5 summer into fall perfect vintage comfort food recipes

This past week has been a bit of a bumpy ride for me as a result of the routine medical procedure (mentioned here) that I had at the hospital last Monday. I have a follow-up doctor's appointment later this week to find out more about how it went and what the next course of action will be in regards to the particular chronic illness of mine that such was for, and that's weighing on my mind a fair bit at the moment.

I'm always an optimist though, and after fourteen years of being a multiple severe chronic illness fighter, I've been down similar - and much worse - paths many a time before, so I'm just thinking positively, hoping for the best, and reminding myself that anything can be tackled in one way or another.

Thankfully I've had our upcoming trip to Edmonton to help divert my thoughts from my health this month and that has been quite a blessing for sure. And this past weekend, I took a stab at answering the 40 Random Beauty Questions tag here, which was oodles of (distracting) fun as well.

Before delving further into today's post, I wholeheartedly want to thank all of you who have left caring blog comments and/or sent well wish filled emails my way in recent days. They truly mean so much to me.

While last week wasn't a ton of fun and this week won't likely be worlds better, I really am doing positively and can feel my body recovering more and more from last Monday's procedure with each passing day. Thus, I expect this week to be "life as usual" on all blogging fronts.

As we head into the final month of summer and the weather is starting to shift (we had, for example, some pounding rain and strong wind here last night that felt and sounded more like November, than August!), many of us are starting to rouse our ovens from hibernation and are thinking to hearty, delicious comfort foods once more.

Between the season and the fact that I'm in recovery mode right now on the health front, comfort foods are definitely on my mind as we kick off the second to last week of August. As such, I wanted to share a fun little selection of five different mid-century vintage comfort food dishes I've come across lately online that all fit that bill for me.

Of course what constitutes a comfort food will differ for each of us and there are probably dozens, if not hundreds, of recipes that I'd put under that header myself.

These five have common elements that are often seen as being part and parcel for a comfort dish (such as simmering, baking, or fragrant, inviting aromas), and as they suit the tail end of summer and certainly all of the fall (and winter) awesomely, I thought that today would be a great time to share them here with all of you.



1. Bold, flavourful, and a cinch to multiple as many times over as you need, Chili con Carne is a fabulous dish that, arguably, tastes even better a day or two after it was made. If you're not a meat eater or simply prefer your chili without the carne, ditch it and up the quantity of beans (or a vegetarian/vegan ground meat substitute) instead.

This particular chili recipe calls for Campbell’s Tomato Soup, but of course it can be made with tomato sauce or even simmered (diced) stewed tomatoes instead, if you’d prefer.

Though not overly traditional, I'm also partial to adding some sweet bell pepper to my chilli as well. And on the toppings front, sour cream and a sharp cheddar or Monetary Jack cheese are musts for me. It's hard to go wrong, too, with a hefty slab of corn bread served up on the side.



2. One of the very first things that I rush head first for the moment we start to get even the tiniest hint that fall is on its way again, is pumpkin (canned, fresh and frozen alike). Each year I make up at least one or two classic spiced pumpkin cakes or batches of cupcakes (on top of other pumpkin standards like pie, muffins, and soup) and they have become a lovely family tradition around our home (we always invite my folks 'round to tuck into such with us).

This delightful Pumpkin Cake recipe from 1948 is somewhat similar to the (albeit it GF and EF) version that I make, though I add more spices, including a couple teaspoons of cinnamon, and frost mine with a rich cream cheese icing.

Pumpkin Cake is an awesome, beautifully scented dessert and one that I find compliments nearly any autumn time meal to a tee.




3. Another fabulous vintage dish that lends itself to being multiplied is the classic Swedish Meatball. Easily, made, too, if so desired with alternative ground meats such as turkey, chicken, or (lean) pork, Swedish Meatballs are great as appetizers, starters, or as the heart of a meal itself.

