Some things get better as time goes by and some things definitely do not. This is true in the food field just as it is in other areas of life. If you ask me, the Pillsbury Grand National Bake-off contest is one that hasn’t improved.
The first grand prize of $50,000 was awarded in 1950 to Mrs. Ralph E. Smafield of Detroit, Michigan for her No-Knead Water-Rising Twists. Other winners were awarded cash prizes to total $100,000. Today’s contest is not held every year and the first place winner is awarded $1,000,000! But the recipes must use several products, wherein the first contests required only the use of Pillsbury’s Best Flour. Now there are categories in main dishes and snacks and sandwiches—which hardly seems like a bake-off. Worst of all, the use of mixes and convenience foods is actually encouraged in the contest. I’m hopelessly old-fashioned, I guess.
I do have the first 25 Bake-Off cookbooks in my collection and several of the rest of them as well—although the later books don’t include the names of the winners and the recipes have been altered somewhat. Going through my collection gave me the urge to bake some of the early recipes and see how the results stack up with more modern day recipes. I was happily surprised to find some well-known and loved recipes among the winners such as Orange Kiss-Me cake, Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake and French Silk Pie. Cherry Winks originated here as did Dilly Casserole Bread.
I finally decided on Walnut Glory Cake form the 15th Bake-Off in 1965. It was submitted by Umejiro F. Kuritsu of Oakland, California, one of only two men in the contest that year. It gained him $1,000 Best of Class Cake award. I chose it because the picture of it was scrumptious and I had all the ingredients in the house. It is very easy and absolutely delicious.
Walnut Glory Cake
Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes
Makes 1 10-inch tube cake
Combine:
¾ cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
Beat:
9 egg whites (1 ¼ cups) in large mixing bowl until soft mounds form. Gradually add ¾ cup sugar. Continue beating until very stiff, straight peaks form. Do not under beat.
Combine:
9 egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla and
¾ cup sugar in small mixing bowl. Beat until thick and lemon colored. Stir in
Dry ingredients.
Fold:
Batter gently but thoroughly into egg whites using a wire whip or rubber spatula.
Fold in
2 cups finely chopped walnuts
Turn:
Into ungreased 10-inch tube pan
Bake:
At 350 deg. For 55 to 65 minutes. Invert immediately. Cool completely before
removing from pan. Serve with warm caramel sauce and plenty of whipped cream.
The delicious smell of cinnamon wafting through my kitchen and the chilly air of these first really cool days inspired me to make a good old-fashioned beef stew as well as the chiffon cake. I checked with my latest version of Better Home and Garden’s Standard cookbook and to my absolute amazement there isn’t a recipe for beef stew. Could this old stand-by really be outdated? I think not in the kitchens across America, even if it is with America’s #1 cookbook.
Here is my version :
1 ½ pounds beef chuck, cut in 1” cubes
Flour to dredge beef
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 large onions
1 clove garlic
5 cups water
Salt and Pepper
½ tsp. Thyme
½ tsp. Basil
½ tsp. Savory
1 bay leaf (optional)
2 pounds new potatoes, peeled
5 large carrots, peeled
2 cups Butternut Squash peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp. Maggi Seasoning
Slurry made of ¼ cup flour and ½ cup water, shaken in a covered jar until well mixed.
Heat oil in Dutch oven until haze forms. Dredge Beef cubes and put into pot to brown. Brown slowly for about 10 minutes, turning often. Add onions, cut into wedges (8 per onion.) Add peeled garlic clove stuck on toothpick. Brown for 5 minutes more, stirring to keep garlic and onion from burning. Add water, salt and pepper, Thyme, Basil Savory and bay leaf; cover. Simmer for 2 hours. Remove garlic and add new potatoes, quartered, carrots, cut into 1” cubes, and squash. Cover and cook 30 minutes more or until tender. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire Sauce and Maggi seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add slurry, pouring through a strainer and stirring all the while. When stew has thickened, correct seasoning and serve.
