Recipes

Here is an assortment of recipes for popular foods from famous restaurants of the past. Please note that I have not tested them. Temperatures are Fahrenheit. At times the recipes can be maddeningly vague, incomplete, or just plain strange. Please let me know of other restaurant recipes or — for any daring cooks and bakers — how you fare with these.

Marshall Field’s Potato Flour Muffins
During the First World War, caterers were strongly urged to reduce the use of wheat in their recipes. In Chicago, the Marshall Field department store began serving muffins made from potato flour in its restaurants. The wheatless muffins, rather than being seen as a hardship, became a much-loved staple still on the menu in the 1940s, maybe longer.
5 egg whites
2½ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
2½ tbsp ice water
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup potato flour
2 tsp baking powder
Beat sugar and salt into egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add ice water. Add egg yolks. Sift flour and baking powder and add to mixture. Mix thoroughly and place in greased muffin tins. Bake in 400° oven for 20 minutes. Makes 8 muffins.

London Chop House Roqueburger
Chef Pancho gave this recipe to Poppy Cannon in 1963 and she included it in her column The Fast Gourmet. According to Poppy these cheeseburgers were the “topic of much conversation, comment and curiosity” and were among the favorite menu items at both the Chop House and the Caucus Club.
2½ lb ground beef (the Chop House ground their own prime aged beef trimmings)
2 eggs
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 lb Roquefort or blue cheese
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cognac
Combine ground beef, eggs, onion, parsley, salt and pepper and form into 12 patties, each ½ inch thick. For the filling, blend the cheese, butter, and cognac until smooth and form into 6 balls. Place each ball between 2 patties, pressing edges together firmly. Broil 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until the desired doneness is reached. Makes 6 burgers.

Salmon Mousse from Alice’s Restaurant
This recipe was used at the second Alice’s Restaurant on Route 183 in Stockbridge. Hard to believe that this was a take-out item. Fat content and canned salmon aside, let’s all bow our heads to those 1970s hippie cooks!
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp chopped raw onion
1 envelope gelatin
½ cup of boiling water
Put all of the above into a blender and mix on high speed for one minute, adding:
½ cup mayonnaise
½ tbsp paprika
1 tbsp chopped dill seed
1 lb can salmon, drained
Dash Tabasco
Blend on high speed for one minute, adding 1 cup of heavy cream. Blend again for a few seconds. Refrigerate 3 or 4 hours. Put in mold or use as dip. Makes one quart.

The Automat’s Creamed Spinach
Despite its hard surfaces and seemingly dehumanized method of delivering food, the Automat was regarded by its patrons as a comforting place to enjoy homelike food. Included in the wonderfully illustrated book The Automat, by Lorraine B. Diehl and Marianne Hardart, are recipes for familiar favorites such as baked beans, chicken potpie, and mashed potatoes.
1 lb spinach, washed and drained but not dried
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1½ tbsp flour
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
Add washed spinach to large pan over medium heat and cook covered about 5 minutes until thoroughly wilted. Remove from heat, cool, and chop. Set aside. Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat; add flour gradually, whisking continuously and cook 1 to 2 minutes until smooth mixture forms. Continue to whisk while adding milk and cook 3 to 5 minutes until thickened. Add cooked spinach and salt and pepper, blending well. Serves 4.

Filene’s Thousand Island Dressing
In the early 1920s Filene’s department store in Boston issued a 38-page booklet called “A Few Favorite Dishes from The Filene Restaurant.” This salad dressing was included, as were chop suey, chicken a la king, and maple layer pie. Be prepared to mince.
1 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp minced dill pickle
1 tbsp minced beet
1 hardboiled egg, minced
Sprinkle of minced chives
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp chili sauce 1½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

Schrafft’s Hot Butterscotch Sauce
Being a candy store as well as a restaurant, Schrafft’s made its own ice cream sauces. This recipe is one of 45 included in When Everybody Ate at Schrafft’s, by Joan Kanel Slomanson.
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup heavy cream
Combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup in medium saucepan. Cook, stirring, just until the mixture gets thick and smooth. Remove from heat, stir in heavy cream and vanilla, and serve over ice cream. (I’d guess this makes a little more than a cup.)

Tarello’s Spaghetti a la Rustica
A simple 1950s recipe from Philadelphia’s Tarello’s, once located at 1623 Chestnut, illustrated by a charming painting by Jerome Kaplan.

