Now where were we... ah yes. Chocolate. I ended my last post suggesting that my next post would involve chocolate and my friend Betty even said "please", so I thought I'd dig around and find something from one of our most beloved fictional homemakers, Betty Crocker.
I didn't know this, and suspect you didn't either. The name Betty Crocker was developed in 1921 by the Washburn Crosby Company (now General Mills) to personalize responses to consumer questions. The company chose the name Betty because it was "viewed as a cheery, all-American name." It was paired with the last name Crocker, in honour of William Crocker, a Washburn Crosby Company director. The name was actually created by Marjorie Husted who was a home economist. Which makes me think of my home ec classes at Massey-Vanier... Remember Betty?
But I digress. As I searched through the Interweb for one of Ms. Crocker's recipes featuring chocolate, I noticed on more than one occasion that certain recipes contained Bisquick. Bisquick in cookies? I keep a box handy to make quick biscuits and have topped my chicken pot pies with the mix, but it would never have occurred to me to use it in a dessert. How clever of General Mills to have incorporated the mix in Betty's repertoire!
So intrigued by this that I continued my research and discovered Betty Crocker’s Bisquick Party Book published in 1957 by General Mills and its "97 gay new ideas and recipes. . . for coffee time through late T.V. . . .from appetizers to desserts!" Which begs the question, why 97? Why not 100? Betty appears to be mum on the subject. In fact, I'd never have used Bisquick and party in the same sentence, but I'm open to anything in this blog.
So when did Bisquick hit the grocer's aisles? Well, dear reader, it was in 1930 after General Mills sales executive Carl Smith enjoyed a freshly baked biscuit one night while travelling on a Southern-Pacific train heading to San-Francisco. Surprised with the biscuit at such a late hour, he found his way to the galley and questioned the black chef* who was happy to share his secret: he'd pre-mixed the batter (lard, flour, baking powder, and salt) and stored it in the train's ice box before departure. After a few adjustments, General Mills marketed the idea and Bisquick became the first baking mix to hit grocery shelves. Once again proving the point that necessity IS the mother of invention.
*According to Business Without Borders: The Story of General Mills by James Gray). Every other source I came across referred to a train chef but never mentioned the man's colour. I wanted to give credit where credit's due.
Before choosing a recipe, I checked my cupboards to see what I had on hand in an effort to save hubby a trip to the store. (You're welcome, dear). With the basics on hand, I let my fingers do the tapping and came across Fudge Squares which met my two requirements: 1) finding a recipe with chocolate and 2) find a recipe with more than five ingredients. This one had six.
Turns out there's no fudge here. But this was a one-bowl job. I melted the chocolate and butter in the same bowl, my large yellow Pyrex mixing bowl (you know the one), then added the sugar, eggs, Bisquick, and chopped nuts. I did cheat by using parchment paper instead of greasing the bowl, so saved myself the clean-up there. I did use my Mom's vintage aluminum Wear-Ever square cake pan which still looks great and which has served me well over the years.
Since discovering parchment paper at culinary school, I use it all the time. I could have cut the paper but it's the width of my roll and what was I going to do with a two inch piece? (I'm open to suggestions).
The cake was cut into 16 squares. We did the math and each square equals 168 calories.
This bite would have cost me 42 calories. That is if I'd stuck to just one bite...
Now these squares are not brownies per se, but more cake-like in texture and much less sweeter. I'd say they'd be the perfect companion to vanilla ice-cream and Hershey's chocolate sauce. A quick mention, the plate featured in the photos is Royal Doulton bone china, the Evesham pattern (H4821) made between 1942-59.
So as the box says: Bisquick is for pancakes, biscuits & more!
Hope you enjoyed this adventure as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.
Be safe and have a great week!
No comments:
Post a Comment