Recipes by Janet Suzman: Boeuf a la Movie; Cheaters' Chicken

Janet Suzman's Boeuf a la Movie

1 tbsp. flour
1 brown-in-bag
2 1/2 lbs. lean top round steak, cut in large cubes
1 1/2 tsps. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 small onions. quartered
4 small potatoes (or two large ones), cut in pieces
4 carrots, peeled, cut in pieces
2 bay leaves
Pinch of thyme
4 sprigs of parsley
1 clove of garlic
1 cup dry red wine (dilute with a little water or use beef broth or tomato juice)

Put flour in empty brown-in-bag, close and shake (this protects against bursting and release of hot fats and juices). Place bag in roasting pan (at least 2 inches deep, large enough so bag fits loosely in pan). Rub steak with salt and flour. Pop in bag with vegetables, bay leaves, thyme, parsley and garlic. Pour in liquid. Close bag loosely with twist tie about 2 inches from food. Bag should fit loosely over food. Puncture six 1/2-inch slits in top of bag with paring knife (this allows air and water vapors to escape from bag). Place pan in preheated 325 degrees F. oven. Make sure bag does not touch oven walls or rack. Bake 2 1/2 hours. Remove pan from oven, allow it to sit and cool several minutes. To remove food, slit top of bag with paring knife (or scissors). Caution: steam escapes when bag is slit, so be careful. Pull bag over to edge of pan, snip corner of bag with scissors; tip pan, pour off juices in gravy boat (or saucepan). Remove food carefully from bag; pour juices over meat and vegetables. Serves 4-6.

Thoughts: It is essential to follow manufacturers' directions for brown-in-bag for safety and optimal cooking results.

Janet Suzman's Cheaters' Chicken

One small cooked whole chicken (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
2 tbsps. butter
2 tbsps. minced onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup rice
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1/2 lemon, squeezed
1/2 tsp. salt
White pepper to taste (or poultry seasoning)
1/2 pkg. frozen peas
Minced fresh parsley

Remove skin and bones from chicken, cut in bite-size pieces. Put chicken in well-greased 1 1/2-qt. casserole. Saute onion, celery, mushrooms and rice in butter until onion and rice are golden. Add chicken stock, wine, lemon juice, salt and white pepper (or poultry seasoning). Bring to simmer. Add peas and simmer several minutes. Pour contents into casserole over chicken; mix well. Cover and bake in preheated 350 degrees F. oven 45 minutes. Garnish with parsley. Serve with watercress-endive salad. Serves 4-6.

Thoughts: Omit rice in cooking. Instead, serve partly-buttered, curried or saffron rice as side dish. For oriental touches: add butter-browned slivered almonds (or coarsely chopped macadamia nuts) and thinly sliced water chestnuts to chicken. Omit wine, use all-chicken sauce flavoring with soy sauce (omit salt), lime juice, and a hint of ground ginger.

Recipes by Jacqueline Susann: Baked Bean Fix-Up; Steak Tartare

Jacqueline Susann's Baked Bean Fix-Up

4 links knockwurst, separated
1 pound can vegetarian-style baked beans
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsps. sauce Diable
1 tbsp. catsup
Salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste
Garlic salt to taste (optional)

1. Place knockwurst on rack in roasting pan. Bake in preheated 400 degrees F. until skin pops (about 15 mins.) releasing excess fat.

2. Mix together the beans, mustard, sauce Diable, catsup and seasonings. Place in a lightly greased casserole or baking dish. Arrange knockwurst on top.

3. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake beans uncovered 25 mins. (or until beans are bubbling hot.) Serves 4.

Jacqueline's Thoughts: For variations, top with grated sharp Cheddar or garnish with snipped fresh parsley.

Jacqueline Susann's Steak Tartare

1/2 tsp. dehydrated onion flakes
1 pound trimmed top sirloin, ground twice
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 egg yolks
2 tbsps. sauce Diable
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Dash of garlic salt
2 tbsps. capers (or caviar), optional

1. Combine onion flakes with sirloin, one egg yolk, sauce Diable, salt, pepper and garlic salt.

2. Shape into mound, scoring with knife. Make indentation in center and place other egg yolk in center. Garnish with capers (or caviar). Serve with hot buttered toast. Serves 3.

Jacqueline's Thoughts: For exotic touches, mix both raw egg yolks with seasoned ground raw meat; form into mound; garnish with strips of smoked salmon (or tiny canned shrimp or smoked oysters) and sliced hard-cooked egg. Top with minced white onion (or shredded fresh horseradish). Serve with mustard pickles or pickled beets. 

Margaret Sullavan’s Peanut Butter Hermits

Margaret Sullavan’s Peanut Butter Hermits

1 cup sweetened condensed milk (a little less than a 14-ounce can)
6 tablespoons peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

Thoroughly blend together the milk and peanut butter. Add salt and graham cracker crumbs. Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls (I used a 2-tablespoon scoop) onto a buttered baking sheet (I used two). Bake 15 minutes, or until brown, in a moderately hot oven (375 degrees F.) Makes eighteen hermits.

Sally Struthers' Golden Chicken Bake

Sally Struthers' Golden Chicken Bake

2 lbs. chicken parts
2 tbsps. melted butter (or margarine )
1 can (10 3/4-oz.) condensed golden mushroom soup
1/4 cup water
1 can (3 1/2 oz.) French fried onions
Fresh parsley

Arrange chicken pieces, skin side down, in 2-qt. shallow baking dish (12 x 8 x 2 inches). Pour melted butter (or margarine ) over chicken. Bake in preheated 400 degrees F. oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken and bake 20 minutes more. Blend soup and water, pour over chicken. Top with onions. Bake 10 minutes more (or until chicken is tender). Stir sauce before serving. Garnish with parsley. Serves 4.

