Sweets: Midwestern Dessert Traditions

[ronnie_suburban]

I received notice of this event from a friend who is one of the founding members of the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance. If this event is even half as successful as their inaugural event last fall -- which focused on Midwestern Sausage Traditions -- it promises to be an extraordinarily informative and rewarding experience. I highly recommend checking it out . . .

=R=

Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance presents

The Midwest: How Sweet It Is!

Sweets: A Journey Through Midwestern Dessert Traditions

Saturday, April 5th, 2008

9 AM – 4 PM

Kendall College

900 North Branch Street, Chicago

(West of Halsted Street, North of Chicago Avenue)

FREE PARKING

Join us for a program about the history of sweets in the Midwest, including the important dessert traditions that began in small towns and big cities here in the Midwest. Enjoy a day learning about:

· The influential role of the railroad and immigrant populations in bringing new desserts to the Midwest and establishing them as traditions

· Abraham Lincoln’s favorite dessert

· The blue-ribbon pie traditions of county fairs, including unusual, lost recipes such as bean pie and sugar-cream pie

· The cooking of late 19th-century Michigan, as described in the autobiography of Della Lutes

· The role of Midwestern food companies in creating much-loved home dessert recipes like French Silk Pie, Tunnel of Fudge cake and Princess Brownies

· The humble Midwest origins of many internationally known candies, candy bars and other treats, such as the Heath Bar

· Dessert traditions completely unique to the Midwest, including the Wisconsin Kringle and the Mennonite-German Pfeffernusse

Featured speakers are Robin Mather Jenkins and Donna Pierce from the Chicago Tribune as well as LTHForum.com members Dobra Bielinski, Peter Engler, Michael Gebert and Catherine Lambrecht, in addition to a host of other dynamic Midwest food academics, culinary historians and cookbook authors. The program to date can be found here.

Lectures, interactive discussions – and of course, delicious tastings throughout the day that will help illustrate the ideas discussed. The cost is $50 in advance, or $60 at the door, with refreshments and lunch included. To register go to registration or to Brown Paper Tickets.

The symposium is sponsored by the Culinary Historians of Chicago, Kendall College and the Almond Board of California.

Visit Great Midwest Foodways Alliance for more details and periodic updates.

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Edited March 7, 2008 by ronnie_suburban (log)

[ruthcooks]

When they say "Tunnel of Love" cake, I believe they mean "Tunnel of Fudge" cake. It was originated by a Bake-Off contestant and later translated to a cake mix I think. I quote:

'The Tunnel of Fudge Cake, a second-place Pillsbury Bake-Off winner in 1966, was developed by Ella Rita Helfrich of Houston, Texas, who won $5,000. The original recipe used a product called Double Dutch Fudge Buttercream Frosting Mix, which the company has discontinued. However, because of many consumer requests, its test kitchens developed this recipe, which uses scratch ingredients. Nuts are essential to the cake's success.'

See the recipe here

Bake-Off winners have often had their recipes attributed to someone else. "Dilly Casserole Bread" is a lovely no-knead bread featuring warmed cottage cheese and dill seed. It appears in many local and regional cookbooks under many names, until hardly anyone knows where it came from any more.

Lots of wonderful recipes are from the 50s Bake-Offs, when hardly any mixes were used. I have a well-worn 1959 cookbook containing 1000 recipes from the first 10 contests.

[ronnie_suburban]

When they say "Tunnel of Love" cake, I believe they mean "Tunnel of Fudge" cake.  It was originated by a Bake-Off contestant and later translated to a cake mix I think.  I quote:

'The Tunnel of Fudge Cake, a second-place Pillsbury Bake-Off winner in 1966, was developed by Ella Rita Helfrich of Houston, Texas, who won $5,000. The original recipe used a product called Double Dutch Fudge Buttercream Frosting Mix, which the company has discontinued. However, because of many consumer requests, its test kitchens developed this recipe, which uses scratch ingredients. Nuts are essential to the cake's success.'

See the recipe here

Bake-Off winners have often had their recipes attributed to someone else.  "Dilly Casserole Bread" is a lovely no-knead bread featuring warmed cottage cheese and dill seed.  It appears in many local and regional cookbooks under many names, until hardly anyone knows where it came from any more. 

Lots of wonderful recipes are from the 50s Bake-Offs, when hardly any mixes were used.  I have a well-worn 1959 cookbook containing 1000 recipes from the first 10 contests.

←

Thanks, Ruth!

=R=