The first grand prize of $50,000 was awarded in 1950 to Mrs. Ralph E. Smafield of Detroit, Michigan for her No-Knead Water-Rising Twists. Other winners were awarded cash prizes to total $100,000. Today’s contest is not held every year and the first place winner is awarded $1,000,000! But the recipes must use several products, wherein the first contests required only the use of Pillsbury’s Best Flour. Now there are categories in main dishes and snacks and sandwiches—which hardly seems like a bake-off. Worst of all, the use of mixes and convenience foods is actually encouraged in the contest. I’m hopelessly old-fashioned, I guess.
I do have the first 25 Bake-Off cookbooks in my collection and several of the rest of them as well—although the later books don’t include the names of the winners and the recipes have been altered somewhat. Going through my collection gave me the urge to bake some of the early recipes and see how the results stack up with more modern day recipes. I was happily surprised to find some well-known and loved recipes among the winners such as Orange Kiss-Me cake, Tunnel of Fudge Bundt Cake and French Silk Pie. Cherry Winks originated here as did Dilly Casserole Bread.
I finally decided on Walnut Glory Cake form the 15th Bake-Off in 1965. It was submitted by Umejiro F. Kuritsu of Oakland, California, one of only two men in the contest that year. It gained him $1,000 Best of Class Cake award. I chose it because the picture of it was scrumptious and I had all the ingredients in the house. It is very easy and absolutely delicious.
Walnut Glory Cake
Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes
Makes 1 10-inch tube cake
Combine:
¾ cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
Beat:
9 egg whites (1 ¼ cups) in large mixing bowl until soft mounds form. Gradually add ¾ cup sugar. Continue beating until very stiff, straight peaks form. Do not under beat.
Combine:
9 egg yolks
2 tsp. vanilla and
¾ cup sugar in small mixing bowl. Beat until thick and lemon colored. Stir in
Dry ingredients.
Fold:
Batter gently but thoroughly into egg whites using a wire whip or rubber spatula.
Fold in
2 cups finely chopped walnuts
Turn:
Into ungreased 10-inch tube pan
Bake:
At 350 deg. For 55 to 65 minutes. Invert immediately. Cool completely before
removing from pan. Serve with warm caramel sauce and plenty of whipped cream.
The delicious smell of cinnamon wafting through my kitchen and the chilly air of these first really cool days inspired me to make a good old-fashioned beef stew as well as the chiffon cake. I checked with my latest version of Better Home and Garden’s Standard cookbook and to my absolute amazement there isn’t a recipe for beef stew. Could this old stand-by really be outdated? I think not in the kitchens across America, even if it is with America’s #1 cookbook.
Here is my version :
1 ½ pounds beef chuck, cut in 1” cubes
Flour to dredge beef
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 large onions
1 clove garlic
5 cups water
Salt and Pepper
½ tsp. Thyme
½ tsp. Basil
½ tsp. Savory
1 bay leaf (optional)
2 pounds new potatoes, peeled
5 large carrots, peeled
2 cups Butternut Squash peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp. Maggi Seasoning
Slurry made of ¼ cup flour and ½ cup water, shaken in a covered jar until well mixed.
Heat oil in Dutch oven until haze forms. Dredge Beef cubes and put into pot to brown. Brown slowly for about 10 minutes, turning often. Add onions, cut into wedges (8 per onion.) Add peeled garlic clove stuck on toothpick. Brown for 5 minutes more, stirring to keep garlic and onion from burning. Add water, salt and pepper, Thyme, Basil Savory and bay leaf; cover. Simmer for 2 hours. Remove garlic and add new potatoes, quartered, carrots, cut into 1” cubes, and squash. Cover and cook 30 minutes more or until tender. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire Sauce and Maggi seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add slurry, pouring through a strainer and stirring all the while. When stew has thickened, correct seasoning and serve.
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