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Macaroon Nut Fluff
1 lb. peanut brittle dozen macaroons 1 pint heavy cream Grind peanut brittle and macaroons through food chopper using coarse knife. Mix the cream, whipped stiff. Freeze in the mechanical refrigerator, or pack into baking powder cans three--fourths full and bury in equal parts crushed ice and rock salt for 3 or 4 hours. Serve from platter, sliced, with garnish of whipped cream and candied cherry.
A still-frozen icebox dessert from the era when a home refrigerator with a freezing compartment was new enough to be called "mechanical." Three ingredients, no custard, no churning.
- QuantitiesOne pound of peanut brittle, a dozen macaroons and a pint of heavy cream. The ground brittle and macaroons make up a large share of the bulk alongside the whipped cream.
- MacaroonsThese are the crisp almond or coconut drop macaroons of the period, dry enough to grind, not the soft French sandwich cookie. Italian amaretti or stale coconut macaroons work; if yours are soft, dry them in a 300F oven for 15 minutes and cool before grinding.
- Food chopperA hand-cranked meat grinder with the coarse plate. A food processor pulsed a few times gives the same result, but stop while the pieces are still gravelly rather than powdered, or the dessert loses its crunch.
- Whipping orderWhip the cream to firm peaks first, then fold in the ground brittle and macaroons; the recipe's "Mix the cream, whipped stiff" points that way. Sugary crumbs added before whipping weigh the cream down and make it harder to bring to volume.
- Still-freezingThere is no churning here, so the mixture depends on the air beaten into the cream. Freeze at least 4 hours; in a modern freezer at 0F it will be harder than the original ever was, so let it stand 10 minutes before slicing.
- The salt-and-ice methodBaking powder cans were the tall, straight-sided tins of the day, useful because the frozen cylinder slid out for slicing. A loaf pan or a cylindrical container lined with plastic wrap serves the same purpose; the ice-and-rock-salt bath is unnecessary with a freezer.
- Brittle and moisturePeanut brittle softens on contact with cream. Grind it just before mixing and get the whole thing into the freezer promptly, or the candy dissolves into grit.