Vincent Price’s Crostata di Mele (Apple Tart)
I offered to teach Mr R to make pastry so that he could make the apple pie. This is beginning to sound like some kind of Rom-Com isn’t it? I do apologise for all the mentionitis over the last few posts but I am frankly still surprised that this geezer is...
Vincent Price’s Poulet Pavillon (Chicken in Champagne Sauce)
Oh how decadent. The central dish for Vincent’s birthday celebrations was a whole chicken poached in ¾ of a bottle of champagne. The recipe for this dish is at the end of this post... Utterly divine. Once the chook was cooked I made a sauce with...
Douglas Fairbanks Cocktail (No. 1)
ooh , I am getting everything out of order today... We had one of these after the muffins and before the chicken in champagne. You get the idea... If you'd like the recipe for these -and you should as they are damn fine cocktails - you might be able to see...
Vincent Price’s Toad in the Hole
You know when you make a perfect dinner? Everything works like a dream and tastes delicious and is ready right on time? Such was Vincent’s Toad in the Hole with onion gravy (made to Alastair Hendy’s recipe in Home Cook) with a bit of broccoli chucked on...
Vincent Price’s Blueberry Muffins La Posada
Birthday celebrations for Vincent on Bank Holiday Monday kicked off with a batch of these. The blueberries I got from Sainsbury’s were particularly FAT and some of them burst during cooking and that only added to the deliciousness. Eaten in bed.
The Charlie Chaplin Cocktail
On Sunday a fabulous new cocktail recipe arrived from my lovely chum in Athens, Georgia - fellow film archivist Margie Clark. It was superb timing as Mr R was hot footing it over for Vincent Price Toad in the Hole after doing his radio show so I rustled up a...
Errol Flynn’s Roast Leg of Lamb
Oooh, Errol’s leg was fabulous. His recipe was for a 6lb leg but I only bought half a leg (2lb) as it was dinner for two at Silver Screen Suppers Towers yesterday. I had ascertained that Mr R is very partial to lamb so I tempted him over with the promise...
Celia Johnson’s Chocolate Sponge Cake
I don't know where to start with this post really. There is romance in the air at Silver Screen Suppers Towers and it is befuddling my brain a bit. I will just say this. On Sunday Mr R cooked me a duck and it was divine. I made a Celia Johnson's...
Book Test Cook 13 – Jimmy Stewart’s Chicken Pie
Another pie! This time made for Shane and Ewan who battled their way around the British transport system to get to me – Northern Line madness. The pie was made exactly to Jimmy’s recipe – including the pastry and I was quite proud of it BUT I don’t think it was as...
Diana Dors’ Easy Fruit Cake
At the risk of showing off, I am going to mention again that my Diana Dors Easy Fruit Cake won second prize at the Muswell Hill Horticultural Show on Saturday. My feathers were all puffed up with pride. The morning of the show was always going to be hectic as I had...
James Mason’s Plum Jam
I do very much like a man who comes round to dinner with a James Mason film in his pocket that he thinks I might like to see. I had never heard of “The London Nobody Knows” but it is a truly fabulous film. It’s a vivid snapshot of life in London in 1968 –...
Dirk Bogarde’s Chicken Clermont
Neighbours, everybody loves good neiiiiiiiiiiigbours. And I am very pleased with the neighbourly gesture Chloe made in matchmaking me with her chum the very lovely Mr R. We had a top evening on Saturday, staying up until 4am discussing our musical star...
Douglas Fairbanks’ Fairbanks Cocktail (No. 1)
Just a quick post as I have a DATE tonight coming to my house for dinner so I have an immense amount of cleaning to do… I don’t want to ruin my chances with someone who appears to be quite a stitch by revealing my slovenly side too soon. So just to mention that the...
Elizabeth Taylor’s Chicken Steamed in Wine
Being a family of one and following recipes written for 6-8 results in a freezer bursting at the seams with spare portions of delicious but mostly unidentifiable things. I wouldn’t usually serve something from the freezer to company but needs must. I...
Vincent Price’s Sopa Poblano (Chili Poblano Soup)
I LOVE it when other people cook! My darling friend Sanja recently cooked a Serbian feast which involved the most delicious thing anyone has ever made for me. SAUERKRAUT with bacon and Romanian sausage. Oh my word it was delicious. And what’s more,...
Boris Karloff’s Steak and Kidney Pie
Sometimes what you need is a big old steak and kidney pie and here is one made exactly to a recipe by Boris. It’s only appropriate that Vic should be a guest for a pie like this, as the Universal Monsters song he co-wrote includes a few lines about Boris Karloff in...
Claudette Colbert’s Rice Bubbles Cream Meringues
Just a quick recipe tweak. Made another batch of these last night and realised that I'd only put the American oven temperature on this month's Recipe of the Month page and newsletter. Had a sleepless night worrying about Brits burning their meringues to a...
