“Housewife Superstar” and pineapple

I recently read a copy of ‘Housewife Superstar: The Very Best of Marjorie Bligh’ by Danielle Wood, given to me by my sister-in-law, Colleen. I’m not known for my skills as a housewife so I was a little suspicious at first, but was soon very impressed by the book itself and the productive career of Tasmanian, Marjorie Bligh.
http://textpublishing.com.au/books-and-authors/book/housewife-superstar/

I won’t give too much away but the book is not only an excellent bio but also a wealth of recipes, recycling tips, verse and hints from how to find a lost contact lens to hatching chickens in an electric frypan.

Danielle has published a follow-up to ‘Housewife Superstar’, ‘Marjorie Bligh's HOME: Hints On Managing Everything’. She describes this book as “a compilation of more of Marj's greatest hits and various celebrities (including Barry Humphries and Margaret Fulton) have nominated their favourite Marj hints, tips and recipes.”

“Barry Humphries chose Marj's Candle Salad, which I think you might enjoy.  When Barry makes the recipe, he adds a lettuce cup and some mayonnaise dribbling down the side of the banana, ‘to represent wax’. “

http://textpublishing.com.au/books-and-authors/book/marjorie-bligh-s-home/

“. . . the doily underneath the serving plate was crocheted by the great lady herself,”  Danielle.

She goes on to say “Incidentally, in other Marj news, ‘Housewife Superstar’ has been translated into Dutch and published in the Netherlands, and has just been released in the US where she's being billed as a nonagenarian Martha Stewart.”

Congratulations Danielle and Marjorie!

Marjorie Bligh’s Pineapple Chantilly   

3 dstspns gelatine, 4 tblspns hot water, 6 slices Swiss roll, 2 or 3 dstspns sweet sherry, ½ tspn vanilla, 2 eggs, 2 ¾ cups milk, 1 ½ tblspns arrowroot, 3 oz sugar, 1 tin pineapple, 5 tblspns coconut

Dissolve gelatine in the hot water in a vessel standing in a pot of hot water. Place slices of Swiss roll in serving dish. Sprinkle over the sherry. Mix the sugar and arrowroot with a little of the milk; add the rest, then stir over heat until it boils 3 minutes, slowly. Cool slightly, then add vanilla, beaten egg yolks, dissolved gelatine, chopped pineapple and coconut. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into lined cake dish and chill until set. Decorate with a slice of pineapple and cherries. Serve with cream. Serves 6 people.