In my dreamworld it is the early 1960s, and I’m partaking of an ice cold Mai Tai at Trader Vic’s…

with Roger Stirling to my right…

and Mary and Vincent Price to my left…

For not only was Trader Vic’s a favourite haunt of the lovely boys and girls of Madison Avenue, it had a special place in the hearts of Vincent and Mary too.

In the best cookbook in the world, Mary and Vincent’s, A Treasury of Great Recipes

there are three recipes the Price’s gleaned directly from the chef at Trader Vic’s in New York. 

For the:

I decided to try the recipe for Butterfly Steak Hong Kong.  But before that of course, there had to be COCKTAILS!

From the wonderful Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook (I have a copy to give away – yip yip!  See very end of this post for how to win…) here’s a recipe for Roger’s favourite Martini – mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.  It made me laugh to see that this recipe is courtesy of The Grand Central Oyster Bar in New York.  Fans of the show will know full well, that it is not wise to have several martinis and oysters for lunch, then walk up several flights of stairs back to the office.  You KNOW what will happen…

Cheers!

As an amuse bouche before the steak, I thought Rumaki would be appropriate.  Some say these were invented by Victor Bergeron, aka Trader Vic.  I know for a fact that Vincent Price loved Rumaki as he tells us how to make them on his International Cookery Course LP record, Bounty of Paradise.

This most excellent of vinyl platters prompted me to throw a Polynesian party, as per Vincent’s precise instructions way back in 2012.  His Rumaki were divine, and Nathan fell in a box…  Here’s a photo of some Vincent’s Rumaki I made earlier…

Vincent says about these: “don’t turn your nose up at the chicken livers!  This is no time to be squeamish, they are delicious.”  He is, as always, quite correct, and they are recipe of the month for April 2015 – if you are looking at some point in the future, you’ll get a surprise recipe!

I can never think of chicken livers without this fantastic Vincent Price Cookery Theme Tune going around in my head!  Pork Chops, Pork Chops, Pork Chops, PORK!

But back to the Rumaki.  We know that Betty Draper served Rumaki at her “Around The World Dinner” in series 2.  For liquid refreshment Betty offers a Burgundy from France, or a “frosted glass of beer” from Holland. 

It was Heineken of course.  I wholeheartedly agree with Don Draper about Heineken beer: “For women entertaining in the home…  Holland is Paris.  They can buy this sophisticated beer and proudly walk it into the kitchen instead of hiding it in the garage.”

And if you think I just bought the Heineken just to have with the Rumaki for my Mad Men party, here’s proof that it is my favourite cold beverage…

Here’s the recipe for Rumaki from the Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook

I had to oven bake mine (as Vincent does), as the grill (broiler) chose today to stop working.  What I am going to do about tomorrow’s hot cross buns, I do not know…

I decided on a costume change for the Butterfly Steak Hong Kong.  This is the outfit I would have worn to Trader Vic’s in New York  in the 1960s, and this is the outfit I WILL wear when someone takes me to Trader Vic’s in London sometime, anytime (hint hint…)

Here’s the genius recipe…

[yumprint-recipe id=’6′]

I hear that the last series of Mad Men will be set in the 1970s.  What on EARTH will Joan be wearing?  Like me, she’s got a figure made for the 1950s…  I hope that Joan’s going from strength to strength in her career at Stirling Cooper & Partners.  I’d like to think it would have been Joan who brokered a deal to have Vincent be the representative of Angostora Bitters if it was a SC&P account.  Vincent Price & food & cocktails = an utterly genius combination.

Thank you to friend of Silver Screen Suppers – The Vincent Price Exhibit for this pic.

So, for your Mad Men party (new series begins on Sunday 5th in the States, Thursday 9th in the UK) if you don’t fancy Don Draper’s favourite, an Old Fashioned cocktail, you could have a Vincent Price New Fashioned cocktail! (If you can’t read the recipe in the photo above by expanding it, click on this link…) – and if you fancy the Chinese Chicken click here for a fab post by Mimi who made this for my Vincent Price Halloween Cookalong…

It has been SO MUCH FUN participating in this #PartyLikeAMadMan Virtual Reality Party, I loved it!  To see what other folks have been cooking up click here…  So many wonderful bloggers making so many wonderful things…

Thank you so much to Yinzerella over at Dinner is Served 1972 for letting me know this was happening.  Basically, any party she is going to, I want to go to be in on! Check out this link to see how her party turned out.  It’s no surprise that Jello was involved.  Can you imagine how much I want that cake fountain?!

Massive thanks to Judy Gelman for organising the whole shebang and letting me be part of it.  As soon as I heard about the party, my first thought was VINCENT PRICE, as I knew some of the restaurants featured in Mad Men were also featured in the Treasury of Great Recipes.  Sardi’s is in there, as is the Forum of the Twelve Ceasars…

Regular readers of the Silver Screen Suppers blog will know that I’m involved in arranging events to celebrate the launch of the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Treasury.  There will be some great foodie events in November when Vincent and Mary’s daughter Victoria embarks on a whirlwind tour of the UK.  I’m hoping to organise a blogger virtual reality party like this one, some time in September when the book is launched in the States.  Please either let me know in a comment below if you are interested in participating, or email me via the Contact page…

You can reserve an advance copy of the 50th anniversary edition of the Treasury via Victoria’s wonderful Cooking With Vincent website.

As I’m all about shopping local these days here are some links to some lovely local shops involved in the making of this party…

I bought my delicious steak, liver and bacon from the divine Morley Butchers in Crouch End.

Mr R’s 1950s causal shirt and the fab frying pan you see beside him are from Cha Cha Cha Vintage in Muswell Hill.

I can’t remember where I bought either of my frocks (although I have a feeling the Hawaiian number was from Rokit), but both sets of earrings are from St Cyr Vintage in Camden Town.

The gin is from genius local distillery Sacred Gins in Highgate, purchased from Prohibition Wines in Muswell Hill.

The BBQ sauce we dipped our Rumarki in was made with some Hammerton beer from my nephew’s brilliant brewery in Islington.

I love all of these people.

Finally, the giveaway!!!!!

Last but not least, if you would like to win a copy of the Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook just make a comment below and you’ll go into a free prize draw.  Let me know where you are in the world as if the winner is in the USA the lovely publisher will send you a hard copy once I’ve contacted you for an address.  If you are elsewhere in the world, I will send you an e-book version.  Good luck my lovelies and have fun partying like a mad man!

Closing date for competition – Friday 10th April.