Feud Foods™ continues today with Bette Davis’ Spinach-Stuffed Filets!
I found this recipe in Johna Blinn’s newspaper column, Celebrity Cookbook (Click on the image to zoom in for the recipe).
Things I learned about Bette Davis in this article: She owns many cookbooks and detests wasting food.
“I’m not a penurious woman, but to throw food away is a sin.”
She also thought it very important to teach her children to eat and behave.
“When I travel abroad it’s embarrassing to see how so many American children eat. They hold their implements like truck drivers.”
She also doesn’t give a shit about your eating habits.
These days I have to be charming about them [potatoes] and limit the number I eat. But if you have to diet, shut up and diet.
And I love her response after asked about her plans for the future:
I’m moving East to be near my children. I’m thinking of doing a comedy. I’ve killed my last person. “Baby Jane” and “Sweet Charlotte” I call my macabre years. I’m bored with killing.
But not bored with the kitchen, apparently.
Bette’s filets are stuffed with a mix of butter, spinach, onion, and butter.
And then smothered with a can of cheddar cheese soup.
Really, Bette?
Well, I didn’t have canned cheddar cheese soup so I just made my own cheese sauce–starting with a butter-flour roux and added 1% milk and I shredded a block of Irish cheddar that I had in the fridge (this was the week before St. Patrick’s Day). As I stirred and stirred, I thinned it with the white wine I was drinking.
This sauce was boss. And to me it almost tasted as though I had thinned it with sherry and not just wine, but perhaps the nutmeg had something to do with that?
Anyway, the final dish was dee-lish. Especially, if like this night, I had all of the ingredients on hand! (well, not the canned cheese soup, but you know what I did.)
This really was super. Would 100% make this again.
Also! Article of interest–you can apparently vacation at Bette’s Butternut Farm in New Hampshire.
In one of her books, they interviews a friend of hers that said one of her favorite things to cook was “Chicken a la B.D.”. He said it was basically chicken seasoned with every herb & spice in her cabinet smothered in cream of mushroom soup. I guess she liked her condensed soup recipes…that was the time for it after all. I admit since I read that I’ve made that chicken (w/o) a recipe many times and I love it! It’s easy and delicious and not all that unhealthy if you use a decent quality soup & (add extra mushrooms!). Nice over egg noddles or potatoes. Love her so much.
My only objection to tinned cheese soup is the cost-it really ought to be inexpensive. That said, it does make great macaroni cheese.
Look at all those copper pans! That must be hundreds of dollars hanging over the hearth. Oh, and the shoes. That photo almost makes me want white shoes. Almost.
In the last episode I believe that Bette’s house featured a lot of copper prominently.
I maaaay have white shoes almost exactly like those. They were for my Little Edie Beale costume from last year.
I am not a fan of fish but with that much cheese and butter and my fav, spinach how could I not take a whack at that. Yum! Yes I feel I now much comment on every post to help you out because in my head we are besties. I even check out Hannibal season 1 because of you.
Signed,
Weird but harmless.
Ha! I love that you comment on everything.
Why not just pound a couple of chicken breasts extra flat and do them instead if you aren’t a fan of fish? chicken and spinach in a cheese sauce (especially the homemade one) would be fabulous! Cheese and seafood is an iffy combo as any real chef would point out. 😉 Chicken or even pork, would be great with these other components. 🙂
I hear you. But for the sake of historical accuracy I always try to do it as close as I can!
I think the last thing I saw her do was “Dark Secret of Harvest Home”. I thought she was awesome, it’s still creepy.
I’ve never seen it. I want to check out all these Hagsploitation movies.
I’m going to be so sad when the series and these related recipes are done next week! I feel like I’ve been hanging out with all of these folks from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and I’m going to miss their larger-than-life ways…
Wondering about this dish–it looks and sounds good, but I’m thinking maybe a sprinkle of panko/bread crumbs on top? Otherwise it sounds a little…soft. It reminds me of an old (delish) casserole I’ve made and liked, and that has crumbs on top, so maybe that’s why I think that?
If you like recipes like these, go and visit SilverScreenSuppers.com
I also occasionally do other celebrity dishes. I don’t think I have an actual tag for them. But I need one!!!
Ooh, I have been meaning to try this, and I asked my chums Heather and Nathan to bring me 2 cans of Cheddar Cheese Soup back when they went to California – we can’t get it here. Nathan said he WOULD, as long as I never cooked HIM anything containing Cheddar Cheese Soup. Personally, I suspect it will be delicious. It’s lurking in my food cupboard right now….
I will KILL to know where Bette’s “three hole notebook” of recipes is now. Wonder whether some US library has all her STUFF.
Funny thing is that I had a can in the cupboard but used it a couple weeks before hand in an enchilada casserole
We need to find Bette’s binder!
Happy Easter! Wonderful newspaper clipping about Bette Davis. I share her views on children’s table manners–wish more young parents did. Your spinach-stuffed fillets look scrumptious!
Happy Easter to you as well!