Sure-Bet/Sherbet Macaroons

There certainly are a LOT of macaroon recipes out there – you know, out there (waves virtual hand in direction of cookbook shelves and beyond). So I thought I’d find something odd and strange and retro – new uncharted macaroon territory. Since it is National Macaroon Day, and all.

Where better to plunge into a retro-cuisine Brave New World than through the portal of the Pillsbury Bake-Off cookbooks?  And I was not disappointed. I hope you won’t be either. Depends upon your feelings about orange sherbet and whether it belongs in a cookie or not, though.

I rather like the name of these loopy cookies. As in, “I sure bet they taste – different!” Oh, and I just realized: I think the lady who made these up was making a PUN. Sure bet. Sherbet. Oh, I get it. Cue the laugh track!

SURE-BET MACAROONS

1 pint orange sherbet
1 package (18 1/2 oz.) Pillsbury White Cake Mix
2 Tb almond extract
1 packages (7 oz. each) or 6 cups flaked coconut

OVEN 350 degrees  ABOUT 72 COOKIES

In large mixer bowl, blend sherbet at low speed to soften slightly. Add dry cake mix and almond extract; blend until just thoroughly combined. Stir in coconut. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet.

TIP: Any flavored sherbet can be used with Pillsbury Fudge, German Chocolate, Double Dutch or White Cake Mixes; lemon and pineapple sherbet may be used with Pillsbury Pineapple, Lemon and Yellow Cake mixes.

[From 100 Bake Off Recipes, 1969]

These are described as “quickies that freeze well,” which I could almost make a good joke about if I wasn’t getting a little – well, in need of some fresh air. Will go outside as soon as I post this and see if there is any.

Magic Silver Mushrooms

I’m posting this because it just stuck in my head – I saw the photo and I just kept thinking, I ought to post this, it is so weird and yet kind of retro and clever – and silver! I like silver jewelry and silver shoes (although the only silver shoes I ever wore were really painful fancy sandals that I will never wear again, but I just can’t get rid of them they are too lovely). So why not silver mushrooms?

These are from my dear pal Betty Crocker in her Betty Crocker’s Dinner Parties (1974), in the chapter entitled “Today’s Sit-Down Dinners.” Well, I don’t know how many sit-down dinners you are planning to have today, but you can make this centerpiece for one of them.

You have to start this yesterday though, if you want it today (if you know what I mean). Or today for tomorrow, of course.

Anyway – the day before you need this thing, insert 3″ pieces of wire in about 10-15 mushrooms (fresh, white button mushrooms that is). It looks nice if they are different sizes. Spray with silver spray paint and then let them dry over night (Betty says that they will shrink a little but will keep their shape – I guess she should know).

Take a wicker basket (you could spray paint this silver or a contrasting color like blue or pink - or use white like they do here) and put  in a “needle frog” with a bit of florist’s clay under it to make it stick. Here is a picture of needle frogs. They are support things that go under the  styrofoam that you will put in next. It should come up to the top of the basket, but not quite. Stick on some moss and little flowers, and stick the mushrooms in too, via the wires you stuck in them yesterday.

And that’s that!

I will definitely be posting again today, if for no other reason than that it is National Macaroon Day!