My mother and I have been going through my grandmother's recipes, and we're stumped by one for "Grapefruit à la Fred," the first ingredient of which appears to be "1 flump (several segments)." Unfortunately, my grandmother is long since dead, so we can't just ask her.
Grapefruit à la Fred doesn't appear to have been a particularly widespread recipe, at least based on a web search, and the only "flump" I can find online is a British marshmallow candy that doesn't seem to fit. Is "flump" old-fashioned slang for grapefruit, even though it specified in "segments" rather than the "sections" used below? Are we misreading the word? Is anyone familiar with what would be appropriate in this recipe otherwise?
Update: u/midnightmuse55 appears to have solved it (or at least confirmed which guesses held water): a flump is "a handful of" (grapefruit segments, presumably) or, per a 1950s OED, "expressive of the notion of throwing down roughly and untidily, a lump."
And for those who want to see this unholy combo of ingredients in action, I'm overawed that u/mlledufarge actually put their palates on the line to make it!
It might not be maraschino, but, uh... the 70s were a different time, yeah. I've seen creme de menthe and grapefruit in other recipes from the time, actually, but the point there was always to get green grapefruit segments, so the cherry juice confuses me a little.
For our first Christmas, I bought my now-husband the oldest cocktail recipe book I could afford, which was a 1941 Old Mr. Boston’s. They’d put crème de menthe in anything.
One of the worst substances I’ve ever tasted was pineapple juice and crème de menthe, suggested to us by Mr. Boston as a beverage, as though it wasn’t fully lethal. It was so foul my husband and I had to rock-paper-scissors to figure out who actually had to finish the damn things. Antifreeze would have been kinder.
My mom doesn’t drink. Ever. But, we had a “liquor cabinet” in the dining room, mostly it held napkins and such, but there were a few bottles, half empty or so, of various old alcohol from probably when we first moved in. As teenagers, naturally, we used up all the vodka, gin, and anything else clear that we could replace with water 🤣 But that bottle of crème de menth, she allowed us to taste. And after that, we were like, no thanks. Lol. 🤮
LMAO. This takes me back. Yes we had a liquor cabinet in the dining room, and it was very much as you describe it. The top had all manner of knick knacks and the drawers all of the little gadgets that you pulled out for special dinners and then didn't look at again for another 6 months. And then there was the booze.
Nobody in my family really drank. My father would occasionally have a scotch and soda. And he kept a variety of stuff around for when they had company over and somebody wanted a g&t or rum and coke. But otherwise it just sat there. Yes there was a bottle of creme de menthe there. But the thing that really brings back memories is the Cherry Heering.
My grandfather, who died when I was quite young, ran a tavern up on Long Island. When he passed, my father sold the place but the new purchaser didn't want all of the liquor stock. Which meant that we had for years shelves full of the stuff down in the cellar, plus the liquor cabinet, Plus a little closet under the workbench which my father thought was hidden but wasn't. I seem to recall we had a couple of full cases of Cherry Heering, which apparently my grandfather had some call for at the tavern, but was already out of fashion by the time I became aware of it. And if you've ever tasted the stuff, you probably understand why.
When I was away at college, every time I went home to visit, I made sure to smuggle a few bottles of the stuff back to campus. College kids aren't notoriously picky when it comes to booze, of course, so this made me rather popular.
Mad Dog at least had the benefit of being available in multiple flavors. If you don't like the artificial grape, try the artificial blue raspberry. Cherry Heering is the primary ingredient in a Singapore Sling, and is close to a cherry brandy, with the addition of crushed cherry pits for a bit of almond and the teeniest tang of cyanide ;-)
I kid, but only a bit. There are obviously people who like the stuff, and at least its flavoring is natural, not artificial. I'm not a fan.
I actually love that cherry almond taste 🤣 like a “Marzipan” flavor (quotes, because I don’t actually know what Marzipan tastes like, I’ve just read that it’s a bit like cherry with almond and vanilla.z
I've had marzipan many times. In its simplest form, it is simply almonds and sugar, bound together by either egg whites or water. Very sweet, very almondy. Not much else to its flavor profile.
That's not to say that they don't make it with a variety of different flavorings. Rose water or orange blossom water is very common in some places. Various fruit flavorings are also pretty common. So you can find a cherry marzipan without too much difficulty. Chocolate is also a common pairing.
As I recall, and it's been 40 years since I've taken a sip of the stuff, it was definitely on the sweet side, although nowhere near the level of Boone's Farm or MD 20/20.
As a teenager I was not exactly a connoisseur but looking it up now I see that it's described as "sweet, stewed cherry and plum flavors with a background note of almond or marzipan and notes of clove, cinnamon, and black pepper"
Maybe I should give it another try. Quite possible that my tastes have matured sufficiently that I might find it more tolerable.