Crème Vichyssoise à la Maramor
At The Maramor in Columbus OH Mary McGuckin perfected a vichyssoise without its characteristic ingredients, potatoes and leeks. And yet fans said it was better than the Waldorf’s.
5½ cups carrots, thinly sliced
4 cups chicken broth
3 tbsp raw rice
1 pint whole milk
1 pint light cream
1 tsp onion juice
3/8 tsp mace
2 bay leaves
3 drops tabasco
1/4 tsp Worcestershire
Salt to taste
1½ tsp minced chives, as garnish
Place carrots in a stew pan with chicken broth and rice; cook at slow boil 25 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then until done. Cool, press through coarse sieve to make 1 quart of puree, adding water if necessary. Set aside to cool. Combine milk, cream, seasonings and heat to just under boiling. Cool. Remove bay leaves; combine with carrot-chicken base. Pour into an earthen crock or large bowl; chill in the refrigerator. Serve in chilled cups, topping each with sprinkling of chives. Serves 6.

The Trident’s Cappuccino Sausalito
What better way was there to finish off one of the Trident’s shredded steak omelettes with brown rice on the side than with a cappuccino? To bring back memories, while gazing at San Francisco Bay try sipping this and imagining you are listening to the Kingston Trio live. Take a taxi back home.
1 cup brewed espresso or extra-strong coffee
1 qt half & half
1 tbsp vanilla
4 tbsp honey
1 tbsp cocoa
6 oz brandy
4 oz rum
5 oz Kahlua or dark Creme de Cocao
½ oz Galliano
Whipped cream and chocolate shavings
Combine espresso, half & half, vanilla, honey, and cocoa. Heat until almost boiling. Set aside and keep warm. Mix together the brandy, rum, Kahlua and Galliano. In a 6½ oz glass pour 4 oz cappuccino mixture and 1 oz liquor mixture. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Makes about 11 servings.

Pig’n Whistle Cheese Cake
Pig’n Whistle was a chain of California candy store restaurants which began in San Francisco in 1910. Like coffee shops, Pig’n Whistles were open from early in the morning until midnight. In the 1930s, the decade this recipe dates from, the chain did all its own baking.
1 lb dry, fine cottage cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
½ tsp vanilla
Pinch salt
2 lemons, grated and juiced
½ pt whipping cream
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites
Zweiback or plain cookies, and butter for crust
Mix cheese, flour and salt thoroughly, add grated lemon and juice and half the sugar. Add egg yolks gradually and finally the vanilla. Beat the cream stiff and fold into mixture. Then whip the six whites solid. First add the remainder of the sugar and then fold the whites into the rest of the batter. For crust, grate zweibach or cookies, dampen with melted butter and add a little cinnamon; line heavily buttered mold with mixture. Fill mold nearly to top and sprinkle with zweiback crumbs which have been flavored with cinnamon. Bake in 350° oven for 30 minutes.

L. S. Ayres’ Chicken Velvet Soup
This well-loved soup was featured in the Indianapolis department store’s tea room. The recipe came from the 1975 Better Homes and Gardens “Recipes from Famous Places.”
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ cup milk
½ cup light cream
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
Dash pepper
Melt butter in saucepan. Blend in flour, then stir in milk, light cream, and chicken broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce heat. Stir in finely chopped chicken and dash of pepper. Return soup to boiling and serve immediately. Makes about 5 cups.

Miss Dutton’s Baked Swordfish with Herb Butter
In 1952, on the 40th anniversary of her popular Green Room Restaurant and Coffee Shop in Providence RI, Flora Dutton issued a leaflet with 10 recipes often requested by her guests.
3/4 lb swordfish steak, 3 inches thick
½ tsp mustard
For sauce, combine:
½ cup finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped dill or chives
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup melted butter
Rub mustard on top and bottom of steak; salt and pepper. Brown in bacon fat or butter and then bake in frying pan or casserole at 400° for about 9 minutes, basting frequently with butter or drippings. Serve with sauce.

Trader Vic’s “Scorpion”
Around 1961 when a Vic’s opened in Washington’s Statler Hotel, this was considered quite an exotic drink. Serves 12.
1½ bottles Puerto Rican rum
2 oz gin
2 oz brandy
16 oz lemon juice
8 oz orange juice
8 oz orgeat (almond flavoring)
2 sprigs mint
½ bottle white wine
Mix thoroughly, pour over cracked ice and let stand 2 hours, adding more ice. Serve in brandy snifter or bowl with gardenias floating in it. Give your guests extra-long straws. (Ok, I admit it, the vessel pictured here is from The Kahiki.)

Ruby Chow’s Melon Soup
Ruby Chow’s Chinese Dinner Club was located on Broadway and Jefferson Streets in Seattle in the 1940s. I don’t know much about the restaurant’s history but was intrigued by this recipe.
1 lb Chinese melon, cut into bite size pieces
1 qt chicken stock
1/4 lb raw pork, diced
3 water chestnuts, peeled
1 egg
Bring stock to rapid boil in 2-quart saucepan. Add pork and sliced water chestnuts, cooking until pork is done. Add salt and melon. Boil 10 minutes, uncovered. Break egg into soup. Do not stir, leaving egg whole. Serve immediately.

