1923 Luncheon or Supper Menu: Chow Mein or Chop Suey, Pepper Jam Sandwiches, Frozen Fruit Salad, Cream Caramel Layer Cake

Woman's World Cookbook (1922)

1923 Luncheon or Supper Menu

For Luncheon and Supper Guests (1923)
Alice Bradley

Chow Mein or Chop Suey

Pepper Jam Sandwiches

Frozen Fruit Salad

Crackers and Cheese

Cream Caramel Layer Cake

Percolated Coffee

Preliminary Preparations

Cream caramel layer cake made, filled and frosted

Pepper jam filling made

Materials prepared for chow mein or chop suey

Fruit (except banana) ready for salad

Mayonnaise dressing made

Lettuce washed

Market Order

1½ lbs pork chops or 1 large broiler

1 cream cheese

1 pint cream

½ pint milk

½ lb butter

5 eggs

1 onion

1 bunch celery

¼ lb dried mushrooms

3 red peppers or 1 small can pimientos

1 lemon

1 banana

1 head lettuce

½ loaf dark Graham bread

½ loaf white bread

Chicken stock

Soyu sauce

½ cup canned apricots

¾ cup pineapple and syrup

¾ cup maraschino cherries and syrup

1 package small round crackers

4 stuffed olives

1 package confectioners’ sugar

¼ lb coffee

3 cups salad oil

2 ounces chocolate

1/3 cup mayonnaise dressing

1 tsp gelatin

For Chop Suey

6 Chinese water chestnuts

½ lb bean sprouts

¼ lb (1 can) bamboo shoots

Note: Dried mushrooms, Soyu sauce, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots are for sale by Chinese grocers.

CHOW MEIN

1 lb fresh pork, white chicken meat, lobster, or crab meat

4 tbs fat

1 cup water or stock

1 tsp cornstarch

1 onion

1 bunch celery

¼ lb dried mushrooms

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

A few grains cayenne

Fried noodles (see below)

½ lb bean sprouts

Soyu sauce

Boiled Rice

Cut in 1 -inch strips 1 pound fresh pork or white meat of chicken, lobster or crab meat, and cook in frying pan 5 minutes with 2 tablespoons fat. Add I cup water or stock mixed with 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Simmer 3 minutes or until, meat is tender. In another frying pan put 2 tablespoons fat, add I onion cut lengthwise in very fine pieces. Cook 3 minutes, add I bunch celery cut in very fine strips 2 inches long, and ¼ pound dried mushrooms soaked 2 hours in cold water, drained and cut in thin slices. Cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Combine mixtures, add I teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper and few grains cayenne. Pour over fried noodles. If desired ½ pound bean sprouts may be cooked with the celery, and served in the Chow Mein. With Chow Mein pass Soyu sauce. Boiled rice may be served with Chow Mein or Chop Suey.

FRIED NOODLES

1 egg

½ tsp salt

Flour

1 pint salad oil

Beat I egg slightly, add ½ teaspoon salt and flour enough to make a very stiff dough. Knead, toss on a floured cloth or board, roll as thin as possible, sprinkle with flour, fold in layers about 2 inches wide, slice very thin, shake strips apart, and fry until delicately brown in 1 pint salad oil. Drain on soft paper. 

CHOP SUEY

1 lb white chicken, veal, crab, or lobster meat

2 tbs chicken or other fat

1 cup celery, cut in thin slices

1 onion

6 mushroom caps

6 Chinese water chestnuts

Additional 2 tbs chicken fat or butter

½ lb bean sprouts

¼ lb bamboo shoots

1 tsp Soyu sauce

2 cups chicken stock or water

Salt and pepper

Cut in 1-inch strips 1 pound white meat of chicken, or pork, veal, crab or lobster meat, and cook 5 minutes in frying pan in 2 tablespoons chicken or other fat. Cut 1 cup celery in thin slices crosswise, add 1 onion peeled and cut in thin slices, 6 mushroom caps peeled and sliced, and 6 Chinese water chestnuts peeled and sliced. Cook vegetables 5 minutes in 2 tablespoons chicken fat or butter. Add ½ pound bean sprouts, ¼ lb pound bamboo shoots cut in diamond-shaped pieces, 1 teaspoon Soyu sauce, 2 cups chicken stock or water, and the cooked meat, and simmer gently until bean sprouts and meat are thoroughly cooked. Season with Salt and Few grains pepper. 

