Candle (eww) Salad

My dear friend @KitchenMage teased on Twitter:

I am designing the cake to fit her theme and I am afraid to tell you what because you will innundate me with photos of that “salad”…

— kitchenMage (@kitchenmage) July 27, 2013

 

I, of course, DMed her … her answer was Candle Salad. An answer she eventually made public. (Careful – make sure that “l” key is pressed firmly.)

Candle Salad? Huh?

Google to the rescue: take the curved top half of a banana, stick it upright into a pineapple slice, affix a cherry on top (with a toothpick) and decorate with creamy white drippings. Place the whole thing on a lettuce leaf and serve … to children as a festive dessert.

Yeah … right!

This is not so much a recipe – although it is a recipe – as it is a “oh how our minds have slid into the gutter” post.

Or a giggle.

Or something.

Even Penzy’s – Penzy’s! – published this recipe (pdf) in 2010 (image at right, page 53):

Laurel Cosbie can’t wait to dig out her holiday recipes and cook something festive for her husband Dick.

Here’s the recipe, from the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys & Girls (1957), although it appeared in print as early as 1916.

 It’s better than a real candle, because you can eat it.

 

One hypothesis: this festive, holiday recipe may have been promoted by Dole (pineapple). Another, by Chiquita (the banana people).

The timeless ingredients seem to be:

• Lettuce leaves (base of candle holder)
• Pineapple ring (candle holder)
• Banana (the candle)
• Maraschino cherry (the flame)
• Mayo (melted wax)

Other ingredients/substitutions along the way:

• Coconut to serve as a wick (1928)
• Strips of red or green pepper (candlestick handles, 1920s)
• Red jelly (1920s) or red jello (1957, pdf) garnish
• Pimento “bit” to serve as flame (1984, pdf)
• Apple slices instead of pineapple (1997, pdf)
• Apricots and raspberries (2009)
• Orange gumdrop instead of cherry (Penzy’s, 2010, pdf)
• Candy corn instead of cherry plus peanut butter (2010)
• Strawberry instead of cherry (2011)
• Whipped cream/sour cream/cottage cheese/cream cheese (anything creamy and white)

For your enjoyment or eye pain or lascivious chuckles (I feel a meme in the making):

Images link to sources; some have recipes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I leave you with this illustrated walk though yesteryear (pdf) …. a twisted banana split … and video giggle:

Candle salad at Ranch 616 in ATX! @sxsw pic.twitter.com/tRTQBlfhbu

— Andy Cohen (@BravoAndy) March 9, 2013

 

Will you be serving a Candle Salad this holiday season?

I seem to have comments turned off… send me a tweet @kegill til I figure this out.