This year the theme is Oscar Foodies and Lifestyle Gurus!
Even though modern day stars lifestyle gurus, this has been around since the earliest days of film! I rounded up a great crew to talk about some of the classic Hollywood stars who wrote cookbooks, columns and dispensed lifestyle advice. We didn't get to everyone, but we will eventually!
Oscar Themed Cocktails
Presented by Elizabeth Locke
GRAPEFRUIT GIN SOUR
2 oz Gin
1 1/2 oz grapefruit juice
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz blood orange simple syrup
4 dashes peychauds bitters
1 egg white
Shake all ingredients, add ice, and shake for another 30 seconds. Strain into a martini or coupe glass.
ESPRESSO MARTINI
2 oz vodka
1 oz espresso
1/2 oz Kahlua
1/2 oz simple syrup
2-3 dashes Fee Foam
Shake all ingredients with ice. Strain into a martini or coupe glass.
Mary Pickford & Douglas Fairbanks Hearts of Palm Salad
Presented by Angie Schneider
Cover a dish with shredded lettuce. Take nice long leaves of Romaine and arrange neatly on the shredded lettuce. In each leaf, place a piece of Heart of Palm then on top, add very thin strips of pimientos.
Serve with a vinaigrette sauce over each piece of Heart of Palm.
Sauce: Vinegar, olive oil, chopped parsley, chopped capers and chives, season to taste.
Source: Angie's collection includes the original recipes from Pickfair.
Joan Crawford's Cheese Straws
Presented by Danny Miller
Source: This recipe was originally published in "How To Take A Trick A Day with Bisquick" (1935) as told to Betty Crocker. More recently it was published in the book "Cooking with Joan Crawford" by our friend Jenny Hammerton of Silver Screen Suppers.
Elizabeth Taylor's Apple Tart
Presented by Benjamin Meißner
Apple Tart 4 servings For the pastry:
1 scant cup whole-meal flour
1 scant cup plain flour
½ cup low-cal margarine
Pinch salt substitute or salt
2 egg whites Water
For the filling:
2 large green apples
2 apricots
1 teaspoon raisins
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ packet artificial sweetener
3 tablespoons low-cal apricot preserves (for glace)
Combine flours, margarine and salt, and mix in food processor or consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add egg whites and water to make a firm dough. (Dough should not be too moist; though drier is more difficult to work with, it produces flakier, more tender pastry.)
Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime peel, quarter, core and thinly slice apples. Halve apricots, remove pits from them and slice them.
Roll out pastry, fit into an 8-inch tart plate. Trim away excess with a knife. Bake for 10 minutes at 190°. Remove from oven and place raisins, apple and apricot slices in pastry, arranging top layers in neatly overlapping circles. Dust with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, artificial sweetener. Return to oven for 20 minutes. Brush top with apricot preserves and bake another 5 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
Source: Elizabeth Taylor's book "Elizabeth Takes Off" (1988).
Sophia Loren's Spaghetti Al Limone
Presented by Ruth Mundsack
Ingredients (Serves 2)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Suprême and zest of 1 lemon
½ cup heavy cream
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, or more to taste
Fresh basil
250 grams spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmigiano cheese or Romano
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt (remember: the water should be as salty as the Mediterranean!!) Cook the pasta until al dente.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until golden then add the lemon zest, nutmeg and cream. Let the cream simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the pasta is finished cooking drain it, reserving one cup of pasta water. Add the pasta to the saucepan and mix to distribute the sauce. Pour in a bit of the reserved pasta water to bolster if necessary. Add basil chifonade and toss well; remove from heat and serve, adding the Parmigiano or Romano to taste.
Source: Sophia Loren's book "Recipes and Memories" (1998)
Gloria Swanson's Butterless Devil's Food Cake
Presented by Karie Bible
1/4 pound of unsweetened chocolate
1 cup milk
4 eggs separated
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
Dissolve chocolate in the milk and let cool. Beat egg yolks with sugar and then add to this the chocolate mixture. Then add flour, baking powder and finally the beaten egg whites. Bake in moderate oven for 45 minutes after placing mixture in two separate cake pans. When done put layers together with fudge frosting.
Source: "Famous Recipes of the Movie Stars" (1932)
*This did NOT go well. I'm not sure if I used the wrong cake pans or simply didn't whip the egg whites enough. A friend of mine is a professional cake maker. When I told her about this recipe she said, "WHY would you ever make this without butter. It's pointless!" Gloria was famously VERY much against sugar and was an outspoken advocate for healthy eating. I'm guessing this recipe was either before her health food / Vegan days OR the work of a studio publicist. Click HERE to read a deep dive into Gloria's diet and wellness.
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