Gimbels Has It! (22 page)

I
N
G
OOD
T
ASTE

G
IMBELS
-S
CHUSTERS
P
OTATO
S
ALAD

1 cup sugar

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cups water

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

5 pounds small gold or red potatoes, boiled and sliced

1 medium onion, chopped small

1 pound bacon, fried crisp, drained (save some for garnish)

½ cup chopped parsley for garnish

Bring sugar, vinegar and water to a boil and thicken with cornstarch. Add potatoes, onion and bacon. Mix well. Put ingredients into a baking dish. Garnish with reserved bacon and parsley. Cook in 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Makes 15 servings.

C
REAM OF
P
OTATO
S
OUP

3 large onions, diced

1 pound butter

1 gallon chicken broth

10 pounds potatoes, diced and sliced

2 gallons milk or cream

1 pound cornstarch

salt, white pepper

chopped parsley

Cook onions in butter until transparent, but do not brown. Combine onions, chicken broth and diced potatoes in large pot. Cook until potatoes are tender. Add milk or cream and heat to boiling. Add one pound of cornstarch that has been thoroughly dissolved in 2 cups of water. Season to taste. Garnish with parsley.

A menu cover of the popular Tasty Town Restaurant in the 1960s.
Collection of the author

C
HOPPED
S
IRLOIN
W
ELLINGTON WITH
M
ADEIRA
W
INE

1½ pounds ground sirloin or ground round

salt, pepper, MSG

½ small onion, chopped

one clove garlic, minced

butter

1 pound fresh chopped mushrooms or ¼ pound canned chopped mushrooms

Madeira wine

puff pastry dough

egg white, beaten,

½ cup beef stock

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Season meat and divide into four equal portions. Pat into 3-inch patties and place on sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool in refrigerator and save juices. Sauté onion and garlic in butter until brown. Add mushrooms and sauté until mixture becomes pasty. Season with salt and pepper and add one ounce Madeira wine. Stir until well blended. Remove from heat. Pour off excess liquid and cool so mushroom puree can be divided into four parts. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry
inch thick. Cut into four 8-inch squares. Spread with mushroom puree. Place a cool beef patty in puff pastry. Press all seams together firmly. Cut away excess puff pastry. Lay each piece seam side down on a baking sheet. Brush puff pastry with egg white. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Add beef stock and Madeira wine to the reserved pan juices. Heat mixture for five minutes. Pour over corners of pastry and serve.

P
LANTATION
S
ALAD
D
RESSING

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 cup vegetable oil

½ cup cider vinegar

½ cup chopped bell pepper

½ cup chopped onions

1 4-ounce jar pimento, drained and chopped

1 cup ketchup

dash of red pepper

dry mustard

Combine ingredients in large jar and mix until well blended. Shake or stir before serving.

G
IMBELS
B
RAN
M
UFFINS

5 cups flour

5 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 quart buttermilk

6 cups raisin bran

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In one bowl, sift flour, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, cream shortening, sugar and then eggs. Alternately add buttermilk and flour. Fold in cereal. Grease muffin tins and fill tin 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Makes 3–4 dozen.

W
ISCONSIN
C
HEESE
T
ORTE

Graham cracker crust

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup sugar (divided)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract (divided)

1 16-ounce carton sour cream

Prepare Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (20 graham crackers)

½ cup butter, melted

¼ cup sugar

Combine ingredients. Spread crumb mixture in 10-inch round pan with straight sides or in 10-inch spring form pan.

Put cream cheese, eggs and
cup sugar into mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Add vanilla and ½ teaspoon almond extract. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 25–30 minutes, or until set. Cool. Combine sour cream with
cup sugar and ½ teaspoon almond extract. Spread on top of torte and bake for 10 additional minutes.

