Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 4, 1995 TAG: 9510050074
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES FOOD EDITOR JILL WENDHOLT SILVA KANSAS CITY STAR AND
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A. Elmer Fudpuckers
B. Screaming Yellow Zonkers
C. Fluffernutters
D. Harvey Wallbangers
E. None of the above
If you chose "E," you probably didn't grow up in the '70s.
Elmer Fudpuckers and Harvey Wallbangers were sappy, sweet drinks quaffed by the disco crowd. Fluffernutters were peanut butter-marshmallow sandwich cookies with a silly name dreamed up by an ad copywriter.
And, according to Sylvia Lovegren, author of the recently released ``Fashionable Food: Seven Decades of Food Fads'' (MacMillan), Screaming Yellow Zonkers was a brand of super-sweet snack foods that ``were aimed squarely at amused hipsters suffering an attack of `marijuana munchies.' ''
Ahhh ... comfort food.
It's the food we grew up on. The stuff Mom used to make.
Home cooking in the '70s more often than not meant packaged and premixed foods. Easy Bake ovens were all the rage. Tang was the drink of choice. And Kraft made chocolate caramels - perhaps the ultimate solace in a box - which have recently resurfaced after a 23-year hiatus.
Lovegren sums up '70s tastes as a cross between garish and baroque. Sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise, hollandaise and Mornay sauce and super-sweet dessert toppings were poured on everything to give it a ``rich'' taste.
Karen Quigley's comfort-food recollections from the '40s are quite different. Quigley's mom, like most during that era, didn't work outside of the home. Instead, she devoted a large part of her day to preparing an elaborate evening meal, which usually included salad, meat, potatoes, one or two vegetable side dishes and a dessert.
The September/October issue of Quigley's highly entertaining publication, "Food, the newsletter for people who like to eat!", features several of her comfort-food favorites, including old-time banana pudding and meatloaf, plus an electric bread column, some cute hints for holiday hosting and more food-related tidbits. For a sample issue, send a long, self-addressed stamped envelope to: Food, 4057 N. Drake-Z, Chicago, Ill. 60618-2219.
Children of the '50s and '60s will fondly recall the comfort of chiffon cakes - tall, delicately crumbed and, at that time, all the rage. Shortened with half a cup of vegetable oil, these were the original butterless cakes. Increased interest in healthier eating has returned them to favored status of late.
As delicious and impressive-looking as they are, chiffon cakes can be tricky to make. Here are a few tips to help get good results:
Don't cheat on the pan size. A too-small pan could cause the cake to collapse. If you don't have a tube pan the right size, fill a smaller pan no more than three-fourths full and bake cupcakes with the leftover batter. If you do not have a tube pan with a removable bottom, cut a piece of waxed paper to fit the bottom of the pan.
Never use outdated baking powder.
The traditional cake-testing method of sticking a toothpick into the cake - it's done when the toothpick comes out clean and is no longer sticky - may not suffice. In a very high cake, such as these, use a broom straw plucked from a clean, new broom. Or you may be able to find a long metal cake tester.
Canola oil, besides getting good ratings health-wise, seems perfect for chiffon cakes because it doesn't have much taste. But other light vegetable oils may be substituted.
If using cake flour, do not use self-rising. If substituting all-purpose flour, sift several times before measuring to aerate it.
Cut through batter with a knife or spatula after pouring it into the pan so there are no air bubbles.
Chicken is always a comforting food, and the following recipe pairing it with cornbread and greens, from Chef Steve Kish of the popular Charleston, S.C., restaurant, 82 Queen, is a sampling of South Carolina's historic low-country cuisine at its best.
Finally, any coverage of comfort foods would be incomplete without potatoes, which defy identification with a specific decade. The Associated Press reports that trendy restaurants are trying to tout tubers as nouveau: Sonsie restaurant in Boston whips them with horseradish and tops them with scallion threads or melds them with bacon and caramelized onion. The Judson Grill in New York City smashes spuds with truffles. The $50-a-person Park Bistro in New York makes a ``brandade'' of mashed potatoes, shredded codfish, olive oil and fresh herbs. And Grandma's Oven in Weatherford, Okla., douses them with a ladle of homemade chicken noodle soup.
But true comfort-food connoisseurs know that all the fanfare and embellishment really isn't necessary. Potatoes' earthy simplicity is part of what makes them taste so good.
Of course, tastes and opinions vary. Therefore debates - comforting in themselves - will probably always be waged over whether it's best to whip potatoes with hot milk or cold milk, or should one use cream instead? Is butter better than margarine or oil? Is it proper to add other ingredients and embellishments, such as onions, garlic or cheese? And should the texture be creamy or lumpy?
Veteran cooking instructor and author Ronnie Fein's "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cooking Basics" ($16.99, Alpha Books) assumes the reader knows nothing about the kitchen, much less mashing potatoes. In addition to basic preparation instructions upon which even the most cooking-challenged could expand, the book defines cooking and equipment terms; has useful charts of seasonings, accessories and appliances; lists measurements, equivalents and substitutions; and covers common cooking mistakes and how to correct them. To order, call (800) 428-5331.
Recipes for:
Mashed potatoes, basic and beyond
What my mother called swiss steak
Baked chicken breast with cornbread-collard stuffing and sweet onion gravy
Country ham and corn casserole
Mahogany chiffon cake
Apple brown betty
by CNB