# Forgotten desserts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [June 11, 2021, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024 "2021-06-11T05:42:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/61 "2021-06-12T20:01:16Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t know how Grandmother made her fig preserves, but the description of the texture and color sound very similar to how hers turned out. Your Dad’s not from North Carolina by any chance, is he? The family is — originally from almost exactly on the North Carolina / Virginia line, gradually migrated south over the years to end up in Georgia and Florida and elsewhere. My Dad’s parents were from South Georgia. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/62 "2021-06-12T20:12:26Z")
Well, now, that is interesting, because my grandmother’s family is from northeastern North Carolina - Nash County - and her husband’s family originated in Warren County, the northern border of which is the Virginia state line. I’d wonder if pickled watermelon rinds and fig preserves were an eastern North Carolina thing, except that you said those recipes were from your Georgian father. Still, it does seem like pickled watermelon rinds might be a southern thing, which would be why they’re unfamilar to other posters in this thread. Cultural geography is a fascinating subject. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/63 "2021-06-12T20:15:25Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > I read, somewhere - sorry no cite, that it was a way to show off that you had a refrigerator/freezer rather than just an icebox and had the time & skill to pull it together successfully. Now, we just pull out our liquid nitrogen. I had always heard that was why gelatin dishes became so popular. Gelatin/aspic used to be an expensive, labor-intensive luxury. The invention of powdered gelatin, and the widespread availability of refrigerators, made it cheap and easy. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/64 "2021-06-12T20:34:23Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Well, now, that is interesting, because my grandmother’s family is from northeastern North Carolina - Nash County - and her husband’s family originated in Warren County, the northern border of which is the Virginia state line. I’d wonder if pickled watermelon rinds and fig preserves were an eastern North Carolina thing, except that you said those recipes were from your Georgian father. Still, it does seem like pickled watermelon rinds might be a southern thing, which would be why they’re unfamilar to other posters in this thread. > > Cultural geography is a fascinating subject. I have Vivian Howard’s cookbook _Deep Run Roots_, which focuses on traditional Southern foods (and it is organized that way; there’s a chapter for each food). There is a recipe for pickled watermelon rinds in there. She’s from Eastern North Carolina. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/65 "2021-06-12T22:12:37Z")
When I was a kid in Chicago area, you could buy pickled watermelon rind at the grocery store over by the pickled crabapples other sweet pickle stuff. I loved it back then (in small amounts). The trouble is, it’s so sickly sweet. I’ve made it several times, and always end up tossing the last couple of jars’ worth. I’ve never made it with candied/maraschino cherries, though. Just followed the _Joy of Cooking_ and the red plaid _Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook_ and Ball canning guide recipe. [The BH&G recipe](https://imgur.com/a/qRatRTs) calls for 1/2 sliced lemon, which is nice. It does say “5 maraschino cherries, halved (optional)”. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/66 "2021-06-12T23:05:23Z")
She BAKES icebox cookies? (Sorry, couldn’t resist!) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/67 "2021-06-12T23:43:20Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Nesselrode pie–had it on a plane as a kid in the late Sixties, back when planes had meals with china. Speaking as someone who ate plenty of airplane meals during the 1960s and late 1950s even, airline meals with china were something I never experienced. I assume it was a rarity outside the first-class compartment. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/68 "2021-06-13T01:28:20Z")
It was 1968. We had coach tickets, but the plane (United) was overbooked. Somehow we got bumped up to first class. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/69 "2021-06-13T04:55:51Z")
id show you the mermaid with sea green salad project they had on mid century but due to idiots all the taste testing is behind a pay wall [https://www.midcenturymenu.com/blog-format-change-and-temporary-changes-to-social-media/](https://www.midcenturymenu.com/blog-format-change-and-temporary-changes-to-social-media/) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/70 "2021-06-13T05:02:47Z")
