Forties Fashion and Food: L'Officiel de la mode Février 1940

Tomato Custard with Cheese Sauce

Standing in for Life magazine this week, we have the February 1940 issue of L'Officiel de la mode, which you can view in its entirety at the publisher's website. I've narrowed down a few of my favorite pieces (mostly hats in this issue) to share with you. I think the Alpine Molyneux hat is my absolute favorite--I'm a sucker for anything Tyrolean. Which is your favorite?

I can just imagine some wealthy Américaine sitting down to a "luncheon" of tomato custard in February 1940 and looking through this issue of L'Officiel.

Tomato Custard

3 eggs
1 fourteen-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 onion, grated
1/2 cup cracker crumbs
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease four 1-cup capacity ramekins. Place in a deep baking dish and set aside.

Beat eggs then stir in remaining ingredients. Season to taste. Divide between the individual ramekins. Return the ramekins to the deep baking dish and place in the middle of the oven. Pour boiling water around the ramekins. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until custards are just set. Serve with Cheese Sauce.

Serves 4

Adapted from Modern Meal Maker (1935).

Cheese Sauce

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup grated sharp cheddar

Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour. When the flour bubbles, gradually stir in the milk. Bring to a boil, stirring, and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Boil for a minute then remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.

Adapted from Modern Meal Maker (1935).

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Are you as obsessed as I am with the Jazz Age?

If you follow me on facebook, you'll know that I'm planning to tackle a week's worth (breakfast, luncheon, dinner) of menus from the March 1927 issue of American Cookery magazine. I'll be posting photos to facebook in real time and doing a wrap-up each day on the blog. I wanted to make it possible for you to follow along (or even cook along!) with me, so I'll be making the menus and all the recipes available as an e-book. Tentatively, I plan to do the event the last full week of March: Sunday the 24th through Saturday the 30th.

As soon as it's ready, there will be a free St. Patrick's Day bonus e-booklet just for subscribers. It will be available in an upcoming newsletter, so sign up today!

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