A Recipe for Your “Mad Men” Premiere Party: Hellman’s Mayonnaise Cranberry “Candles”

The premiere of season 5 of Mad Men takes place this Sunday! If you’re having a Mad Men viewing party and have been trying to think of period-appropriate food to serve, you might want to try this recipe for cranberry “candles” made with mayo, an idea straight from the era when people were doing weird things with processed food like suspending stuff in jello, making crowns of hot dogs and performing other gastronomical atrocities. I’ve posted the text in the ad above below:

Who’d dream a salad so impressive could be so easy to make! The delicate creaminess and fresh flavor of Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise make it possible.

Smooth, light Hellman’s mellows the tart cranberries to create a holiday salad with elegant new flavor — in an elegant new candle shape. Server it once…and you’ll be asked to serve it again and again.

• 1 1-lb. can Ocean Spray Whole Cranberry Sauce
• 1 3-oz. pkg. red, yellow or orange fruit-flavored gelatin
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup HELLMAN’S Real Mayonnaise
• 1 apple or orange, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Heat cranberry sauce, strain, set berries aside. Dissolve gelatin in hot juice and water. Add salt and lemon juice.

Chill until thickened enough to mound slightly when dropped from a spoon.

Beat in real mayonnaise with rotary beater till light and fluffy. Fold in cranberries, fruit and nuts.

Divide mixture evenly into eight 6-oz. fruit juice cans. Chill 4 hours or longer. Unmold. Garnish with real mayonnaise to taste.

To flame: Cut thin birthday candles in half to shorten. Insert into tops of cranberry candles. Light.

This is no place for second best…this is the place for Hellman’s

If you give this recipe a try, let me know how it worked out…either drop me a line or leave a note in the comments!