After months of haphazardly flipping through my 1944 Good Housekeeping Cookbook, I finally began my vintage culinary journey and started cooking.
For my first foray, I intentionally chose a recipe that was quick, easy, and contained ingredients that are still readily available. I know from my aforementioned haphazard flipping that I am going to have my work cut out for me finding more than a few ingredients in the cookbook. Bottled thick meat sauce? India relish? Suckling pig? Best not to set oneself up for failure at the get go, I reckoned.
Beyond that, I am what the cookbook so graciously calls a “Business Housekeeper”, meaning I work outside the home and am tasked with “preparing dinner without delay after (I) get home from the office at night.” I made this recipe on a weeknight and was able to have it in the oven in just 17 minutes. I imagine this recipe was popular in 1944, when women held a full third of all manufacturing jobs in the USA and the female labor force had increased by 50% over the pre-war years. If Rosie the Riveter can work in a factory all day and get a hot meal on the table at night, so can I. We can do it, ladies! Grandma didn’t have DoorDash, after all.
So, Swiss Cheese Pie. I’ve already mentioned the speed in which I prepared this dish but what are some of the other highlights? It was relatively inexpensive for one, and contained just eight ingredients, half of which were seasonings that are staples in a well-stocked store cupboard. The other four ingredients – bread, milk, cheese, and eggs – are all what I consider to be multi-purpose ingredients and will provide the basis for other meals later in the week.
Of course, a speedy and budget friendly meal is only worthwhile if it’s tasty. The verdict? The Mister gave it 4.5/5 stars. My Maman gave it 5/5. What did I think? I enjoyed it. It was a light dish with an almost custard-like or souffle-esque consistency and most definitely lighter than a standard quiche. Much to my delight the predominant flavor was, in fact, the swiss cheese. I find in many modern recipes that there are so many competing herbs, spices, and other ingredients that the dishes end up tasting like…well, not much of anything specific. But with this Swiss Cheese Pie, the cheese shone through in a perfectly balanced way. I served the pie with a simple salad of mixed greens, cucumber, and tomato tossed in French dressing and a side of applesauce. It was the perfect weeknight supper – hot, fast, and filling with one slice leftover for luncheon the next day.
I would definitely make this again and hope you give it a try yourself.
Swiss Cheese Pie
Ingredients
- 1 qt bread or toast cubes (6 or 7 slices)
- ½ lb grated processed Swiss cheese (2c.)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp dry or prepared mustard
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 1 ½ c. bottled milk or ¾ c. evaporated milk and ¾ c. water
Directions
Place bread cubes in an ungreased 9” oven glass pie plate or shallow baking dish. Cover with the grated cheese. Combine beaten eggs, seasonings, and milk, and pour over the cheese and bread. Bake in a moderate oven of 350° F. for 30 min., or until puffed and lightly browned. Serves 4-5.Suggested Variations: If you have a miniscule amount of leftover ham, it would make a lovely addition to this pie if diced very small. Canned mushrooms would also work nicely – just be sure to drain them very well so as not to throw off the bread to liquid ratio.
Bon appetit!
Dispatches from 1944 