A Tale of Two Sundays - January

Many vintage cookbooks offer menu suggestions, but I have two that specialize in them; one is from 1927 and the other from 1953.


The booklet from 1953 has only menus, in fact, the idea being that you were to buy the other cookbooks in the series--500 Salads, 500 Seafood Recipes, etc--and turn to them for the recipes after getting your marching orders from the menu booklet. Since I blogged about a Roaring Twenties first Sunday supper last year, I thought it might be interesting to contrast what the up-to-date Fifties housewife would be serving for dinner on the first Sunday in January.

The menu is an intriguing combination of the exotic and the comfortably familiar. We start with an Avocado Cocktail Salad, move on to Duck with Sauerkraut accompanied by a Carrot and Celery Soufflé. Dessert is Hot Mince Pie with Rum Sauce, and it’s all washed down with milk or hot coffee.

Here is the recipe from 500 Salads.

Avocado Cocktail Salad

1 avocado
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Salt
Watercress, romaine or lettuce
2 cups avocado balls or cubes
1/2 cup Appetizer Mayonnaise

Cut avocado crosswise into halves and remove seed. Slice 2 rings from each half and peel. Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt, arrange on watercress, and fill rings with avocado balls. Serve with the mayonnaise. Serves 4.

Appetizer Mayonnaise is 2 1/2 cups of regular mayonnaise with 1 cup chili sauce, 1 teaspoon Worcester sauce, 1 teaspoon horseradish, 2 minced pickles, 1 minced stalk of celery, 1 tablespoon minced chives and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley stirred in.

Of the two menus, I think I would prefer the one from 1927 both as a cook and as a member of the dinner party.