For years I was in a bi-monthly cooking group. We usually met at a friends house and would make dinner there. One night all those terrible things your mom and your aunt Sally forced on you came up.
Number 1 was Green Bean Casserole, for the uninitiated this is 1 can green beans, 1 can Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, topped with Durkee fried onions then baked. It is terrible, canned green beans are mushy and flavorless, cream of mushroom soup is also mushy and terrible with the added bonus of tasting like a salt lick. Durkee fried onions I will eat as a snack (I will hear no bad words about them, though they are also terrible in their own way. Don’t start). The original recipe unsurprisingly came from Campbell’s Test Kitchen as a way for working housewives to get dinner on the table with a minimum of fuss.
We talked about it (argued) and half the group thought it could be a great dish, the other half speed dialed their therapists.
The next time we met Green Bean Casserole was the main. Blanched fresh green beans were layered with crimini mushrooms simmered in cream and herbs, then topped with Asian fried shallots. It was a hit, and ended up in rotation. It is actually fantastic when made fresh.
No.2 was Fish in Aspic. No one could do anything with this, the dish just sucks.
No.3 was Fondue, which I hated as a kid then had good versions of. Porcini (Cepes) with Beaufort and sourdough, Beef loin with carmelized onions and red wine reduction, etc.
What are yours? Have you recreated any horrible dishes and made them delicious?
p.s. great aunt Beth you almost put me off Turkey for life…
ETA: I know we’re supposed to tag posts, I don’t see a way to do that in Voyager. Anyway, Discussion
In my experience, the standard American Thanksgiving meal contains a whole bunch of dishes, and everyone who attends is responsible for making something. The host will be in charge of the turkey cause it takes a long time to make, and no one wants to have to transport a turkey to a second location. Other competent cooks will make mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, baked goods, desserts, etc. There’s always one person who has somehow skirted through life refusing to learn how to cook, so you tell them to make green bean casserole. It’s like $5 of ingredients, and you literally just dump then together and heat them up. No measuring, temperature of the oven doesn’t really matter, time in the oven doesn’t really matter. A bunch of people put some on their plates, a few people might even eat a few bites, but most of it you just throw out, cause it sucks, but you don’t really feel bad about it.