More Bullock's tea room style recipes

7/9/14 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser

I have been writing Cook’s Corner since the turn of the last century. Over the years, the column’s recipes have included everything from appetizers to zucchini. The subjects ranged from Super Bowl Sunday Soups to Christmas Cookies. I have suggested literally thousands of recipes for tasty meals. My goal has always been to keep things simple, seasonal and delicious.

Back in 2009, I wrote a two-part series on Bullock’s Tea Rooms. These wonderful places are long gone but remain memorable to many generations of customers. And my old columns continue to generate interest up and down the West Coast. Recently, I have had several Bullock’s nostalgia notes from readers in Newport Beach up the coast to San Francisco. Memories were shared and recipes were requested for popovers, Matador Salad and date nut bread.

Quite frankly, I don’t remember a Matador Salad on the Bullock’s menu but that was a long time ago. Maybe it came after my time. I do have faint memories of the tea room serving a “Spanish Salad.” It was similar to today’s taco salad made of lettuce, seasoned ground meat and cheese without the big, poufy shell. Instead, it was a normal sized salad plate garnished with crushed tortilla chips.

Finally, I found a reference to a “Matador Salad” recipe in the Winnepeg Free Press, Food and Drink section by Alison Gillmore. Evidently it was a popular item in Canada at Partners Delicatessen. But the deli served it with a Caesar dressing. Now a classic Caesar is made with a coddled raw egg yolk. We can’t do that anymore. This recipe gets around the uncooked egg by using mayonnaise.

Popovers are a simple, old-fashioned way to put hot bread on the table. Betty Crocker’s recipe with only four ingredients is the standard. Use deep baking cups for a high rise muffin. They are crispy outside; airy and moist inside. Eat with butter and jam or whatever suits your fancy.

Date Nut bread used to be all the rage in the 1950s. I seem to remember that Dromedary Date Co. put out a canned bread that was dark, moist and delicious. It was similar to the steamed-in-a-can Boston Brown Bread. My mother made the following recipe from the Dromedary Dates box. The dates came whole or pitted in a box. Mom bought pitted dates and snipped them with cooking shears. That way they didn’t dry out. She served it with cream cheese. Enjoy!

“MATADOR SALAD”

SALAD:
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and torn
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, washed and torn
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
3-4 Roma tomatoes, chopped in large chunks
Taco-flavored tortilla chips, broken up
Black olives, sliced

BEEF MIX:
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 packet taco seasoning mix
1/2 teaspoon cumin
12 teaspoon chili powder

DRESSING:
1 cup favorite Caesar dressing
1/2 tsp pepper
Pinch cayenne
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin

In a closed container, shake all ingredients very well until blended and keep in refrigerator.

Beef mix:
Prepare hamburger according to taco-seasoning package directions. Add cumin and chili powder along with seasoning packet.

TO SERVE SALAD
In a large bowl, toss together lettuces, cheese, tomatoes and beef mixture. Top with tortilla chips and olives. Add dressing to taste and garnish with extra chips. Serves 4 as a main course.

CAESAR SALAD DRESSING

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup good-quality mayonnaise
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add the mayonnaise, Parmesan, salt and pepper and whisk until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired. Makes about 1/2 cup. Store in the fridge and use within 5 days.

Note: Quite frankly, I still prefer a Thousand Island-style dressing. But if you use the above Caesar recipe you might want to eliminate the Parmesan cheese. Also, to make the dressing thinner and tarter, add a tad more lemon juice and mustard.

 BETTY CROCKER POPOVERS

2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 450ºF. Generously grease 6-cup popover pan or six 6-ounce custard cups.

Beat eggs slightly in medium bowl. Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth (do not over-beat). Fill cups about 1/2 full. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF. Bake about 20 minutes longer or until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from cups. Serve hot

DROMEDARY DATE NUT BREAD

3/4 cup water
1/4 cup shortening
1 (8-oz.) pkg. Dromedary Chopped Dates or Dromedary Pitted Dates, snipped
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
In small saucepan, bring water and shortening to a boil; pour over dates in a medium bowl. Allow mixture to stand 15 minutes.
Stir to blend. Add nuts, eggs and vanilla.
In small bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir into date mixture until blended. Do not over-mix. Pour into pan.
Bake 65-70 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen edges with spatula; turn out on wire rack to cool completely.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal!
Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes
that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.