Got company coming over? A ladies luncheon or coffee morning?
Or a date with your mother-in-law? Perhaps you’ve invited the new neighbors
over to introduce yourself.
Should you be compelled to entertain, but find that for
whatever reason, you just don’t give a f*ck, then this is the perfect thing to
serve. It says “I went to the trouble, but didn’t trouble myself too much.” It’s
semi-homemade in a way that signals you’re a busy woman who wants to keep up
appearances, but hasn’t got time to appear to keep them up. A dessert such as
this acknowledges that you like tradition in the kitchen and fashion in the
dining room. It says “I understand the fundamentals but like to throw them
together according to my mood.”
Whatever message it sends, it’s sure to please the
unfortunates among your crowd who will feel encouraged to gorge now and purge
later, or perhaps to decline to indulge themselves at all in order to maintain
their figures. You can go ahead and give it a fancy French name. No-one will know what it means.
Dessert Cook Book,
Better Homes and Gardens, 1960
