This is a collection of over 200 dessert recipes, put together by my Mom and her friends in 1978.
The result of this effort was a locally printed, low-fi, spirally bound cookbook. It might have sold a few dozen copies – but my Mom was ecstatic when she saw a copy for sale in an antique store all the way up in Vermont!
Most of the desserts reflect the time and area in which they were collected. The area was an upper-middle-class commuter suburb of New York City; quite prosperous but not as wealthy as it is today. Almost all of the women were full time homemakers.
Many of the women had executive husbands with access to quality restaurants in Manhattan and the NYC suburbs. They were able to get some of these restaurants to donate recipes.
But most of the desserts were the women’s own. These desserts would usually be served at bridge club, brunches or parties. Social life was a lot more organized in 1978 than it is today – clubs, committees, churches and other group gatherings would dominate much of your evening or weekend schedule.
“Healthy choices” were not a concern. You’ll see tons of sugar, butter, and other good stuff in all of these recipes. If you’re looking for a light, healthy dessert then please look elsewhere. No offense, but if you’re going to be fussy about it you might not be invited to the next bridge club get-together!
Needless to say, there are no microwaves involved with these recipes. There are a few brand names mentioned, but so far it looks like they are still available in specialty markets or online.
They had a lot of fun doing it, and I hope you have a blast cooking (and more importantly eating) these recipes from 1978!