Novel Recipes: 1902-40.

As restaurateurs, home cooks, and food bloggers work increasingly frenetically to find that elusive new insight or new spin on their topic of choice, I thought it might be interesting to see what constituted a new idea in food over the last century or so. I have made today’s selection from Australian newspapers and magazines. In all of the examples, the column header proclaimed that these were ‘novel recipes.’

Queen Tomato Sauce.

Simmer over a slow fire 6 whole tomatoes, 2 turnips, 2 apples, 2 onions and 2 small carrots, for 25 minutes. Let cool, then strain through a fine sieve. Add 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar, 2 of Chili vinegar. Mix the ingredients well together and keep in a cool place. This is very fine.

Leader (Melbourne, Vic) 15 November 1902.

A Biscuit Custard.

Place a layer of sweet biscuits in a buttered pie dish. Sprinkle plenty of currants on the layer. Nearly fill the dish with stewed apples; sprinkle again with currants freely. Beat an egg with a quarter pint of milk, and pour over apples. Place some small Ratafia biscuits on the top, and sprinkle with some grated nutmeg. Bake in a moderate oven.

Leader (Melbourne, Vic.) 23 June 1906.

Broiled Oranges on Toast.

Peel oranges, cut in one-half-inch slices and remove seeds. Brush over with melted butter, place in a buttered broiler, and broil over a clear fire five minutes, turning frequently. Remove to circular pieces of sauted bread or sponge cake and sprinkle with grated sweet chocolate. Serve with whipped cream.

Daily Herald (Adelaide, SA) Saturday 30 May 1914

(In a feature on Novel Recipes for Oranges.)

Apple Soup.

For this unusual, but delicious soup you will need,

2lb. apples.               

2in. stick cinnamon.

5 pints of water.      

Sugar.                        

Half lemon.

2 tablespoons fine sago.

Pare, core and slice apples and put them into a lined saucepan with a small quantity of the water. Add the cinnamon and the thinly-peeled rind of half a lemon and stew slowly until reduced to a pulp. Then rub the apple through a fine sieve, adding the rest of the water (which may be boiling). Return the puree to a clean saucepan, bring to the boil, sweeten to taste and sprinkle in the fine sago. Cook until this is quite clear, then add the lemon juice and some white wine if desired.

The West Australian (Perth, WA) 18 September 1936

(In a feature on Novel Recipes for Apples.)

Tangerine and Marshmallow Cake.

Take 2 eggs, their weight in sugar and flour, the rind and juice of 1 tangerine; whisk the eggs, sugar, grated rind and juice for a quarter of an hour over a pan of hot water. Lightly stir in the flour and a pinch of salt. Grease and flour two sandwich tins, half fill each with the mixture and bake until pale gold in colour in a quick oven. For the icing you will need 2oz. sugar, a tablespoon of water, 8 chopped marshmallows, 1 white of egg. Boil the sugar and water until they thicken to a syrup, add the marshmallows, and as soon as they are melted pour this on to the well-whisked white of egg. Spread a layer of this between the two cakes and pour the rest over the cake top. This cake looks especially good decorated with a few slices of glace orange. This is really a tangerine cake with a marshmallow filling and icing.

Examiner (Launceston, Tas.) 10 December 1937

Ginger Jelly.

Prepare a lemon jelly square according to instructions, but instead of adding hot water, boil up a pint of ginger beer and use this.

The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic.) 15 January 1938

Maori Wishes.

Two dessertspoons butter, 1 heaped cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup dates 1 egg, 1 dessertspoon cocoa, juice of 1 lemon.

Beat butter and sugar to cream, add egg, then flour and cocoa, lastly chopped dates, nuts, and lemon juice. Put in teaspoonfuls on a floured tray, and bake 10 minutes. When cooked put together with the following filling: ¼ lb. icing sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, a little cocoa, and vanilla essence.

Mrs. P. Holmes, Adelaide.

Australian Women’s Weekly of Saturday 7 December, 1940.

Cocktail Biscuit Savory.

One tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tomato, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 banana, and wafer biscuits.

Whip butter and sugar together, bruise the banana and tomato, after peeling, and add to butter with the lemon juice. Beat all together smoothly. Pile on the biscuits in fancy shapes, and decorate with gherkin, olive, or chilli.

Mrs. D. Coulter, W.A.

Australian Women’s Weekly of Saturday 7 December, 1940.