Don’t Mock an Old Edmonds Cookbook
Posted in Kitchen on 22. Oct, 2008
At the “old family bach” there is an “old Edmonds Cookbook” which belonged to my “old (late) mother” who cooked a lot because she had eight children.
This particular cookbook gets hauled out and gone over at least once a year when the conditions are right. The conditions are sister + sister + sister + rain = cabin fever. Cabin fever = stupidity with the Edmonds Cookbook. We read aloud the recipes and hints and spend a lot of time laughing our tits off and always finish up doubled over with tears rolling down our cheeks as we behave in a more infantile manner the further we progress through the book. If laughter is the best medicine then this Edmonds Cookbook has added years to our life.
I don’t know what edition the cookbook is because the cover has long gone so please just imagine the book is rather old. Surely it has been quite some time since a cookbook was published that had recipes with such evocative names. I can’t see Jamie Oliver devoting a segment of his show to Picnic Dainties or Lemon Fluff. But I can easily see Nigella dishing up platefuls of Eggs A La Goldenrod which she’d probably call Sex On A Light Sabre. Nuns’ Toast would not be in the domain of Gordon Ramsay, but one of our absolute favourites, Moonshine Biffs, probably would.
You’ve got to give a standing ovation to someone nifty enough to not only design a food item but have big enough balls to name it Moonshine Biff. If I ever owned a racehorse, that’s what I’d call it.
The mirth flows in many ways as we go through this book. Someone always finds the poultry and game section and gets to the page for swan. Then they say: “Here are the ingredients … swan” and for some reason we find this tremendously funny.
Then someone else grabs the book and calls out “Toad Stools. Guess what’s in them?” Thankfully, not toad’s stools.
The use of complete rather than powdered eggs in the recipes suggests this book is post-war era but there was clearly still a lack of certain ingredients in 1950s(?) New Zealand. Colonial Goose is actually mutton and forcemeat (we’ll have no stuffing here). Mock cream is forgivable and even quite tasty but after that things start getting a bit weird.
Supreme fibbing skills are called for to try to convince your family that grated potato in batter is, in fact, baby fish in the Mock Whitebait Patties. More imagination is needed when you decide to serve your guests Mock Chicken. You try this and tell me how you get along: cook a chopped onion in a little butter. Add a small (Edmonds’ emphasis) chopped tomato, mixed herbs and an egg and cook it slowly until the mixture thickens, then pile it on to a water biscuit and garnish with a bit of parsley. Offer it up as chicken and tell me there’s not a soul alive you managed to fool. And if there is, I’ve got a job for you.
But I’ve mocked Mr Edmonds (sure to rise, the original Viagra guy) enough for one day and this is really all about the fact that I decided to tackle one of these old recipes myself.
I gathered together the Mock Stepchildren and Mock Stepgrandchildren (because Mr Scott is, in fact, a Mock Husband and refuses to make an honest woman out of me) for Sunday-night dinner and instead of providing them with their usual safe but tasty fare, I goose-stepped right on out of the comfort zone and made vintage pudding … Chocolate Eve’s Pudding to be precise.
Things went fairly well for a while. I always admire a recipe that allows you to get the really messy bits over with before the guests arrive and get a chance to see that in the absence of real children I HAVE LET THE DOGS LICK THE SPOONS AND BOWLS.
I was mixing away and got to the bit where you fold in the sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk or water. There is no suggested quantity for the liquid. The recipe states “moist mixture”. For the first time in my life I have to question “moist”. Is 1950s moist the same as 2008 moist? Normally I’d phone Mother for advice but she’s tootling around heaven as a Mock Angel so I had a “damn, if only I’d listened to her more” moment before realising I was halfway through assembling this beast so I had to quantify moist in a bit of a hurry. I phoned around and got everything from damp to not too wet and was none the wiser.
I winged it and I think I winged it wong WRONG. The pudding was dense, but perhaps puddings were dense in those days. In future I’d probably go for a mixture not quite so moist. At the risk of being sued for all kinds of terrible infringements of copyright I’ve scanned the recipe below for you. Make it yourself and see how it goes. Don’t forget to send me a photo and I’ll add it to the collection.
As always, the proof of the pudding is in the eating:
I LUV it, especially the pics – does the last photo show pudding or ice-cream being devoured?. Thought my Edmonds edition was pretty ancient but think yours beats it. I KNOW the Mock Steps don’t think you’re a Mock Mum and they love your cullinery expertise – just keep on trialling those Edmonds Recipes. Happy cooking and I also have many “moments like these when I need (not Minties) my Mom” who is also tootling around heaven as another Mock Angel. D…n, if only I’d paid more attention all those years ago.
2nd pic down…….it looks like a roast goose.
And was that EDMONDS custard? Or the ready made variety?
