Unfashionable Dinner

[Norm Matthews]

I had a fondue party a few years ago for friends who were moving away. I found a couple fondue pots and a couple chafing dishes at thrift stores.  I had cheese with bread sticks, crackers, pretzels and crunchy vegetables, hot oil for chunks of ribeye steak and three or four dipping sauces and chocolate with vanilla wafers and marshmallows.  For the kids, ( three under 7) I breaded and fried chicken tenders and gave them ketchup along with some of the other sauces.  

Edited September 27, 2014 by Norm Matthews (log)

[huiray]

Various mentions of fondue.  I might mention that steamboat/hot-pot (fondue chinois) continues as a "dish" in Chinese (& Mongolian) cuisine while shabu-shabu & sukiyaki continue in Japanese cuisine.  :-)  

(BTW that fondue w/ oil as the dipping liquid = fondue bourguignonne)  

 

Is bagna càuda still common in Northern Italy? 

[CatPoet]

Just called my father and in the  60:ties  Planstek   ( The Hungarian Mixed Grill or Fatanyeros )  was very popular .  And if we go to pre war Sweden  we had our  Smörgåsbord and Nubbebord  ( smaller tidbits  for males only, with  a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage, the women would get   coffee and cookies or a glass liqueur )   that was on every  finer party.  Smaller parties people had  a roasted pike/salmon or hare or a roast. 

 

And if we go back to 1930 when my grandparents married, well then they had a 3 course dinner, wedding cake made of  croquant  biscuits which was the fashion of the day and  70 types of cookies  ( this was normally for rich only the poor would have 7 types for luck, but they were well loved so all guest brought cookies) and the cookies was  both eaten there and taken home in a napkin.

[Norm Matthews]

Just called my father and in the  60:ties  Planstek   ( The Hungarian Mixed Grill or Fatanyeros )  was very popular .  And if we go to pre war Sweden  we had our  Smörgåsbord and Nubbebord  ( smaller tidbits  for males only, with  a small shot of a strong alcoholic beverage, the women would get   coffee and cookies or a glass liqueur )   that was on every  finer party.  Smaller parties people had  a roasted pike/salmon or hare or a roast. 

 

And if we go back to 1930 when my grandparents married, well then they had a 3 course dinner, wedding cake made of  croquant  biscuits which was the fashion of the day and  70 types of cookies  ( this was normally for rich only the poor would have 7 types for luck, but they were well loved so all guest brought cookies) and the cookies was  both eaten there and taken home in a napkin.

 

That reminds me of quite a long time ago in Lindsborg, Kansas.  It is a town with a strong Swedish heritage.  The King of Sweden even visited there once in  the early Seventies.  About that same time, that is where I had a blacksmith make me a potters wheel that I still have.  I enjoyed Smorgasbord at the Swedish Crown restaurant every time I could.  And here is a souvenir I still keep from that past time.  

 

Edited September 27, 2014 by Norm Matthews (log)

[Deryn]

French onion soup as a starter, served in (if you have or can find them) those ugly brown pottery dishes with a handle? Still prepared today but somehow that is also reminiscent of the 60s for me. I associate it with dinner parties of that day and as a staple in dark comfy steakhouses (in North America), and perhaps with farmhouse fare in France?

 

Is 'nostalgia' what you are going for? How many courses are you planning? What 'does' unfashionable really mean to you? An eclectic mix of dishes that are not commonly found together? Recipes that few ever make any more? An 'Austin Powers' moment? Comfort food or elegant bites? What do you want the 'mood' of your dinner to be - even if you don't want a 'theme'?

 

This is a really fun thread and I am enjoying it immensely, but, are you getting the ideas you need for planning purposes ... and has it helped you define what your original 'idea' so you can proceed to the execution stage? I keep throwing out ideas (and questions) as they occur to me but perhaps that is not a good thing to do if it throws you off your original concept.

[CatPoet]

In the  50:ties and 60:ties frozen food became popular and to cook with that or ready made was posh. A electric  freezer was the "in" thing to have.

[Jaymes]

French onion soup as a starter, served in (if you have or can find them) those ugly brown pottery dishes with a handle?

 

You mean these, of course: https://www.etsy.com/listing/186779687/vintage-western-stoneware-monmouth?ref=market

 

Yep, I'm pretty sure I still have mine.

 

And that would be an absolutely unbeatable idea for an "unfashionable dinner party" in the US.  And you'd have to do it up right - bowls and all.

 

But surely folks in France never served "French Onion Soup" in those bowls.

 

Did they?

 

I'd be mightily disillusioned on so many levels to learn that they did. 

