Answer:
The 1920s roared.
The economy buzzed along mightily, at least until the last three months of the decade. Young people danced the Charleston to the sounds of hot jazz. Speak-easies became popular as some people looked for ways to circumvent Prohibition, and the movies learned to talk.
In the world of food, things were looking up. Scientists were busy researching vitamins, and consumers were eating accordingly: more fruits, more vegetables, more milk. And technology was catching up to those trends, too. Farms were producing more than ever, and the process of canning foods that had been perfected during World War I now made produce accessible across the country in all seasons.
And when Clarence Birdseye invented a way to freeze foods in 1922, people could eat foods from all over that still tasted fresh.
On the other hand, the Baby Ruth bar and Wonder Bread were both invented in 1920, Popsicles came out in 1924, Hostess cakes and Kool-Aid were products of 1927 and Velveeta cheese was introduced in 1928. So Americans were getting healthier, but at the same time they weren’t.
Some of the decade’s side dishes were not any less decadent. I made Baked Rice Milanaise from the same cookbook. It’s just rice mixed with green pepper and onion — but then you add grated cheese to it and then you put more cheese on top when you bake it. Top it with tomato sauce and slices of a hard-cooked egg, and you have a dish unmistakably from the 1920s.
And since we are making rich foods from the ’20s, I decided to make a Prosperity Sandwich, although I am not entirely certain about the date of its conception.
The Prosperity Sandwich was invented at the Mayfair Hotel in St. Louis, which of course also gave us Mayfair dressing. Mr. Wikipedia assures us that it was created in the 1920s, and I would hate to doubt anything that Mr. Wikipedia says. Besides, the folks at America’s Test Kitchen agree that it was the Twenties, though they may have just been listening to Mr. Wikipedia.
The problem is the name: Prosperity Sandwich is obviously a reaction to the Depression and probably to President Hoover’s reported assurance that “prosperity is just around the corner.” But as we have already mentioned, only the last three months of the Twenties saw the Depression.
Still, the Prosperity Sandwich is related to the Hot Brown sandwich, which was unquestionably created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville in 1926. So the 1920s it is.
And it’s a good thing, too, because this is a sandwich you won’t want to miss. It’s open-faced, with sautéed mushrooms and shallots on top of the bread, a rich (of course) cheese sauce on top of that, slices of ham and turkey (at the time, turkey was generally served only at the holidays), tomatoes and then cheese melted under the broiler on top.
Dessert, you will not be surprised to learn, was also rich. I made an Ice Box Cake, which is a cake that you do not bake but you allow it to set in the refrigerator.
For this particular cake, you line a pan with ladyfingers, both on the bottom and around the sides. Then you add a layer of what is essentially chocolate mousse. Then another layer of ladyfingers. Then another layer of chocolate mousse. Then you top it with whipped cream.
Although the ladyfingers around the edge remain intact, the ones in the layers just dissolve into the mousse, giving it a most appealing texture. And the taste?
It’s amazing. This is an easy-to-make dessert — if you don’t mind whipping egg whites — that will find an instant place in your repertoire.
Finally, I made a cocktail. While Prohibition cut down on the number of people drinking in this country, it also had the effect of encouraging those who did drink to drink all the more heavily. And because the alcohol they were consuming was often of a poor quality, it was frequently mixed into cocktails to mask the taste.
One of the most popular cocktails of the era was the Sidecar. It is a heavenly concoction made by mixing cognac or other brandy with sweet Cointreau and sour lemon juice. It is served cold, in a glass rimmed with sugar.
I can see why it was such a hit. With a lovely balance of flavors and a sophisticated aura, it will make you want to roar.
Hope this helps!
Sorry if it was long or hard to understand :(