Recipes by Tony Randall: Fresh Rhubarb Pie; Grilled Veal Chops with Bourbon-Cracked Black Pepper Sauce

Tony Randall's Fresh Rhubarb Pie

Pastry for 2-crust pie (your favorite recipe or prepared pie crust mix)
4 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, cut in small cubes
1 1/2 scant caps sugar (more or less depending on tartness of rhubarb)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter

Divide pastry in half. Roll out lower crust. Line 9-inch pie pan, fitting and pressing crust into place with fingers. Roll out top crust, cut into 1/2-inch strips for lattice top. On sheet of waxed paper, arrange strips, interweaving them to form lattice. Chill lattice until ready to use.

In large mixing bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch by tossing lightly with fork.

Drizzle beaten egg over rhubarb-sugar mixture. Toss mixture again adding melted butter. Fill prepared lower crust with rhubarb mixture. Flip lattice top over filling. Finish and seal edge of pastry by cutting off excess crust and pressing top crust to lower crust by crimping with the fingers or by using tines of fork.

Bake at 375 degrees F. about 1 hour or until nicely browned. Serve slightly warm. Delicious served with a scoop of ice cream on each slice.

Variation: Substitute fresh strawberries or blueberries for half of rhubarb. Use minimal amount of sugar.

Tony Randall's Grilled Veal Chops with Bourbon-Cracked Black Pepper Sauce

6 (10 to 12 ounce) rib veal chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup Bourbon
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
Salt to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked fresh black pepper

Heat grill until hot or preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the veal chops well with salt and pepper.

If you are grilling the chops, rub them with the oil. Place on the grill, leaving room between. Grill for 7 to 10 minutes per side, turning once. If the chops are 1 1/2 inches thick, cook 9 to 12 minutes per side.

If roasting the chops, heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat until hot. Add the chops and sear on one side only. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chops for 10 to 12 minutes more for medium-rare.

While the chops are cooking, make the sauce. In an enamel or other nonreactive saucepan, combine the red and white wines and cook over high heat until hot. Add the Bourbon and cook until reduced by half.

Lower the heat to medium and add the butter, one piece at a time, quickly whisking it in until completely incorporated. Blend each piece of butter in fully, not just melt it, before adding the next. Work quickly but do not increase the heat under the sauce. Season with salt and cracked black pepper, and keep warm in a warm water bath until ready to use. Do not reheat the sauce over direct heat.

Place a grilled chop on each dinner plate and spoon about two tablespoons of the Bourbon sauce over the top. Serve immediately.

Anthony Quinn's Viva Stuffed Potatoes

Anthony Quinn's Viva Stuffed Potatoes

4 baked potatoes
1/2 lb. lean ground chuck
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. chill powder
Shredded cheddar cheese

Wrap scrubbed, dried, pricked potatoes in aluminum foil. Bake in preheated 400 degrees F. oven 1 hour (or until well done). While potatoes are baking, brown beef and onions lightly. When potatoes are done, cut in halves lengthwise right through foil. Scoop out insides, mash well; add seasonings. Drain off excess fat from meat and discard. Combine meat and potato mixtures; return to the shells. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes (or until cheese is nicely browned). Serves 4.

To prepare the beef:

1 cup red wine
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. garlic salt (or 1 clove of pressed garlic)
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. chili powder
4-5 lbs. boneless, rolled beef (chuck or rump), tied
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Dry mustard
4 large carrots, peeled, cut up
3 stalks celery, cut up
2 medium onions, sliced
Cheesecloth
Heavy-duty aluminum foil

Combine wine, vinegar, water, olive oil, garlic salt (or pressed garlic), pepper, thyme and chili powder to make marinade; mix well. Pour over beef in shallow dish; cover and refrigerate 24 hours, turning occasionally. When ready to cook, remove meat from marinade. Sprinkle outside well with salt, pepper and dry mustard. Place marinade-soaked cheesecloth on triple thickness of heavy-duty foil; place meat in center. Add vegetables on and around beef. Pull cheesecloth over meat to completely enclose it. Fold aluminum foil securely over meat. Cook in closed pit or smoker-type grill.

