The Fifties: Favorite Recipes

Look around at articles, lists and blogs about food during the 1950s. You will repeatedly find five recipes described as quintessential fifties food. Below are the recipes and descriptions for these very popular fifties foods.

CLAM DIP One of Kraft's most popular recipes, this appeared on a commercial in the early 1950s.

1 clove garlic, cut in half

1 can (8 ounces) minced clams

1 pkg. (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

Instructions: Rub a mixing bowl with the cut halves of garlic. Drain clams, reserving 1/4 of the liquid. Combine clams and liquid, the cream cheese, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings, mixing until well-blended. Chill. Serve with chips, crackers or raw vegetables.

CALIFORNIA DIP Created by an unidentified California cook about two years after Lipton introduced its dry onion soup mix, this dip spread like wildfire.

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

2 cups sour cream

Instructions: Mix ingredients and chill several hours to meld flavors. Serve with potato chips, crackers or raw vegetables.

TUNA-NOODLE CASSEROLE Campbell Soup created this recipe.

1 can (103/4 ounces) cream of celery or mushroom soup

1/2 cup milk

2 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles, drained

1 cup cooked green peas, drained

2 tablespoons chopped, canned pimento (optional)

2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna, drained and flaked

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

Instructions: Heat oven to 400. Lightly butter a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Mix soup and milk in casserole. Stir in noodles, peas, pimento (if desired) and tuna. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir. Mix cheese (if desired), crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Scatter evenly over the tuna mixture and bake 5 minutes more or until lightly browned. Makes 4 servings.

BAKED ALASKA A forerunner of this dessert is thought to date from the early to mid-1800s. The chef at Delmonico's restaurant in New York often is credited with creating the dessert we know today, but it was called Alaska-Florida. In the fifties, Baked Alaska was popular because it was considered elegant, even though it was easy. The following is adapted from The Dictionary of American Food and Drink (Hearst Books, 1984).

Ice cream

1 layer of sponge cake

5 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions: Spread ice cream about 3 inches thick over the top of the cake layer, leaving about an inch on all sides uncovered. Cover and freeze until firm. Heat oven to 500. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add sugar, a little at a time, beating until stiff but not dry. Stir in vanilla. Remove cake and ice cream from freezer, unwrap and place on a cutting board. "Frost'' cake and ice cream with meringue, covering both completely down to the board to insulate them from the heat. Place in the oven for about 3 minutes or until meringue is golden brown. Serve immediately

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI Named after the Italian singer Luisa Tetrazzini, this was first mentioned in print in 1951, according to John Mariani, author of the The Dictionary of American Food and Drink. Aspiring gourmets of the '50s could make it with relative ease and impress their guests. The following is adapted from Mariani's book.

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup chicken broth

3 cups cooked chicken meat, cut into small pieces

3/4 lb. spaghetti, cooked, drained and lightly buttered

Bread crumbs

Parmesan cheese

Instructions: In a saucepan, make a roux with butter and flour over medium heat, mixing well. Pour in cream and chicken broth and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and blend in chicken.Place spaghetti in a buttered baking dish. Pour chicken mixture on top. Sprinkle bread crumbs and Parmesan on top.Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and brown on top. Makes approx. 6 servings.

I will be very honest and admit that I have never tried these recipes. However, I think it would be fun to try one or two for a fifties themed dinner one night. Have you ever made these dishes? Any other classic 1950s recipes you would like to share?