"It's very pink", our friend, Jeff, observed when I unveiled this dessert.
We'd been invited to Chris and Jeff's home for dinner. I always try to bring something I know they love like Peach Cobbler or Blueberry Pie, or my historic Pound Cake. This strawberry dessert was a real departure from my typical homemade bakery, but I knew they'd get a kick out of being part of this experiment.
Mom collected three versions of this recipe. Could three recipes lead me astray? One called for mixing the gelatin with orange juice. Another recommended chilling it in a mold, then turning it out and frosting with 1/2 pint of whipped cream.
I selected this recipe because it was handwritten by my Mom. "Mix strawberries and juice w/small marshmallows," is a bit obscure. What strawberries? Did she mean Jello juice? How many marshmallows? I decided to mash 1/2 cup fresh strawberries with juice of 1/2 lemon and 2 Tab. sugar. One cup of marshmallows seemed about right. I didn't have enough whipped cream to mold the dessert and frost it, so I settled on using Mom's big crystal bowl. I imagine many of you remember it filled with melon balls or 7 cup salad (more on that recipe another day!)
After dinner, the four of us faced our servings of what I called Pink Flamingo Fluff. The electric pink color was a bit alarming and a sure sign that few ingredients found in nature graced the dessert. Our friends were real sports. "It's very light", said Chris. Jeff chimed in, "and very airy." By that point I was laughing so hard I was in danger of wearing Pink Flamingo Fluff!
Really, it was a fine retro dessert. Pink Flaming Fluff tastes a bit like a silly strawberry shortcake. The kids loved it!
How thankful I am for dear friends who can share a laugh over a light, airy, fluffy, pink dessert. Next time, I'll bring Pound Cake!
Love to you all,
Patti
Hey, my mom makes this dessert! I must say, the final result looks a bit different :-) She makes it in a cake pan and it solidifies so that you can cut out pieces, like a cake. It is always a favorite in the summer because it is so light. I recall asking her for the recipe once and it was quite vague as well.
ReplyDeleteThat would be the first thing to go if it were on our dinner table! (I think the unnatural color makes it more attractive to kids, haha.) We make a fluff from pistachio pudding, crushed pineapple and cool whip that's also pretty good. (Of course your pound cake wouldn't last long here, either!)
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