Much like Jerry Lewis, this recipe flew off the rails and did not turn out as planned.
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were the biggest comedy act in show business from the mid 1940s until the mid 1950s. They began on the nightclub circuit before conquering radio, television and film.
The Recipe
I debated about which recipe to make. I found one attributed to Jerry Lewis for a chocolate vinegar cake, but frankly that just sounded odd to me. Instead I opted to make Dean Martin's Burgundy Chicken. The instructions seemed a bit vague, but I found that the combination of wine, fruit and flour just made what I call "fruit slime". The recipe didn't specify a cooking time or temperature, but I browned the chicken and baked it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Special Guest
Rick is a film history collector and also co-authored the book "Harry Brandon: King of the Boogeymen" with Bill Cassara. You can find Rick on Facebook and he runs the group Greene's Pop Culture Sugar Blast! Coolness From The 20th Century. He is currently writing a book about Martin and Lewis that will come out in early 2022.
The Final Result
Unfortunately this was the result.....
If any of you out there can offer up advice on how to make this PROPERLY, please let me know. Sometimes making vintage recipes can be tricky stuff. So far this ranks alongside Ann Dvorak's Fruit Salad a la Jell as my biggest Hollywood Kitchen misfire. In spite of this, I decided to proceed full steam ahead with the episode and I figured it would just give Rick more time to show off his memorabilia collection.
These are the books that have come out so far that Rick recommends.
Stay tuned and we will do another episode when Rick's book comes out.