Sweeney - Best dump & freeze treats: frozen fruit salads, pies, fluffs, and more retro desserts

Photo Credits: All photos by Allan Penn, unless otherwise noted below. Pages 10, 11: Irina Bg/Shutterstock.com; 23: Sea Wave/Shutterstock.com; 37: jrelka/iStockphoto.com; 40, 41: amerleeknight/iStockphoto.com; 46: Irina_Meliukh/iStockphoto.com; 54, 55: Natalia Van Doninck/iStockphoto.com; 67: picalotta/iStockphoto.com; 83: Lecic/iStockphoto.com; 86, 87: bhofack/iStockphoto.com; 93: Oksana Struk/iStockphoto.com; 98: pearl7/Shutterstock.com; 106, 107: Andrea Carpedi/iStockphoto.com Front Cover: LeeAnnWhite/iStockphoto.com; Lauren King/iStockphoto.com; Davydenko Yuliia/Shutterstock.com Spine: Kitch Bain/Shutterstock.com Back Cover: Natalia Van Doninck/iStockphoto.com; Allan Penn Copyright 2016 by Hollan Publishing All rights reserved For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, The Countryman Press, 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110 For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact W. W. Norton Special Sales at specialsales@wwnorton.com or 800-233-4830. The Countryman Press
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Norton & Company, Inc.,
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www.wwnorton.com ISBN 978-1-58157-364-0 (pbk.) ISBN 978-1-58157-505-7 (e-book) TO ALLAN, FOR PUTTING THE ZEN IN FROZEN TREATS

This dump-and-freeze collection of Americas best retro desserts takes you back to a time when guilty pleasures were nothing to feel guilty about and effortless desserts were a source of pride. Frozen treats were at the peak of their popularity during the 1950s and 60s. Americans were accustomed to their stockpiled canned goods and were thrilled to discover new prepackaged food items, simple recipes, and kitchen appliances that saved them precious time. With this renewed focus on convenience, its no surprise that frozen treats prepared with just a few key ingredients and in just a few minutes were making their mark. While times have changed since the freezer-friendly treats in this book were popular, the old-fashioned principles of cooking and entertaining remain surprisingly relevant: Simple is better, convenience is a must, and presentation is key. Lets start with the simple part: Many of the dump-and-freeze recipes in this book include no more than five or six ingredients, which means you can throw them together with less mess and fewer trips to the grocery store.

As if that werent enough, none of them require even a minute of baking, so theyre perfectly suited to a hot summer day. If convenience and affordability are as important to you as they were to the mid-century homemaker, youll be happy to discover that the ingredients for these recipes often come in a bag, a box, or a can: Think frozen whipped topping, canned pie filling, pudding mix, and sweetened condensed milk. Last but not least, presentation is the cornerstone of retro desserts. While the ingredients may be basic, the presentation of your frozen dessert should show that you care. Alongside some of my favorite recipes, Ill share some simple tips for adding a dash of style and sophistication to your finished product. Now youre ready to travel back in time and re-create the niftiest dump-and-freeze treats that Americas rock-and-roll decades had to offer.

Jumpstart your culinary joy ride with a wonderfully peculiar favorite: the frozen fruit salad. This sweet treat, sometimes referred to as a fluff, begins with a delectable cream base (like Cool Whip) and includes all your favorite fruits whirled inside. Next, venture into the world of frozen bars and combine classic flavors like mint-chocolate, peanut butter, and butterscotch with the crunch of all-American cereals and buttery cookie crusts. Dump-and-freeze your way to a groovy assortment of frozen pops, chilled drinks, and ice cream pie recipes and bring back fond memories of the great American 1950s soda fountain. Finish out this neat collection with some old-fashioned freezer cakes. Its time to go retro.

Clear out your freezer and leave plenty of room for the coolest desserts the past has to offer!

When was the last time you got to eat dessert with your meal instead of after it? If your answer is the 1950s, then youre not alone. Back then, a sweet fruit salad like this one was a perfectly acceptable side dish. Experience the culinary boldness of that daring decade yourself with this surprising addition to an otherwise ordinary meal. Yield: 10 servings 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 cup mayonnaise 1 (20-ounce) can fruit cocktail, drained cup maraschino cherries 1 cup heavy cream, whipped 1 cups mini marshmallows Mix together cream cheese and mayonnaise until well blended. Add the fruit cocktail, cherries, whipped cream, and marshmallows. Spoon salad mixture into a Bundt cake pan lined with plastic wrap.

Freeze for 4 hours or more (preferably overnight). Unmold onto a platter before serving. Cover in more whipped cream if desired and garnish with extra cherries and marshmallows. Whether you debut this dessert at a baby shower or a family gathering, people will swoon over its unique appearance and frozen goodness. Mix in your favorite nuts for a crunchy surprise thats old-fashioned in every way or skip the nuts and enjoy it smooth and simple. Yield: 18 servings 1 (20-ounce) can cherry pie filling 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained 1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1 (12-ounce) container Cool Whip cup lemon juice cup chopped walnuts In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring in walnuts last.

Pour into a 9 13-inch baking dish or individual serving bowls. Place in freezer for 4 or more hours. Remove from freezer 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with extra nuts or cherries. Pistachio is a genuinely retro flavor thats rarely used in modern desserts. Bring it back to life with this pleasing green fluff that stayed popular until the 1970s (when it was renamed Watergate Salad for its stash of hidden surprises).

The surprises tucked away in this Pistachio Fluff include tiny marshmallows and tender coconut flakes. Yield: 10 servings 1 (3.4-ounce) package pistachio instant pudding mix 1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained 1 cup mini marshmallows cup flaked sweetened coconut In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, Cool Whip, and crushed pineapple. Stir in marshmallows and coconut flakes. Cover and freeze until firm. WOW FACTOR Try serving this dessert in fabulously retro tulip-shape sundae glasses with long-handled spoons. You can also alternate layers of Pistachio Fluff and Cool Whip.

A sprinkle of pistachios on top gives you extra points for presentation. Marshmallow spread may be a great supporting actor here, but the berries have the lead role. Invite some friends over for a black-and-white movie and complete the retro theme with this nostalgic dessert. Swap in your favorite berries, fresh or frozen, to make it your own

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