Recipes by Buck Owens: Baking Powder Biscuits; Cornbread; Scalloped Potatoes

Buck Owens' Baking Powder Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup milk
Melted margarine

1. Sift together dry ingredients. Mix in shortening using fork; add milk. Blend lightly until mixture is moistened.

2. Turn out on floured board (or wax paper); knead lightly. Roll out to about 3/4-inch thick. Cut rounds with floured biscuit cutter. Place on lightly greased baking pan. Brush tops lightly with melted margarine. Bake in preheated 450 degrees F. oven about 12 minutes. Makes about 1 dozen biscuits. Serve with country ham or flour gravy.

Buck Owens' Cornbread

1 cup white cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsps. baking powder
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsps. vegetable shortening, melted
1 egg
1 cup milk

1. Mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl. And shortening, egg and milk; blend well.

2. Pour into buttered 10-inch skillet (or 9-inch square pan). Bake in preheated 400 degrees F. oven about 20 minutes (or until brown). Serves 6.

Buck Owens' Scalloped Potatoes

For the sauce:

2 tbsps. butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

1. Melt butter, slowly stir in flour, cook over low heat to form a smooth thick paste. Add milk gradually, stirring until smooth. Heat only to blend, but not to thicken.

For the potato layer:

6 cups sliced potatoes
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 pieces lean bacon, cut in half
2 cups Wheaties
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Grease two-quart baking dish. Season each layer lightly with salt and pepper.

2. Spoon sauce over layers. Top with bacon. Bake uncovered in preheated 350 degrees F. oven about 1 1/2 hours (or until potatoes are tender). Serves 8. 

Maureen O'Sullivan's Irish Bread

Maureen O'Sullivan's Irish Bread

1 level teaspoon soda bicarb (baking soda)
1 1/2 cups sour milk
Four cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Mix baking soda in milk. Stir into sifted flour, salt and baking powder using a knife. Beat and cut with knife, keeping blade cool until dough is stiff. Spread in greased pan and mark a cross on top of dough. Bake in slow oven (300-325 degrees F.) for one and a half hours.

Recipes by Ryan O'Neal: Malibu Broiled Steak; Non-Cook, Tossed Salad

Ryan O'Neal's Malibu Broiled Steak

3 to 4 lb. steak, cut 2 inches thick
Salt (or garlic salt or onion salt)
Freshly ground black pepper
Choice of condiment (optional): prepared mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Angostura bitters, soy sauce, etc.

Rub steak with salt and pepper; let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Throw a handful of hardwood chips (or dampened hardwood sawdust) on the coals in a smoke grill or Hibachi. Cook over direct heat. When steaks are halfway done, slather with choice of condiments if desired. Continue cooking, turn, cook on second side, spreading on condiment again if desired. Cook steak to desired doneness. Slice and serve at once! Chips impart a fantastic flavor to the steak. (Steaks may also be oven-broiled but they will lack the smoky flavor.) Serves 4.

Ryan O'Neal's Non-Cook, Tossed Salad

Here's an easy way to have a salad and dressing all made ahead of time, ready to toss just before serving! Put cleaned raw vegetables, such as sliced scallions, sliced peeled tomatoes, diced green peppers, cucumbers and sliced carrots, in the bottom of the salad bowl. Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a dash of dry mustard, then add a good pinch of oregano and basil and a tiny pinch of thyme. (Be sure it's just a small pinch. Thyme adds a good flavor, but it is strong-flavored.) The secret to a good salad is in using good grade of oil (Spanish olive oil or light vegetable oil are fine.) Pour on some oil, just enough to coat lightly but not float, then splash with wine vinegar. The amounts are basically immaterial, as long as you use only about one-fourth to one-half as much vinegar as oil. Toss this mixture to combine thoroughly. Then carefully set on top the washed, crisp, cut-up greens: lettuce, escarole, curly endive and alfalfa sprouts. Cover with transparent wrap and refrigerate.

The vegetables will marinate and take on a good flavor. All you have to do at serving time is to toss the vegetables and dressing mixture on the bottom with the greens. Great with grilled steak, corn (grilled with bacon wrapped around the ears), baker's bread, sweet butter and honey.

Recipes by Patrick O'Neal: Coeur a la Creme; Ragout de Boeuf Bourguignon

Patrick O'Neal's Coeur a la Creme

For the hearts:

1/2 lb. cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
One-inch piece of vanilla bean
1 pint heavy cream
Cheesecloth
8 heart-shaped wicker coeur a la creme baskets (or perforated tin molds)

1. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy; gradually add powdered sugar, salt and vanilla bean (slit bean lengthwise with sharp knife, scraping small seeds into the mixture); blend well. Whip heavy cream (place bowl in larger bowl filled with crushed ice) until cream holds its shape.