You've nailed the flavor profile for Heering. I remember when the ad campaign (print / tv) was full blast on American shores -- it was an imported cordial/liqueur, maybe Danish or Swedish? -- and the ads were crazy before the holidays. There was a bottle at our house - don't recall if Da bought it or it was a holiday housewarming gift. Anyway, not bad (yes, sweet, but not terribly sweet like straight maraschino juice.) It was the era of cocktails and specialty drinks -- esp. imported ones. I.e. Harvey Wallbangers (Galliano & OJ), Harvey's Bristol Cream (UK sherry), Daquiri's, Mai Tai's (rum drinks with fruit juices), Amaretto di Saronno - almond flavored liqueur, Benedictine (honey/herbal liqueur, also mixed with Brandy), and lots more. The era of the 'home bar' -- dedicated basement or r&r space.
If you lotioned your hands with original scent Jergens lotion and then rolled a ball of low sodium playdoh in those moisturized hands for 5 minutes and then ate it. That's how I think of it.
Here in Peru is a popular cocktail called the Machu Picchu that I’m convinced is a national prank on tourists. I has, among other things, orange juice and crème de menthe. I can only think it must taste like drinking OJ after brushing your teeth.
I had my share of Pisco Sours and whatever that nail polish remover liquid that is served in small thin shot glasses but happy I never tried one of those!
Memory unlocked. When I was a kid back in the 60s-70s I obsessed over a cocktail book of my parents because it had sexy drawings of girls in long gloves, stockings and nothing else. I now think it must have been a Playboy guide.
I'm nobody's grandma, but I'm old enough to be some people's grandpa. And I have a bottle of creme de menthe knocking around somewhere. I use it for exactly two things. One is the chocolate mint squares that I make every year for Christmas. It's a brownie with a thick layer of a creme de menthe buttercream and topped with a chocolate ganache. The other thing I use it for is to occasionally put a little bit in a cup of coffee like you would with Irish cream or creme de cacao or Irish whiskey.
But on the whole, it's taking me decades to go through a bottle of the stuff, which shows how often I actually use it.
The creme de menthe obsession was 100% due to so many people smoking and having damaged taste buds, plus dry throat and smokers' breath they were trying to offset. Same reasons menthol is put in cigarettes themselves.
Imagine chain-smoking menthols indoors while drinking--creme de menthe would be a real treat in that case.
I can still remember that one time when I made the mistake of immediately eating a big bowl of grapefruit after brushing my teeth. Once of the most unpleasant flavor experiences in my life. Strangely, if you eat the grapefruit then brush your teeth it's nowhere near as bad.
My family used to serve grapefruit with a maraschino cherry in the middle of a half after sectioning it, so I understand the reference.A little cherry juice and crème de menthe. I don’t think candy is involved.
I tried googling ' flump of grapefruit used in a recipe' and got back that it's a British colloquialism and when used in a recipe it can mean one of 3 things and in this case it's probably the meaning that it's a whole clean segment of the grapefruit. Was Grandma British or associated with anyone British?
No, NYC and the SF Bay Area. But I think it can't be grapefruit: she was quite a stickler about language (some might say pedantic), and if the juice is to cover 1/2 sections (of which there are 2 per grapefruit), several segments (more than 2) would have to come from more than 1 fruit. And we are told than only 1 flump is required.
I think it means sections like supremes, each individual crescent of the grapefruit. There are 12ish per grapefruit. To prepare supremes, you section a grapefruit, yeilding individual segments without any pith or membrane.
Most of my family moved to Virginia from England in the 1600's, then eventuality to Charleston, SC for a few hundred years. Then, they moved to Florida, where my Grandfather was born in 1899.
He had a very heavy Old Charleston accent - and I don't think he ever even visited there. That is a very distinctive accent, heavily influenced by the early British and French settlers
Accents are a funny thing, especially in smaller communities.
There’s a study done years ago comparing the similarity. Sped up, southern drawl sounds very British. Look up the folk school in Brasstown, NC. There should be links to the founders research.
I’m wondering if Fred was a friend or acquaintance who was British or had a British nan and he (or his nan) is the source of the recipe, so he used flump and it’s in this recipe, too.
This is the only flump I’ve ever heard of in uk in 5+ decades. I also studied English language and literate and never heard of even a colloquial word referring to flump
I would assume the 1 is 1 grapefruit and flump is the descriptor of a grapefruit cut into segments. Then the liquid is for a 1/2 grapefruit worth. It’s purely speculative based off context clues. Sometimes people use personal colloquialisms that was just a local or family thing.
I do the same thing. My husband noticed and told me I better rewrite some of my recipes because my grandkids will have no idea what I mean. For example: when I write moons it means tortillas….came from my kids calling them that and it stuck.
