Dessert recipes from the Automat

An institution for nearly a century, the Automat – self-service restaurants operated by Horn & Hardart, in which food items were sold from coin-operated dispensers – offered customers in New York and Philadelphia a cheap and easy menu, which was especially popular during the Depression. At its height, Horn & Hardart operated more than 150 Automats.

These recipes are from the 2002 book, "The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart's Masterpiece" by Lorraine Diehl and Marianne Hardart (Clarkson Potter).

Don't miss Mo Rocca's report on the history of the Automat on "CBS Sunday Morning" November 21!

Pumpkin Pie

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked pumpkin (one 15-ounce can)
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 14 ½-ounce can evaporated milk
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 11-inch prepared pastry crust

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. In a large bowl, beat together all the ingredients (except the crust) with a rotary beater or hand whisk until the mixture is smooth. Line an 11-inch pie tin with the pastry. Pour in the filling, and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean.

Cup Custard

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 quart milk
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 large eggs

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, sugar and vanilla, and mix well. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well beaten. Stirring constantly, gradually add the milk mixture to the eggs. Divide evenly among 8 custard cups.
3. Place the custard cups on a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan; fill the pan with hot water to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Bake in the preheated over 40 to 45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the custard comes out clean. Remove the cups from the water and let stand at room temperature about 20 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.       
   

     
From "The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart's Masterpiece" by Lorraine Diehl and Marianne Hardart. Reprinted by permission of the author.

      
For more info:

• hornandhardartcoffee.com

Check out the "Sunday Morning" 2021 Food Issue Recipe Index for more menu suggestions, from all of the chefs, cookbook authors, flood writers and restaurateurs featured on our program, as well as the writers and editors of New York Times Cooking.