Saucy Fish Pie

Under the sea...

I thought this would be a really fun recipe.  There is a black and white picture of the Saucy Fish Pie in the cookbook, and it looked so cute with the piped potato outline and the little olive slice bubbles.  When you think about it, what we've got here is fish that's been cooked, flaked, suspended in a sauce, and then poured into the shape of a fish.  It's fish in disguise... as fish!  There's something endearing about that!

Metapost: Changing things up!

So, I've been thinking...
I originally set out to bring to light the terrible recipes that have made it past cooks, test-kitchens, and editors, and have somehow - inexplicably - been published for mass consumption.  I still want to do this!  BUT... there are so many other wonderfully weird recipes that I have found!  They might not have the intrinsic awfulness of the ham-banana rolls or the pickle-peanut butter-egg spread, but they've got oodles of kitsch appeal!  I want to share these recipes with you, too!


All this is to say, I'm expanding my horizons a little.  I think there's plenty of room for retro-kitsch next to the retro-awful in this blog... in fact, there's probably significant overlap in that Venn diagram!

Curried Tuna and Peas

Why don't you taste it first?

I'm not sure if I broke my own rules this week, because when I selected this recipe, I wasn't sure if this would be awful, per se, but there are elements here that are consistent with many of the mid-century dishes I've come across, so I thought it would be fun anyway. 

Mock Pâté de Foie Gras Spread

Here, kitty...

When I saw the first ingredient for this recipe, I cringed.  Chicken livers???  Ewwwww... sick!  But then the second ingredient is bacon, and bacon has the near-supernatural ability to improve anything it touches. So, I thought to myself, this could either taste utterly grotesque, or it could be kind of good.

Wine-Cheese Spread

Actually, it's probably wise to avoid open flames with this recipe...

So picture this:  it's the weekend and you're hosting a fancy-pants wine and cheese party for all of your sophisticated and worldly friends.  In one evening, you're going to discuss How Things Are Done In France, the state of print media, and whether or not Coltrane's earlier music was more challenging than his later stuff.  This is a full agenda, my friends!  On top of all this, you've got to come up with an impressive appetizer to wow those classy, urbanite friends of yours.  And when you think of Classy Appetizers™ to make for your fancy-pants wine and cheese parties, what are the first ingredients that come to mind?  That's right: American cheese and cooking sherry!

Molasses Shake

The gingerbread man had a rough night.
He's not feeling like himself.

Have you ever lain awake on a hot summer night, unable to sleep because you keep asking yourself, as you fitfully toss and turn, "What would a milkshake made out of molasses taste like?"  Oh, you haven't?  Me neither.  But just in case this is the sort of deep question that haunts your thoughts in the humid dark, I'm here to bring you all the answers.

Peachy Frosteds

I've got a summertime treat straight out of the 70's for you this week!   Check out the attention to detail in this photo of Peachy Frosteds from "Ceil Dyer's Coffee Cookery", published in 1978.  The themed napkins!  The wicker cup holders!  The rough volcanic rocks in the background, like this is the frickin' Playboy Grotto!  I love it!

♫If you like drinking Peachy Frosteds, 
And being surprised by precipitation♫...

Ok, this didn't taste very refreshing, but it wasn't as bad as I originally thought it would be.  I had predicted after my first reading of this recipe that this would taste like a Cough-syrup Colada.  Well, I am woman enough to admit that it doesn't... but I still wouldn't make it a second time.  The peaches are the primary flavour here, and since the recipe calls for canned peaches in syrup, there is a cloying aspect to them that I don't care for.  The recipe could be improved by substituting fresh peaches.  The instant coffee gives the drink a slightly bitter aftertaste, but I don't find that this flavour compliments or balances the peaches... they just compete.  Using a coffee liqueur instead of instant coffee would have added to the overall sweetness of the beverage, but the tastes would blend together a bit better.  I thought this would turn out thicker, with the blended peaches and the ice cream adding texture, but it is actually quite thin and frothy.  I would have enjoyed it more if it was a little thicker ("That's what she said!").  Crushed ice blended in would have done the trick. 

Now, that's just my humble opinion of the Peachy Frosteds.  To see its true potential for disaster, you need to combine questionable food choices with questionable personal choices.  And for that, we must turn to MWSBET Fan Fiction Theatre! (Warning: Probably not appropriate for children!)