To cook in pit:

Dig a pit about 3 feet deep, 4 x 5 feet long, and 3 feet wide. Line pit with rocks. When ready to cook, build a wood fire adding additional wood as it burns down. (It takes about 5 hours to get the rocks thoroughly heated.) Before cooking, shovel out ashes and place in tub or large can. Place a layer of ferns, leaves or corn husks on the bottom of the pit. Place foil-covered meat on top. Cover meat with more leaves, then add the hot ashes. On top of this put a canvas sheet; then a cover of earth. Leave in pit about 5 1/2 hours.

Thoughts: To cook in covered grill, insert meat thermometer through the aluminum foil and cheesecloth. It is not necessary to turn meat during cooking time. Cook approximately 2 1/2 hours.

Mary Quant's Cassoulet

Mary Quant's Cassoulet

1 pound dry white beans (Great Northern)
3 quarts boiling water
1/2 pound Toulouse sausage (or lightly smoked garlic sausage)
2 pounds boned lamb shoulder, partially roasted
1/2 pound salt pork (or fat bacon), diced
1 small yellow onion stuck with 2 whole cloves
1 small tomato, peeled and seeded
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Bouquet garni (bay leaf, 4 sprigs parsley, 3 sprigs celery tops, white part of 1 leek, 1 teaspoon thyme) tied in a cheesecloth bag
3/4 pound preserved goose (or roast duck, cut in serving pieces)
1 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup minced parsley
2 tablespoons goose fat

Wash beans carefully. Drop in boiling water. Bring back to boil, boil 2 minutes, remove from fire. Let stand uncovered in cooking liquid 1 hour.

Drain beans, discarding water. Put beans in 6 quart stock pot, add 2 quarts water. Add sausage, lamb, salt pork, onion, tomato and seasoning to taste. Bring to a boil, carefully skim off any scum and foam that rise to the surface. When boiling, add garlic and bouquet garni.

Reduce heat, simmer uncovered about 1 1/4 hours or until beans are tender but not falling apart. Add boiling water if necessary to keep beans covered. Remove sausage at end of 45 minutes, prick with fork to release fat, remove from stock pot, set aside.

Remove bouquet garni, discard. Strain beans, skim off all surface fat. Remove lamb to platter, cut in 2-inch pieces. Place beans in deep earthenware (or fireproof baking) dish. Bury meat, sausage and goose in the
beans. Add enough stock to moisten beans. Correct seasonings. Top with bread crumbs, minced parsley and fat. Set in preheated 375 degree F. oven. When the top is lightly crusted in about 15 minutes, reduce oven to 350 degrees F. Break the crust with a spoon, baste the beans with the liquid. Repeat several times but leave final crust intact. Bake about 1 1/4 hours. Serves 6-8.

Thoughts: Preserved goose is available in tins in gourmet shops. Scrape off goose fat, brown pieces in oven then add to beans during final baking. Partridge, fresh goose or duck, oven roasted, may be substituted for preserved goose.

Vincent Price's Banana Bread

Vincent Price's Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Cream together until light the butter, sugar and eggs. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add all ingredients together, blend well. Stir in the mashed bananas and walnuts (optional). Spoon batter into two well-buttered bread tins. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 1 hour (or until it tests done). Cool 5 minutes then turn out onto cooling rack. Makes two loaves of bread.

Recipes by Elvis Presley: Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich; Pound Cake

Elvis Presley's Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

1 small ripe banana
2 slices white bread
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter

In a small bowl, mash the banana with the back of a spoon. Toast the bread lightly. Spread the peanut butter on one piece of toast and the mashed banana on the other. Fry the sandwich in melted butter until each side is golden brown. Cut diagonally and serve hot.

Elvis Presley's Pound Cake

3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 pound butter, softened
7 eggs, at room temperature
3 cups cake flour, sifted twice, divided
1 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Thoroughly cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in half the flour, then the whipping cream, then the other half of the flour. Add vanilla extract. Pour batter into prepared pan. Set in a cold oven and turn heat to 350 degrees F. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly.

Recipes by Paula Prentiss: Chicken Livers in Madeira; Chicken Sweet and Sour

Paula Prentiss' Chicken Livers in Madeira

1 pound chicken livers
Seasoned flour
3 tablespoons sweet butter
1 cup dry Madeira
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Shake livers in seasoned flour in paper bag. Heat butter until foamy. Cook livers quickly in butter about 5 minutes, shaking pan. Gradually add Madeira and Worcestershire sauce; season to taste. Simmer about 10 minutes. Serve as luncheon or supper dish over thin slices of toast with butter-browned mushroom caps, scrambled eggs and thin slices of beefsteak tomatoes. Serves 2-3.