I don’t think I saw pineapple upside-down cake mentioned so far. It was one of those things that I heard about all the time when I was growing up in the '70s, and my mom made it a few times, but I don’t think I’ve seen one, or heard of someone making one, in decades. [![](https://www.savingdessert.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pineapple-Upside-Down-Cake-2.jpg) ](https://www.savingdessert.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pineapple-Upside-Down-Cake-2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/71 "2021-06-13T05:11:44Z")
Ooh, I used to love pineapple upside-down cake - it’s been a long time! I’ll bet there’s a good updated version to be had letting it caramelize similar to a tarte tatin. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/72 "2021-06-13T15:38:36Z")
In the 60’s or was it the 70’s, my mother served a store bought angel food cake with hot chocolate pudding poured over each serving…Pineapple upside down cake was a regular dessert, baked in a cast iron skillet and served with whipped cream. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/73 "2021-06-13T15:52:29Z")
Red White and Green Jello salad. The recipe was something like… Mix up some lime jello (hot water to dissolve, then add cold), pour liquid into 9 x 13 cake pan. Let set. (There’s the Green in the title). Take brick of cream cheese, mix in crushed pineapple, maybe some lemon juice and/or sugar? When lime jello has set, spread this mixture over it (There’s the White in the title). Mix up some cherry jello (hot water to dissolve, then add cold), pour over the cream cheese and pineapple mixture in the 9 x 13 cake pan. Let set. (There’s the Red in the title). Pretty tasty. I bet it started as a Christmas recipe but we’d eat it any time. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/74 "2021-06-13T17:03:50Z")
I’ve made upside down pineapple cake in the last 5 years, not exactly sure when. I’ve also made angel food cake, from scratch, which is one of my favorite cakes. My mom’s side of the family would always have it with caramel icing, but my mom doesn’t like caramel, so she never made it. I have the recipe, but haven’t tried it. I believe instant butterscotch pudding is easy to come by. Anybody ever made it from scratch? Sugar cream pie and vinegar pie are ones my grandmother made, but I’ve never made them. I don’t think I’ve even had vinegar pie. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/75 "2021-06-13T21:33:52Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > [Jello 1-2-3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNratLjYBbE)! Loved that stuff. The foam, the sauce, and the jelly jam. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/76 "2021-06-13T21:40:19Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > I believe instant butterscotch pudding is easy to come by. Anybody ever made it from scratch? I have. With actual butter and scotch, even. It’s a bit of work if compared to making a simple vanilla or chocolate pudding from scratch, but well worth it, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![MeepersC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meepersc/32/12088_2.png) [@MeepersC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeepersC)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/78 "2021-06-13T22:02:40Z")
My brother’s favorite dessert is German Chocolate cake, and I’ve started making these [German chocolate cake bars](https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=6165762) for his birthday every year. So much easier than making the cake and icing from scratch, and he says it’s a good substitute. ---
**Author:** ![MeepersC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meepersc/32/12088_2.png) [@MeepersC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeepersC)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/79 "2021-06-13T22:07:48Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Well, now, that is interesting, because my grandmother’s family is from northeastern North Carolina - Nash County - and her husband’s family originated in Warren County, the northern border of which is the Virginia state line. I’d wonder if pickled watermelon rinds and fig preserves were an eastern North Carolina thing, except that you said those recipes were from your Georgian father. Still, it does seem like pickled watermelon rinds might be a southern thing, which would be why they’re unfamilar to other posters in this thread. > > Cultural geography is a fascinating subject. I’ve lived in Nash County all my life, with family in Franklin and Halifax counties. I grew up on watermelon rind pickles and fig preserves, and my dad actually gave me a jar of each the last time I was at their house. There’s even a local grocery store (Smith’s Red and White) that sells their own version of each for those who don’t can their own. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/80 "2021-06-13T22:21:43Z")
> [@MeepersC](#): > > … I’ve started making these [German chocolate cake bars]… ([Paula's Sweet Treat: German Chocolate Bars - ABC News](https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=6165762)) Nice! ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024/81 "2021-06-13T22:24:27Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I saw pineapple upside-down cake School lunches in the 1960’s. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-desserts/944024.md?page=5)