The Torquay
Place a ladleful of pineapple sherbert in a glass, and pour over crushed strawberries. Add whipped cream and a whole strawberry.
A soda-fountain assembly rather than a cooked dish: the only real work is having good pineapple sherbet and properly macerated strawberries on hand.
- A ladlefulFountain ladles were small, so figure a generous single scoop. The recipe as written serves one.
- SherbertA common variant spelling of sherbet. In American fountain usage of this period sherbet often meant a fruit ice lightened with a little milk or cream, or with egg white or gelatin, rather than a strictly dairy-free water ice. Modern supermarket sherbet is a fair match; sorbet gives a sharper, icier result.
- Crushed strawberriesGenerally taken to mean berries hulled, crushed or sliced and sugared, left to sit until they give up syrup. Unsweetened crushed berries give a thinner, sourer topping.
- The glassThe recipe specifies only a glass; a footed sundae glass suits it, and the layering of pale sherbet, red syrup and white cream shows through.
- Whipped creamSoft peaks, and sweeten lightly if at all, since the sherbet and berries already carry sugar. Whip it stiff enough to hold a shape but not so far that it turns grainy.
- Assemble at the last minutePineapple sherbet melts quickly against room-temperature fruit. Chill the glass, have the berries and cream ready, and serve immediately.
- The garnishA whole berry set on top of the cream.
This belongs to the era of the American soda fountain, when druggists and confectioners kept printed lists of dozens of sundaes distinguished mainly by which syrup went over which ice. Fanciful place names were common in the trade, and Torquay is a seaside resort on the Devon coast of England. Combinations of a fruit ice with a second, contrasting fruit and cream were fountain staples, easy to hold in inventory and recombinable into a menu that looked larger than its ingredient list.