Avocado Salmon Mold

Avocado Salmon Mold
Better Homes and Gardens "Salad Book" ca. 1969,  p. 107

A thoughtful former student recently gifted me the delightful 1969 of Better Homes and Gardens' Salad Book, which you'll be hearing a lot more about in weeks to come, because it's filled to the brim with gelatinous horrors with which to torment Dr. Husband. 

 (Full disclosure: today's recipe is actually called Salmon Avocado Mold, but since I said it wrong on the video below and am too lazy to re-shoot, you'll have to live with calling it Avocado Salmon Mold.)  

Better Homes and Gardens proclaims, in the recipe description: 

“A spectacular salad for a foursome is the Salmon Avocado Mold. Frosted with an avocado dressing, cut wedges are pretty on the plates. It’s a do-ahead beauty to make the hostess’ job easier.”

I don't know about the easier part. I must re-state my assertion that dealing with canned salmon is the most distasteful act that a housewife will ever have to deal with (apart from - you know - wifely duties).  I bought a more well-known name brand of canned salmon for this recipe, in the hopes that I could avoid the omnipresent bits of scale and one found in the off-brand, but my hopes were dashed immediately.  

The rest of the recipe came together fairly quickly (with the exception of the grated onion - help me out here, ladies, was one once able to purchase onion already grated, or was it always an onerous task?) 

So here we go, the recipe as printed:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1 cup cold water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons grated onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1 16 ounce can salmon, drained, flaked, and small bones removed
1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/3 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
1/4 cup chopped celery

For the dressing:
1 large avocado
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Curly endive

In saucepan soften gelatin in the cold water. Stir over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and horseradish. Chill till mixture is partially set. Fold salmon, mayonnaise, olives, and celery. Spoon into a 3 1/2 cup mold; chill till gelatin mixture is firm. To prepare dressing, peel and mash the avocado (about 2/3 cup). Blend together the avocado, sour cream, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Chill. Unmold salmon salad onto serving platter. Spread avocado dressing mixture evenly over the outside of salad. Garnish with curly endive and a lemon twist, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

I will admit to being in a bit of a rush, so I didn't quite let the concoction come to a partial  set before adding all the gunk in.  But it did set up beautifully nonetheless.  I was a little dismayed that  my mixture didn't turn out as pink as the demonstration photo promised:

and even considered adding a bit of red food coloring, but didn't have any.

I also couldn't taste any horseradish in the final product, so if you fancy a spicier version, be sure to up that amount.

As I said, the dish firmed up beautifully (I left it overnight), and spreading the avocado frosting on was a breeze, even though the avocado I used wasn't quite as ripe as I'd have liked.  I was worried that the addition of salt in the frosting would make the whole dish too salty, but it didn't seem to bother Dr. Husband or I in the least.

In fact, ladies, he loved it, I think he liked it more than I did:

Our Rating: One Screaming Husband!

(all dishes are rated from one to five Screaming Husbands. One Screaming Husband equals a happy home where all problems are solved during cocktail hour. Five Screaming Husbands signals the beginning of divorce proceedings.)