If opting for the latter, they're especially nice served on a bed of hot buttered rice, noodles, (cooked) spaghetti squash, or fluffy mashed potatoes. They also freeze wonderfully, which makes them a great choice for busy fall evenings when you might not have time to prepare dinner from scratch.



4. There's just something about the scent of bread baking that fills the soul with comfort and happiness. It's almost a primal feeling for many of us, as we knowing that this glorious smell has indicated that nourishing subsistence was coming humanity's way for thousands of years now.

Today’s bread recipe isn't quite that ancient, but it is a few decades old and calls for the inclusion of a hearty breakfast cereal that dates all the way back to 1897.

This quick, easy and delicious recipe for Grape-Nut Bread is a wonderful a base for savoury or sweet toppings alike, and is wonderful enjoyed on its own, too - perhaps with a steaming mug of pumpkin spice latte, spiced apple cider, or hot cocoa.



5. As touched on a time or two before here over the years (such as in this 2014's vintage recipe post for Honey Pound Cake - itself a marvelous yesteryear comfort food), I know that raisins aren't exactly everyone's cup of tea.

If, however, like me, you flip for them, then this recipe for a classic - and, IMO, far too infrequently seen these days - Raisin Pie is bound to have you swooning up a storm.

I love raisin pie so much, I'd say it's in my top ten (or perhaps even top five) favourite pies of all-time. Sometimes I'll make it with a mix of regular raisins (like those here) and golden sultans, too, and frequently dish slices of this awesome pie up with a generous scoop of vanilla, butterscotch ripple, or cinnamon ice cream.



{To learn more about a specific vintage recipe image used in today's post, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.}

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Though you could of course serve all five of these dishes together as part of one big meal, you certainly do not have to in the slightest (aka, this list isn't a menu plan per se, just a fun assortment of lovely, stick-to-your ribs mid-century foods).

Each of them shines on its own and can usually be modified/adapted to suit your tastes and/or dietary needs, as required (save perhaps if you need to make the Grape-Nut Bread GF, as Grape-Nuts themselves contain scads of gluten; in that case, I'd probably make a similar style of GF bread using real chopped nuts and/or a similar style of gluten-free breakfast cereal, such as Crunchy Flax from the brand Enjoy Life, instead).

Over the years I've shared quite a few other vintage comfort food posts here as well. So definitely check out the vintage recipes section for scads more ideas on that front, if you are looking to put together a larger meal, dinner party, or holiday feast, or would simply like some further old school culinary inspiration.

While the past few days haven't been the best ever for me, it's wonderful to have so many things in my life - from the gift of sweet online friends to our upcoming travels to the fact that fall is just around the corner - to help keep my spirits up, no matter what the universe throws my way.

When the seasons start to change hands once more and a familiar nip returns to the air, what are some of your favourite - vintage or contemporary - comfort foods to whip up for these gorgeous, all-too-short days of summer into autumn?

Celebrate the unofficial start of summer with vintage Cherry Top-Notch Pie

Today is the lead into a long weekend here in Canada, as we gear up to celebrate Victoria Day on Monday, which many in this country see as the unofficial start of summer.

Goodness knows I'm ready for such and am so excited to welcome the warmest chapter of the year back into my life again. It's a great time, not only for its own wealth of merits, but because of all of the fun, exciting events and every day pleasures alike that it houses.

From mine and Tony's birthdays to Canada Day, picnics to star gazing session atop the lofty hills that flank our town, summer will keep me on my toes and in high spirits from start to finish.

With summer champing at the bit, my mind has already turned the lush abundance of fresh produce and other seasonal fare that will call the season home. I've talked before here about how integral cherries are to the local economy, as well as the reputation, of the Okanagan Valley where we live, in addition to the plethora of memories this instantly evoke for me.

Cherries, much like peaches, are summer in fruit form around these parts and nary a roadside stand, grocery store, or farmer's market is devoid of them between (roughly) late June and the end of August (with July often being peak cherry season).

