Saturday, September 2, 2017

Rotten to the core?

I know we're barely into September, but there's already a nip in the air, and the Paula Reds and Ginger Golds are out. That means today we're taking on some weird-ish apple recipes!

First up is the one that probably seems weirdest to me and most normal to everyone else. From The Wise Encyclopedia of Cookery (1971) is Apple Chutney. 


I know it's a personal failing, but chutneys never sound remotely appealing to me. I can't imagine longing to dump green peppers and onions mixed with apples, raisins, and grape jelly on roasts, samosas, or poor innocent goat cheeses. Obviously plenty of people see the appeal, though, or at least write recipes to make it look as if they do. 

If you like scalloped potatoes and/or cheese on your apple pie, then Wise also offers this recipe:


Scalloped Apples and Cheese calls for real grated cheese-- not a can or two of condensed cheese soup-- so maybe it would work? I'll let you figure it out if you really want to know. 

The always-reliable-for-a-questionable-recipe Weight Watchers International Cookbook (1977) has a couple of offerings. If you want a throw-it-all-together salad, there's this:


With bean sprouts, celery, and fresh apple, this will be pretty crunchy, but I've never really hoped for apples coated in soy sauce and dry mustard...

In the questionable dessert category, we have a pudding:


I'm shocked that actual slices of raisin bread are permitted, so this is likely to be one of the better Weight Watchers dessert recipes. It's not all unflavored gelatin and chocolate extract. Will the rutabaga make the pudding thick and sweet, or just weirdly vegetal? I only have enough motivation to ask the question. 

The scariest apple recipe is from another international cookbook: Craig Claiborne's The New York Times International Cook Book (1971). Even though I don't get the appeal of fruit-and-meat pairings, like the ever-popular apples and pork chops, I'll bet I'm not alone in questioning this pairing:


Oh boy! Herring and apples! Opus might approve, but I think I'll just wait for the Cortlands to come into season and eat them unadorned....

2 comments:

  1. Herring in curry sauce sounds like an early attempt at fusion cuisine. It sounds like it is on par with lutefisk (bearing in mind I haven't sampled either and don't aspire to).

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    1. Just an example of why fusion gets a bad name, even if it can be a great concept....

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