If you read last week’s post (and if you didn’t, why not?) then you know that I’m giving away a copy of Magical Desserts with Whip ’n Chill to a random taste-tester of the likely-inedible Banana Tuna Salad.
I still have a hard time typing that out.
Anyway, I thought the prize itself deserved to be shown off with a more in-depth mention than it received last week, so here we go.
Back in the early 1960s, General Foods introduced a product called Whip ’n Chill to their Jell-O brand lineup. Available in chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, and lemon flavors, this “deluxe dessert” (instant mousse) mix could be served plain or, with the help of this 44-page recipe booklet from 1965, originally available for 25¢ and the tops from two boxes of Whip ’n Chill, be turned into a number of potentially delightful desserts.
You will learn that Whip ’n Chill is synonymous with versatility because its light creamy texture can be chilled plainly in dessert dishes, sherbet glasses, or pie shells. It can be layered in parfait glasses with fruit, nuts, or whipped cream. It can be frozen in fancy shapes or simply in a freezer tray. It an be turned into a frosting or filling to make a plain layer cake or angel food cake an extravagant delight.
Etcetera, etcetera. For every recipe with an unfortunate or uninspired name like Refrigerator Loaf (ladyfingers, vanilla Whip ’n Chill, peanut brittle) or Applesauce Dessert (vanilla Whip ’n Chill, applesauce, nutmeg), there is an equally magnificent sounding recipe the likes of Heavenly Lemon Cream (lemon Whip ’n Chill, sour cream, lemon zest) or Emerald Créme Pie (too many ingredients to list).
But what really got me interested in this cookbook were the photographs of some of the more fanciful desserts. I’ll leave you now with some images from the book (click to enlarge), and encourage you to try your hand at winning a copy for yourself. No box tops required!
shoes and pie 