Reader Recipe: Candle Salad

The wholesome fun of reader recipe month continues!

There are lots of things I don’t understand about vintage caker cooking. For example, why would you solidify a garden salad or add tomatoes to JELL-O? But of all the caker mysteries, candle salad never fails to, er, rise above the pack.

I have a hard time believing anyone could serve this with a straight face. I mean, it has dribbles of mayonnaise, for crying out loud. I know housewives from the '50s seemed pretty naïve, but Lucy had a kid, after all. She must’ve seen Ricky’s babalu at some point. Didn’t she see what we’re seeing? (I have a feeling Ethel knew, but Ethel had a past. You could just tell.)

This recipe was sent to me by readers Zöe and Jenny. Jenny runs the blog Silver Screen Suppers. She sent the recipe because it calls for a Life Saver – something that Jenny tells me they don’t have in England. I think that’s terrible. I mean, what joy can be found at Christmas without a Life Saver book wedged into your stocking?

Look very closely at Anne Shirley's eyes. Does she know or not? She knows, right? Tell me Anne knows.

Thanks Jenny and Zöe! Do YOU have a caker recipe you'd like to share? Email me at cakercooking at gmail dot com and I'll do my best to feature it.

1 can sliced pineapple
2 bananas
1 package of life-savers
1 bottle of maraschino cherries

Take a leaf of lettuce to decorate the plate and place on top of that 1 slice of pineapple. Cut the banana in half and place 1/2 in the hole the pineapple. Place the cherry on top of the banana half (see note). Then take 1 life-saver and put it about 1/2-inch above the pineapple into the banana. Then cover the top with mayonnaise. Then you have completed the candle stick. The pineapple is the holder, the banana the candle, and the cherry the flame, and the mayonnaise the drippings, and the life-saver is the handle.

Note: My candle had a, uh, slight curve to it. So I had to affix the cherry with a tooth pick.

Source: Anne Shirley via Jenny

Here's more on Anne, if you're interested.