Variations

For chicken oriental: Flavor soup with soy sauce to taste. Add canned (or barley cooked) peas and slivered water chestnuts to soup during the last 10 minutes of cooking time.

For curried chicken: Add curry powder (to taste) to soup. Garnish with slivered almonds (oven roasted in slow oven or sauteed in butter until lightly browned). Serve with Chinese pea pods as side dish and candied kumquats.

For chicken Italiano: Rub ground basil (or thyme) on chicken parts before placing in baking pan. Avoid overuse of herbs. Use chicken stock (or dry white wine) to thin the soup before pouring over chicken during the last 10 minutes of baking time. Sprinkle fresh grated Parmesan cheese over baked chicken.

Kandy Stroud's Pepper Steak with Sauce

Kandy Stroud's Pepper Steak with Sauce

2 lbs. boneless lean sirloin, one-inch thick, cut into 4 pieces (or use boneless sirloin strip steak)
2 tbsps. black peppercorns
5 tbsps. butter
Salt to taste
3 shallots, peeled and minced (about 1 1/2 tbsps.)
2 tbsps. good cognac
3 to 4 tbsps. canned beef broth (or brown sauce)
Minced fresh parsley

Trim off excess fat. Cut small incisions on edges of steak to prevent curling. Dry well with paper towels. Crush peppercorns by using rolling pin on wax paper or mortar and pestle.

With heel of hand, rub both sides of steak well with crushed pepper. Cover loosely with waxed paper, allow steak to stand at room temperature several hours (longer if a "pepperier" flavor is desired). Heat 2 tbsps. butter in large, heavy skillet.

When butter is foaming (heat over very high heat), saute steaks quickly 2 to 3 minutes per side or until medium-rare. Remove steaks to heated platter and season with salt.

Add 2 tbsps. butter to skillet; add shallots, cook lightly. Pour in beef broth (or brown sauce). Stir often to keep from glazing. Add cognac and cook quickly to reduce volume by one-third.

Remove from heat, swirl in remaining butter, one-half tablespoon at a time. Pour sauce over meat. Garnish with parsley. Serve at once. Traditionally served with fried potatoes and crisp green salad. Serves 4.

Note: Recipe is from 1977. Allowing steaks to stand at room temperature for several hours is no longer recommended. Refrigerate then allow steaks to come to room temperature before cooking.

Barbra Streisand's Chocolate Fudge Sauce and Instant Coffee Ice Cream

Barbra Streisand's Chocolate Fudge Sauce and Instant Coffee Ice Cream

For sauce:
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
dash salt
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup crushed walnuts (or toasted almonds)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler: dilute with boiling water. Add sugar, salt, corn syrup and stir to dissolve sugar. Boil over direct heat 6 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Cool to room temperature. Add nuts and vanilla.

For Ice Cream:
1 cup milk
24 marshmallows
2 teaspoons instant coffee
dash salt
1 cup heavy cream, chilled

Turn freezer control to the coldest point. Heat milk slowly over low heat, add marshmallows a few at a time, stirring until marshmallows have melted.

Add instant coffee and salt, stir to dissolve. Cool. Pour into an ice cube tray. Dampen bottom of ice cube tray with water to hasten freezing. Freeze until almost firm, stirring once to prevent large ice crystals from forming.

Beat cream until stiff. Fold into frozen mixture. Return to freezer and freeze until firm. Serve with fudge sauce drizzled over the top. Nuts may be sprinkled over the top. Serves 4.

Barbra says: "Boil the sauce 8 minutes and pour over the ice cream to form a hard layer. Or serve the ice cream alone with pretzels because the salt is good with sweet. And don't forget to turn the freezer back to normal or to soak the mixing bowl!"

Recipes by Susan Strasberg: Cheese Blintzes; Shish Kebab Marinade for Lamb

Susan Strasberg's Cheese Blintzes

For the batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter (cooled to room temperature)

Sift together flour and salt. Separate eggs, beat separately, mix together in bowl. Gradually add milk, then melted butter, beat slowly. Gradually stir in flour-salt mixture, hand mixing until batter is smooth. Lightly grease an eight-inch skillet with butter. Place skillet over moderately high heat. Pour about 2 tablespoons batter into pan, tipping to cover entire surface. Cook quickly until blintz is lightly browned and begins to "blister." Place fried side up on heated platter.

For the filling:
1 pound large curd cottage cheese
Scant 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients well. Place about two tablespoons filling in center of each blintz (on browned side). Fold up envelope fashion (raise bottom flap of dough to cover filling, overlap with top flap of dough, tuck both sides under so they meet in the center). Fry blintzes in liberal amounts of butter until lightly browned on both sides. Serve hot with applesauce or sour cream. Serves 4.

Susan Strasberg's Shish Kebab Marinade for Lamb

3 pounds leg of lamb, cut in 1 1/2 or 2-inch cubes
1 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons strained honey
1/2-inch piece ginger root, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 small clove garlic, pressed

Combine ingredients for marinade in bowl, mix well. Immerse lamb in sauce. Cover, marinate overnight, turning meat several times.