I love the fact that cherries, one of the reddest hued fruits of all, are usually out when Canada Day rolls around on July 1st. Given that our national colours are red and white, foods of the crimson variety are always a welcome treat on any festive table - just as they are for this coming holiday weekend.

It's scarcely a secret, too, that cherries are evocative of the mid-twentieth century and their use - both in decor and fashion - is legendary from the time period.

Naturally, being such a beloved fruit, they often appeared in dishes of the day, too from trendy concoctions to timeless classics. In the later camp, one finds that perpetual warm weather favourite,  cherry pie, and the 1950s recipe below looks like a real winner when it come to this marvelous dessert.






{Beautiful look and sink your teeth into alike, cherry pie is a warm weather standby that is both delicious and nostalgic at the same time. It's vibrant interior colour also makes it a fabulous choice for Canada Day and the 4th of July alike. Vintage recipe ad image source.}


Whether you opt for fresh, frozen, or canned fruit when baking, cherry pie is hard to beat and if you've never tried making one from scratch, I can't recommend doing highly enough.

For a fun twist on things, try making a chocolate or cinnamon crust instead of the standard plain variety. With a generous dollop of whipped cream, a chocolate crust filled with juicy, sweet-tart cherries and their silky juices instantly becomes redolent of another long standing favourite the world over: Black Forest Cake.

You can also add in some other spring/summertime fruit, if you have any to hand, such as - but certainly not limited to - blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, and even (trust me on this one, it's surprisingly good!) grapes.

As I always like to say with vintage dishes that call for it, if shortening isn't your cup of yesteryear tea, by all means ditch it and use butter, margarine, or your favourite vegan cooking fat substitute instead.

A good cherry pie is a thing of culinary beauty and needs little, if anything, to enhance it. However, during the dog days that lay ahead, it never hurts to dish thick slices of this timeless dessert up with some vanilla, chocolate, berry, caramel, peach, lemon, orange, or even mocha ice cream for a treat that will never go out of style or fail to win rave reviews - much like summertime itself!

Tiki Party Perfect Vintage Coconut Golden Brownies

As the last of the tinsel is vacuumed out of the car[et, the Christmas lights flicked off once more, and we begin hunkering in for the long haul stretch that is winter sans looking forward to December, it can feel like summer is a million miles away.

Thankfully such isn't actually the case, but that knowledge scarcely makes the next few months any easier to bear. Even if only enjoys winter (as I generally do), its bleak weather, icy temps, and serious lack of daylight can be draining on the heartiest of us.

{Image source}

By far one of my favourite ways to help perk up this time of the year is with tropical inspired food, drinks, and even fashion!


Luckily many equator line fruits are at their peak right amount now, and in general, they're super easy to come by for those in most parts of the world.

Whether you're in the mood for a single South Seas themed dish or want to go all out and throw a tiki party to keep Old Man Winter at bay, January is an ideal time to look to the tropics for your recipe choices and today's vintage recipe for Golden Coconut Brownies are sure to have you humming a Don Ho tune in no time.



{Hailing from a 1952 ad that appeared Woman's Day magazine, this tasty, wonderfully easy to make recipe for coconut brownies is sure to help lift your spirits and satisfy your sweet tooth in the process all winter long. Vintage image source.}



As far as I can tell, Welch's chocolate bars haven't been made in ages, but fear not, any similar chocolate + coconut candy bar (such as Mounds or Bounty) can be used here. If such were not forthcoming for you, you could probably just use a nice milk chocolate bar and some sweetened shredded coconut easily enough as well.

These brownies offer up a scrumptious Polynesian inspired flavour that differs from most of the fare we've been consuming in recent weeks. They're refreshing, scrumptious, fairly easy on the pocketbook and dead simple to make. I've had a lot of luck making them in GF form, too, both from scratch and with mixes such as Glutino's Brownie mix.

