Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Tasty Tuesday-Cook Book Review The Soda Fountain

 
I've written before about my love of the Brooklyn Farmacy


It is without a doubt my favorite restaurant in the New York area, seamlessly blending two things I love vintage and ice cream, into a genuine trip back in time.  When I heard the Farmacy was coming out with a cookbook I knew I needed a copy and immediately pre-ordered from Amazon.

Like the restaurant the book does not disappoint.  The first section is a detailed history of the Soda Fountain's hey day.  Ice cream and Sodas popularity climbed with the rise in popularity of the prohibition movement and somewhat surprisingly from today's stand point, the health food craze.   Ice cream was given out at temperance meetings and Sunday school picnics and touted as a health food. 
 


 
 


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Meanwhile soda water was wildly popular and believed to cure a variety of ills.



 
 The two crazes gave birth to the soda fountain and the customers poured in.



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The repeal of prohibition in 1933 with the passage of the 21st amendment re-opened the bar room and dealt a blow to the Soda Fountain.  The Soda Fountain however continued to be popular institution throughout the 1930s and 40s


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but began  to wane in the 1950s.
 
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The advent of television meant more people where having their ice cream at home in front of the TV

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 and soda was being sold in bottles at every gas station and corner shop, eliminating the need for a skilled soda jerk.


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All told the Soda Fountain craze lasted less then a hundred years but it was a fascinating time in American pop culture and the Farmacy's cookbook has way more information on the phenomenon then what I have shared here. 
 
 Of course the real mission of the Brooklyn Farmacy is reviving the scrumptions flavors of the Soda Fountain and it wouldn't be a cook book without recipes for the delicious retro treats they sell.  The book has directions for making  your own versions of the Farmacy's soda syrups, shakes, floats, and my personal favorite, Sundaes.   This weekend I tried the Cookie Monster sundae and it did not disappoint.  I made a few modifications to the original recipe but wound up with something that tasted much like the one I had at the restaurant.
 
Cookie Monster Sundae
 
 
Chocolate chip cookie , I used the Smitten Kitchen recipe
Mint chip ice cream (I used White Face mint chip from Adirondack Creamery which is what they use the fountain)
Hot fudge, I used the smitten kitchen recipe
3 tbsp chopped walnuts
Sweetened whipped cream (1 cup heavy cream beat to stiff peaks with 1 tbsp confectioner sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
Blue sugar sprinkles
 
Crumble the cookie in the bottom of the bowl.   Top the cookie with several scoops of mint chip ice cream and drizzle hot fudge sauce over.  Sprinkle with walnuts and top with a dollop of whipped cream and some blue sugar sprinkles.
 
 
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10 comments:

  1. What a great little history lesson about the Farmacy and other soda fountain and ice cream shoppes. That sundae does sound delicious! We may need to try it over here. Happy Tasty Tuesday.

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  2. First, I adore the blouse you're wearing in the top photo and the new image on your header is too cute!
    That looks like a really great book and how I wish we had an old fashion soda fountain here still. When I was a kid the was a pharmacy in our nearby town that still had a counter and soda fountain and it was always the best of treats when our mom took us there.
    Sarah

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  3. Interesting! And, man, I wanna come to your house at dessert time!!

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  4. Wow Blue Brown Sugar :-) DELISH! Happy Tasty Tuesday. Golden Woofs

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  5. Sounds amazing. There was a store when I was a kid that had a soda type fountain there. It was such fun. Some things are really missed.

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  6. Growing up our local pharmacy still had a soda counter and our neighbor worked there. It was a nice treat on a hot summer day to get something there.

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  7. Sounds yummy. I love mint chocolate chip ice cream (not a big fan of ice cream but love that flavor). We have a local dairy that makes the best! I bet people having large home fridges to hold soda and ice cream also cut into soda fountain business.

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  8. We love to read all these storys that you find!
    love
    tweedles

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  9. Yum!!!! Lovely recipe and ode to a classic institution (the soda fountain), dear Kate.

    ♥ Jessica

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