For years I was in a bi-monthly cooking group. We usually met at a friends house and would make dinner there. One night all those terrible things your mom and your aunt Sally forced on you came up.
Number 1 was Green Bean Casserole, for the uninitiated this is 1 can green beans, 1 can Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, topped with Durkee fried onions then baked. It is terrible, canned green beans are mushy and flavorless, cream of mushroom soup is also mushy and terrible with the added bonus of tasting like a salt lick. Durkee fried onions I will eat as a snack (I will hear no bad words about them, though they are also terrible in their own way. Don’t start). The original recipe unsurprisingly came from Campbell’s Test Kitchen as a way for working housewives to get dinner on the table with a minimum of fuss.
We talked about it (argued) and half the group thought it could be a great dish, the other half speed dialed their therapists.
The next time we met Green Bean Casserole was the main. Blanched fresh green beans were layered with crimini mushrooms simmered in cream and herbs, then topped with Asian fried shallots. It was a hit, and ended up in rotation. It is actually fantastic when made fresh.
No.2 was Fish in Aspic. No one could do anything with this, the dish just sucks.
No.3 was Fondue, which I hated as a kid then had good versions of. Porcini (Cepes) with Beaufort and sourdough, Beef loin with carmelized onions and red wine reduction, etc.
What are yours? Have you recreated any horrible dishes and made them delicious?
p.s. great aunt Beth you almost put me off Turkey for life…
ETA: I know we’re supposed to tag posts, I don’t see a way to do that in Voyager. Anyway, Discussion
For me it was salmon patties. My parents were fond of making them, especially during Lent. It was basically a can of salmon, toss in some (light) seasoning, and cook until its the consistency of a hockey puck. They were these dry, tasteless abominations and I could not stand them.
If I were to make them today, it’d be more akin to a crab cake and with fresh salmon instead of canned. But I won’t.
You’d be better seved taking a more croquette approach - especially Japanese potato and salmon croquettes. I prefer to use gresh cookror frozen, but canned CAN work. Main thing is seasoning your spuds, making then not too big, and frying at the right temp. As a bonus, they ait fry rather well, and I have previously cheated the ‘binding’ by miing buttermilk and a bit of kewpie mayo, dunking the croquettes in that, and tumbling them in panko.