American Century Cookbook" the name was almost
changed to "Creme Gauloise" during World War II when a group of chefs
in the USA voted to change it as a protest against the Vichy
government of France. Here is the recipe almost exactly as it was
printed by Chef Diat in his 1941 cookbook "Dining a la Ritz."

Cream Vichyssoise Glacee

4 leeks, white part
1 medium onion
4 Tbs (60 ml) sweet butter
5 medium potatoes
1 qt (1 L) water or chicken broth
1 Tbs (15 ml) salt
2 cups (500 ml) milk
2 cups (500 ml) medium cream
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream

Finely slice the white parts of the leeks and the onion, and brown
very lightly in the sweet butter, then add the potatoes, also sliced
finely. Add the water or broth and salt. Boil from 35 to 40 minutes.
Crush and rub through a fine strainer. Return to fire and add the
milk and medium cream. Season to taste and bring to a boil. Cool and
then rub through a very fine strainer. When soup is cold add the
heavy cream. Chill thoroughly before serving. Finely chopped chives
may be added before serving. Serves 8.

According to Jean Anderson in her marvelous cookbook "The American
Century Cookbook," there are two versions of how this dish got its
name. The one I had heard is that the crimson color of the beets is
also the official school color of Harvard University, hence the name.
The other version she reports has to do with an English pub named
Harwood's, where this recipe supposedly originated. According to the
story, a Russian immigrant opened a restaurant in Boston under the
same name and began serving their signature beets. Due to his flawed
English, the dish sounded more like "Harvard beets" than "Harwood's
beets," and the name stuck. No matter how you pronounce it, Harvard
beets are a 20th century American classic.

Harvard Beets

2 lbs (900 g) medium-sized beets, tops removed
1/3 cup (160 ml) sugar
2 Tbs (30 ml) cornstarch (cornflour)
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
1/4 tsp (1 ml) freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (250 ml) cider vinegar
1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice

Boil the beets in lightly salted water for 40 to 45 minutes, until
tender. Drain and allow to cool. Peel and trim the ends, then cut
into thin slices. In a saucepan mix the remaining ingredients and
cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until the mixture
thickens and becomes clear, about 5 minutes. Add the beets to the pan
and turn gently in the sauce to coat them. Reduce heat to low and
simmer covered for 5 to 10 minutes, until the beets are heated
through. Serves 6 to 8.

There appear to be as many recipes for Swiss Steak as there are
cookbooks printed un the USA. This recipe (with some minor
modification by me) first appeared in the 1934 "The Mystery Chef's Own
Cook Book" by John MacPherson, who was a famous radio chef of the
time.

The Mystery Chef's Swiss Steak

2 lbs (1 kg) round, flank, or sirloin steak
(any less than premium cut will do, as long as
it's about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) thick)
1 small can tomatoes
3 Tbs (45 ml) olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 (250 ml) cup water
1/2 cup (125 ml) flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Coat the steak with as much flour as will adhere. Heat the olive oil
in a large skillet over high heat and brown the steak on both sides.
Place the steak in a large ovenproof baking pan with a lid. (Some
cooks prefer to wrap the steak and remaining ingredients in aluminum
foil.) Add the cup of water to the skillet you browned the steak in
and dissolve all the brown bits in the skillet. Add this liquid to
the baking dish with the steak, along with the other ingredients.
Cover and cook on top of the stove over low heat for 2 hours. Or bake
in a 325F (160C) oven for 2 hours. Serves 4 to 6.

20th Century American Classics week continues with this recipe out of
my family vault. My mother was given this recipe by a friend, who I
believe cut it out of a newspaper back in the 1940s, or thereabouts.
I have no idea why it's called Cheese Freeze because it never goes in
the freezer. It's basically a quick and easy cheesecake, but there is
something about this particular version that is absolutely
mouth-watering.

Cheese Freeze

For the crust:
20 Graham crackers (or 1 1/2 cups (375 ml)
Graham cracker crumbs)
4 Tbs (60 ml) butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) sugar

For the filling:
1 lb. (450 g) cream cheese
2 eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/8 tsp (1/2 ml) salt

For the topping:
1 pint (500 ml) sour cream
1/3 cup (80 ml) sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract

Crush the Graham crackers and mix with butter and sugar. Press into a
greased 8 inch (20 cm) square pan. Combine the cream cheese, eggs,
sugar, salt, and vanilla and blend until thoroughly mixed. Pour into
the crust and bake 35 minutes at 350F (180C). Remove from oven and
cool for 10 minutes. Mix the ingredients for the topping, pour over
the cooled pie, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Received on Mon Jan 5 22:23:11 2004