Blue Cook Book

Dominico’s Garlic Dressing

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From Julie’s mother’s favorite restaurant in Long Beach.  Also  one of my favorite dressings.

Ingredients:

  • 2 c mayonnaise
  • 3 Tab wine vinegar
  • 7 cloves of garlic, mashed (yes, seven!)
  • 1 can consomme (not beef bouillon)

Instructions:

  1. Mix vinegar and garlic into mayonnaise.
  2. Slowly add undiluted consomme.
  3. Chill.

Serves:  Makes 1 quart

Lucia’s Sour Cream Dressing

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Lucia Henderson was Margie’s  Godmother. She would collect the best recipes from her daughters and daughters-in-law to share with us. Only the best made it home with her.

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 c sour cream
  • 1 Tab vinegar
  • 1 Tab lemon juice
  • 1/4 teas salt
  • 1/4 teas celery salt
  • 1/4 teas paprika
  • 2 Tab brown sugar
  • enough drained crushed pineapple to make 1 cup.

Directions:

  1. Mix first 7 ingredients in a measuring cup.
  2. Add drained crushed pineapple.
  3. Chill and serve on cole slaw or fruit salad.

Serves:  Makes enough for half a medium head of cabbage, salad for 4.

Source:  Lucia Henderson

Angela Pia

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Once upon a time (in the 50’s-60’s) there was a restaurant in San Francisco – Pietro’s 311.  One of  a multitude of North Beach/produce district hangouts, this one served a wonderful dessert –  Angela Pia.  And they would share the recipe.  It is a bit “fussy” but worth the effort.

Ingredients:

  • 3 Eggs, separated
  • 1 c Cream, whipped
  • 1 tsp Vanilla
  • ½ c Sugar
  • 1 oz Brandy
  • 1 oz Rum
  • 1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin (1 envelope)

Instructions:

  1. Soak gelatin in ¼ c cold water for 5 minutes.
  2. Stir over hot water until dissolved completely.
  3. Beat egg yolks and sugar until lemon colored.
  4. Add rum and brandy.
  5. Whip cream to soft peaks.
  6. Add vanilla
  7. Beat egg whites.
  8. Stir gelatin into egg yolk mixture.
  9. Fold beaten egg whites, whipped cream, egg yolk mixture together.
  10. Pour into individual dishes.
  11. Refrigerate.

Serves: 4 – 6

Notes:

  • Keeps only 24 hours.  Turns rubbery.
  • You can double but not triple (don’t know why, but it doesn’t work)

Source: Pietro’s 311, 311 Washington St, San Francisco  (Telephone Yukon 6-0605)  Long Gone, too bad.

Classic Cheese Fondue

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So simple, so satisfying!

Ingredients:

  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 c white wine
  • 4 c cheese, grated (1 pound) Elemental or Gruyere
  • 3 T flour
  • dash of nutmeg
  • 6 T Kirsch
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 loaf sour dough French bread cubed

Instructions:

1. Peel garlic and rub over the bottom of earthenware casserole or chafing dish (or fondue pot).
2. Pour in the white wine and heat very slowly.
3. Mix cheese with flour.
4. When air bubbles rise to the surface of the wine add a handful of cheese and stir constantly until cheese is melted.
5. Continue adding handfulls making sure each is completely melted before adding another.
6. Stir constantly.
7. When cheese mixture is smooth and starts to bubble add salt and pepper to taste and a dash of nutmeg.
8. Slowly pour in kirsch, stirring constantly until blended.
9. Cut bread into bite size pieces, each with an edge of crust.
10. Place pot on the table and grab a long fork, skewer bread and dip.

Serves: 2 big eaters

Notes:

• If fondue becomes too thick, thin with a little warm white wine.
• You also can use a fairly decent domestic Swiss cheese.
• I usually do the melting stuff on the stove rather than over sterno/alcohol burner.  Easier to control heat. Keep warm on table burner.
•With the advent of Melting Pot type restaurants we now serve many things to dip: shrimp, sausage, broccoli, asparagus, potatoes, apples, etc.  Let your palate run wild!

Source: Sunset Cookbook (the original one)

Four Bean Salad

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This is one of those no-brainers that is really good.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can Kidney beans
  • 1 can Yellow (wax) beans
  • 1 can Green beans
  • 1 can Pinto beans
  • ½ c Green pepper, minced
  • ½ c Onion, minced, dried
  • ½ c Oil
  • ½ c Vinegar
  • ½ c Sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Drain the beans.
  2. Mix all ingredients.
  3. Chill

Serves: 12-16 on a buffet

Source: Isabel Prucha

Aunt Emma’s Cheese Souffle

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A really old “lady luncheon” dish – but still good for a brunch.  You make it the day before.

