Jan 29
Tarrant FiglioEggs, Recipes, Sandwiches, Sauces, retro food
Chicago seems to have a thing for egg and green pepper sandwiches-not quite like this one though. You can get them year-round in some places-other places seem to save them for Lent. Instead of fish on Friday…it is an egg and pepper sandwich on Friday.
Your corner sandwich shop doesn’t have these adorable retro beauties. You can’t beat them for thrifty, fun and tasty though!
Imagine fighting childhood obesity too-one sandwich for the whole family. Of course, if I tried to feed this to the whole family, my kids would choose no dinner. (One hates mayo, two not keen on eggs, three not fond of green pepper) That is quite all right-I find it the right size for a casual meal for the two of us.
Note the hot mayonnaise sauce is NOT spicey-but rather a cream cheese sauce with olives and pimento-adding a nice touch to this sandwich. Skip the spreading of mayo as you prepare if you plan to “pass the hot mayonnaise sauce” as suggested OR just make the hot mayo sauce and spread while assembling.
Egg and Green Pepper Family Club Sandwich
Remove the crusts from a day-old loaf of unsliced enriched or a specialty white bread. Cut in 3 lengthwise slices. Toast lightly under the broiler. Spread with mayonnaise. Place on a tray or platter. Arrange sliced green pepper on 1 slice. Cover with another slice of bread, then with a layer of hard-cooked eggs. Cover this with the remaining slice of bread. Top with seasoned sliced tomatoes. And here’s a tip–pass hot mayonnaise sauce.
Hot Mayonnaise Sauce
Combine 1/3 cup real mayonnaise, 1 (3 oz) package cream cheese and 3/4 cup milk. Beat with rotary beater until smooth. Add 1/3 cup each sliced olives and diced pimentos’ heat thoroughly in the top of a double boiler, stir occasionally.
Apr 06
Tarrant FiglioRecipes, Salads, Sauces, retro food
Spring is lettuce season! Yay! Spring! But…lettuce can get so dull. The following could be called thousand island dressing…and does resemble it. I do love the “India Relish” listed on my recipe card. If you are scratching your head–just pick the regular pickle relish from your fridge.
Head Lettuce Salad with Dressing
1 cup Miracle Whip Mayonnaise
4 Tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons India Relish
2 hard cooked eggs
Mix well: add eggs cut in lengthwise sections. Pour over quartered heads of lettuce.
Nov 16
Tarrant FiglioDesserts, Recipes, Sauces, retro food
My great-grandmother made a mean hard sauce. Not only that, many people would like to know how she does it.
Here is one recipe from her files. It may or may not be “the one” but it is tasty.
Brandy Sauce
1/4 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
1/2 cup cream or milk
Cook over hot water until thickens, add beaten egg whites.
Jun 06
Tarrant FiglioSauces
From the same newspaper clipping as yesterday…sounds delicious…and like a very good substitute for mango chutney.
3 17 oz cans apricots in syrup or 24 fresh apricots
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/3 cup candied ginger
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 whole cloves
1 whole allspice
1/3 stick cinnamon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
salt
Drain canned apricots. (Or blanch apricots in 1 cup boiling water, then drain, peel and remove pits.) Dice apricots and set aside 1/3. Combine remaining 2/3 of apricots with raisins, ginger, vinegar, brown sugar, cloves, allspice, cinnamon and garlic in saucepan. Bring to boil, simmer 5 minutes. Puree reserved apricots and stir into mixture with almonds. Season to taste with salt. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.
Jun 04
Tarrant FiglioRecipes, Sauces, retro food
We had a conversation on Friday about how it is too bad that Arby’s doesn’t sell their Horsey Sauce at the grocery store. It is the perfect topping and dipping sauce for so many things. Yes, I know, it is full of sugar, salt and all sorts of odd chemicals.
I have been known to grate my own horseradish and do things that way. (definitely a must try, especially if you like that straight vinegar/horseradish.) However, this is a favorite of mine and was the accompaniment to every roast beef at my great-grandmother’s house and a good number at my mother’s house. Piquant, delicious and oh so perfect for chips, fries, errr I mean a nice roast beef or steak. Yes, I know the recipe written out is slightly different. Typos you know. Fortunately I have made this with both of them often enough, I don’t really need the recipe…except to remind me of the secret mustard ingredient.
Horseradish Sauce
1½ tsp horseradish
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
½ tsp salt
2 tbs cider vinegar
½ cup sour cream
Beat well.
Apr 06
Tarrant FiglioRecipes, Salads, Sauces, retro food
This is a nice one to just memorize and keep up your sleeve for when you need to throw a quick dressing on the bumper crops of cucumbers you are about to have or want to whip up a quick cole slaw. I don’t normally use the mustard (and if I did I would be inclined toward dry mustard to just add a smidge of color) I might also throw a little garlic in, depending on the mood and what I am going to use the dressing with. There is a list of what it is good on…but you know what? I like it on just about anything!
Quick Sour Cream Dressing
½ cup sour cream
2 or 3 dashes black pepper
1½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
â…› teaspoon prepared mustard, optional.
Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well blended. Delicious on sliced cucumbers and onions, or sliced cucumbers , onions and tomatoes, or cole slaw. Makes ½ cup. The Modern Family Cookbook
Mar 23
Tarrant FiglioEggs, Recipes, Sauces, retro food
There are some Eggs Benedict lovers in our house and an Eggs Benedict hater in our house. Then we have the Eggs Benedict, hold the eggs, lover in our house. In any case, it is popular for the most part and makes for a nice brunch. Though, I do have to say, AVOID Eggs Benedict in any sort of buffet brunch situation. BLECK! Meta uses ham slices, and while I have been known to do this as well when there is leftover ham, Canadian Bacon really is the meat of choice for eggs Benedict. Wonder if this is why she calls them Eggs Benedictine?
As for the Hollandaise Sauce…yes, you can buy a mix. But, it is like white sauce and gravy, you really should take the time to learn how to make a good Hollandaise. Not quite as versatile…but still…a woman (or man) who can whip up a Hollandaise Sauce that doesn’t fall apart and tastes good…can do anything in life.
Eggs Benedictine
6 ham slices, cut thin
Butter or bacon fat
3 large English Muffins
6 eggs, poached
â…” cup Hollandaise Sauce
Pan-broil ham in fat until edges are curly. Split muffins in halves and toast. Place hot ham slices on hot toasted muffins, then put hot poached eggs on the ham and pour Hollandaise Sauce over all. Serve hot. 6 servings.
Hollandaise Sauce
¼ cup butter
¼ cup cream (sweet or sour)
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt to taste
Dash cayenne
Melt butter in top of double boiler; add cream and beaten egg yolks, stirring well. Add lemon juice and salt, and cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove from heat and beat until light. Stir in cayenne if desired. Makes â…” cup.
Mock Hollandaise Sauce
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
â…” cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 egg yolks, beaten
Melt butter in saucepan, blend in flour and salt, then stir in milk; cook with constant stirring over direct heat until sauce boils and thickens. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and stir into beaten egg yolks. Place over boiling water and cook with constant stirring for 2 minutes or until sauce is somooth and thick. Serve with cooked vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, green beans or green onions which have been thoroughly drained. About 1 cup.
The Modern Family Cookbook
Dec 05
Tarrant FiglioDesserts, Eggs, Sauces, retro food
More in the creative use of meringue and custard. Surely for a retro presentation this dessert can’t be beat…ok, so it could be topped by any number of Jello desserts but…it is still a good one
2 cups milk
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
Scald milk with 4 tablespoons of the sugar in top of double boiler. Beat egg yolks well, and slowly stir in the hot milk. Return to double boiler and cook over simmering water, stirring constantly until custard just coats a metal spoon. Remove immediately from heat, add vanilla and chille. Just before serving time, beat the egg whites until fluffy, add remaining sugar slowly and continue beating until very stiff. Drop meringue on top of chilled custard in individual serving dishes, and serve immediately. For cooked meringue, use only 2 egg whites and â…“ cup sugar, then poach spoonfuls about 2 minutes in simmering water, covered. 5 servings.
Note: 2 or three left-over egg yolks may be used in making this dessert, in which case smaller “islands” will result unless you can combine the smaller quantity of beaten whites with some whipped cream.
Dec 04
Tarrant FiglioFruits, Recipes, Sauces, retro food
This dressing is suggested as an accompaniment to canned fruit salad. The mustard is an interesting touch.
Fruit Salad Dressing
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
½ cup milk
¼ cup egg yolks (about 3 yolks)
¼ cup orange juice
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
2 or 3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon prepared mustard
Melt butter, blend in flour, add milk and cook over direct heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in beaten egg yolks and cook one minute longer, continuing to stir. Remove from heat; stir in fruit juices, sugar, salt and mustard. Chill thoroughly before using. About 1 cup. The Modern Family Cookbook
Nov 10
Tarrant FiglioFruits, Sauces, retro food
Fresh cranberry sauce is one of my big treats of fall. I know you can get that pretty decent tubbed stuff the rest of the year, but I don’t. I have to say before starting this that if I am going to make cooked cranberry sauce, I use half as much sugar as this recipe calls for, and just the bag of cranberries which I don’t think is a full pound. This is a good time remind you that those burner bibs…nice things for cooking cranberry sauce because if it does over-boil, it is messy and sticky. Cool cranberry sauce at room temperature before putting it in the fridge or it doesn’t gel right. And, my personal opinion, cranberry sauce is best served in a crystal bowl so that it looks as pretty as it tastes.
Cranberry Sauce or Jelly
1 lb. cranberries (about 1 qt.)
1 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
pinch salt
Pick over berries, removing stems and discarding all soft ones. Wash and drain, put into saucepan with the water, cover and boil briskly for 10 minutes. If a smooth sauce or jelly is desired, rub berries and juice through a sieve. Add the sugar and salt to the purée or to the un-sieved berries and continue cooking until sugar is entirely dissolved. Serve either hot or cold. The puréed sauce will jell on cooling. 3¼ cups sauce or 3 cups jelly.
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