If you wanted to gild the lily - err, brownie :) - here, you could easily top these scrumptious chocolate + coconut brownies with a sweet frosting of you choice. One that involved coconut, pineapple, orange, or maraschino cherries would both be wonderfully mid-century appropriate and also very tropical island approved. A nice, rich caramel or even strawberry (or raspberry) icing could be sublime here, too, and I can think of at least a few folks I know who would enjoy a coffee frosting on these brownies as well.

I swear, in January and February, I sport my tropic flower print clothes more than any other time of the year and also reach for recipes like this most frequently as well. Between the two of them and plenty of hot chocolate, one can do a pretty decent job of forgetting it's -30C outside - well, at least until you open the front door!

So why not bake up a batch of these great mid-century coconut chocolate brownies (which also work wonderfully for Valentine's Day next month) today and show winter who’s boss! :)

This great 1950s Pineapple Marshmallow Dessert recipe captures the essence of summer perfectly

Hard as it is to believe, August is coming to an end (*shudders*). The Labour Day long weekend is here and I, like many folks, love to use it as a great excuse to get in at least one more big, festive, fabulous seasonal feast.

While I am looking forward to autumn and its rich harvest, I'm not ready to wave buh-bye to summer and its sensational culinary offerings either, which is why I've been crazy for this super fun vintage recipe for Pineapple Marshmallow Dessert as of late.

It's dead simple to make, is fairly budget friendly, can be made gluten-free in a snap (just use GF graham crackers, such as those from Kinnikinnick, which are also egg-free to boot, and ensure that your marshmallows are GF, too - Kraft's always are, so that's the brand I stick with), and is such an enjoyable medley of tastes and textures.



{Sweet with a hint of appealing tang from the pineapple, crunchy, gooey and warm all at the same time, this fun 1950s dessert recipe is so evocative of the era it hails from and will be a welcome treat on any table this Labour Day long weekend (or any other time of the year!). Vintage recipe image source.}


This fun vintage pineapple dessert recipe is somewhat redolent of s'mores sans chocolate, which makes me adore it all the more (I’m a die-hard s’mores fan!), and would also be sensational for any sort of tiki, Hawaiian, or South Pacific themed dinner and/or party.

The walnuts are nice, but not necessary, and can easily be left out or swapped for another nut of your choice. Though they do tend to burn easily, Brazil and macadamia nuts would both be great choices here that would up the tropical treat factor all the more.

It's also really enjoyable served warm from oven with a generous scope of vanilla, berry, peach, caramel, coconut, or white chocolate ice cream (dairy or non-dairy, as desired) on top. If you only have canned pineapple chunks or tidbits, you can easily use those here, too, though full rings do look especially pretty and really channel a great mid-century vibe that can't help but make one think of pineapple upside down cake.

Quick, delicious, festive and fun, this charming 1950s pineapple marshmallow dessert is just the thing to help capture all that's wonderful about the last few weeks of summertime eating and is sure to become as a firm a favourite with your family as it already has with mine.

Have a stellar, sunny, beautiful last weekend of August, everyone! (I'm off to do some end-of-the-season yard saling while I still can!)

A festively fabulous 1950s recipe for Coconut Candy Cane Cake

When my family meet sup for a meal, there are a lot of diverse dietary needs (most medically based) amongst my relatives and I that must be taken into consideration. Though there will always be some types of dishes that no everyone can partake of, when cooking for a crowd of my nearest and dearest, I do really like to create recipes that can safely be eaten by as many folks as possible. And certainly at no time of the year does that ring more true than this month, with the merriment and excitement of Christmas starting to hit its stride.

I'm always on the prowl for tasty, crowd pleasing, easy to prepare foods that I can bring to, or prepare and serve at home for, holiday get-togethers, and when I happened upon this fabulously fun 1950s Coconut Candy Cane Cake earlier this year on Flickr, my eyes lit up my Christmas bulbs! With a few tweaks (using gluten-free flour or a GF cake mix and swapping eggs for an egg substitute), it's something that both myself and most of my relatives can safely eat and that makes it an instant winner in my books.