PEPPER JAM SANDWICHES

Dark Graham bread, sliced

White bread, sliced

Pepper jam (see below)

Creamed butter

Cut an equal number of slices of Dark Graham bread and White bread, remove crusts, and spread bread with creamed butter. On one slice of white bread spread Pepper jam, cover with slice of Graham bread, spread with butter and pepper jam and cover with a slice of white bread. Make other sandwiches with Graham bread on the outside and white bread for the center layer. Wrap in damp cheesecloth, press under a light weight, and leave in a cool place until serving time. Trim edges, cut in slices, and arrange on doily covered plate. 

PEPPER JAM

1 small can pimientos

¾ cup sugar

½ cup vinegar

Drain 1 small can pimientos and force through food chopper. Put in saucepan, add ¾ cup sugar and ½ cup vinegar, stir until sugar is dissolved and boil gently to 220 degrees F. or until mixture is the consistency of jam. Pour in small sterilized glasses and when cool, cover with melted paraffin. If preferred, use 3 sweet red peppers in place of pimientos. Remove seeds, force through food chopper, sprinkle with salt and let stand 3 or 4 hours. Drain, rinse, and finish as above. 

FROZEN FRUIT SALAD

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp gelatin

3 tbs pineapple syrup

Hot water

1 tsp powdered sugar

2 tbs lemon juice

1 tbs maraschino syrup

½ cup canned apricots

1 banana

¾ cup pineapple, diced

½ cup maraschino cherries, sliced

Lettuce to serve

Maraschino cherries for garnish

Beat 2/3 cup heavy cream until stiff, and gradually beat in 1/3 cup mayonnaise dressing, 1 teaspoon gelatin soaked in 3 tablespoons pineapple syrup and dissolved over hot water, 1 teaspoon powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon maraschino syrup. Fold in ½ cup canned apricots, cut in small pieces; 1 banana, cut lengthwise and crosswise in small pieces; ¾ cup pineapple, cut in dice; ½ cup maraschino cherries, cut in slices. Freeze like ice cream. Remove with round ice cream scoop, and serve on heart leaves of lettuce. Cut Maraschino cherries in 4 pieces lengthwise and put on top of each salad.

CRACKERS AND CHEESE

Cream cheese

Milk

Small round crackers

Stuffed olives

Paprika

Moisten cream cheese with milk to make of consistency to spread easily. Spread on small round crackers. Put thin sliced stuffed olive in center of each cracker and a tiny cheese ball sprinkled with paprika in hole of olive. Do not spread crackers till ready to serve. Cheese balls may be made in advance.

CREAM CARAMEL LAYER CAKE

¾ cup heavy cream

1 cup sugar

¼ cup water

1 cup bread flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

3 egg yolks

1 whole egg

2 tbs chocolate caramel syrup (see below)

Chocolate Caramel Frosting (see below)

Beat until thick ¾ cup heavy cream, I cup sugar, and ¼ cup water. Add 1 cup bread flour sifted with 2 teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add 3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg, well beaten, and 2 tablespoons chocolate caramel syrup (see below). Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. in 2 layer cake pans 7 inches square, and put together with Chocolate Caramel Frosting (see below) between and on top.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL SYRUP

2 squares bitter chocolate

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup water

½ cup boiling water

Melt 2 squares bitter chocolate over hot water. In a saucepan put ¾ cup sugar and ¼ cup water, and cook until it forms a dark brown syrup. Add ½ cup boiling water and cook until thick. Add slowly to the melted chocolate and stir until smooth.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL FROSTING

Chocolate Caramel Syrup (see above)

2 egg whites

Sifted confectioners’ sugar

For frosting boil Chocolate Caramel Syrup remaining from cake and cook to soft-ball stage. Beat 2 egg whites until stiff and continue beating while slowly adding the syrup. Then add, a little at a time, enough sifted confectioners' sugar to make of right consistency to spread.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL MILK SHAKE

2/3 glass iced milk

2 to 3 tbs Chocolate Caramel Syrup (see above)

Add to 2/3 glass iced milk 2 to 3 tablespoons chocolate caramel syrup. Mix well and strain into glass.

PERCOLATED COFFEE

1 cup finely ground coffee

6 cups hot water

Put 1 cup finely ground coffee in upper part of glass coffee pot, put 6 cups hot water in lower part. Light alcohol lamp. When water begins to boil and enters upper receptacle leave 1 minute. Remove light, while water runs back to lower receptacle, then put light back until water again boils and has risen to top. Remove and extinguish light, remove upper globe, and coffee is ready to serve. 

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