Edited September 27, 2014 by Jaymes (log)

[Lisa Shock]

It's up to you, but, upon reflection, I'd avoid fondue. It had a bit of a resurgence about ten years ago, at least here in the US, and I recall seeing fondue pots for sale in all of the mass market retailers like Walmart, Target, KMart, etc. I think it's gotten too much fame as a retro food.

[Jaymes]

It's up to you, but, upon reflection, I'd avoid fondue. It had a bit of a resurgence about ten years ago, at least here in the US, and I recall seeing fondue pots for sale in all of the mass market retailers like Walmart, Target, KMart, etc. I think it's gotten too much fame as a retro food.

 

Not to mention some pretty fabulous upscale restaurants specializing in it.

[CatPoet]

Oh and  in the 80ties  every one was trying to make the best sandwich cake  ( smörgåstårta)  and in the 90ties  people made   baked sandwich cake  but also taco  came to Sweden, ugh  every one served it and most  often  the same crappy brand...

[IowaDee]

Anyone besides me remember tamale pie?  My folks made a version with a think cornmeal crust. As a kid,I actually thought it was pretty exotic eating.  

[jmacnaughtan]

You mean these, of course: https://www.etsy.com/listing/186779687/vintage-western-stoneware-monmouth?ref=market

 

Yep, I'm pretty sure I still have mine.

 

And that would be an absolutely unbeatable idea for an "unfashionable dinner party" in the US.  And you'd have to do it up right - bowls and all.

 

But surely folks in France never served "French Onion Soup" in those bowls.

 

Did they?

 

I'd be mightily disillusioned on so many levels to learn that they did. 

 

I've eaten onion soup in restaurants here and I can put your mind at ease: nobody uses those bowls.

 

Also, while I love fondue and its accompanying kitch-ness, it's not retro at all here.  It's just another savoyard dish, and there are dozens of restaurants around the city that do the whole log cabin-fondue thing.

[huiray]

I've eaten onion soup in restaurants here and I can put your mind at ease: nobody uses those bowls.

 

Also, while I love fondue and its accompanying kitch-ness, it's not retro at all here.  It's just another savoyard dish, and there are dozens of restaurants around the city that do the whole log cabin-fondue thing.

 

Yes.  As I mentioned, various forms of "fondue" but called by different names (i.e. "fondue equivalents") are current menu items and have never gone out of style.  At least not in parts of the world other than the USA.  Many folks here refer to the CHEESE fondue version popular in the USA, I think, and don't really think about other forms of "cooking food in a dipping liquid" at the table which are present in various cuisines elsewhere.  

 

p.s. I would still like to know if bagna càuda is commonplace in Northern Italy nowadays...

Edited September 28, 2014 by huiray (log)

[Jaymes]

Anyone besides me remember tamale pie?  My folks made a version with a think cornmeal crust. As a kid,I actually thought it was pretty exotic eating.  

 

I do.  As a mother on a budget raising three growing kids, I always had some of those dreadful canned tamales in the pantry for nights when Daddy had to work late.  Then it was tamale pie and a salad.  It was perfect for those nights: quick, cheap, kids loved it, Dad wouldn't eat it. And we're basically Southwesterners - Dad originally a Texan and, while we were raising the kids, we lived all over the Southwest - Arizona, New Mexico, etc.  So I figured that the chile flavor of that tamale pie was at least getting the kids accustomed to the chiles and salsas, etc., that we're all so fond of today.

 

That tamale pie is pretty retro.  But not sure I'd want to serve it to any guests today.  Not even as a joke.

 

In fact, I think the next time somebody asks me if I remember it, I'm going to deny the entire thing.

 

Edited September 28, 2014 by Jaymes (log)

[patrickamory]

For this purpose, I highly recommend the 1969 book "Great Dinners from Life" [Magazine], by Eleanor Graves. 

 

It proposes grand dinner parties divided by season, each one illustrated by a jaw-dropping double-page color photo. Coq au vin, trout amandine, crown roast of pork, quail, fondue and more.

 

Here's a piece about it:

 

http://theculinarycellar.com/aint-life-grand/

[Smithy]

Heh. Jaymes, we have the evidence of your memory here!   I too remember tamale pie, with revulsion. Our family never 'did' Mexican food when I was growing up; only my father liked it. Our school cafeteria often served tamale pie as one of the hot meal rotations, and on those days I was delighted that Mom had packed a lunch for me. Sometime in high school I began to enjoy Mexican food, and now I enjoy it in all its immense variety. But NOT tamale pie.

[huiray]

 

In fact, I think the next time somebody asks me if I remember it, I'm going to deny the entire thing.

 

 

I'm curious - why would you do that?  Why disavow the years of wisdom that older age has endowed you with?  Why subscribe to this fanciful notion of youthfulness that pervades so much of USAmerican culture?  Why would one aspire to be young and callow?

