THE COOKBOOK OF THE STARS
After my experience with the vintage cook book Anne Marie gave me, I started snooping around my parents house for additional sources of inspiration, and boy did I hit the jackpot. This first one I chose to highlight is allegedly filled with dishes touted by hollywood stars of the 1940s, and surprisingly, the food actually seems good. Nothing as shockingly bad as "fish custard" or tips for "invalid cookery" here, though a healthy fruit salad containing both cream cheese and heavy cream seems like it would tip the scales more than lighten them.
What impressed me most about this book, other than the amazing head-shots and captions of my favorite screen idols (Humphrey Bogart in an apron???), is the comprehension and attention to detail that is often skipped over in modern cook books. Entire chapters on entertaining, what linens to choose, what cuts of pork are best, whatever--all of these add to the home entertainer and amateur cook's experience. I suppose it has to do with the dwindling of formality and the shift from the home to elsewhere as the social center of one's life. Though many of the rules are dated and a bit stuffy, there's something charming about the painstaking meticulousness placed on what seems like frivolous minutia. Who knows, if I get bored enough I might bust out my linen's and see if they're up to snuff. Enjoy!
I love how food pyramid oriented the menu is, like those posters we used to study in health class where grains made up 50% of your diet.
GAH! Sam Spade in an apron! Dasheill Hammond must be coming over for dinner. Honk four times when the soup's on.
GAH! Sam Spade in an apron! Dasheill Hammond must be coming over for dinner. Honk four times when the soup's on.
I love how flat and ugly old food photography was. My dad jokes that you can't tell it apart from a close up of a crime scene. Which is it? Spilt spleen or breakfast?
Once again, kudos hollywood stars for giving actually useful tips.
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