Thursday, March 24, 2011

Cherry Fill-ups

 Here is another recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book, c1963. I had to include this scan of the biscuits with maple syrup. The caption says:

Flaky golden biscuits deserve to be whisked straight from the oven to table.  They're delicious as bread, or drench them with syrup, butter.

Wow.That picture does look like the biscuits are drenched in syrup. How would you eat these without getting completely sticky - and why would you want to?

Then there's the Cherry fill-ups. I can't decide if these would be good or just weird. Anyone tried these before?

Caption:  Cherry-filled biscuits are early-bird fare.  You can delight the family by fixing a treat for breakfast.  Let Mother give you some help with other breakfast foods that go with these.

Two things about that: 1. Why not Father? 2. What on earth goes with these?

You'll need:  cherry preserves, 1 package refrigerated biscuits, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons milk
Take out:  9-inch round pan, egg beater, measuring spoons, teaspoon, pastry brush, potholder, bowl, turner (turner?)
1. Set the oven at 425F.  Ask Mother (here we go again) to open the biscuits for you. Arrange biscuits in a round pan so they nearly touch.
2. Press tiny hollow in the center of each biscuit with your fingers.  Fill hollow with a teaspoon of the preserves.
3. Break egg into a bowl and beat smooth with egg beater.  (I love the hand cranked one pictured.) Beat in sugar, milk.  This glaze puts a shine on biscuits. (Why is that desired?)
4. Brush on egg mixture with a pastry brush and then bake about 10 minutes.  Remove them from pan.  Serve at once.

3 comments:

Meg said...

I enjoy the posts about the vintage cookbooks, but I wonder sometimes at your attempts at humor. The biscuits with syrup? Why on earth would you even assume that one is to eat that with one's fingers? Use a fork. The cherry fill-ups? Consider the time when the book was written before you start slamming it for assuming that Father was being excluded.

I have this cookbook from my childhood, and I'll tell you honestly that I didn't bother with MOST of the recipes in there: they just weren't what my family ate. But even reading this cookbook, my thoughts drift back to those "simpler" times when Mom was in the kitchen, Dad was at work, and I got to help in the kitchen sometimes.

While it's interesting to look back on the recipes and the times, please keep in mind that the recipes are from the early 60s and late 60s and everything was different.

Amy said...

Thanks for your comments, Meg. I believe my point in my comments is to show the difference between then and now while triggering fond memories for readers or the books and foods, such as those memories you mention of helping your mother in the kitchen. It is not intended to be 'slamming'.

My Grandmother had to work along with my Grandfather to support their family and I just find it amusing that the writers and editors would assume that it was always Mother in the kitchen.

I didn't assume no silverware was to be used with the biscuits - I still think even with using the implements folks would get plenty sticky from that quantity of syrup - especially the children this recipe was intended for.

I'm sure 10 years my boys will be teasing me about the things I bake and cook and luckily I can laugh at myself.

I have some links on the right for great sites that you may enjoy which have a different approach to featuring vintage items. Even if you type in Vintage Cookbooks in google you can find lots of different blogs and sites.

Molly said...

Biscuits drenched in syrup? Sounds like the dad IS in the kitchen, Amy. That sounds like a dad short cut to breakfast. If the recipe called for a can of biscuits instead of scratch, it would definitely be a dad recipe. I can see dad and the kids letting mom sleep late on a Saturday morning, dad popping open the can rather than make pancakes, then pouring on the syrup and after everyone is finished eating, taking them out in the yard and hosing them off. That would make a great scene in a movie. It reminds me of the time my dad painted the bookcases without removing the books. Saved a lot of time and a lot of paint. And only one book got a drip on it and it was a duplicate in an old encyclopedia set. Bravo, Dad!

Thanks for the memories, Amy, real or imagined. I agree with Meg that it's nice to drift back to simpler times. But, Meg, poking a bit of fun is a healthy thing to do, too. Reading Amy's wide-eyed terror at some of the things we concocted and ate is a hoot. Gentle, good fun sets my day up better than the fluffiest biscuit drenched in the best syrup Log Cabin or Mrs. Butterworth can provide.

Thanks for the hoots and chuckles, Amy!