To celebrate the fact that Feud: Bette and Joan has its UK premiere TONIGHT  I thought I’d suggest her recipe for Danti-Chips as a fun snack for you to rustle up.  When I launched the Joan Crawford cookbook in 2014

 

 

I organised a virtual reality launch party and lots of folks all around the world made Joan Crawford dishes on the same night.  It was so much fun.  Here’s Joan’s recipe for Danti-Chips, followed by many creative suggestions for different toppings.

Repost from 27th November 2014

Next on the menu for the worldwide Joan-fest were Danti-Chips.  One of the proofreaders for my JC cookbook said that he’d searched high and low on the internet for a reference to Danti-Chips, so that he could check the spelling.  The only references brought him right back to Joan.  We can only surmise from this that Joan INVENTED this name for her special salty snack.

I was so impressed with the party hosts and hostesses, with everyone putting their own special take on the recipe.  Nobody these days has “potted ham” hanging around the place do they?  I encouraged participants to experiment, and experiment they did! 

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First up, here are the ones served at Silver Screen Suppers Towers.  One batch, fairly authentic to Joan’s recipe with meat paste, cheddar and gherkins made by me.  The others were fashioned to Mr Rathbone’s particular partiality – mackerel pate with cheddar and roasted red pepper.  Served with a nice bottle of “Cotes de Jhoan” of course!

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Both versions were delicious and all were snaffled up.

The first blogger to send me a link to a post about her Joan event was the lovely Taryn from Melbourne in Australia who writes the fabulous Retro Food for Modern Times blog.  I heartily encourage you to read about her HORROR when she foolishly took a peek at the ingredients list of a jar of deviled ham before making her Danti-Chips…  It made me guffaw out loud.

Joan Crawford Inspired Dinner for Two

Mildly freaked-out Taryn decided to opt for a mushroom and spinach tapenade for her chips, with cheese and gherkins plus some pickled chiles.  Don’t they sound and look good?  And they were too apparently!  Yum yum!

Joan-Crawfords-Danti-Chips by Taryn

Pamela from the brilliant Silent London blog also went for a mushroom version of the Danti-Chips.  She told me that her other half had never seen a Joan Crawford movie before so she screened two, back to back.  His verdict on Joan?  “He was v. polite, but I think he preferred Eve Arden” – haha!

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The lovely Coniams – Angela and Matthew – sent me this great picture of their party spread.  How I miss them and Matthew’s Movietonenews blog posts…  Will you write for us again soon Matthew?  Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?!  Doesn’t this look like a sensational spread?!

the coniam's party spread

I’m just beginning to realise how many of my chums are vegetarian.  Angela and Matthew used a spicy Mexican vegetarian spread for their Danti-Chips – I LIKE that idea!  I might seek some of this out…

spicy mexicanDefinitely NOT a vegetarian, and the most adventurous eater I know – Yinzerella over at Dinner Is Served 1972 – wins the prize for most authentic Danti-Chips.  Firstly, unlike Taryn she knew full well what was in the deviled ham, but she went for it anyway!

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Plus, she did exactly as Joan directed (which sounded a bit bonkers to me) and put the cheese UNDER the ham.  Bravo!

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Yinzerella took her Danti-Chips to a party at “Casa del Rick & Ronny”.  GAD I WISH I LIVED IN BALTIMORE.  Seems like a never-ending party!  Her lovely blog post about it is here – and there are more photos and Joan related GIFs too!

In Dubai, ever elegant and sophisticated, Sally over at My Custard Pie always makes things with PANACHE!  Her Blue Cheese and Pear Danti-Chips make my mouth water, Sally describes them like this: “salty blue cheese melted over a sweet, limey, chilli paste with the refreshing sweet slice of fresh pear” – oh yes!

blue-cheese-and-pear-dante-chips-my-custard-pie-3Sally’s post about her Danti-Chips is just adorable, she wrote a letter to Joan!

Two party throwers decided to go off-piste, requesting Joan’s Bisquick Cheese Straws recipe.  So my old mucker Battenburg Belle had partaken of some Danti-Chips made by me at a previous event.  Her statement “I did not love them” made me laugh, it’s a damning with faint praise type phrase and I’m going to use it myself sometimes.  Her cheese straws were lovely and puffy and you can read about her Joan party here… 

Cathy's Joan Crawford's Cheese StrawsA fabulous new friend I have made through the power of Vincent Price, Peter Fuller made cheese straws to Joan’s recipe too.  I could actually eat this whole plateful right now I am so hungry! 

peter fuller cheese straws

Check out Peter’s blog Kultguy’s Keep for a lovely write up about my cookbook and all kinds of other brilliant movie stuff.  I hope I won’t be giving away too many secrets when I let you all know that Peter and I are working together on a couple of forthcoming events for the launch of the 50th edition of Vincent and Mary Price’s Treasury of Great Recipes.  Watch this (and Peter’s) space for more details.

If you are a fan of Vincent’s do check out Peter’s other project about Vincent’s first trip aboard here – it’s absolutely wonderful!

Last but definitely not least, another new chum met through my blogging escapades, Greg in Greece from Recipes For Rebels – MADE HIS OWN CHIPS.  My goodness me, aren’t you lot clever?!  Greg used olive tapenade instead of potted ham and look at the size of those olives!  That’s Greece for you!

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Writing this post has made me absolutely starving.  I know I have some pate (wish I knew how to put an accent on the e) in my fridge, and some cheese too.  There are ALWAYS gherkins and crisps in the house…  I’m almost tempted to rustle myself up some Danti-Chips just for me, myself and I when I get home!  Yum yum.

I hope that you all enjoy Feud: Bette and Joan tonight, and hope you enjoy your Danti-Chips – Jenny x 

 

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