[Jaymes]

I'm curious - why would you do that?  Why disavow the years of wisdom that older age has endowed you with?  Why subscribe to this fanciful notion of youthfulness that pervades so much of USAmerican culture?  Why would one aspire to be young and callow?

 

If I have learnt one thing from my "years of wisdom," it's that some secrets in my culinary closet are best left in there.

 

And serving this to my kids might be one of them:

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tamale-casserole/

 

But ya'know, now that I read this, and see the photo, and think back, you're right!

 

Looks pretty tasty after all.

 

God, I was a GREAT MOM!!!

 

 

Oh, and PS - I was definitely young, but not callow.  Never callow.  And being young was a hell of a good time.  Wouldn't mind going back to the days when my knees worked great and my beautiful, thick, bleached-blonde hair stayed well stuck into the top of my head.

 

Instead of fluttering continually into the tamale pie.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Jaymes (log)

[Lisa Shock]

p.s. I would still like to know if bagna càuda is commonplace in Northern Italy nowadays...

 

I have no idea, but I did have it in a traditional Italian restaurant in Tokyo.

[huiray]

I have no idea, but I did have it in a traditional Italian restaurant in Tokyo.

 

Interesting!  Thanks.

 

NYT article from 2009:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/magazine/08food-t-000.html

[huiray]

If I have learnt one thing from my "years of wisdom," it's that some secrets in my culinary closet are best left in there.

 

And serving this to my kids might be one of them:

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tamale-casserole/

 

But ya'know, now that I read this, and see the photo, and think back, you're right!

 

Looks pretty tasty after all.

 

God, I was a GREAT MOM!!!

 

 

Oh, and PS - I was definitely young, but not callow.  Never callow.  And being young was a hell of a good time.  Wouldn't mind going back to the days when my knees worked great and my beautiful, thick, bleached-blonde hair stayed well stuck into the top of my head.

 

Instead of fluttering continually into the tamale pie.

 

I'm glad you think what you served might have, indeed, been tasty.  So you were a great mom - how wonderful! and I congratulate you.

 

There's nothing wrong with such retro dishes.  They were the product of the circumstances of the times, of the situation one was in, etc.  Perhaps one might not choose to serve it now but to conceal the fact that one DID serve it - short of felonious or criminal circumstances attendant upon the serving of same - seems unnecessary to me.  Embrace it.  (unless, again, criminal circumstances were involved)  My two cents.

 

As for youth and hair - eh, I think it is overrated.  Muscular tone in one's youth - and persistence of hair on one's scalp - may have been a given but I don't fancy that over the maturity that comes with increasing age.**  YMMV.

 

** Besides, I find more "mature" men & women to be more attractive, overall.  There may be exceptions, of course.  ;-)

Edited September 29, 2014 by huiray (log)

[IowaDee]

Nope, "my" tamale pie didn't involve canned ones all.  It was a mash up of ground beef, onions, canned corn, (Mexicorn if available),

green peppers, tomato sauce, olives and chili powder, lot and lots of it.  Top it all with a thick corn bread type crust, bake and dump on grated cheddar cheese at the end.  For my parents, this was labor intensive, right up there with tuna, noodle, potato chip casserole.   To vary the wonders of tamale pie, sometimes the cornmeal mixture  was used on the bottom as a crust.  In my house, it was than transformed into something called. Mexicali Meat Pie.  Still awaiting the next reincarnation.

[Smithy]

I ran across the recipe for Mock Apple Pie using, of all things, Ritz crackers.  My mother fooled a lot of people with that novelty.  Now it's hard to imagine not having ready access to apples year-round.  How times have changed in the USA.  If that retro recipe sounds interesting, I'll post it.

[Norm Matthews]

The recipe I have used is a lot like IowaDee's.  Recently I 'changed' it to "Mexican Lasagne" by layering the filling with corn tortillas instead of cornbread and topping it with cheese.  Sometimes I added canned tamales on the bottom but I didn't know that was part of some recipes... I thought I was just improvising.  

 

I also have that recipe for mock apple pie.  I think it was of the depression era like City Chicken was also. 

[Shel_B]

I ran across the recipe for Mock Apple Pie using, of all things, Ritz crackers.  My mother fooled a lot of people with that novelty.  Now it's hard to imagine not having ready access to apples year-round.  How times have changed in the USA.  If that retro recipe sounds interesting, I'll post it.

 

We once made that recipe, which was found on a box of Ritz crackers, back around 1977 or so.  It would be nice to see it again.  BTW, does anyone here still eat Ritz crackers?  Perhaps they're a little "unfashionable" themselves, these days.