If this is your first time to our blog, we are more than just recipes! Each of the recipes on our blog is a recreation from a cookbook published in 1951 in Santa Maria, California. We are not only recreating these recipes, but we are also revisiting the lives of each contributor and sharing their bios with you. You can read more about this project on our About page.
I have, without a doubt, spent the most time so far researching Helen Scott's life. Mostly because there seems to be infinite information about her through copious amounts of newspaper articles, but also because she very much seemed to experience life to the fullest. She always seemed to be at the forefront of local society, travelled extensively, experienced firsthand some of the biggest historical events in California during her lifetime, and went through heartbreak and scandal before eventually settling down and starting her own family. For someone who seemed so current and modern for her time, I cannot imagine a more fitting recipe for Helen than this one for Ginger Ale Fruit Salad Jello Molds.
If there's one thing that specifically comes to mind when I think of mid-century recipes, it's jello molds. This delicacy became increasingly popular in the 1950s due to several different factors: convenience, technology, and affordability. Falling out of popularity over the next decade or two, jello molds are obviously not a super common thing today, but they instead have become representative of kitschy mid-century culinary culture. It seems like most references to jello molds now include some kind of questionable meat encased in gelatin to highlight oddity, but most recipes were sweet, fruit centered desserts. The variety of mold options also allowed for elaborately beautiful presentations.
I was actually really excited to try this specific recipe because of the kitsch factor, and really the flavors didn't seem that bad. I like fruit, and I like ginger ale. It seems like a fine combination. The prep was pretty simple with a short hands-on time, though you do need to pay attention during the setting stage to mix in your fruit at the right time. I was a little overzealous and used a fancier silicone mold for this, which made the unmolding almost impossible. But other than some cracked gelatin, these came out pretty good. The flavor is really as expected with a little bit of a zing from the carbonated ginger ale that I think elevates the dish. Helen's original recipe calls for serving the molds with mayonnaise, though I couldn't bring myself to try that flavor combo.
I love that Helen's recipe is so representative of who she seemed to be. It's such a wonderful example of how something so simple like a recipe can really speak to so much more. Not only is it highlighting the style of the period, but it's highlighting Helen's personal style while truly giving us a connection to the person that she was.
Ginger Ale Fruit Salad Jello Molds
Servings: 6-8 small molds
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 2-3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons gelatine
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups ginger ale
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups diced fruit (1 can of fruit cocktail)
Mayonnaise and lettuce for garnish
Instructions:
In a double boiler, dissolve gelatine in 1/2 cup water. Allow to cool to lukewarm.
Mix ginger ale, lemon juice, sugar, and salt with gelatine. Chill in refrigerator.
When mixture is slightly thickened, fold in diced fruit.
Pour mixture until molds and continue to chill until firm.
Once firm, remove from molds and serve garnished with lettuce and mayo.
Notes:
Helen included several notes in her original recipe:
I used a can of fruit cocktail here, mostly for convenience. Helen noted that "a mixture of peaches, apricots, pears, grapes, and pineapple or any desired combination may be used."
I used a specific mold for this that was very difficult to get out without breaking the gelatin. Helen suggested using muffin tins, and that probably would have worked much better for me. Her tips for unmolding: "To unmold, dip into large pan of warm water for a second, then invert a large tray or baking sheet over the muffin tin, turn over so the molds will slip out."
