Spicy Dressing

[mme_hardy]

 From  Woman's World, August, 1937.

4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons glycerine
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of cayenne
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard 
1/2 cup vinegar.

Combine butter and flour in double boiler, add milk gradually and cook, stirring constantly, as for white sauce.  Beat egg yolks and glycerine slightly, then add remaining ingredients, stir into first mixture, and continue cooking until thick and smooth.   Remove from fire and pour slowly over stiffly beaten egg whites, beating while pouring.  When cold cover and keep in refrigerator.

This is for making a mixed vegetable salad, or for "moistening" chopped raw vegetables for use as a sandwich spread.  It probably wasn't as dreadful as I think it sounds, but, Lord, it doesn't sound good.

e:  Five or six pages later:  "Surprise the family with delicious Grape-Nuts mousse".  I'll say.  It's an Italian meringue with cream, grape nuts, and vanilla beaten in, then frozen.

Comments

[movingfinger]

This is a variant on "boiled dressing," a classic which I suspect is absolutely no longer made anywhere because it's a faff.

On the grape-nut thing: No. And I LIKE grape-nut ice cream.

[executrix]

I adore Grape-Nuts so I'd give the mousse the benefit of the doubt. However, I actually own a bottle of glycerine (it was falsely represented to me that you can use it to turn castile soap into something that will acceptably wash dishes) and ewww, I wouldn't EAT it. BTW in the US "Miracle Whip," a cheaper substitute for mayonnaise, is essentially boiled dressing. But it doesn't have glycerine in it.

[movingfinger]

Glycerine is a sugar alcohol and is commonly used in candymaking and some patisserie elements; it keeps sugars from solidifying. It is edible; if you read labels, you'll find it in a lot of foods! And if you read labels, you will find it in many skincare products as well.

In this recipe, it is probably acting to stabilize the dressing and help smooth the texture, just guessing (gelatin is used for similar reasons to stabilize mousses and whipped cream).

[vom_marlowe]

I've seen glycerine in the ingredients list of foods, always was curious what it was doing there. I keep it in my cupboard for making a couple holiday gentle-skin products, but I've never cooked with it. Interesting!

[mme_hardy]

Have you ever had boiled dressing? I haven't.

Grape-nut pudding was a thing in New England, but IIRC I never dared try it.

[movingfinger]

They get soggy, if it's done correctly. Grape-nut pudding is not supposed to be crunchy. It's custard with toasted crumbs in it. Before grape-nuts, the same thing was made with brown bread, meaning, molasses flavor and perhaps cornmeal flavors would be in there. Well over on the hearty branch of the dessert family tree.

[rydra_wong]

Brown bread icecream is wonderful (IMHO), though.

[vom_marlowe]

I had a college roommate who made this sort of dressing once. I recall it as being on some cold vegetable salad, and it was not good. It was not as vile as it looks on paper, mind you, but.... not good.