With December 25th just nineteen days away and plenty of wonderful social occasions on my busy calendar this month, I'll be whipping up this great vintage Christmas cake soon for at least one of them and hope that it proves to be every bit as delicious and appealing as it looks.



{There's no need for a fancy cake pan to create this festively shaped dessert. Just cut and arrange squares, frost and adorn them with coconut, and you'll have an instantly eye-catching, completely Christmas season perfect vintage cake to bake and take (or serve) anytime this season. Image source.}


The recipe above suggests using boiled (aka, 7-minute) frosting, but as it traditionally contains egg whites, I'll be skipping it in favour of butter cream or another egg-free frosting myself. Aside from that and the two tweaks mentioned earlier, I won't be doing a thing to this wonderful vintage Christmas cake recipe - short of tucking into a big piece of it that is!

You could easily tint some shredded coconut green, too, if desired, to create the look of an iconic three-colour candy cane. If coconut isn't a hit with your family, you could easily skip it and use coloured sprinkles/sanding sugar or icing instead to produce the desired candy cane look. Small candies, such as mini jujubes or mints, could also be put to work in the same capacity.

I love that this vintage holiday season cake looks fabulously impressive, but isn't time consuming or challenging to make in the slightest (always an extra big plus at this time of the year). Partner that with the fact that I can serve a slice to just about everyone in my family, and I'm one seriously happy Christmas time baker! :)

Serve up a slice of scrumptious 1950s Spice-Berry Cake

"Welcome as the first spring crocus, this cake with the delicate air, is different, delectable, designed for spring menus". So begins the write up for this wonderfully easy, equally tasty 1950s classic spice-berry layer cake, and what an apt description is it. Though we're technically a couple of week's shy of spring's official return, milder weather is started to crop up again for some and will continue to do so for those in the Northern Hemisphere from here on out.

As the icy shackles of winter fall away, one's thoughts come dessert time turn to lighter fair. It may be a touch too soon to dust off the ice cream maker, live on feather light meringues, or opt for chilled fruit salad over everything else, but by the same token, we're beginning to feel like we've had our fill of rich, heavy custards, thick slices of pies, and dense pastries.

Something in between the two - fragrant and satisfying, but not quite a meal unto itself - is called for, and having heard that plea, this terrific cake comes a calling.

{Hailing from the fine folks at A&P (a US chain of supermarkets), this lovely, straightforward, endlessly inviting Spice-Berry Layer Cake is just what our menus need these days, as we leap from the depth of winter into the pleasing warmth of spring's embrace - and menu - once again. Image source.}

This is the kind of cake that does wonders both for causal weeknight desserts and on more formal occasions, such as Easter, May 1st, Mother's Day, wedding or baby showers, or if you're hosting a springtime dinner party - not mention it's natural use as a birthday sweet treat, too.

With its flavourful mixtures of spices, raisins (which you could easily leave out, if you're not a fan), and jam, this is the kind of cake that one feels a touch of the old-fashioned in, so to speak, when you bite into. Most spice cakes (and muffins and cookies) have always held that quality for me. They're homey, inviting, timeless and just as pleasing to the palette as one could ever hope for.

Spring, full on spring, that is, will be here soon enough. For now though, let's give this often overlooked period between winter and spring (which, admittedly, is rarely as gorgeous, romantic or appealing as the sublime days between autumn and fall) a hearty hello care of our kitchens and this great 1950s dessert, as well as others like it that aren't inseparably tied to the either the season we're leaving behind nor the one we're cheerfully hopping into this month.

The perfect last minute Easter cake recipe

While it may not always entail the dizzying hecticness of Christmastime, the days leading up Easter can certainly still be a very busy period in their own right, especially if you're hosting parties and/or having out-of-town guests staying with your for the holiday weekend.

Often, as the first glorious days of spring begin to emerge like blooms poking through the last vestiges of snow, so too do we yearn to head (run at break speed) outdoors once more and suddenly spending hours in the kitchen lacks the same appeal it did just a couple of short, freezing cold months ago.

