The (now
long-shuttered) Miss Hulling's Cafeteria in St. Louis was legendary. Anyone
over the age of thirty has no doubt heard of it, and may still remember those
wonderful lemon and chocolate split layer cakes that are (thankfully) still
available at a local grocer's. I remember going there with my mother as a
little girl. It was full of white-gloved ladies and lots of bustling activity.
One of the first
cookbooks that I had in my budding collection was the Miss Hulling's Cookbook. I hadn't thought about it in decades, nor
did I realize that somehow I'd lost it, until I was gifted with some cookbooks
by the daughter-in-law of a dear, late friend, Miss Hulling's among them. I was
delighted! There were two of them, the hardcover one that I at one time owned
(I am still scratching my head over this one), and a small paperback one called
Favorite Recipes. No doubt I'll
appreciate them now much more than I ever did back then.
Lots of memories came flooding back when I held these cookbooks, along with a newly created list of recipes to try. The first, however, was her recipe for hot German Potato Salad. Mr. O-P may turn up his nose, but this warm, vinegary potato salad has always been my favorite, knocking cold out of the park, as far as I'm concerned, and Miss Hulling's is the absolute best.
I made it using the small Dutch yellow potatoes from Melissa's Produce because they are buttery and flavorful, and not at all starchy like the white ones can tend to be. I served it alongside pulled pork sandwiches. You'll have to come back tomorrow for that recipe!
Lots of memories came flooding back when I held these cookbooks, along with a newly created list of recipes to try. The first, however, was her recipe for hot German Potato Salad. Mr. O-P may turn up his nose, but this warm, vinegary potato salad has always been my favorite, knocking cold out of the park, as far as I'm concerned, and Miss Hulling's is the absolute best.
I made it using the small Dutch yellow potatoes from Melissa's Produce because they are buttery and flavorful, and not at all starchy like the white ones can tend to be. I served it alongside pulled pork sandwiches. You'll have to come back tomorrow for that recipe!
Miss Hulling’s German Potato Salad
2 pounds Melissa’s Baby Dutch
Yellow Potatoes
3 tablespoons
chopped onion
3 tablespoons
chopped Melissa’s Fire
Roasted Sweet Red Peppers
1 grated hard cooked
egg
2 tablespoons
chopped fresh parsley
4 strips bacon,
fried crisp and dried
2 teaspoons cider
vinegar
6 tablespoons
seasoned rice vinegar
Peel and steam
potatoes, or boil until tender. Slice thin while still warm. Add remaining
ingredients and let marinate for 30 minutes. Add dressing (recipe below), mix
carefully, and serve hot or warm.
Potato Salad Dressing
¼ cup flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
Dash white pepper
6 tablespoons bacon
drippings
½ cup cider vinegar
1-1/2 cups hot water
Bring water,
vinegar, and bacon drippings to a boil. Mix dry ingredients, add to boiling mixture,
stirring vigorously and cook until clear.*
I cooked the heck
out of this stuff and it never turned clear (like water clear), but it was
smooth.
This post is
linked to:
My mother had a friend who went downtown once a week, shopped at the big stores (like Famous Barr and Stix) and ate dinner at Miss Hullings with her husband who would meet her there. I have the soft-bound cookbook, probably the same one you had. I think this friend gave it to me. I remember it vaguely.
ReplyDeletemae at maefood.blogspot.com
This sounds yummy! I actually prefer the traditional hot German potato salads the the cold American ones, but I still love the cold America ones too (cause I love potatoes). I'm saving this for later!
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious! What a wonderful story about the cookbooks.
ReplyDelete