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

[sollers]

I'm relieved to see I'm not the only one who thinks it sounds awful - mostly because of the sugar (though I gather this is very much a Brit thing: fruit in the salad, nowadays, yes, though as a child I was revolted by the idea; sugar in the dressing, no). The glycerine bothered me because my only association with it is as an ingredient of medicines for coughs and sore throats.

What are grape nuts?

[mme_hardy]

Flavor-wise, they're a lot like Weetabix in the shape and softness of gravel. Little balls about 1/8 inch in diameter? They soften in milk.

[sollers]

If I found myself with a recipe that called for them, I'd probably substitute crushed digestive biscuits.

[mme_hardy]

Digestives are much softer, but that should work.

[caulkhead]

To this day, there is a small bottle of glycerin in my mother's larder; I'm not quite sure what it's for (sugar paste icing?) but it gets replaced every now and then.

[mme_hardy]

IIRC it's good for keeping jam for foaming; you pour a little on the top. I've always used butter.