Easter however, is a beautiful, important time of the year and a celebration that is not to go unmarked by many of us. Though we might not scamper around the house collecting chocolate eggs any more, that doesn't mean we're not entitled to a sweet treat of our own this weekend, too.

Keeping in mind that you may be busier than a bunny in a carrot patch, and/or that you might not feel the need to break your back over your holiday dessert, I went digging around Flickr and unearthed a thoroughly lovely vintage recipe from 1951 for Lemon Gold Cake that would be flat out fantastic for Easter.





{Cheerful, inviting, and absolutely scrumptious looking, this wonderful Lemon Gold Cake practically has the words "Easter dessert" written all over it! Image via tikitacky on Flickr. Click here for a larger version of this lovely 1950s cake recipe.}



The invigorating, tart, endlessly fresh taste of lemon and the return of spring go hand-in-hand like bluebirds and happiness, and are a must for this time of the year in my books. This cake looks like a total snap to whip up as is, but you could make things even easier on yourself and swap in your favourite cake mix, if so desired. I make a very similar cake with Betty Crocker's Gluten-Free Yellow cake mix and olive oil, which is always a hit with gluten and non-gluten eaters alike.

Aside from perhaps decorating the top of the cake with some candied lemon peel, candied (edible) flower petals, white chocolate curls, fresh raspberries, or in the spirit of the holiday, your favourite Easter candy, there isn't much I'd want to alter here. Cakes like this are classic, elegant, beautiful, and flat out delicious - no need to mess with decades of success.

Lemon is a crowd pleasing favourite that becomes all the more delectable and festively perfect when brought to the table in the form of an appealingly pretty yellow cake that echoes the sunlight we're finally starting to get blessed with again this fine Good Friday.

If you're not celebrating Easter of if you already have another dessert (or two!) in the works, fear not, this vintage recipe will serve you well all throughout the spring (wouldn't it be lovely for a Mother's Day tea or bridal shower?) and well on into the sizzingly hot summer days.

Have a blast baking and a truly wonderful Easter long weekend, my dears!

Kicking off fall with a delicious vintage apple crisp recipe

Proclaiming, cutely, that "the toppings on apples makes this apple dessert tops", I knew that this vintage recipe was just the one that I wanted to use as the first of the fall season, a time that is as inherently connected to apples as winter is to snow.

I'm a huge fan of apples, and have grown to love and appreciate them even more over the years, especially once they became one of only a very small handful of fruits my health permits me to partake of any more. From tart Granny Smiths to sublimely juicy Pink Ladies, there's scarcely a variety of apple out there that I don't adore sinking my teeth into, especially when they're at the peak of their growing season like they are now.

The Okanagan Valley were I live in renowned for its apples and it never fails to disappoint come fall. Thousands upon thousands of red, green, yellow and burgundy orbs cling to the seemingly countless apple trees around these parts, just beckoning one to plunk a piece of fruit, dust it off on their shirt, and chomp right in.

Not one to steal however, I prefer to get my apples from either a local fruit stand or supermarket - picking your own from an orchard is also a great option, but not always the quickest one, if you suddenly need a basket of apples for that evening's dessert - like that in today's scrumptious old school recipe for apple crisp.

{A timeless fall classic that never, ever goes out of style, apple crisp is the kind of warm, sweet, wonderful dessert that always pleases table guests of all ages. Image via Eudaemonius on Flickr.}


Apple crisp was a standard, and much loved, dish in our home when I was growing up, and to this day I still prefer to serve it with wedges of thick, well aged cheddar cheese and frosty vanilla ice cream, just as my mother often did when we were young.

While this particular recipe differs somewhat from my family's classic (which includes an oat crumble top), it certainly doesn't sound any less delicious (especially if you swap the shortening for butter or margarine). I'd up the quantity of cinnamon and perhaps toy with the idea of a pinch of nutmeg or allspice, too, but otherwise I’d likely leave it exactly as it is.