When Bloggers Meet – The Past on a Plate
Oh what a joy to meet in person the lovely Lauren Hairston Collado of the glorious food blog The Past on a Plate. Lauren was in London from Wichita and I was so thrilled to meet her in person. I've been following Lauren's blog since the day I discovered that she...
Alexis Smith’s Scrambled Eggs and Fresh Tomatoes
Blime – it’s like looking in a mirror – if my nose wasn’t so big. Jane and I had our photo taken tonight and when we looked at it together I said, “I think my nose is getting bigger as I get older” and she said, “I think my head’s going out of shape”. But what the...
Recipe of the Month – Claudette Colbert’s Rice Bubbles Cream Meringues
Ahh, it's rolled around very quickly this month. Only 28 days in February so no wonder. I've chosen something cute as I am just in that kind of mood. This was a recent discovery on the world wide interweb that made my heart glad. I've sent it over...
The Vincent Price Treasury Pilgrimage – Visit 6 – Harrods Food Hall
In The Treasury of Great Recipes Vincent announced: "Probably the most glamorous markets in the world are the Food Halls at Harrods in London" and I say hell yeah! He declared the whole Harrods emporium to be akin to "The British Museum crossed with Les...
Book Test Cook 11 – Barbara Stanwyck’s Spanish Style Steak
Barbara’s steak was good. Food writer guru Richard Ehrlich agrees with me that her recipe for Leg of Lamb is utterly bonkers. So I’m dropping the lamb and giving the steak a double thumbs up. I might give her Chicken Mousse recipe a go too, just in...
Foodie Penpal February
My foodie penpal package this month came to me from Bonnie Scotland. The lovely Isobel put together a perfectly packed box with these wonderful things inside. Everyone at work oohed and ahhed when the cheese came out – it survived the journey but had ripened...
Richard O’Sullivan’s Horse Noodles
THRILLED to be mentioned on my favourite blog of all time Caker Cooking this week. Such an honour that Brian chose to throw caution to the wind and have a go one of the Richard O'Sullivan recipes I left out when I attempted his 7 Day Survival Course. I...
Recipe of the Month – Vincent Price’s Chicken in Pineapple
My recommendation for Valentine's Night - whether you will be alone - like me - or cosied up with your significant other is this. It's a GENIUS recipe and is designed to impress your guest OR make you laugh out loud if you are eating alone. This is probably my all...
Silver Screen Sunday – Vincent Price’s Dinner at the Casbah
I have three friends who have birthdays really close to Christmas and they don’t tend to celebrate. So I decided, as they are three of my very favourite people, to make them a birthday lunch. I love my Vincent Price “Beverly Hills Cookbook” and I am working my way...
January Foodie Penpal
When I was a pre-teen I joined an organisation that fixed you up with penpals. I really wish I could remember what it was called but you had to fill out a complicated form with tick boxes to tell them all about yourself so they could match you up. What your hobbies...
Book Test Cook 10 – Constance Bennett’s Spanish Chicken
I'm in bed with the heated blanket on listening to Friday Night is Music Night on R2 and it is FANTASTIC because it the theme is "Bond and Beyond" so there is tonnes of John Barry stuff and now they are talking about Hitchcock. The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra is...
Book Test Cook 9 – Carole Lombard’s Cherry Pie
Made with one hand only! My other was in a sling after a spectacular tumble on the cobblestones of Camden Market. It was quite a drama with lots of lovely stallholders coming to the rescue and work chums fussing and looking after me as I sat in reception...
The Ann Sheridan Cocktail
Oh auspicious day! Firstly I went to the bfi to be filmed talking about NEWTS for a television programme. Then I got my tax return filed a week early. Then I finally took the plunge and sent my book proposal to Unbound. Ooh, I am so excited. I do so hope that...
Book Test Cook 8 – Dick Powell’s Corn Chowder
Corn. Mmmm. Bacon. Mmmm. Potatoes. Mmmm. This is real comfort food. I love it. Perfect for the book with no tweaking. One of my foodie bucket list items has already been accomplished - well half accomplished. My wonderful friend Cathy has her arm in plaster...
Book Test Cook 7 – Joan Crawford’s Charcoal Broiled Steak
My photo of Joan's steak was rotten so here's a picture of one of the things that made it so gorgeous. Joan sure knows what she is doing on the steak front. Roquefort, mustard and butter on top. Oh yes, yes, yes. I didn't have Roquefort but I had...
Book Test Cook 6 – Bing Crosby’s Turkey and Eggs a la Crosby
Mmm. This was a perfect Sunday brunch to have in bed with The Archers. After a long discussion with Gordon about the fact that even though I've been listening to it for years I didn't know what any of the characters actually looked like, I stumbled upon...