Hope you have returned said cook book to the bach or we will have nothing to laugh about on New Years eve! Pudding looks disgusting. I think you should have a go at the Moonshine Biffs.
@Jocelyn: the last photo shows a near-empty plate so the dense pud was actually edible.
@Annie: Hmmm, it does look like a goose. I think I’ve discovered the secret ingredients for MOCK ROAST GOOSE! It is truly Edmonds custard. The ready-made tastes like petroleum.
@5th from the top 4th from the bottom: Please use a shorter name next time! I will tackle Moonshine Biffs in the coming weeks. Can’t return cookbook to bach as I accidentally listed and sold it on eBay.
I call a family meeting…….if cookbook not returned you will be made to eat MOCK SHORTBREAD for three meals a day until the cows come home!!!!
@Annie: You had to come out with the BIG GUNS didn’t you? Shortbread threats should be used with caution or someone will come down on you like a ton of bricks. [Are we ALL channelling mother today?]
The Edmonds Cook Book and the women who utilsed that book were a very important part of New Zealands history in particular post world war two. The recipes are excellent and represent the very best of Nz life as we knew it to be. Good on Foghorn to promote this recipe and hopefully more to follow. We could of course add an “Aunt Daisy” recipe or two which were also representative of a bygone era in N.Z.
Hi. When it all come to opinions, everyone has its own; specially regarding “Don’t Mock an Old Edmonds Cookbook”. Have you seen a good edible chocolate bowls?
Been overseas (Canada) for 42 years. Tonight I did a recipe search for “Moonshine Biffs which my mother used to make – a gelatine-type candy, often tinted light green with food colouring – rolled in coconut.
Anyone got it? My mother gave my Canadian wife an Edmond’s cook book but we don’t know where it is!
Cheers, Reg
Hi Reg, thanks for stopping by. Here is the Moonshine Biffs recipe:
3 dessertspoons Gelatine
1 cup sugar
300ml water
225g icing sugar
Coconut
Vanilla essence
Put gelatine in to a saucepan with water and sugar. Boil eight minutes. cool. Add icing sugar and vanilla. Beat until thick and white. Pour mixture into a wet tin. Leave for several hours. Cut into squares and roll in coconut or icing sugar.
Enjoy! and send us a photo of the finished product.
All the best, Erin
Hello webmaster. I am going to check it, since I saw a comment in another site regarding \”\”. Someone related to weird candy recipes. Thanks anyway.
I`ve been in the US for 5 yrs now and have 2 edmonds cookbooks. I`m always cooking `Kiwi` type dishes out of this great cookbook for DH. I was disappointed when they stopped printing the Mock chicken recipe and was very happy to find it on this site. Thanks so much! p.s. Loved the Pics!
Hi Sandy
Within the family circle we have a number of Edmonds cookbooks so don’t hesitate to ask for any other recipes you may have mislaid. If DH is American there may be more treats he has missed. We should probably start a new post for Typical Kiwi Tasty Fare!
~ Erin
Hi Erin, yes he is American. The Kiwi tasty fare is a great idea. I love to make bacon and egg pie and DH loves this. If I need any more recipies I`ll let ya know. TC.
Thanks for providing more Bacon information to the World! Praise B!(acon)
hello what a cool site i would like to ask a question…my mum used to make the worchestershire sauce…i thought id make some.but the recipe seems to have aloooooooooooot of vinegar in it,now mum cant remember weve looked for her old book no luck…any way im 50 so if any one has the recipe from them ppppplease let me know thnaks
Hello Frith! Glad you enjoyed the site and thanks for mentioning Worcestershire sauce. I’ve never thought of making it myself but am now going to hunt down a recipe, give it a try and post the recipe if all comes up to scratch. Tell me, how much is a lot of vinegar? Being someone who, as a child, used to sneak great slurps of malt vinegar until a brother informed me that if I continued along that track my blood would dry up and I would die (what a deterrent … and what a bullshit artist of a brother!) I’m not such a good judge when it comes to vinegar quantities. In the meantime I’ll have a look for a sauce recipe.
~ Foggle
thanks for that
Thanks for the information. You are doing a good job communicating your message. Keep up the good writing.
I would like the recipe for the sweet and sour pork which is in the old Edmonds cookbook. I used to have this book, but it has been lost.
It would be great if someone could post it on this site.
Ernie, can I just say that the recipe is coming. I’m just waiting for a scan of the picture to go with it. Really, it’s worth the wait.
Thanks for the moonshine biff recipe. Used to make it a lot for my kids’ parties as one visiting child was had an egg allergy. Then one of mine stole my old Edmonds Cookbook. I think it’s somewhere in London!
I’m in shaky Christchurch so the biff can wobble as much as it likes.
Jan, you’re most welcome. Glad the Moonshine Biff recipe is still a hit. Amazing how those old Edmonds Cookbooks travel … but the new ones stay at home!