Ham Banana Rolls
Recipe from the Dec 1947 issue of Woman's Day, via Retro-Rama Mama.
The Retro Recipe Attempts blog decided to make the thing, and their verdict was that "it actually wasn’t as bad as you’d expect from ham stuffed with a mustardy banana. If you got a bite with a good distribution of banana, ham, mustard, and cheese, the flavors almost worked. ALMOST. (If you got a bite with just banana and American cheese, well, barf.)"
Comments
This reminds me of my first foray from home many years ago and some meals we tried making after a few bong hits.
Posted by KDP on 04/30/14 at 09:22 AM
Pass...
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 04/30/14 at 09:23 AM
Another epic fail in the quest to re-invent banana sausages.
Posted by tadchem on 04/30/14 at 03:05 PM
I remember those days too KDP. Some good sticky orange haired weed and a few bong hits and everything looked yummy.
It made me think of another mistake I made back then. Green label Jack Daniels and Sunkist orange soda is NOT a good combo.
It made me think of another mistake I made back then. Green label Jack Daniels and Sunkist orange soda is NOT a good combo.
Posted by BrokeDad in Midwest US on 04/30/14 at 04:21 PM
That is just disgusting! :sick:
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 04/30/14 at 07:25 PM
They aren't half bad if you do it right. "Retro Recipe Attempts" did a lot wrong, but that's sort of understandable -- that ad is far from what works best.
You need really green bananas; they're firmer and not nearly as sweet. The ham should be rolled thicker; five or six layers instead of one or two. They should be trimmed so the bananas don't stick out beyond the ham. And last, something both "RRA" and the ad both get wrong -- the cheese sauce should be thick enough to coat the entire rolls, not a soup ("RRA") or a centered blob (ad).
We made a half-sheet full of them for a gathering. Some ended up sitting on abandoned paper plates with only a bite or two out of them, but quite a few people came back for seconds.
A good mustard (not French's) and a good cheese sauce are the key.
You need really green bananas; they're firmer and not nearly as sweet. The ham should be rolled thicker; five or six layers instead of one or two. They should be trimmed so the bananas don't stick out beyond the ham. And last, something both "RRA" and the ad both get wrong -- the cheese sauce should be thick enough to coat the entire rolls, not a soup ("RRA") or a centered blob (ad).
We made a half-sheet full of them for a gathering. Some ended up sitting on abandoned paper plates with only a bite or two out of them, but quite a few people came back for seconds.
A good mustard (not French's) and a good cheese sauce are the key.
Posted by Phideaux on 05/01/14 at 05:01 AM
Phideaux: are you sure you shouldn't be doing this with plantains rather than bananananas?
Posted by Richard Bos on 05/01/14 at 09:31 AM
Hey! It didn't occur to me that since plantains need cooking in order to be palatable, they would be more suitable. As for cheese sauce, I think an Emmentaler would be better than an American Cheddar.
Posted by KDP on 05/01/14 at 10:40 AM
Richard Bos: Positive --plantains weren't available around here (might have been found then in one of those chichi stores in the big city, but it's only in the last decade or so that it's migrated into real-people grocery stores around here).
Posted by Phideaux on 05/01/14 at 12:58 PM
At first read, this sounds disgusting (second and third, also) but I think they may have been trying to go for the sweet-salty thing. My aunt used to make ham sandwiches with her homemade angel food cake instead of bread at Easter dinner. Sounds weird but tasted great. I miss her cakes....
Anyone familiar with James Lilecks "Gallery of Unfortunate Foods?" It features one of my Mom's old cookbooks. Even as a kid, I was horrified by the photos.
Anyone familiar with James Lilecks "Gallery of Unfortunate Foods?" It features one of my Mom's old cookbooks. Even as a kid, I was horrified by the photos.
Posted by ScoutC on 05/02/14 at 08:11 PM
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Category: Food | 1940s | Bananas