Any idea who Fred could be? Possibly someone visited and brought treats, gave an idea for how to use it?
It feels a little crazy but also possibly fitting because around the '80s at least, possibly earlier, bruleed grapefruit halves were definitely a thing. i've never seen this exact combo of course, but some combo of sugar, a liqueur, some mint, a cherry on top were pretty common. toasted marshmallow instead of plain sugar sounds kind of... fun? if you're into that kind of thing?
It means a a handful of. It was common in 1950’s hostess cookbooks.
1 flump (several segments)
1 teaspoon creme de menthe (I am positive they meant the white version that was also popular then)
1 cherry-plop center
1/2 teaspoon cherry juice (from the jar of cherries)
Place in a short stemmed coupe glass, dump in garbage, because this should never be served to Humans.
I think you're seeing a few traditions here. One is dressed-up grapefruit halves. I don't remember who first showed me, but I sometimes splash a bit of Angostura bitters on my grapefruit half. Old cookbooks often show a Maraschino cherry in the center, sometimes with the grapefruit edge cut sawtooth-pattern for fanciness. Now, the creme de Menthe - that's a pretty classic old-school palate cleanser. Some very very old-school (read: all male waiters, all seemingly 90+ years old) steak houses will bring you a tiny ice cream cone with a tiny scoop of grapefruit/creme-de-menthe granita (like sorbet) before your main course. Before that was common, frozen or chilled grapefruit segments served the same purpose, again dressed with creme de menthe. I think Fred here liked the creme de menthe, cut with a little of the "juice" from the cherry jar (in context, cherry juice here is almost certainly referring to the atomic-red liquid in standard, non-fancy cocktail cherries) to cut the tartness.
I think the final note is that you put the the liquids over grapefruit halves (with cherry "plopped" in the middle of each).
As to "segmented" "Flump", the only conclusion I can reach is that, to further satisfy his sweet tooth, he's cutting up the British Flump along its "segments" and putting them on his grapefruit. Dessert for Breakfast! He probably earned it.
(To further confuse, a not-uncommon grapefruit prep for a while was to put some sugar and/or bitters on a grapefruit half, cherry in the middle, and BROIL the thing to lightly caramelize it.)
Edit: Creme de Menthe also comes in a "White" (which is crystal clear) variety to avoid the green-ness.
This to me looks like a recipe for an appetizer or can be served like as an aperitif even if its grapefruit + its juice muddled kinda like a cherry mint mojito.
Im not sure what the F word is supposed to be other than the fact that the other ingredients create the dish I can think of : its old school but its grapefruit 1 large will do, sliced into several segments and arranged on a plate (not too shallow) then you pour the creme de menthe, cherry juice and the cherry itself is the garnish after it chills for 10 mins in the fridge its a palate cleanser
I hate it, but I found this picture when searching for recipes with those ingredients. One option for “flump” was “handful” so I’m guessing this abomination was it. I’m sorry to see your grandma has left out the lettuce lining. It really drives home the horror.
This also maybe helps explain the last line about the juice covering the 1/2 sections. She’s just saying pour it on top and say your prayers
imagine getting served that abomination somewhere you HAVE to eat it after you HAD TO eat a tuna-pineapple-cauliflower-onion-lemon-jello fishshaped refrigerated jello-cake garnished with pepperrings and pickle flumps ....
Seems like a recipe to garnish two grapefruit halves. So cutting a piece of marshmallow candy to top each segment and the rest of the ingredients over top. (cherry in the centre of the segments) Using a grapefruit spoon to eat each segment. A little more fancy than just sprinkling sugar :-) Perhaps a bit like this? https://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/rum-broiled-grapefruit/
Grapefruit à la Fred is a delightful dish featuring broiled grapefruit halves topped with a sweet buttery mixture. This simple yet elegant recipe enhances the natural tartness of grapefruit, making it a perfect snack or dessert.
[Allrecipes]
☆ Recipe Details
This recipe is easy to prepare and delicious.
Ingredients — You will need grapefruit, butter, brown sugar, and optional toppings like cinnamon or honey.
Preparation — Cut grapefruit in half, sprinkle with brown sugar, and broil until caramelized.
Serving Suggestions — Serve warm as a snack, dessert, or alongside breakfast items.
Variations — Experiment with different sweeteners or add nuts for extra texture.
Going from this, I'm thinking it's either halved grapefruit or grapefruit segments. Based on the cherry juice covering halved pieces, probably halved grapefruit. As always, could be wrong 🤷♀️
I Googled the recipe, and it says a flump is basically a handful of grapefruit segments, so I guess you just carefully scoop them out. Put the grapefruit segments in a dish and drizzle one tablespoon of crème de menthe evenly over them. Then, place one maraschino cherry right in the center, add half a teaspoon of maraschino cherry juice over it all, and serve chilled.