Should your area still happen to have a glut of pears at the moment, too, you could absolutely make this dish with them instead of (or as a 50/50 mix) using apples. In the warmer months, peaches and plums are both shinning stars in fruit crumbles, and you can always turned to frozen or canned fruits in the wintertime.

Summer may be done and over for another year, but with desserts as sweet and wonderful as this, I don't think it will be hard to welcome autumn with open arms - and eager forks - once more, do you?  

Kicking off February with vintage Chocolate Brownie Pie

Can you believe it, February - the month of grey, slushy snow piles, loves notes, and a mere twenty-nine days - is here already. Weren’t we just tossing confetti into the air, saying so long to 2011, and waiting for the ball to drop?

Time, as it always does, marches forward though and New Year's is once again a pleasant memory. Now, crossing into the second month of the year, we've been properly introduced to 2012, and that's worth celebrating in its own right.

As this is month that houses Valentine's Day after all, it only seems fitting that  February's first vintage recipe be one that's fabulously sweet, bursting with chocolate, and perfect for a special evening with someone you love (romantically or otherwise).

I tend to find that good food tastes even better in the company of someone I care about, and hope the same will ring true for you as well when you bite into today's scrumptious recipe for Chocolate Brownie Pie.

{Though the image here does admittedly leave a bit to be desired, this delightful chocolate and pecan stuffed dessert sounds so mouth-wateringly fantastic that a somewhat monochromatic photo can easily be forgiven. Vintage Chocolate Brownie Pie recipe by way of Shelf Life Taste Test on Flickr.}

These days hybrid desserts that marry two or more classics (e.g., red velvet cookies, doughnut cupcakes, or birthday cake ice cream) are all the rage (not mention endlessly popular on Pinterest!), but they were less common and certainly more novel for folks a few decades ago, which is all the more reason I wanted to share this great vintage pie recipe with you the moment I spotted it.

I hope that just like this tasty treat itself, you each have a seriously sweet, completely enjoyable February, dear friends!

Get the whole gang together for vintage apple dumplings

✯ Day 257 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

As you may recall, last week we took a gander at pears in the form of a delightfully zingy recipe for Citrus Pear Pie. This week, as we inch even closer to the start of autumn (soooo excited!), the focus is on a similar, wonderfully seasonal fruit: apples.

It's hard to picture fall without conjuring up thoughts of apples in hues spanning from soft golden yellow to rich burgundy, and of course there's always the iconic red apple, perfectly polished and placed on teacher's desk.

Apples have been a staple food in much of the world for centuries, they're popularity and versatility holding strong through the years. I adore apples (my very favourite varieties are Pink Lady, Red Delicious and Honeycrisp, what are yours?) and cook with them all year round, but especially flock to fill my fruit bowl with these delicious gems during the start of fall.

From pies to tarts, sauces to salads - not mention juice and cider, there is an almost limitless number of ways to use apples (of course eating them straight out of hand is always fabulous, too!).

This week's recipe - which will call to mind the name of a classic 1970s Disney movie - sees them enveloped in a layer of flakey, crunchy pastry for a filling dessert that's sure to help fill tummies hungry from a day spent out raking the yard, harvesting the garden or even picking apples themselves!

Apple Dumplings are one of the largest dumplings around - and also one of the most delectable. Unlike many other types of sweet and savoury dumplings alike, these tasty treats are neither boiled nor fried, instead they're baked in a 425° oven for 40 to 45 minutes.

This charming vintage Betty Crocker recipe for Apple Dumplings Supreme takes this timeless classic and jazzes it up further with the addition of a scrumptious cinnamon syrup that is splashed over the baked dumplings - thus adding another fabulously autumnal note to this splendid recipe.

{Vintage Apple Dumplings recipe by way of spuzzlightyeartoo on Flickr. Click here for a larger version of this great fall dessert.}

The recipe itself doesn't indicate a specific variety, instead suggesting you use "tart, juicy apples". This leaves the floor wide open for anything from peridot hued Granny Smiths to Jonathans (which feature a good blend of sweetness and tartness). Really though, you can use just about any type of apple that holds up well when cooked, so feel free to go as sugary or as tangy as you'd like, depending on your personal taste.

