Feathered hair, bell bottoms, and strange party dishes defined the 1970s. It was the era when bologna sandwiches became a lunchtime staple and when the U.S. Army inspired the first McDonald’s drive-thru, a time when novelty in food was very much in fashion. Bologna sandwiches and fast food were in vogue because they were convenient, but a different kind of novelty was popular after 5 p.m.
The 1970s was when potlucks and dinner tables displayed dishes like Watergate salad, a mixture of pistachio pudding, canned pineapple, whipped cream, pecans, and marshmallows. An era when you’d actually see a platter of ham and bananas hollandaise, almonds in a haystack, or something called a Ham ‘N Lima Bean Sadness Casserole. But among the gelatinized olives and hot dog towers, one appetizer stands out for its creativity, a custard-style dessert that hinges on ketchup. Known as Carnival Cream, this dessert is basically ketchup ice cream, frozen into bite-sized molds and topped with maraschino cherries. It’s a wacky way to serve up dessert, and it doesn’t have perfect reviews; the occasional food critic has condemned Carnival Cream for having a terrible texture and an even worse taste. Others say it tastes like cherry ice cream.
Carnival Cream is meant to be homemade and served as a quick dessert
Like many of the other audacious recipes within the pages of 1970s cookbooks, Carnival Cream contains a wild combination of ingredients that are made in a process resembling how to make ice cream without a machine. Start with heavy cream, whipped until stiff and then combined with Heinz ketchup, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. That combination is poured into ice cube trays or molds and topped with toasted almonds and chopped Maraschino cherries, then frozen until firm.
These single-serving ice cream treats are made in muffin tins, with the liner serving as a bowl for the finished product. It wouldn’t be surprising if the dessert was invented by a desperate hostess in need of a quick finishing touch to a dinner party. In truth, it was a housewife who came up with the recipe, and she won $100 for it. The original recipe was the winning recipe in a 1959 contest held by the Heinz ketchup company in a contest to be featured in marketing campaigns, where it gained some popularity — enough to be featured in cookbooks.
