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Hawaiian Holiday Candies (1948) ★★★
This recipe is a little lighter than the usual Christmas fare, which was probably the point. I also love how Knox advertises itself as "wholesome". Later on, many of their advertisements focus on health benefits of gelatin, especially as a cure for cracked nails.
The line "For only about 35 c a pound!" also makes it apparent that even just three years out of World War Two, spending thriftily was still a concern.
Original Recipe:
Drain juice from: 1 (No. 2) can Dole crushed pineapple. Add enough water to make 2 1/2 cups liquid.
Soften: 4 envelopes Knox Gelatine in: 1 cup cold liquid (set aside)
Combine: 1 1/2 cups liquid 3 cups sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt
Bring to boiling point, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add gelatine; stir until dissolved. Add drained crushed pineapple. Return to heat. Boil slowly for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Rinse 2 (8" x 4") pans (bread pan size) in cold water. Pour in candy mixture to depth of 1/4 inch. Put in a cool place (not in refrigerator) and let stand overnight.
Then loosen candy around edges of pan with wet, sharp knife. Pull out on board lightly covered with confectioner's sugar. Cut in cubes and roll in confectioner's or fine granulated sugar.
The Verdict:
Umm....a little strange. The texture of the pineapple in the gelatin was kind of weird. I'm not sure that I like these enough that I would make them again, but they're not necessarily bad. The gelatin itself is not sweet at all, despite all the sugar in it. However, the sugar coating makes it too sweet. I think this was mostly because the cubes were a little damp, so they soaked up way too much sugar and made this sickly sweet layer of goopy crunchiness on the outside. I think I would rather just eat them without the sugar coating.
Also, I admit that I did put these in the fridge. I don't get why the recipe said not to, especially since they just were not setting up well inside my warm house. Maybe that's why they were damp? I'm not sure...they are a bit delicate and jiggly, rather than firm. Maybe today's Knox packets contain less gelatin than in the past?
I give them three stars for an average rating. I think this recipe has potential, but perhaps needs some tweaking.
Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Knox, found at The Gallery of Graphic Design)
(Adapted from Knox, found at The Gallery of Graphic Design)
1 20 ounce can CRUSHED PINEAPPLE
4 envelopes KNOX GELATIN
2 1/2 cups DRAINED PINEAPPLE JUICE, with water added to make the full amount if necessary
3 cups SUGAR
1/4 teaspoon SALT
POWDERED SUGAR
1. Drain the juice from the canned pineapple. Add enough water to the drained juice to make 2 1/2 cups. Set aside in the fridge.
2. In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and 1 cup of the chilled pineapple juice. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the rest of the chilled pineapple juice (1 1/2 cups), the sugar, and the salt. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the gelatin mixture. Stir, and add the drained crushed pineapple. Boil everything slowly for 15 minutes.
4. Rinse two 8x4 bread pans with cold water. Divide the candy between the two, about 1/4 inch thickness in each one. Set the pans in a cool place and let set overnight.
5. When set, run knife rinsed in hot water along the edges of the pans to loosen (you may need a spatula as well). Turn the candy out onto a cutting board which is covered with powdered sugar. Cut the candy into cubes and roll in the sugar to coat.
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Should your title of your blog read receipts of yore or recipes of yore? Interesting blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteReceipts is an old spelling of recipes.