PSYCHE'S SALAD

Nothing much happens here in the winter. . . (Actually, we have plenty of plans in the works, but my policy is that it's better to say what you did than what you're going to do.) . . . so I thought I'd take a trip down “memory lane” with some nostalgic recipes.

My mother and Psyche sit on the porch.

I’m careful about buying recipe books because my bookcase overfloweth with them. Nevertheless, every year one or two more will squeeze onto the shelf. So far this year, I have already added two: America’s Best Lost Recipes (“121 kitchen-tested heirloom recipes too good to forget from the editors of Cook’s Country Magazine,” 2007) and The Time Reader’s Book of Recipes, selected by Florence Arfmann (1949). Both books present retro recipes.

America’s Best Lost Recipes provides a bit of history for each recipe as well as recommendations from the test kitchen. The first recipe to catch my eye was “24-Hour Salad.”

I remember the first time our family friend, Psyche Johnson, brought this wonderfully tangy fruit salad to a potluck picnic at the farm. She shared the recipe, which we called “Psyche’s Salad,” and thereafter we stirred it up often. Here’s Psyche’s recipe:

1 can fruit cocktail

1 can mandarin oranges

1 can crushed pineapple

1 lb. miniature marshmallows

Drain the fruit and mix. Let sit until dressing is made.

Dressing:

4 egg yolks or 2 eggs, slightly beaten

½ c sugar

Juice of one lemon

Dash salt

Cook dressing ingredients in double boiler until thickened. Cool. Add ½ pint whipped cream to the cooked mixture. (Or, as Psyche suggested, substitute “Dream Whip” for the whipped cream. Today we would probably use Cool Whip.)

Fold dressing into fruit mixture. Refrigerate at least 12 hours or overnight. (And Psyche added: “Do not freeze.”)

Psyche’s salad appears to be a variation of the recipe for “24-Hour Salad” in the cookbook. The recipe intro reads: “There is a tradition going back to the late 19^th century of fruit salad married with a sweet custard and frozen. Then, in the 1930s, we began to see all sorts of creamy fruit salads with marshmallows and cream or whipped cream . . .”

L-R: Psyche, Una, Harriet, Joni; Lolita on chaise.

This recipe is much the same as Psyche's, so I’ll spare you another list of ingredients. However, it calls for two cups frozen sour cherries, drained, instead of the fruit cocktail. The test kitchen staff comments: “The tart cherries really cut the sweetness of the custard.” They also add 1 cup of sliced almonds.

Another interesting comment: “We also tried substituting miniature marshmallows to avoid quartering large ones. Bad idea – the small marshmallows simply turned to mush. To make the prep work easier, we found that if we sprayed our chef’s knife with cooking spray, the marshmallows did not cling to the blade (and were less likely to stick together).” I never realized that mini-marshmallows were different from the large ones in texture.

This is really a dessert salad, and while I love it, my family didn’t seem to, so I haven’t made it in years. Still, if I were asked to list my favorite all-time recipes, I would place it near the top. KW

[The photos were taken in July 1961. Top photo: My mother Dorothy Dobson and Psyche Johnson sit on the porch. Psyche's husband Wayne is far left. Around the table: L.J. Reece, our friend Cynthia, Polly Profitt, Papa (C. O. Portfors) . . . and then I'm not sure about those kids, but I'm on the edge of the cot and Becky Reece sits in chair. Second photo (l-r): Psyche Johnson, Una Evetts, Harriet Walrath Reece, and Joni Walrath Nunan. Lolita Kalbfleisch lounges on chaise.]