Join us for Easter Sunday and a celebration of Mary Pickford's birthday!
Mary Pickford was a trailblazing pioneer in the film industry. Her career on screen began in 1909 and lasted until 1933. Pickford had her own production company and total creative control over her films. She co-founded United Artists, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Motion Picture Relief Fund. She won the first Best Actress Academy Award ever given for a sound film for 1929's "Coquette". After her screen career ended, she continued to produce films, hosted a radio show and remained involved with numerous charities. In 1976 she received an honorary Academy Award for Life Achievement.
Mary was born in April 8th, 1892 so this seemed like a perfect time to celebrate! Plus she loved Easter!
Recipe
The recipe for Mary Pickford's Raspberry Jam Tarts is from "Celebrated Actor-Folks' Cookeries". It was published in 1916 and is by far the oldest cookbook in my collection. The proceeds at the time benefitted the The Red Cross and The Actors' Fund.
These next two recipes are from Angie's collection. She acquired the cookbook and recipes from the head chef at Pickfair. We decided to make BOTH versions of the Raspberry Tarts.
Special Guests
Angie Schneider is a board member of the Hollywood Heritage Museum and collects memorabilia on Mary Pickford and Theda Bara. She blogs at “Tinsel and Stars" and is currently writing a cookbook on the recipes of Pickfair.
Margot Gerber is a publicity and marketing consultant. She is president of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles and a board member of the Hollywood Heritage Museum.
Final Result
Below is a photo of the Raspberry Jam Tarts right before they went into the oven. They were delicious and had a consistency of a cobbler.
The Raspberry Tartlettes were completely different, but equally tasty. They are very French and had an entirely different texture.
The Norwegian Deviled Eggs were also a hit! They had a salty taste and texture due to the anchovies and would serve as a great appetizer or finger food for any party. Margot decorated the deviled eggs with edible flowers. Angie dyed some of them pink using beet juice.
Our friends at Hollywood Blends have a new officially licensed Mary Pickford coffee blend!
If you'd like to learn more about Mary Pickford, there are many high quality books out there! You can find many of these books online, but I always encourage everyone to support local bookstores like Larry Edmund's Bookshop in Hollywood!
There are also several Mary Pickford films available on DVD or Amazon Prime.
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