Jell-O and Chiquita Bananas ★★★



Today's recipe is so simple, but I was really curious about how it would taste.
Bananas and Jell-O. That's it. Nothing else.
It kind of reminds me of something you might see as a dessert recipe in some diet book.

The description of the image suggests that this advertisement was about 30 years old at the time of posting, which would date to the late 1970s. That seems like a good estimate to me.


Original Recipe:



The Verdict:
It tasted like lime Jell-O on bananas. It wasn't bad, but that Jell-O powder is a bit sweet, especially on a banana. If you're really desperate for Jell-O and bananas I guess it's good enough, but otherwise I'd rather just eat a plain banana.
Oh, and I dipped my bananas in the powder because I shuddered at the thought of unevenly distributed Jell-O powder. I mean, look at that picture, some of those bananas don't have a speck of Jell-O on them! They looked neat - almost pretty - after dipping, but the Jell-O quickly absorbed liquid from the banana and became all sticky and wet, which was a bit unappetizing. I gave this three stars for average. It's okay, but I probably wouldn't do it again. Might be fun for kids, though.


Modernized Recipe:

(Adapted from Chiquita Banana and Jell-O Advertisement, found at Shelf Life Taste Test)

Ummm, put some Jell-O on a banana. Yup.

4 comments:

To make cherry pie and berry pie (c. 15th - 16th century) ★★★


Finally, a recipe! I've been busy the past few weeks with work and renovations on our house. I've had this recipe as a draft for probably months now, but when I saw bags of fresh cherries in the grocery store I decided that I would buy a bag, thus forcing myself to make this pie or else lose $13 of cherries!

I found this recipe in a Dutch cookbook, known as Gent KANTL 15. I found the translated version at Coquinaria, and there is a great introduction to the cookbook there as well. This cookbook is actually a number of manuscripts bound together, written around the 15th to 16th centuries, likely in the same household.

In the medieval period, most pies were still filled with savory foods, and on top of that modern ideas of taste did not apply. Therefore this recipe for berry pie with only sugar and cinnamon is actually pretty rare. Many of the other recipes in the cookbook include interesting combinations such as berries and chicken, a cake made with pike's roe, and an omelette stuffed with spiced apples.

Original Recipe:


[Original Dutch]
2.78. Om kersentaart en bessentaart te maken
Neem kersen en ontpit sommige wel en andere niet. Neem veel kaneel en suiker, en vul het brood. Kleur de bovenkant met zwarte kersen. Hetzelfde met aardbeien, vossebessen en aalbessen. Om fijn brood hiervoor te maken: neem tarwebloem en wat raapolie, niet veel, en eiwit.



[Translation]
2.78. To make cherry pie and berry pie
Take cherries and stone some of them, and others not. Take a lot of cinnamon and sugar, stuff the bread. Colour on top with black cherries. The same with strawberries, lingonberries and redcurrants. To make fine bread for this: take wheat flour and some rape oil, not much, and egg white.




The Verdict:

Well, to be honest the crust sucked. This was probably because the recipe was pretty vague and also because silly Mr.Man put the pie in the fridge and I had used coconut oil, which gets pretty hard in cool temperatures. So yes, I was going to use canola oil, since I assumed that's what the recipe called for. I don't know anything else called "rape oil", and the first known use of the word dates back to the 14th century, interestingly enough from the Latin word for turnip (rapa or rapum). But, after I mixed the egg into the flour I discovered that I didn't have any canola oil, so I decided to use coconut instead. I mean, the crust is definitely edible, but its not the best ever. It wasn't flaky at all and basically just snapped into pieces like a cookie or something.

The filling, on the other hand, was delicious! The cinnamon and sugar paired perfectly with the cherries, and somehow I got the perfect balance of flavours. The only issue was that the filling was ridiculously runny. Probably close to a cup of liquid spurted out when I cut the pie. A little cornstarch would easily fix the problem. Oh, and having some cherries un-pitted was a huge pain, both in eating and in cutting. Don't do it. Lastly, as you can see, the top doesn't really come out very colored. It was a bit brighter when it first came out of the oven, but I think my paltry attempt at coloring combined with heat just didn't make for a bright red pie.

So overall Mr. Man and I gave this recipe three stars for average, but I think if you adapted the recipe a bit it could be 4 stars. Changes that would need to be made are: 1) use your favourite pastry recipe; 2) add some sort of thickener to the filling; and 3) pit all the cherries.


Modernized Recipe:

(Adapted from Gent KANTL 15)

FLOUR
CANOLA OIL
2 EGG WHITES
BERRIES (strawberries, cherries, lingonberries, or red currants), plus extras for coloring the top
CINNAMON
SUGAR

1. In a mixing bowl, mix 2 eggs whites with about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of flour. Add enough oil to get a workable dough. Blend it together in a food processor, with a pastry blender, or with your hands (my preferred method). Knead into a ball and divide into two disks. Roll out both disks. Place the first one in a pie pan.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the cherries with cinnamon and sugar to taste (I used about a tablespoon of cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar). Mix together well and pour into the prepared bottom crust.
3. Place the second crust on top, crimp down the edges, and make slices or holes in the top to let out steam. To color the top of the pie, I tried to rub a cut cherry on the pastry, but it didn't make much juice, so I would suggest pureeing or mashing some berries, straining them, and brushing the juice on with a pastry brush. Or even mix some juice with an egg white or butter and then brush it on.
4. Bake the pie in a 350F oven for about 30 minutes.


5 comments:

Honey and Raspberry Ade (1920) ★★★★★

 

I found this recipe while browsing and I thought the combination of honey and raspberry sounded delicious! It's especially fitting for summertime, when berries are bountiful. I imagine if one had access to berry bushes, this would be a great way to use up any extra berries, especially the squished or extra ripe ones.

Original Recipe:
HONEY AND RASPBERRY ADE
Place three baskets of well-washed raspberries in a saucepan and add
          One quart of water,
          One and one-half cups of honey,
          One-quarter teaspoon of nutmeg.
Bring to a boil and cook slowly until the fruit is soft, mashing frequently with the potato masher. Cool and strain into punch bowl. Add a piece of ice and the juice of one orange or one lemon.

The Verdict:
Yummy! I just used a whole bag of frozen raspberries (cheaper and already washed!), which ended up being 600g. I'm not sure if that's equal to "three baskets", but the flavour was good. With the juices from the berries and the orange, this didn't really cook down that much, so it probably makes about 4 cups (4 servings). Its a nice drink, although a little sweet, so the ice cubes are nice to water it down a bit. I actually tried some warm though, and it was really good, almost like a nice cider, but with raspberries. I think this recipe served warm would be an excellent cold weather drink. Overall, 5 stars. Simple and delicious is a win to me!

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Mrs. Wilson's Cook Book)

4 cups WATER
600g RASPBERRIES
1 1/2 cups HONEY
1/4 teaspoon NUTMEG
1 ORANGE or LEMON

1. In a large pot, add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Let simmer for a few minutes, until the fruit has dissolved. Meanwhile, juice an orange or lemon.
2. Pour the orange or lemon juice into a large pitcher and strain in the raspberry ade. Let cool and serve with ice cubes (or serve hot!).


1 comments: