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Visiting A Bygone American Cuisine By Seared Lightly We came across some historic artifacts
of American cuisine recently. Oysters And How To Cook Them,
published by the Oyster Growers & Dealers of America in 1910, offers
“100 delicious meals at one half the cost of meat.” Unfortunately,
I don’t believe that equation stands up At the time this promotional booklet was published, oysters were at the peak of popularity across America, as a live seafood which would tastily survive rail shipment, even from coast to coast. This was a time when playboy Diamond Jim Brady dazzled New York gourmands by downing up to 12 dozen raw oysters on the half shell at a single sitting, as an appetizer. In those days, all oysters were harvested from wild stock. Today, oyster farming techniques hold sway and ocean bays in Oregon and other coastal states are home to a growing industry and fueling a new wave of popularity for the bivalves, which offer a sustainable harvest. The historic oyster treatise offers some “Dainty Menus” which probably miss today’s tastes and dietary concerns. How about a breakfast of stewed fruit, oatmeal with cream, oyster omelet, fried potatoes, hot rolls and coffee…a lunch of potato salad, oyster croquettes, stewed prunes and ginger cake, or a dinner of creamed oysters, corned beef and potatoes, stewed red cabbage and lemon jelly with whipped cream? We will stick with just-opened oysters on the half shell to begin any meal. Wartime culinary concerns
Lydia also distributed a 1920 publication, How Phyllis Grew Thin, which declared it would create “better wives and mothers” by eliminating “nervousness, irratibility, irregularity, backache and headaches.” A survey form distributed in Pinkham medicine packages elicited some 200,000 respondents, 98 of 100 of whom reported definite weight loss from Lydia’s dosage…so take that, Jenny Craig! Love on the range
A 1912 publication, Cuisine, created to sell Vollrath white enameled cookware, had the following tribute which should hang framed in every commercial kitchen: Beautifully appointed tables where silver and crystal gleam. Soft lights… lovely gowns. Behind the romantic setting of exclusive cafes and dining rooms there stands a wise and practical personage. His is the secret that draws the crowd. His, really, the fame that falls upon the house he serves. Greater than the beauty and lights and music is his art at the dinner hour…He is the Chef! Try these original recipes We’d like to share two of our favorite preparations. The first is a personal adaptation by Portland’s Joan Salisbury of her mother’s version of a Swedish classic: Jansson’s Temptation 2 lbs. Russett Potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced
Layer in a casserole dish, Potatos, Onions and Anchovies, sprinkle Salt & Pepper…pour Cream over, cover the baking dish and bake in 350 degree oven for one hour. Cool, store covered up to two days. Now dot surface with butter and crumbs, bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven until golden on top (about 30 min.). When expense accounts were in full flower, your correspondent had many a luxurious meal in the Benson Hotel’s London Grill…and we always suggested our guests consume the restaurant’s tableside spectacular… Butterfly Steak (for 2) 2 approx. 1 lb. New York Steaks, cut 1 ½” thick
Ask your butcher to butterfly the steaks (cut them in the middle, leaving a hinge of outside muscle and fat so you can spread them out…and be sure there’s a generous rind of fat on the steaks you purchase). Get out the largest frying pan in the house, slice off some of the steak fat, melting to well coat the pan, then heat to smoking point and slap in the meat, letting it cook no more than five minutes per side (browned, but red in the middle). Now, add Butter and reduce the heat, add the Lemon Juice, Ketchup, Mustard and Cayenne, stir thoroughly, then add the HP sauce…with a wooden spoon, stir all as it cooks over no more than medium heat, about five minutes, turning the steak once in the process. For the grand finale, pour Brandy gently over the meat and light (this burns off the alcohol and leaves the flavor…it was real showmanship when performed on a cart rolled to your restaurant table. Bon Appetit, food fans! (C) 2001 Oregon Magazine |
on today’s market. However, we welcome any paean to our favorite
seafood, which is at its prime this time of year.
Romance
was no stranger to appliance makers in 1910. The Michigan Stove Co.
issued a small tome entitled Cupid in the Kitchen, which purported
to advise newlyweds on the values of connubial bliss enhanced by a proper
cooking site.