Adventures with Crisco Part Two (Crisco Sandwich Spread)

Here we are folks, the long awaited Crisco Sandwich Spread from page 54 of "12 Dozen Time-Saving Recipes." I must admit I was a bit shocked at the outcome, it wasn't nearly as disgusting as I thought it was going to be.

The ingredients for the spread included, paprika, "a few grains of cayenne," Worcestershire sauce, salt, lemon juice, and egg yolk, vinegar and of course Crisco. Obviously this was published before eating uncooked eggs was seen as a no-no. There is still a debate about eating raw eggs, but it's never really bothered me so I went along with it. 

The first step was to cream the Crisco, which isn't really that difficult of a task since it is so soft to bring with. I wasn't really sure if I was doing it right, but i just kind of beat it around the bowl until it seemed to be a bit fluffier than it started as. 

Next i beat in the egg yolk and added the spices. I had some trouble with the mixture after adding the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar since the Crisco did not want to absorb the liquid. It was a bit like having oil and water in the bowl with the lump of Crisco just sitting amid a sea of lemon juice. I really had to work to blend it together and even then I had some excess liquid. 

The finished product, looks so appetizing doesn't it? At this point I wanted to do a taste test but just couldn't bring myself to even lick the fork I had been using to mix everything together. 

Instead I spread some on a piece of bread and took a bite. Overall it wasn't that bad. The lemon juice is definitely the overpowering taste and the paprika and cayenne add a nice kick. I just couldn't get over the texture however. It's almost like it coated the inside of my mouth and I just couldn't get rid of it. It tasted almost like miracle whip mixed with butter, and you can interpret that as being either a good thing or a bad thing. I, however, am definitely not trading in my margarine or miracle whip for any kind of sandwich spread made with Crisco. 

Recipe

1 cup Crisco

1 egg yolk

1/4 tsp mustard

1/8 tsp paprika

Few grains cayenne

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 1/2 tbsp vinegar 

Cream Crisco. Add egg yolk and beat well. Mix mustard, paprika, cayenne, salt, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice together and stir into the first mixture. Add vinegar, beating a little in at a time. Mix thoroughly. 

Adventures With Crisco Part One (Biscuits)

Last week I posed about a vintage cookbook I found, "12 Dozen Time-Saving Recipes," in which Crisco was a featured ingredient. I decided to try some of the recipes in here, the first on being Baking Powder Biscuits.

I have always loved making biscuits, especially with cheese. They are the perfect snack, and easy to eat on the go. While I normally make them with butter, the recipe called for Crisco instead. 

Crisco is much softer than butter, so having to "rub in Crisco with finger tips" proved to be an interesting experience. I would recommend using a hand mixer if you have one, as Crisco is quite Greasy and it took me some time to get it all off my hands. The recipe also said that you could "cut in with knives or forks" but Crisco is so soft, I just didn't see that working well either. 

The dough was also a bit dry, so I added a bit more milk. I probably should have added more and when I was forming the biscuits the dough tended to crumble. Adding cheese probably contributed to this a bit. 

The recipe advised using a greased muffin pan and simply to "drop" balls of dough into it. Even though the pans I have are non-stick, I still greased them with Crisco because, well, if we're doing this, we'll do it right. 

Overall I was pretty satisfied with the biscuits. The were a bit salty and dry, but adding a bit more milk and a little less salt would remedy this. While they are missing that buttery taste, the biscuits still retain a "melt-in-your-mouth" like texture which is something I'm all about. Leaving out the cheese and using water instead of milk also makes these biscuits vegan. I don't think I'm willing to give up butter altogether, but in a pinch, Crisco definitely works as an alternative. 

Next Week: The highly anticipated Crisco Sandwich Spread

Baking Powder Biscuits (12 Dozen Time-Saving Recipes)

2 Cups White Flour

4 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt 

4 Tablespoons Crisco

1 Cup Milk (or Water)

Sift dry ingredients, rub in Crisco with finger tips or cut in with knives or fork. Add liquid and mix to a soft dough. Toss on slightly floured board, pat into shape and cut with biscuit cutter or stop from spoon into well-greased muffin tins. Bake 15 minutes in a hot oven (450 degrees F) 

Variation: Cheese Biscuits

Stir in 1/2 cup grated cheese before dropping or rolling. 

The Magic of Crisco.

I recently came upon a this little booklet published by Procter and Gamble in 1932. You can read more about it here, but essentially the cookbook was published as a platform for the company to push their product Crisco. While we still use Crisco today, for baking pastries and frying things, some of the recipes in this booklet are just simply baffling. This upcoming week I'm planning on trying out some of the recipes in here so stay tuned to find out just exactly what "Crisco Sandwich Spread" tastes like.