September, 2021 - Retro Food For Modern Times

25
Sep
2021

Melktert

categories: 1970's recipes, Africa, Good Housekeeping World Cookery, Pastry, World Cooking

My recipe for Melktert comes from the South African chapter of Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery and it is a baked custard tart. It is called Melktert because the day before the recipe for the OG Milk Tart went to print, someone broke into the printing press and stole all bar one of the vowels.

Some people would tell you that it is a dish that originated in Holland and it kept the Dutch spelling when it came to South Africa. However, we at RFFMT prefer not to allow truth to get in the way of a good story. Besides the visual image of a never say die printer triumphantly adding e’s to where the i and a had been, humming a prototypical version of The Shamen’s 1992 hit Ebeneezer Goode as he did so was too good not to share.

I pondered whether in homage to the melktert, I should also write this post using the letter e as my only vowel.

That idea lasted all of about 5 seconds – I got as far as “Here. Melktert. Sweet” and gave up.

The Melktert was delicious! Just the right amount of sweetness and the almonds on top gave a nice crunch. There was a lot of the filling mix leftover so I think next time I make it I will try a deeper dish which would also mean there would be more of the slightly cinnamon-y custard which could only be s a good thing! The recipe does state a deep pie dish!

Melktert :The Recipe

That’s all folks, nothing much else to say except:

Melktert – Excellent? Yes!

Enjoy your weekend!

09
Sep
2021

Pieathalon 8 – Ozark Pie

categories: 1960's recipes, Cook A Long, Pieathalon

Friends and pie lovers, it’s that wonderful time of year when food bloggers from all over the world celebrate the beauty of old-time pie by swapping recipes! And this year my pie came from S.S over at A Book of Cookrye, Ozark Pie! The timing was exceptional because I has been looking for a new show to watch and Ozark Pie was just the push I needed to start binging the Netlix show Ozark.

It’s always nerve wracking to see what pie you get. There’s always a fear that it might be something utterly horrible.

But as with the last recipe I got from SS, this one was an absolutel belter. So without any further preamble

Now, you may be wondering what is an Ozark Pie? Well for a start it’s not really a pie. It’s a very thick batter mixed with apples and nuts. I used walnuts but the recipe doesn’t specify so you can use what you like, or what you have.

I was going to start bitching here about weird measurements by the cup are for things like apples and walnuts but…

This was 2 small apples:

Now let’s get back to that batter. It was STIFF. I could barely stir it, And trying to mix the apples and walnuts into it was hard work!! But I eventually managed to get it somewhat mixed and into the pie dish. The result was not pretty!

Up close it was even worse. It looked liked a plate of sick…

Hmm…yes, but how? I put it in the oven and hoped that the magic alchemy is cooking would turn this toad into a prince.

But…about twenty minutes into the cook, something did start to happen. First there was a glorious smell of baked apples and sugar and….pie!!!!

And a few minutes later look what came out of the oven!

The batter was just the right level of sweet, the apples were juicy, the walnuts were toasty!!!!

We loved this pie! It was really delicious and very simple to make.

Shame not everyone felt the same way!

Ozark Pie – The Recipe

Well, for those of you who do not prefer French Toasts Sticks, here’s the recipe:

Thanks to SS for the fab recipe and Yinzerella for organising! Why not head over to see what they, and all the other Pieathletes cooked up! Also make sure to swing by Vintage Recipe Cards to see how my pick of Rum and Butterscotch Pie turned out!

The Pieathletes

(at the time of posting this list is incomplete and some of the links don’t work. I’ll refresh and add over the next day or so because it is now nearly the end of my day but many of the athletes will only be waking up about now)

Rum and Butterscotch Pie at Vintage Recipe Cards
Surprise Fudge Pie at Silver Screen Suppers
Tarte a l’Orange at Recipes for Rebels
Chocolate-Crusted Coffee Pie at Grannie Pantries
Osgood Pie at A Book of Cookrye
Tarte au Petite Suisse at The Nostalgic Cook
Save Your Marriage Meat Pie by Dr Bobb
Mahogany Pie from Dinner is Served 1972

Have a great week friends, and remember…eat pie!

05
Sep
2021

The Mystery of American Sardine Toasts

categories: 1960's recipes, Daily News, Fish, Sandwiches, Sardines

A recipe from The Daily News Cookbook called American Sardine Toasts caught my eye recently. Without wanting to labour the point too much, we Melbourrnians recently spent our 200th (non-consecutive) day in lockdown which means I have now been working from home for around 18 months. I have also recently been working all the hours so my need for quick and easy meals, be they work from home lunches or speedy suppers when I am too tired to cook has become paramount.

And this could well be the recipe that gets me through! Oh, and Uber Eats, but you’re not here to hear me talk about my local Thai!

In case you are wondering what an American Sardine Toast is? It’s kind of a tuna melt but with sardines.

As soon as I read the recipe, I constructed a narrative in my head which went a little like this. Someone in what was then Ceylon had travelled to America and had a tuna melt. They had then brought the concept back home – except maybe 1960’s Ceylon did not have access to canned tuna so they used what they had – sardines! And no doubt the local newspaper, The Daily News, was keen to publish a recipe from the country that epitomised all things new and bright and shiny and voila the recipe for American Sardine Toasts or as they call it, Sardine Toasts, American came into being

Except….DJ….cue the X Files Spooky Music.

The Mystery

According to writer Warren Bobrow, the tuna melt was invented in 1965 in Charleston, South Carolina. But the recipe for American Sardine Toasts appears in my mum’s 1964 edition of the Daily News Cookery Book! There’s definitely something fishy about that!

So if not based on the tuna melt, what is this recipe based on? What makes it an American Sardine Toast instead of just a regular sardine toast?

I even wondered if I was reading the name incorrectly. Instead of the Sardine Toasts being American was it that the sardines came from America? So not American (Sardine Toasts) but (American Sardine) Toasts? The actual name Sardine Toasts, American would indicate the former but who knows with this book! Sadly the American provenance of these toasts has been lost to history.

Luckily for us, the actual recipe has not and these hit the spot of being quick, easy and delicious and so will go on heavy

The Recipes

Yes, recipes! I took the OG recipe and modernised it to make it easier for WFH lunches. It also works well as a light supper too.

Here’s the original:

And here’s my version:

Print

American Sardine Toasts

Print Recipe

A quick and easy alternative to a tuna melt!

Author: Taryn Nicole

Ingredients

Scale

2 slices of toast

Butter

1 can of sardines in tomato sauce

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

80g grated cheddar cheese

I tbsp finely chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Lightly butter the pieces of toast

Place 2 sardines on each piece of toast, making sure you get some of the tomato sauce from the can as well.

Sprinkle some chopped onion on top of the sardines.

Sprinkle the cheese over the top.

Place under a grill (180C) for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top.

Cut each piece of toast in two.

Eat immediately!

Have a great week!

Month: September 2021