Don the Beachcomber’s Cantonese Spareribs
This recipe is from the Hollywood Beachcomber at 1727 North McCadden Place ca. 1950. Better invite the whole clan because it sounds like it makes a lot.
2 sides pork spareribs
2 cups soy sauce
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp catsup
Trim ribs and marinate for an hour in mixture of soy sauce, sugar, salt, and catsup. Roast in 400° oven for about 30 minutes. Baste at least 3 times. Roasting time will vary depending on how thick the ribs are. Serve with barbecue sauce.

Brown Derby’s Hamburger de Luxe
A recipe from Derby owner Bob Cobb at the 1628 North Vine Street location in Hollywood ca. 1950.
2 lbs ground sirloin
1 raw egg
2 cups chicken broth
½ tsp English mustard
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp chicken fat
de Luxe Sauce:
2 cups brown sauce (canned or from beef roast)
1 tbsp English mustard
2 tsp Sauce Diable or A-1
1 tbsp Worcestershire
½ cup catsup
2 pats butter
Chopped parsley
Mix meat, egg, and broth, then add the other ingredients. Use one full coffee cup of the mixture for each burger. Boil sauce ingredients together, adding parsley. Pour sauce over hamburgers.

Sweet’s New England Fish Chowder
New York City’s Sweet’s was over 100 years old at the time this recipe was printed in the early 1950s. It was opened in 1845 on Fulton Street by A. M. Sweet, a Quaker. Because of its proximity to Fulton Market Sweet’s was frequented by fishermongers, some of whom brought their own fish to be cooked.
1 lb halibut or haddock
Bones of one whitefish
1 onion, cut fine
½ cup celery, chopped
½ lb butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
Few grains pepper
1½ tbsp flour
½ pint milk
½ pint cream
2 cups raw potatoes, diced
Wash fish and bones and cover with salted water. Bring to boil slowly, simmer for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving stock. Saute onion and celery in 1/4 lb butter. Add salt, curry powder and pepper. Melt remaining butter in large saucepan and blend flour into this, stirring to make smooth paste. Heat and combine milk and cream and slowly blend into mixture. Add 1 quart reserved fish stock, fish, celery, onions and potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.

Higbee Muffins
Located on the 10th floor of Higbee’s department store in Cleveland, the Silver Grille hosted daily fashion shows and won accolades from Clevelanders and guidebook writer Duncan Hines. This recipe comes from The Higbee Company and the Silver Grille (Cleveland Landmark Press, 2001), which is out of print. However, Clevelanders may also be interested in another book published by the Landmark Press, Euclid Avenue: Cleveland’s Sophisticated Lady, 1920-1970, which contains 22 recipes from Halle’s and Stouffer’s.
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour
2 tbsp baking powder
2 cups milk
3 egg whites, beaten
Cream shortening; add sugar and egg yolks, and cream well. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder, and add to mixture, alternating mixture with milk, only to moisten the batter. Gently fold in beaten eggs whites. Divide the batter into well-greased muffin tins and bake in 400° oven for 20 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.

Patricia Murphy’s Popovers
There were several Patricia Murphy locations: one at 60th Street, a huge place in Westchester, and another in Fort Lauderdale. In her 1961 autobiography Glow of Candlelight, Murphy gives the recipe for her famous popovers.
1/3 tsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sifted flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp butter, melted
Put 1/3 tsp butter in each muffin pan or custard cup and heat in oven for 5 minutes while mixing batter. Sift flour and salt into bowl. Beat eggs with rotary beater, add milk and butter, beating only enough to make a smooth batter. Fill hot muffin pans or custard cups one-third full and bake in 450° oven for 30 minutes, then at 350° for 15 minutes or until firm, brown, and popped. Keep oven door closed while baking. Makes 6 large popovers or 9 small ones.

The Kahiki’s Beef Ka Tiki
The Kahiki opened in 1960 in Columbus, Ohio, and was an immediate success. This recipe was published in a professional restaurant journal in 1963. Personally, I wouldn’t be too enthusiastic about the idea of boiling beef – or the catsup – or the sugar – or the cornstarch …
1½ lb lean beef, cut crossgrain and sliced
1½ lb chopped tomatoes
1 lb precooked green pepper, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup tomato catsup
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp seasoning powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in ½ cup water
Saute onion, garlic, meat in skillet. Add green pepper, tomato, celery, cornstarch mixture, catsup, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and seasoning. Bring to boil. Simmer until the water has been absorbed and the mixture thickened. Makes 4 servings.