Retro Thanksgiving recipes: Turkey fondue, Ham crepes, Caramel rum pumpkin cake & more (1974) - Click Americana (2024)

• Categories:1970s, Retro dinner recipes, Vintage dessert recipes, , Vintage magazines, Vintage meat recipes, Vintage salad recipes, Vintage Thanksgiving, Vintage turkey recipes

• By The Click Americana Team
• Added or last updatedNovember 19, 2020

GOURMET FEASTS FOR THANKSGIVING

The picture-perfect dishes you envy in magazines can spring from the pages and into your own dining room with just a little help from the kitchen muse.

These are the festive foods that can make almost any housewife into a famous gourmet — turkey fondue with horseradish sauce; winter garden salad; caramel rum pumpkin cake; ham supreme in crépes; two-tone tower salad; and ported raspberry pie. Now who could ask for more? On the other hand, who wouldn’t?

What about this Thanksgiving? It’s turkey time at the old homestead and you’re in a quandary again this year. Should you go with the tried and true or whip out the special dish you’ve been saving to lay ’em in the aisles and leave ’em panting at the table?

Holiday dinner ideas from the ’70s

Well, of course, that’s what you’d like to do. But suppose it doesn’t work. Suppose your delicate flaming wine souffle collapses on its crystal pedestal and your crépe Suzette look limp and defeated.

In other words, suppose you blow the whole thing.

There once was a man of great stamina and daring who was rumored to have mastered a kitchen trick or two, and who was very fond of saying, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

There now. Spunk up. You can do it. You are a confident cook with courage and conviction and you are going to practice confident cooking with the aid of these delightfully different recipes showing you how to bring flair to an age-old art and delicious excitement to your Thanksgiving table.

Retro Thanksgiving recipes

Ham Supreme in Crepes

For crépes: Beat 3 eggs, 2/3 cup milk, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tbsp. melted butter.

Lightly butter, heat 8-inch skillet at medium temp. Pour in 2 tbsp. batter for each crépe, tilting pan and swirling batter to cover bottom. Cook until bottom is golden, then brown other side. Makes 8 crépes.

Filling: In saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter. Blend in 1/4 cup flour. Stir in 1 cup chicken broth, 1/2 cup whipped cream. Add 3/4 cup dry white wine, stir until thickened.

Remove from heat; stir in 2 cups cubed cooked ham, 1 cup sliced olives, 2 teaspoons chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.

Spoon 1/3 cup ham mix down crepe center. Roll up crépes, put in buttered baking dish. Spoon on all ham mix. Sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese.

Bake at 375 F for 15 minutes. Garnish with avocado slices.

Turkey Fondue recipe

Partially thaw 2 to 3 lbs. frozen turkey roast; remove skin and cut into 1-inch cubes; thaw completely.

Heat oil in electric fondue pot or in non-electric pot at 400 F. Place on burner at table. Spear turkey chunks with fondue fork and cook in hot oil. Makes 8 servings.

Serve with horseradish sauce: blend 1/2 cup sour cream with 2 teaspoons horseradish, or use bottled sauce. Cranberry-orange relish also makes a good holiday sauce.

Winter Garden Salad

Combine 1/4 cup each of olive and salad oil, 1/4 cup wine vinegar, 1 teaspoons seasoned salt. Pour over 1 onion, thinly-sliced and separated into rings; 3 cups sliced raw cauliflower; 1/2 cup sliced radishes.

Cover and refrigerate. Line salad bowl with Romaine lettuce; fill with 1 medium head iceberg lettuce torn into bite-sized pieces; 2 oz. crumbled blue cheese, marinated vegetables with dressing.

Caramel Rum Pumpkin cake recipe

Mix 3 cups flour, 1 tbsp. baking powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon salt. Beat 4 eggs foamy; add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, beat thick.

Blend 1 can pumpkin, 1 cup oil. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour in greased floured cake pan. Bake at 350 F. Cool, remove from pan.

In pan, melt 1/4 cup butter. Stir in 1/2 cup brown sugar, boil, stir in 2 cups confectioners sugar, 1 teaspoon rum flavor, dash salt. Add sugar, milk for consistency. Drizzle on cake.

Two-tone Tower Salad

Dissolve 6 oz. pineapple-orange gelatin in 1-3/4 cup boiling water. Pour half into a separate container. Stir in 1 can crushed pineapple, 1/2 cup finely chopped celery, 2 tbsp. lemon juice to half the gelatin. Pour into 1-1/2 quart mold and chill.

Blend 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 can whole cranberry sauce, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 1/2 cup chopped pecans into remaining gelatin. Pour over pineapple layer, chill until firm. Makes 8 servings.

Ported Raspberry Pie

Boil 1 cup port wine, 1 cup water. Add 6 oz. raspberry gelatin, stir until dissolved. Break 10 oz. frozen raspberries into chunks, stir into mix. Chill until slightly thick. Set aside 1 cup gelatin mix for top layer of pie. Whip 1 cup cream stiff; fold in 2 tbsp. sugar, dash salt.

Fold into raspberry gelatin, turn into 9″ baked pastry shell. Spoon gelatin over cream layer, chill 4 hours. Garnish with whole raspberries, whipped cream.

• Categories: 1970s, Retro dinner recipes, Vintage dessert recipes, , Vintage magazines, Vintage meat recipes, Vintage salad recipes, Vintage Thanksgiving, Vintage turkey recipes
• Tags: 1973, 1974, 1975, cakes, caramel, dinner, dinner recipes, fall recipes, fondue, gelatin, ham, menu, pumpkin recipes, raspberries, recipes, rum, salad, salads, stuffing, thanksgiving, thanksgiving recipes, turkey, Vintage pie recipes, vintage thanksgiving dinner
• Source: Ebony
• Original publication date: November 1974
• Added or last updatedNovember 19, 2020
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