1966 WDEC - Corned Beef Hash with Poached Eggs

Corned beef hash and eggs makes a traditional and satisfying breakfast on its own (photo by Courtney)

A recipe for corned beef hash and eggs hardly seems necessary, but there was one in the WDEC Entertaining section, as part of the Summertime Brunch for 12 menu. A lovely-looking can of Australian corned beef stood on the shelf (for hash with eggs, I prefer canned), so why not let it stand on its own for an informal morning meal? Recipe after the jump.

Easy Food Pr0n: Fried Burro Bananas

Burro bananas fried in coconut oil make an excellent side for any meal. (photo by Joachim)

Burro bananas are shorter, a bit thicker, and not quite as sweet as standard yellow Cavendish bananas.

Burro bananas are a bit more squat than Cavendish bananas and have darkened skins when ripe. (photo by Courtney)

Sliced and fried in coconut oil they make a fabulous side or even a dessert (try them warm off the grill as a topping for ice cream). I prefer coconut oil to other frying fats for these bananas because the slight sweetness and tropical fruit aromas balance the banana taste well without making the side cloying.

1966 WDEC: Soup on the Rocks

Served in highball glasses, soup on the rocks is an easy, festive take on gazpacho. (photo by Joachim)

This starter for an "Intimate Luncheon (for 6)" in the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery is a sort of hurried-person's gazpacho. Recipe after the jump.

1966 WDEC: Entertaining Cook Book

While my entertaining leaves a bit to be desired, I will try some of the "Entertaining Cook Book" selections. (Banquet of Amor and Psyche by Giulio Romano via Wikimedia)

The Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery "Entertaining Cook Book" includes sections on Brunches, Buffets, Barbecues, Luncheons, Teas, Dinners and Cocktail Parties. Most are for large gatherings, although there are two "intimate" menus for six and a barbecue menu for four. Recognizing that the entertaining woman of the mid-1960s would have scarce time on her hands, quite a few of the recipes are extremely simple. My favorite is the recipe titled Salted Almonds: "Place salted almonds in 2 pretty bowls and place near the coffee and tea services."

I don't think I'll be making too many things from this section, but a couple have caught my eye. So. Off to the kitchen.

1966 WDEC - English Cookery

Oxtails for the classic English soup will have to wait. (photo By FotoosVanRobin from Netherlands (Oxtail) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

James Beard, somewhat surprisingly given his association with American and French cuisine , contributed the Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery article on English Cookery, which is replete with comfort food recipes, most of which would satisfy a crowd. I do want to make the Yorkshire Pudding, something I love but have never made myself, but I'm trying a dairy-free month and it will have to wait. Until then, I am moving on to "Entertaining."

Manzano Bananas - Cute and Not Too Sweet

Manzano bananas, while cute, are not too sweet.

I'm not a huge fan of the common Cavendish banana (the ubiquitous banana seen in virtually every supermarket). They are too sweet when ripe for my taste, and too green when not quite ripe. Marking all banana-shaped things with this stamp, I used to avoid all banana variations until I was pleasantly surprised by plantains, which, while big enough for two, lack they cloying sweetness of the Cavendish. So when I saw these little manzano bananas at the H-Mart and was assured by Joachim that he'd eat them if I didn't care for them, I gave them a try.

The result was surprisingly good. While it seems mileage may vary and some people report that the manzano has "small, sweet fruit" the batch I had, even fully ripe, was not mushy and not too sweet, and lacked the cloying ester-like aromatics I associate with a ripe Cavendish. For some, this may be a drawback (a commenter on one site said they were no good until so overripe that the skins were completely black), but for me these are perfect little bananas for in-hand snacking or adding to my breakfast yogurt.

If you like your fruit on the less-sweet side and have given up on bananas because of this, I'd encourage you to give the manzano (also called apple, silk, and manzana) a try. Because they are more tolerant of cooler climates, you may even be able to grow your own at home.

1966 WDEC - Baked Lamb Chops (done with Goat)

Pate stuffing adds easy elegance to baked chops. (photo by Joachim)

We're starting a meat CSA in a week and it includes everything except goat. So for this week's treat we got some chops from Many Rocks Farm. The Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery didn't have much time for goat, but they had nothing against lamb. This treatment is from the "Dinner" entry, and is the star of the "Lamb Chop Dinner for Six." Recipe after the jump.