I’ve had it in mind for some time to start a project in which I reinvent recipes from old church cookbooks of the Upper Midwest. My plan is to broaden the flavor profiles of the dishes and reduce the over-reliance on sugar and salt as the dominant flavor enhancers.
I want to cut down on the pre-packaged convenience foods that became so common as ingredients in the 1960s and ’70s. At the same time, it wouldn’t be Midwestern cooking if practicality weren’t an important feature; I won’t be hand-harvesting my own salt or rendering my own artisanal lard.
The Upper Midwest of the 1960s and ’70s is the cultural heritage I grew up in and it’s one that doesn’t really exist anymore. Earl Butz was the Secretary of Agriculture in the early ’70s and famously told farmers to “get big or get out.” Around the same time, Garrison Keillor began The Prairie Home Companion radio show featuring his stories about Lake Wobegon. Even at that time there was an air of wistful nostalgia about a uniquely Upper Midwest culture that was still recognizable but seemed to be fading away.
The 1980s Farm Crisis changed rural culture permanently. A hard-edged, nihilistic rural Southern sensibility overwhelmed the quirky charm of Upper Midwest regionalism. Well, I, for one, miss Jello salads and polka shows on TV. Like Joni Mitchell said, “You don’t know what you got till it’s gone.”
Ingredients:
- 341 grams (1 ½) cups Water
- 114 grams (½ cup) Lime Juice
- 18 grams (2 tbsp.) bulk Unflavored Gelatin 250 bloom OR 2 packets Knox Unflavored Gelatin OR 8 sheets Unflavored Gelatin
- 227 grams (1 cup) Cottage Cheese
- 15 oz. can of Unsweetened Mandarin Oranges, drained
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 tbsp. Granulated White Sugar
Directions:
Step 1: Make whipped cream by whisking 1 cup heavy cream and gradually adding two tablespoons of granulated white sugar.
Step 2: Combine cold water and cold lime juice in a medium sauce pan. Sprinkle gelatin onto the liquid and whisk. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Gelatin dissolves at about 100°F. Do not let boil. The gelatin will not set if it is brought to a boil.
Step 3: Remove the pan from the heat. Drain the can of mandarin oranges and add to the mixture. Stir in the cottage cheese. Fold in the whipped cream.
Step 4: Use a little non-stick spray to coat a mold that is at least 6 cups. Transfer the mixture to the mold and refrigerate until set. Times can vary with gelatin dishes but plan to give it at least six hours.
Step 5: After the gelatin is thoroughly set, use a spatula to gently pull away from the sides of the mold. Place a plate on top of the mold and flip. Allow the gelatin to drop from the mold naturally. Remember: gravity isn’t just a good idea, it’s the law.
Schmecken! 