2. Add to cream cheese mixture blending with whisk. Cut four thicknesses of cheesecloth large enough to overlap edges of each heart-shaped basket (or mold). Wring out cheesecloth in ice water; carefully line each basket (or mold). Fill each heart-shaped basket (or mold) heaping full with cream cheese mixture. Overlap ends of cheesecloth. Refrigerate hearts overnight (or at least 6 hours) placing on plates to collect the whey.

For the sauce:

1/4 cup dry sherry (or framboise)
1 1/2 ounces Grand Marnier (or orange liqueur)
1 1/2 ounces dark sweet rum
3/4 cup red currant jelly
1 1/2 cups fresh, cleaned, sliced strawberries (or raspberries or sliced fresh peaches)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Combine sherry (or framboise), Grand Marnier (or orange liqueur), rum and currant jelly in saucepan. Heat over low heat to melt jelly but do not cook. Cool, add strawberries coated with lemon juice.

2. To serve, unfold ends of cheesecloth. Turn each basket (or mold) upside down on glass dessert plate. Peel off cheesecloth and discard. Outline "hearts" with whole, fresh strawberries (raspberries or peaches) and spoon sauce over "hearts." Serves 8.

Thoughts: Heart-shaped baskets (or perforated tin molds) are available at gourmet shops or through mail order houses. Coffee cups can be substituted for molds, shaping cheese mixture into mounds.

Patrick O'Neal's Ragout de Boeuf Bourguignon

5 lbs. lean boneless rump pot roast, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
Seasoned flour
2 tbsps. vegetable oil (or butter)
1 lb. piece lean bacon, cut in strips 1/4-inch thick by 1-inch wide
4 leeks, chopped (white part only)
4 yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
Large handful parsley, washed and coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
Bouquet garni, tied in cheesecloth bag (large bay leaf, large pinch of thyme, 7 bruised peppercorns)
1 1/2 tsps. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 bottle Beaujolais (or high quality dry red wine)
2 dozen pearl onions, peeled
1 lb. fresh cleaned button mushrooms, stemmed
1 1/2 tsps. sweet butter

1. Dredge meat cubes in seasoned flour; brown meat on all sides in vegetable oil (or butter); set aside.

2. Half fry bacon strips over medium heat in large heavy skillet (or Dutch oven); pour off excess fat. Add chopped vegetables (leeks, onions, garlic, carrots, parsley and celery); cook over medium heat until vegetables are transparent. Add bouquet garni seasonings and wine. Bring to simmer; correct seasonings.

3. Cover, place in preheated 375 degrees F. oven. Braise 1 hour. Add onions, recover, cook about 1 1/2 hours longer (or until meat is fork-tender). Meanwhile, slowly brown mushrooms in sweet butter; add to stew during last few minutes of cooking. Remove cover to allow moisture to evaporate and sauce to thicken during last half hour. Baste meat and vegetables several times.

4. To serve, remove bouquet garni, correct seasonings and reduce sauce if necessary by cooking rapidly over high heat. Serve the stew in its casserole (or arrange meat and vegetables on heated platter) with new potatoes with parsley-butter (or noodles) and pass the sauce. Serves 12-16.

For taste variations: add 2 tsps. of tomato paste to wine; for a "gamier" flavor add a dollop of currant jelly to the sauce. The dish can be prepared in advance and served the next day by adding onions and mushrooms.

Recipes by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: Baked Beans; Beef Stroganoff; Beef Stroganoff (Slow Cooker); Casserole Marie-Blanche; International Coffee Cake; Potatoes Suzette

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' Baked Beans

4 cups dry navy beans
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 pound salt pork, diced
3/4 cup brown sugar (or molasses)
1/2 cup catsup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup boiling water
1/4 pound salt pork, cut into strips

Cover beans with water in a saucepan. Bring slowly to a boil or soak overnight.

Drain beans. Cover with fresh water and simmer slowly. When skins of beans start to burst, the beans are sufficiently cooked. Drain and add onion, salt pork, brown sugar (or molasses), catsup, mustard, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and boiling water.

Place in greased casserole and top with salt pork strips. Bake covered in a 200 degrees F. oven for 6 to 8 hours. Uncover for last hour of cooking. Add additional water or stock, if beans become dry.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' Beef Stroganoff

2 pounds boneless beef sirloin
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons tomato juice or paste
1/4 cup onions, sliced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
Cooked egg noodles

Cut beef into strips. Season beef generously with salt and pepper. Cover and let stand 2 hours in cool place.

In large skillet, whisk flour and 3 tablespoons butter over low heat until mixture bubbles and forms a smooth paste. Slowly add beef broth, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Let boil 2 minutes.

Reduce heat and add sour cream alternately with tomato juice, still whisking. Simmer slightly 1 minute; do not let boil.