Book Test Cook 5 – Cary Grant’s Tuna Fish Pie
An update on yesterday's post. On a little trawl around the internet I found this: The Clark Gable Salad, on the MGM commissary menu, consists of green chicory chopped with romaine, a deep covering of hard-boiled eggs and a circle of slivered beets. French dressing....
Corned Beef Hash Betty Grable and Malted Milk Bette Davis
I absolutely love getting things in the post. One day recently totally unexpectedly I got this from my old mucker Amy Sargeant. She’d mentioned ages ago that there were some film star foods mentioned in this book and I was intrigued. Buying a copy has been...
Book Test Cook 4 – Anna May Wong’s Chinese Almond Duck – also a Reader’s Report…
Ducke wuckie! Mmm. This was good but strangely not as good as the time I made it for me and Lolly. Why? Not sure. Maybe because I was using Japanese rice wine rather than Chinese? I'll have to fiddle around with it a bit to...
Recipe of the Month – Gloria Swanson’s Potassium Broth
It's taken me a while to put away the sequined jumpsuit and get back to normal life. The festive season rolled over into the first week of January with an old skool rock and roll night out to Rock of Ages with James, a fabulous birthday dinner at Bonnie Gull...
Book Test Cook 3 – Vincent Price’s Goulash
A lovely new year celebration with Corinna last night. We ate pretzels, cashew nuts, mini sausage rolls, Vincent's Goulash and a divine Sachertorte made by Corinna. We watched Dinner For One as is tradition (Corinna reckons she as probably seen this every...
Book Test Cook 2 – Ann Sheridan’s Chili Casserole
I had a very vivid dream last night. It was like a fully formed documentary television programme about people who had record players in their kitchens. I saw it as a sign that I should move one of my many record playing devices into the room where I spend...
Book Test Cook 1 – Alan Ladd’s Potato Pancakes
I'm off! Serious test cooking begins. These were delicious. I made them exactly to the recipe apart from being slightly generous with the salt. Served with a big slice of gammon and a mighty dollop of the Temple Big Pan Piccalilli. ...
Joan Crawford’s Salami Sandwiches
It's been a fabulous Christmas. I was VERY pleased with my turkey. Vic and Corinna and Isaac came over and we had the traditional Xmas dinner with all the trimmings, fiery Christmas pudding, mince pies and a huge pile of cheese and biscuits. Yum yum. We...
Vincent Price’s East Indian Fish Curry
Mmm - this was lovely but I'm afraid there is no photographic evidence as I was too busy getting drunk with David & Katy. I was a bit worried that Vincent's curry powder would be clove-heavy but in fact once it was all cooked up it was lovely. There is...
Vincent Price’s Curry Powder
I absolutely love my Vincent Price "push button cookery" lessons. The Beverly Hills Cookbook tapes were recorded sometime in the 70s and are just bursting with Vincent's humour, knowledge and joy of cooking. They are difficult to get hold of but Mike Vines has...
Vincent Price’s Baked Ham in a Common Crust
For the pre-birthday dinner I also made a baked ham to Vincent's specifications. Here's a picture of it when it surfaced from the oven. Heather kept eating bits of the crust as I broke it all off. She does love her proper pastry. I didn't have time...
Claudette Colbert’s Blueberry Pie
I made this for my pre-birthday dinner and it was pastry-heavy but good. Really easy, just bung in the blackberries with some sugar, cornflour and salt then dot with butter. Sainsbury's had run out of shortcrust pastry so I used puff - which looked pretty...
Vincent Price Pilgrimage Visit 5 – Boulestin – London
It was my birthday on Monday and I decided that I'd invite some friends for a Vincent Price related experience. As part of my self-made-challenge to visit every single one of the restaurants Vincent mentions in his awesome Treasury of Great Recipes I decided...
Recipe of the Month – Gina Lollobrigida’s Wreath Cookies
These little cuties are recipe of the month. They would probably have looked more festive if I had used strawberry jam rather than blackberry but I'm going to make some more next week with red jam and green dyed walnuts rather than pistaschios so they may be...
Bette Davis’ Red Flannel Hash
Last night I was eating grade 11 wagyu beef and tonight it was corned beef hash. That is just the way I roll! there has been no jiggery pokery Instagram style with this picture - that is exactly the colour it was - it's got BEETROOT in it. Was it...
Elizabeth Taylor’s Chicken Steamed in Wine
I do so wish I lived in America and/or Canada. Tonight on TV is the premiere of "Liz and Dick" starring Lindsay Lohan as Liz. Through my day job I know a lot more about La Lohan than is really necessary and I'd love to see how she gets on attempting to...
Vincent Price’s Crostata Di Mele (Apple Tart)
Because I got smashed on cocktails on Thursday at the Kinolibrary launch I was a bit under-prepared for my dinner party on Friday but Cathy came to the rescue with a pastry case for my apple tart. There wasn't enough pastry for a lattice but I think it looked...