Paula Prentiss' Chicken Sweet and Sour

3 1/2 pounds frying chicken, cut in 8 pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons sweet butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon Grand Marnier (or Cointreau)
3 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds (or pine nuts)
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice (strained)
1/2 cup water
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
11 drops Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons golden raisins

Wash chicken parts, dry carefully; sprinkle sparingly with salt and pepper. Heat butter and olive oil in large skillet (or electric frying pan) until sizzling. Place chicken skin side down in skillet. Cook over medium heat until chicken is golden on all sides. Remove chicken to another pan. Pour warmed Grand Marnier over chicken, ignite. Discard half the fat in skillet, brown almonds over low heat shaking pan to prevent burning; remove almonds. Add orange juice, stirring to clean pan. Add water, cinnamon, cloves, Tabasco and salt, stirring. Add chicken and nuts to sauce, cover, cook over low heat until chicken is fork-tender. Uncover, remove chicken to heated platter. Reduce sauce slightly by cooking over low heat, stirring. Correct seasonings. Serve with fluffy cooked white rice. Spoon sauce over chicken and rice. Serve with broccoli spears flavored with lemon-butter, endive salad, and chilled white wine (Chablis, Pouilly Fume or California Pinot Blanc). Serves 3-4.

Recipes by Otto Preminger: Cassoulet Toulousain; Deviled Eggs

Otto Preminger's Cassoulet Toulousain

1 lb. small white navy beans
Water
1/2 lb. salt pork, diced
2 large onions
2 cloves
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 carrots, scraped and sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced
2 lbs. boneless lamb shoulder, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 lbs. boneless pork loin, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 lb. garlic sausage, cut in 1/2-inch slices
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cans (28 ozs. each) peeled whole tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine (or 1/4 cup each white wine vinegar and water)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp. thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 duck (about 4 to 5 lbs.) roasted; fat reserved
1 cup bread crumbs

Wash beans; place in deep pot and cover with boiling water. Boil for 2 minutes; set aside for 1 hour. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook salt pork until some of the fat is rendered; remove, reserving fat. Add salt pork, 1 onion stuck with 2 cloves, bay leaf, carrots and celery to beans; add water to cover, if necessary. Heat to boiling; simmer, covered, for 1 hour (or until just tender).

Drain, reserving bean liquid. While beans are cooking, brown lamb cubes, pork loin and sausage in reserved salt pork fat; remove. Add remaining onion (chopped) and garlic to skillet; cook until onion is transparent. Add tomatoes, chopped, with their liquid, wine (or diluted wine vinegar), parsley and thyme; combine with drained beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove duck meat from bones, except drumsticks, cutting into serving pieces. In large casserole, alternate layers of beans with duck and meats, ending with layer of beans. Pour reserved liquid from beans over all ingredients to cover. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Dot crumbs with some of the reserved duck fat. Bake in preheated 325 degrees F. oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (or until meats are tender). Serve with a green salad and a good Bordeaux wine. Serves 12.

Thoughts: Cassoulet, the French classic is to Frenchmen what baked beans are to Americans. Every region of France has its own unique version. In Toulouse, for example, many cooks insist on including preserved goose in lieu of duck. The wonderful hearty dish is best prepared in an earthenware casserole pot. Best advice is from Hope Preminger who simply says, "Sit down and bon appetit!"

Otto Preminger's Deviled Eggs

6 eggs
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 teaspoon English dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
Dash of sugar
Dash of salt
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese
Paprika or parsley

Put eggs in pan and fill with enough cold water to cover the eggs with an inch to spare. Bring to a full boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 15-18 minutes. Then drain and submerge eggs in cold water. When they're cool, peel eggs and set aside. Whip cheeses, mustard, red pepper, sugar and salt. Split the eggs in half lengthwise, carefully removing the yolks from the whites. Mash egg yolks very finely, add the vinegar, then the mayonnaise. Add to cheese mixture, along with Parmesan cheese, and whip until smooth. Generously fill egg white halves with yolk mixture, rounding off the top. Sprinkle with paprika or parsley. Serves 6.