In separate skillet, quickly brown beef in 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Remove beef from pan. Add onions and mushrooms to skillet with remaining tablespoon butter and cook over medium heat until tender. Put beef back in skillet with onions and mushrooms; stir well. Add contents of meat skillet to sauce; season with salt and pepper. Simmer very gently or cook over hot water in double boiler 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings. Serve over cooked noodles.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' Beef Stroganoff (Slow Cooker)

2 pounds beef top sirloin (trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch strips)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup white onion, grated
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon onion powder
16 ounces dry egg noodles (cooked, drained for serving)
1/2 cup sour cream

Spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray. Season the beef strips with the salt and pepper and place in the slow cooker.

Lightly saute the onions.

Add the onions, mushrooms, broth, tomato paste, and onion powder. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours, until the beef is tender.

Shortly before serving time, cook the noodles according to the package directions. While they are cooking, mix the sour cream into the meat mixture in the slow cooker. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, as needed. Serve the hot stroganoff over the noodles.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' Casserole Marie-Blanche

1 1/2 pounds angel hair pasta, broken into two-inch pieces, cooked and drained
1 cup small-curd cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon butter (cut into small pieces)
Paprika (a sprinkle on top for color)

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. and place oven rack in middle position.

In a large bowl combine the cooked, drained noodles, cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, and chives. Mix well and pour into a buttered 2 qt. casserole dish. Dot the top with the butter cut into small pieces. Bake 30 minutes. The noodles will just begin to brown.

This dish refrigerates well so you can make it one day and cook the next, just be sure to cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' International Coffee Cake

1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2.2 ounces chopped pecans (1/2 cup chopped)
2 tablespoons butter

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to first mixture, alternating with sour cream. Begin and end with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla extract.

In small dish, mix sugars, cinnamon, pecans, and 2 tablespoons butter. Pour 1/2 of batter in greased 10-inch tube pan. Top with 1/2 sugar mixture. Pour in rest of batter and top with rest of sugar mixture.

Bake at 325 degrees F. for 45 minutes.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' Potatoes Suzette

3 large baking potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 egg yolk, well beaten
1/8 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste

Topping:
6 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake potatoes until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Allow to cool 10 mins. Cut in halves lengthwise, scoop out pulp without breaking shells.

Mash pulp thoroughly. Add butter, heavy cream, egg yolk, anchovy paste, and chives. Beat vigorously until light and fluffy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon mixture into shells. Sprinkle tops with cheese that you have mixed with paprika. Dot with butter. Bake 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.

Laurence Olivier's Blanquette de Veau

Laurence Olivier's Blanquette de Veau

Trim veal of fat, cut into small pieces and place in a pan with sliced onions and carrots, browned lightly in butter. Then add cold water to cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Add two bay leaves.

Boil in a separate saucepan trimmings from veal, 3 bacon rinds (tied with string), salt, pepper, pinch of herbs and half an onion. Simmer for one hour. Then prepare small button onions, cut carrots into fancy shapes, and cook in this stock. (Add a few mushrooms if liked). Allow to cool.

Now pour off the stock from the veal and thicken it with flour and cold water. Season with celery, salt and pepper. Add 1 large tablespoon sherry and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain stock. Beat yolk of egg; add a little cream and add to strained stock. Heat gently and be careful it does not boil. Pour sauce over the veal, and garnish with the carrots and onions which have been drained. Serve with the creamiest of mashed potatoes and the newest of peas and with it drink a light, very cold white wine.

Helen O'Connell's Veal Bolognese

Helen O'Connell's Veal Bolognese

For the sauce:

1 qt. good, homemade stock or canned beef broth
Salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsps. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup dry Marsala wine
About 2 tbsps. cornstarch

Heat stock or beef broth in saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add parsley and mushrooms. Bring to boil, simmer until mushrooms are tender. Add wine.

Remove small amount of broth from saucepan, cool slightly. Stir cornstarch into cooled broth until smooth; return mixture to broth, stirring constantly.

Cook, stirring, over medium heat until smooth and thickened only slightly. (It should not be much thicker than water.) Set aside.

For the veal:

1 egg
About 1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
2 tbsps. finely minced parsley flakes
2 ozs. grated Parmesan cheese
8 (4 ozs. each) veal cutlets
About 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Olive oil
8 slices baked ham
8 slices mozzarella cheese

Combine egg, milk, salt, pepper, parsley and Parmesan cheese; mix well. Pound cutlets until they are quite thin; dip into egg mixture; then into bread crumbs. Press cutlets firmly into bread crumbs, so they are dry. Heat olive oil in heavy skillet. Fry cutlets until golden brown on both sides. Drain well on absorbent paper and keep hot. Place a slice of ham and then of cheese on each cutlet. Place on broiler rack and heat until cheese melts and becomes speckled with brown. Serve with sauce. Serves 8.

Thoughts: Helen O'Connell's veal is hearty and filling. Complete the meal with thick slices of garden-ripe beefsteak tomatoes and-or green beans for an easy-to-fix summer dinner. If preferred, thinly sliced ham and cheese can be grated and placed between a double thickness Of thin veal scallops before dipping in egg and bread crumbs. Fry or deep fat fry to serve. Toothpicks help secure ingredients in place.