This dessert smells nothing shy of mouth-watering as it cooks, the intoxicating scent of pastry and apples wafting beyond the oven and through the whole house. The cinnamon syrup at the end further enhances the gorgeous fall time feel and taste of this filling dessert.

Perfect for evenings when you have a little more time and want something noteworthy, apple dumplings are as iconic as the fruit they're filled with and are simply perfect for this special, nearly-autumn time of the year.

Wonderfully delicious Peppermint Brownie Baked Alaska

✯ Day 236 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

If memory serves me right, I was 17 the first time I made baked Alaska. It was one of those dishes that people spoke of with great reverence, as though it was harder than scaling Mt. Everest to make. This, of course, only endeared me to it more and after years of wondering if it truly was that tricky, I borrowed a friend's kitchen (my own minuscule pad at the time didn't have an oven - just a hotplate and microwave) and proceeded to whip up the first of many baked Alaska I've made over the years.

As I secretly suspected all along as a youngster, when I heard worldly home cooks speak in almost hushed tones of this dishes complexity, Baked Alaska only looks hard to make.

What most people perceive as being tricky - or are doubtful of their ability to pull off successfully - is sticking a dish with ice cream in it into the oven without having said ice cream melt quicker than the Wicked Witch of the West.  (This outcome is prevented thanks to the insulating powers of the meringue.)

The time that the ice cream spends in the oven is actually very minimal - just a few short minutes to firm up and brown the rich, fluffy layer of meringue that you've slathered the cake base and mound of ice cream in - then the finished dish, glistening with its golden brown peaks is rushed to your eager table guests as they applaud your culinary prowess.

Baked Alaska hit its zenith in the 1950s, yet its origins stretch back well into the 1870s. Known, albeit less commonly, by other names such as omelette à la norvégienne and glace au four, this decadent dessert is a show-stopper that every fan of baking needs to try at least once in their lifetime. There's a thrill that comes from pulling the glistening finished product from the oven and then slicing into it, the ice cream still firm, the meringue piping hot.

Named, back in the middle of the Victorian era, for the newly acquired state of Alaska, this dish rapidly gained popularity and stayed well-loved for decades to come. While you don't run into Baked Alaska quite as often any more, it's one of the most enjoyable, delicious vintage desserts I know of.

In this week’s version the more traditional cake base is swapped out for some completely scrumptious chocolate brownies, and the ice cream du jour is peppermint (or, as the recipe suggests as an alternative, vanilla ice cream that you've swirled some peppermint candies into). These two components are then dressed up in a luxe gown of sugary meringue and waltzed off into the over for a quick tan.

{Delightfully tasty 1950s style Peppermint Brownie Recipe via Charm and Poise on Flickr. Click here for a larger version of this delectable treat's instructions.}

If you're making Baked Alaska for the first time, I suggest you start with quality ingredients and allot enough time to bake (and cool) the cake (or, in this case, brownies). Use very firm ice cream, and feel free to be heavy handed with the meringue.

While I think this Peppermint Brownie Baked Alaska recipe sounds utterly fabulous, if mint (or Brownies) aren't your cup of tea, you can always sub in another type of ice cream (if you really want to go all out, use homemade ice cream) such a s black cherry, mandarin orange, French vanilla, coffee, raspberry ripples, toffee crunch, or lemon zest) and use your cake of choice  for the base.

While this isn't perhaps the first dessert you'd be inclined to make on a hectic Wednesday night, it's truly worth trying (or making again, if you're a seasoned Baked Alaska pro) when you have the time and ingredients on hand.

It's beautiful for a bridal shower, anniversary dinner (especially for your parents or grandparents, who will love the trip down memory lane it evokes), birthday bash or anytime you're looking for a classic show-stopping ice cream dish that positively sings with vintage charm.