G
IMBELS
P
RIZE
S
ANDWICH

6 ounces ham/Swiss cheese filling (see recipe)

6 slices good-quality caraway rye bread

mayonnaise

lettuce (for garnish)

2 ounces thinly sliced turkey breast

2 ounces thinly sliced roast beef

butter

2 canned sliced peaches

8 sandwich picks

Prepare ham/Swiss cheese filling and set aside. For each sandwich: set 3 pieces of bread on counter with tops in the same direction. Spread mayonnaise on the first piece. Lay a piece of lettuce on it, then add one ounce of turkey followed by one ounce of roast beef. Add a second slice of bread, coated with butter. Set on top of meat and spread with ham and cheese filling. Put a slice of lettuce over the filling. Put a coat of mayonnaise on the last piece of bread and place over lettuce, coated side down. Cut each sandwich into four triangles. Put a toothpick through each quarter. Put a lettuce leaf on a plate and place a peach half on it. Place sandwich triangles point side up around peach. Makes 2 sandwiches.

Ham/Swiss cheese filling:

2 ounces Swiss cheese

4 ounces cooked ham

mayonnaise

Grind or chop together the cheese and ham. Add mayonnaise.

N
OTES

F
AIR
T
RADE

1
.
Philadelphia Public Ledger
, “Gimbel Stores—70 years young,” October 7, 1912.

2
. Richard Day,
A Report on the Gimbel Buildings
(Indiana Jewish Historical Society, Publication No. 17, June 1983).

3
. Ibid.

M
ILWAUKEE
’
S
B
EST

4
. Tom Barrett, correspondence with the author, March 17, 2011.

5
.
It All Began with Adam…
(Milwaukee, WI: Gimbel Brothers, 1972), part III.

6
. Ibid.

7
.
The Gimbelite
magazine, “The Second 50 Years of Growth,” June 1957.

8
. Day,
Report on the Gimbel Buildings
.

E
ASTWARD
H
O

9
. Michael Nutter, correspondence with the author, April 4, 2011.

10
.
Philadelphia Record
, “Crash in a Big Bargain Rush,” March 22, 1894.

11
. Alfred Lief,
Family Business
(New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968), 83.

12
.
Philadelphia Inquirer
, “Gimbel Brothers advertisement,” April 15, 1920.

M
IRACLE ON
T
HIRTY
-
THIRD
S
TREET

13
. Ed Koch, correspondence with the author, February 3, 2011.

14
.
New York Times
, “Opening of Macy’s New Big Store,” November 9, 1902.

15
.
New York Times
, “Cornerstone Laid of Gimbel Store,” December 9, 1909.

16
. The Bowery Boys—New York City History website, “Gimbels Bridge over Troubled Shoppers,” December 4, 2008.

17
. Barbara Gimbel, interview with the author, January 18, 2011.

18
.
Milwaukee Sentinel
, “Gimbel Brothers Announce the Formal Opening of Their New York Store,” September 24, 1910.

19
. Ibid.

20
.
Milwaukee Sentinel
, “Gimbels Style Week advertisement,” March 20, 1919.

E
VERYBODY
L
OVES A
P
ARADE

21
. Dick Clark, correspondence with the author, February 16, 2011.

22
. Loren Feldman, “Goodbye, Gimbels,”
Philadelphia Magazine
, April 1986.

23
. Gerry Wilkinson, interview with the author, January 28, 2011.

24
. Jane Norman, correspondence with the author, January 30, 2011.

25
. Bob Di Benedetto, interview with the author, March 27, 2011.

26
.
Philadelphia Bulletin
, “Thanksgiving Parade Oldest, Largest in United States,” November 22, 1972.

S
AKS
A
PPEAL

27
. Julia Bentley, correspondence with the author, February 18, 2011.

28
. Barbara Gimbel, interview.

29
.
New York Times
, “Gimbels, Saks Agreed to Merger,” April 24, 1923.

30
.
New York Times
, “Saks–Fifth Avenue opens Monday,” September 15, 1924.

“S
TEELING
” S
OME
B
USINESS

31
. Sophie Masloff, interview with the author, March 7, 2011.

32
.
Pittsburgh Press
, “Gimbel Brothers Purchases Kaufmann & Baer,” December 2, 1925.

33
.
Pittsburgh Press
, “Gimbel Store Has a Dramatic Heritage,” January 1, 1928.

34
. Audrey Roth, interview with the author, February 16, 2011.

I
T
’
S
S
MART TO
B
E
T
HRIFTY