"Rosy Beet Salad" by Senator Rufus Holman
Another day, another “salad” from the 1950s, this one hailing from the great state of Oregon. It takes advantage of Oregon’s plentiful homegrown raspberry jello. It’s Senator Rufus Holman’s Rosy Beet Salad.
Chef Rufus Holman
Republican Senator from Oregon
As always, I followed the recipe word for word from the senator once described by The New York Times as “dead,” no alterations:
INGREDIENTS
One 3oz package raspberry gelatin
1 cup boiling water
3 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp horseradish
1 8oz can diced beets, drain and reserve juice
1 7oz can crushed pineapple, drain and reserve juice
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Dissolve gelatin in hot water.
2) Add vinegar, horseradish, beet juice and pineapple juice.
I have to be honest, I changed one thing here — Rufus spelled horseradish “horse radish” and I was afraid you’d think I made a typo.
3) Cool until consistency of egg whites. Stir in beets and pineapple.
It took about 20-25 minutes to get to the oozy fluid state akin to egg whites. It should slip off your spatula like fresh spit.
4) Pour into mold. Chill until set. Makes 6 servings.
I need a new mold. I’ve been using the same jello mold for Diabetic Cucumber, Wine Jelly, and more. Time to get weird with a funky new mold.
Voila! If you want to actually watch me attempt to eat it, go to the CwC Instagram or TikTok. The dish looks delicious, frankly — a blood red, raspberry-filled confection that only disturbs upon closer inspection. What appear at first to be raspberry seeds are actually bits of raw, white horseradish (or, horse radish), and the “rosy” color is due in part to sweet raspberry jello, but also comes from beet juice. It started to liquefy in the warm California sun pretty quickly, so I’d suggest slicing it up and then refrigerating it again immediately so you can save this for your guests. You’re making this for guests, right?
Verdict:
This one divided our household. My wife Elise enjoyed it — thought it tasted like sweet pickled beets. I thought it had potential right up until the horseradish hit, which took it from a sweet, slightly vegetal jello delight to something closer to…dessert wasabi. Proceed with caution.
