July 25, 2015

It's July 1960, but this couple doesn't seem to realize they've left the fifties behind. Another interesting note: nearly all the ads in this issue of Gourmet are for liquor of some sort.
Little surprise then, that the recipes tend to be rather boozy. Here are two:







July 24, 2015

The fifties were over; it was the first summer of the new decade, and what were New Yorkers dreaming of? An all-inclusive trip to Hawaii, which could be had, airfare and hotel included, for less than $800. How times change!

To prepare you for that trip, the editors kindly threw in a recipe for the kind of Chinese shrimp toast you might encounter in Waikiki. (Gourmet of the era seemed quite enamored of MSG, but I'd skip it.)

Not your cup of tea? How about some savory summer pancakes? This all-American recipe sounds quite intriguing; I've never seen one like it.

But maybe you'd prefer a drink? Go outside, snip some herbs, and make yourself a potent Bloody Mary. (There's that MSG again….)





July 23, 2015
If you're tired of opening your refrigerator and finding that the basil you bought two days ago has wilted into a sludgy black mess, take a look at the basil above. I bought it at the farmers market three weeks ago.
"Treat it like flowers," said the young woman I bought my bunch from. "Just put it in a jar of water."
"And put the jar in the refrigerator, right?" That's how I've always stored it.
She shook her head. "Nope. Just put it on the counter and leave it there. You'll be surprised how long it lasts."
For weeks now, I've been surprised. The flavor? Still powerful, still green, still pesto-perfect.




July 22, 2015

It's August 1978, and inquiring minds want to know about roasted candied tomatoes. It is, they tell the magazine, a recipe they haven't tasted for fifty years. Can the editors help?
It's a dish I've never tasted at all – and it sounds interesting. So here you have it, a new recipe for your tomato repertoire.


If that doesn't float your boat, how about a classic recipe for a deep dish blueberry pie with a lard crust? We don't see lard crusts often enough, so here, from an article cleverly entitled "Summer Fruit Desserts" is a pie from the past.








July 21, 2015

This is the cover of Gourmet from April of 1951. It's a fascinating issue that makes you cringe as it tells you a great deal about where America was in the middle of the last century.
Samuel Chamberlin makes another stop on his tour of France: "The Epicure of Savoy enjoys his sumptuous fare against the mightiest backdrop in Europe."
Robert P. Tristram Coffin extols the joys of rural life in Maine with an essay on the quahaug.
There's an illustrated dictionary of cigar smoking.
And an absolutely appalling piece where a writer touring the south imagines a slave coming back from the dead to cook for her.
There are ads for Metaxa (can you still buy the Greek liqueur?), an article about an electric tray, "nobly dedicated to prove a boon to buffets in a dozen cozy capacities," and of course, the usual introduction of the latest Miss Rheingold, who seems uncharacteristically elegant.

And then there is this. Frito recipes in Gourmet!




