Special Note: Last December I had an accident that left me with a fractured shoulder in five places and a punctured lung. Recovery has been slow but I am ready to begin work again. I have discovered that ibuprofen is my BFF. Hopefully I will soon be up to my usual sppped. Larry
The Dead Celebrity Cookbook: A Resurrection of Recipes from More Than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen by Frank Decaro (HCI Books, $19.95)
Frank Decaro, the flamboyant movie critic of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and host of a national call-in program on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, got the inspiration for his new cookbook while attending a Dead Celebrity Party. As he mingled dressed as the late Euell Gibbons, he realized the only thing missing from the event was the favorite culinary dishes of the departed.
With that in mind, Decaro began scouring flea markets, yard sales and eBay in search of out-of-print celebrity cookbooks. The result is a collection of recipes that the stars are dying for you to make. Best of all, this cookbook is outrageous and fun.
The recipes are divided into twenty-five sections including I Lunch Lucy, recipes from TV’s favorite redhead; an All-Night Oscar Buffet dishing up Joan Crawford’s Poached Salmon and Claudette Colbert’s Cheese and Olive Puffs; a Psycho Shower, Anthony Perkin’s Tuna Salad and Alfred Hitchcock’s Quiche Lorraine; a Gay Bash, Truman Capote’s Fettuccine and Christine Jorgensen’s Pineapple-Apricot Preserves; and Pool Party on Sunset Boulevard with Potassium Broth, a specialty from Gloria Swanson.
Packed with celebrity profiles and tidbits of pop culture, this cookbook also features party menus and much, much more, all from the recipe files of the departed stars of television, radio, and Broadway. With this book in hand, you can whip up such delights as Mae West’s Fruit Compote, Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies, Farrah Fawcett’s Sausage and Peppers Supreme, and even test Liberace’s Sticky Buns (I’m not making this up!).
I tested three recipes from this cookbook. First up was Lawrence Welk’s Lake Tahoe Meat Loaf which, alas, was almost as dull as his Saturday night television broadcasts. More interesting was Eva Gabor’s Hungarian Goulash and John Wayne’s Favorite Casserole. As Decaro points out, the Duke’s recipe is more macho cheese soufflé than casserole. No oven temperature is listed so I prepared this in a medium oven, about 300F.
JOHN WAYNE’S FAVORITE CASSEROLE
Serves six
2 (4-oz) cans diced mild green chilies
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 lb cheddar cheese, grated
4 egg whites
4 egg yolks
2/3 can evaporated milk
1 Tbs flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
Combine chilies with cheese in a large bowl and turn into a well-buttered shallow 2-quart casserole dish. Beat the egg whites until peaks form. Mix egg yolks, milk, flour, salt and pepper, in a small bowl. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Pour over the cheese and chili mixture. Comb through, with a knife and fork gently until combined. Bake for 30 minutes. Arrange tomatoes on top and bake for another 30 minutes. Garnish with extra chilies, if desired. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.