Enthralled with Jell-O (and other retro recipes)

Cover Story

The writer throws a mid-century party with foods of the era

December 07, 2011|By Christopher Muther, Globe Staff

It was the “Joys of Jell-O’’ that provided the final necessary shove. I could no longer resist the charms of dishes called Apple Tuna Mold, Banana Fluff, or the Broken Window Glass Cake (more humbly known as Crown Jewel Dessert). These were recipes that cried out to be made and served on my beloved 1966 platter - the one dotted with sputnik-style asterisks.

I had often toyed with the idea of throwing a dinner party made up entirely of recipes from the 1950s and ’60s. Mid-century cookbooks with titles such as “The Fine Art of Fondue, Chinese Wok, and Chafing Dish Cooking’’ were occupying a growing portion of my shelves. But when I saw the Jell-O cookbook, which is akin to a 100-page advertisement for the psychedelic wonders of gelatin, I knew I could no longer keep to myself the idea of creating a recipe-fueled time machine dinner party. I needed to invite others into the world of high camp cuisine.

The party also made sense because I am a rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth fool for all things mid-century. My home has become a museum for stray Scandinavian ceramic cats and discarded 1960s educational posters. Along with these trinkets, I have acquired the cookbooks - primarily because I was enthralled with the horrifying food photography. Also because I was finding them for $1 a pop at flea markets and vintage shops. If anything, the cookbook pages could be transformed into amusing gift wrap.

After several planning sessions over cocktails, I decided it was time to actually cook some of these culinary monstrosities. Cookbook publishers at the time fully succeeded in making the food of the era look as unappetizing as humanly possible. There are photos of strange salads oversaturated with color and shot on a backdrop of garishly tinted chartreuse. Even if the food was not delicious, at least my party would be deliciously kitschy.

I have several friends who share my interest in all things retro. They even collect cookbooks. So the guest list was easy. As an added bonus my friend Eve Plumb - who played Jan Brady on “The Brady Bunch’’ - happened to be in Boston with her husband. Having a Brady at my party authenticated its retro credentials.

The dress code was more of a challenge. Guests were required - kindly asked, that is - to wear mid-century garb. Some, such as my lovely friend Jessica Shires and fellow Globe writer James Reed, elegantly dressed the part. Plumb was sporting a coral blazer that was very “Send Me No Flowers’’-era Doris Day. When another guest showed up in a sweat shirt and baseball cap, I dragged him into my bedroom and put him into one of my dress shirts and skinny ties.

With others, I just threw up my hands in frustration.