Ingredients:

  • 1½ loaves unsliced white bread (see notes)
  • ¾ lbs butter
  • ¾ lbs American cheese
  • 6 eggs
  • 4½ c milk

Instructions:

  1. Cut crust from bread.
  2. Cut bread into three layers.
  3. Melt butter and cheese together.
  4. Beat eggs.
  5. Add milk.
  6. Place first layer in 9×13 pan.
  7. Pour 1/3 milk on first layer.
  8. Spread 1/4 cheese on second layer.
  9. Place on first layer, cheese side down.
  10. Add 1/3 milk.
  11. Spread top layer with ¼ cheese.
  12. Place on second layer, cheese side down .
  13. Add rest of milk.
  14. Spread top and sides with rest of cheese.
  15. Refrigerate over night.
  16. Preheat oven to 350°
  17. Set dish in pan of water and bake about 1 hr until golden brown.
  18. Slice to serve.

Serves: 8

Source: Emma Kleerup, Kenilworth Church Circle Cookbook

Notes: Okay, unsliced bread is a challenge to find these days.  you can use sandwich bread (or even better, sourdough bread) and just fill the 9×13 pan, spread with cheese, more bread, more cheese, more bread, more cheese.  Pour milk over all of it and refrigerate.

Aunt Emma served this with a mushroom sauce.  It is really good with salsa and sour cream too.

Another Lucia’s Chicken

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An oldie but a goodie.

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken breast
  • poultry seasoning
  • 1 can mushroom soup
  • ½ c wine ( any wine will work)
  • 1 c cheese, grated (any cheese will work)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat electric frying pan 250°
  2. Sprinkle chicken with poultry seasoning.
  3. Place in frying pan, bony side up.
  4. Cover with undiluted soup and sherry.
  5. Cook 10 minutes.
  6. Turn, cook 15 minutes.
  7. Transfer to casserole.
  8. Cover with cheese.
  9. Place in medium oven until cheese melts.

Serves: 3-4

Source: Lucia Henderson

Aunt Agatha

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Note:  Deadly on a hot day!

Ingredients:

  • 1½ oz rum
  • 4 oz orange juice
  • dash of bitters

Instructions:

Mix in a high ball glass over ice.

Serves: 1

Source:  Some bartender somewhere.

It’s never a good idea nor a safe idea to drink and drive. But if you do, you’d better know your limits.  See Blood Alcohol  Percentages in Beverages  in the Miscellaneous Information category and the Drinks category.

 

Artichoke Nibbles

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The great thing about this appetizer is – it is better made early and reheated.  Can also be served at room temperature.

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz marinated artichoke hearts
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped (or dried)
  • 4 eggs
  • ¼ c fine bread crumbs
  • ¼ t salt
  • 1/8 t pepper
  • 1/8 t oregano
  • 1/8 t tobasco
  • ½ lb sharp cheddar, grated
  • 2 T parsley, minced (or dried)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°.
  2. Drain artichokes, saving half the oil.
  3. Saute onions in oil (disregard if using dried onions).
  4. Chop artichokes fine .
  5. Beat eggs.
  6. Add rest of ingredients and artichokes and onion.
  7. Turn into 7×11 greased pan.
  8. Bake at 325° for 30 minutes, until set.
  9. Let cool, then cut into squares.
  10. Serve cold, or reheat 325° for 10 minutes.

Serves: 6 dozen pieces

Note:  May be frozen before reheating.

Source:  Bonnie Discro (Children’s Home Society) and Pasadena Junior Women’s Stanford Club

Cherry Crunch

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This was one of the first recipes I “collected” when I was in high school.  We made it at a sleep-over (we used to call then slumber parties) and ate it all out of the pan.

Ingredients:

Filling:

  • 40 oz canned pie cherries
  • 6 T flour
  • red food coloring
  • 1 t vanilla

Crust and topping:

  • 3 c quick oats
  • 2 c brown sugar
  • ½ t salt
  • 3 c flour
  • 1¼ c oil
  • 1½ t baking soda

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. Mix sugar and flour
  3. Add  juice drained from pie cherries.
  4. Boil until thick
  5. Add cherries, food coloring and vanilla.
  6. Mix crust/topping as for pie crust.
  7. Press half of crust/topping into 9×13 pan.
  8. Spread with cherries mixture.
  9. Sprinkle other half of oat mixture on top.
    ——
  10. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Serves: 12-16

Note: Can be served with whipped cream or ice cream.

Source: Lynn  Ready – El Cajon