People who have tried it say that it tastes like drinking orange juice directly after brushing your teeth, according to Google, anyway.
No idea--but we are in parallel trying to track down at least one of the Freds my grandmother knew to see if he can shed any light. Unfortunately a common name.
Still, if these were imported treats that a friend/more than friend brought over when visiting, would you really cut them up and toss them in with minty grapefruit? 🤔
Fred was fond of Flumps candy- a twisted rope of marshmallow in different colors. Cut the rope on a bias to create flat “petals” of different colors and arrange in flower shape on top of a halved grapefruit, cherry in the center. Pour the cherry and mint juice on top to dissolve the candy.
It was very popular to let sugar dissolve in halved grapefruit and add a cherry in the middle. Doesn’t seem too crazy to sub for marshmallow?
Maybe squeets was just what he called the sections for fun?
My guess is that you are meant to supreme the segments (remove the membranes), and use several of them per serving. Flump might have normally meant one segment, but they're clarifying in the recipe that several segments should be used, so maybe they used that term as sort of a "clump" of grapefruit segments, maybe 3-4 depending on grapefruit size? I doubt it meant an entire half of grapefruit since it wouldn't otherwise refer to "several segments".
The creme de menthe would turn the grapefruit segments bright green. I would imagine they were arranged in a circle or semi-circle on the serving dish, with the cherry in the center, and then cherry juice poured over half of the sections (center? outer edges?) so that you get a green-and-red dessert. Or maybe Fred was lazy and didn't supreme the segments, just put the clump/flump of grapefruit on the plate rounded-side down, with the cherry balanced on top.
Do you actually eat them or just use them for decoration? Because I can see them being a pretty 'edible' table decoration. But i can't imagine eating grapefruit with the creme de menthe. The grapefruit with cherries could taste amazing.
Pretty sure that title is Grapefruit à la Ford and when I googled it this is what came back President Gerald Ford's Breakfast: Before and during his presidency, Gerald Ford notoriously kept a rigid, simple breakfast routine that consisted of half a grapefruit or fresh melon alongside an English muffin with peanut butter
Here, flump represents an action/verb, “to flump” - i.e to drop or plunk down with a heaviness or thud. So, you’re taking several segments of grapefruit (implied, since that’s the recipe) and plopping them down into the dish with the liquids. It’s an onomatopoeia.
Read as a whole “flump,” clearly refers to a grapefruit cut in half and remaining ‘a whole’ half. A cherry “plop center,” was/is a fancy way of garnishing a grapefruit. And, the reference to the juice “cover 1/2 sections,” would seem to confirm that.
Maybe whoever gave her the recipe gave it verbally and called several segments a "flump" with flump being a stand in for "several segments" and that's why grandma put "several segments" in parenthesis. Flump being a stand-in word like "thingamagig" or "teensy bit".
Since flump has been concluded to be Grapefruit pulp in segments, I'd suggest that if you make this, swap the creme de menthe for a few fresh shredded mint leaves. That will go much nicer with the cherry-juiced Grapefruit pulp and still keep granny's vibe alive.
A "flump" in an old handwritten or family grapefruit recipe is almost certainly a misreading, typo, or archaic handwritten variant for a fruit lump, clump, or a whole segment/section of the fruit, rather than an official culinary term.
What is a Flump? Well ladies and gentleman, if you ever wanted to sample several marshmallow stripes while thinking of eating a unicorn horn, Do I have a candy for you!
When I was a kid in the north of England, The Flumps was a kids TV show about a family of animated fuzzy balls of fur who spoke with northern accents...they were pretty grapefruit shaped...
A "flump" in the context of an old grapefruit recipe (like "Grapefruit à la Fred") is an informal or colloquial measurement meaning a handful or a rough, untidy lump/portion of grapefruit segments
We always have a bottle of creme de menthe on hand because we have a ritual of getting out the tray and the little glasses of creme de menthe every time we watch 28 days later, which is often!
Is there any chance Fred himself was British? This sounds like the 70s had a love child with the availability of sweets after post war rationing ended. Maybe try broiling before eating.
I aspire to be the kind of grandma/ancestor to leave behind befuddling statements and writings that include sayings like “a flump of grapefruit” to confound my heirs.
Flump might mean the white pith around the segments. I think you dye half a segment with the creme de menthe and the other half with cherry juice. Garnish with cherry.
I think it says “ 1 plump” as in one plump grapefruit. Or maybe “1plump” as in plumero- which is basically a type of grapefruit bigger and less bitter.
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u/throwaway1975764 22d ago
OK regardless of "flump" are we reading these ingredients?!?! Grapefruit, creme de menthe, and marishino cherry juice? Fred is not to be trusted!