From Our Test Kitchen: Alligator Pear Cocktail

This installment of From Our Test Kitchen features a recipe from a book from the San Francisco History Center's shelves: Pan-Pacific Cook Book; Savory Bits from the World's Fare, an assortment of recipes gleaned from countries around the world, with some local selections, published during the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915.

While the title and the cover illustrations make it seem like these recipes are from the fair, I can't find anything in the preface or anywhere else in the book to confirm that supposition. It may be that these recipes are simply contemporary with and inspired by the international flavor--no pun intended--of the PPIE. I thought it would be simple to begin with an hors d'oeuvres--something no-cook, yet classy:

Cut two fine alligator pears into small balls with a French potato cutter; chill thoroughly and serve in cocktail glasses mixed either with sherry or with French dressing.


To my chagrin, simplicity turned out to be a present-day delusion as I discovered that old cookbooks use old culinary terms: what, pray tell, is an alligator pear? And, more difficult to discover via google: what is a French potato cutter?

An alligator pear turns out to be another name for an avocado, partly because the skin looks and feels reptilian that way, partly because of some sort of linguistic confusion, and partly because it is shaped like a pear (see FoodReference.com for fuller explanation).
A French potato cutter, apparently, cuts soft fruits into small balls, so since I don't have one, and I didn't want to use my ice cream scoop, I made due with a teaspoon. ...Didn't work so well:

Once I'd discovered the meaning of the ingredients and utensils, I blanched over the actual taste combinations. Sherry or French dressing? Were these pairings considered adventuresome in 1915? I decided to prepare both, separately of course, and leave it to my colleagues to judge the results:

"That's great!" (after tasting the French dressing version)
"That's terrible!" (after a spoonful of the sherry version)
- Andrea, who then fixed up a second serving of the French dressing version

"That's it? Avocado and dressing?"
- Jeff, who later created the appetizer Alligator Pear á la Jeff (AKA, plain avocado in a cup)

"I'll do it for the City."
- Tom, after revealing that he doesn't really like avocados

Alligator Pear w/French Dressing: 5
Alligator Pear w/Sherry: 0
Neither: 1
Abstain: 2

But don't take our word for it. Maybe you'd like to try the Alligator Pear Cocktail (or any other recipe inspired by the Pan-Pacific Exposition in 1915) at home. Come by and take a look at The Pan-Pacific Cookbook, if you see something you like we'll be happy to make a copy for you for a mere 15¢per page. We'll even help you find more exciting recipes from our City's foodie past!
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