The Sensuous Kitchen - Exploring the Myra Breckinridge Cookbook

Gore Vidal's Myra Breckinridge was quite the phenomenon when it was released in 1968. The story of an irresistible transsexual bent on the destruction of the male sex was made into an infamous film in 1970. The same year the film came out, Vidal's partner, Howard Austen (along with writing partner, Beverly Pepper) released The Myra Breckinridge Cookbook.

In saucy, salacious passages, it presents recipes that relate to the golden era of Hollywood that so fascinate Myra - and so many of the rest of us. Accompanying the recipes are reproductions of film stills and promotional photographs of stars ranging from George Raft to Joan Collins. Here's one of Eddie Cantor looking every bit the glamor puss and "Glorifying the American Doughnut" in heels and a frock.

The photographs are such a delight because so many of them are obscure images from obscure films or otherwise unseen pictures of well known films and stars. Of course, what Myra is known for is her overtly sexual edge and that's on full display in this volume. The chapter devoted to her favorite recipes is a collection of double entendre puns that would make a sailor blush - Baked Hare Pie with Dill Dough Crust, Cod Pieces, Bearded Oysters...

The recipes are, for the most part, traditional fare with some novelty dishes thrown in for good measure. I'm especially taken with the Camembert Cheese Balls from the Cheesecake chapter (a counterpart to the previous Beefcake, chapter).

You'll need:

1/2 Camembert cheese
1 large block cream cheese
2 Tbs. creamed butter
2 1/4 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. rice flour
1 cup milk
Salt
Cayenne pepper
1 egg, beaten
Bread crumbs

Rub cheese through a strainer. Add butter, flour, rice flour, milk, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir over low heat until thick. Pour onto a plate to cool. Form into small balls. Roll in flour. Brush with beaten egg. Roll in crumbs. Fry in deep fat until golden brown.

Doesn't that sound tasty?

The Myra Breckinridge cookbook can be found on Amazon.com and eBay. If you're lucky you'll run across a copy at a thrift shop or garage sale. It's a fun addition to your cookbook collection and a great gift for the film lover with a sense of camp. If you have it and have made any of the recipes, how did they turn out?

Easy Green - Quick Pesto Pizza

It's cold and raw and wet out today, people. Not a pleasant day to be out and about, as I had to be. So I made myself and a friend an easy pesto pizza for lunch. It goes together very quickly, so it's perfect for a meal on the run!

You'll need: 

Pre-made pizza crust
Olive Oil 
Pesto (I used my own which I make from my father's
4 cheese pizza blend cheese
Sharp cheddar cheese, grated 

Preheat the oven to 450, then put the crust on a cookie sheet and brush it with olive oil. Spread the pesto evenly over the crust.

Sprinkle on the cheese, then pop it into the oven, turn the oven down to 425 and bake for 7 to 10 minutes.

I told you it was easy... Here's the finished product all ready to serve. It's featured here with my Gillian Floral Napkin, now on sale at Felix Populi.

My friend Jeffrey introduced me to these pizza crusts and they really are delicious and so versatile! Use your imagination and I'm sure you can find many ways to customize them for your own gourmet pizzas.

For my father's pesto you'll need:

4 cups fresh basil leaves neatly compressed
1 cup pine nuts
5 cloves freshly minced garlic
1 cup olive oil
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

Begin by combining your basil, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor. Pulse a few times to begin combining them. With the processor running add the olive oil in a steady drizzle. Once it's all in, scrape the sides of the processor and add the cheese and pulse to combine. Salt to taste. Makes about 2 cups.

#04-11 Grilled Cheese - Melt Some Memories

Hello people! It’s time for a new episode (I know, I know, it’s past time, this was the episode that almost wasn’t). This time out we’re making grilled cheese! Such fun, and so easy… We’ve chosen some delicious cheeses to feature, including Cotswold, Gruyere (our fondue sandwich) and aged farmhouse Cheddar. We’re using sourdough bread, which gives the sandwiches a nice tang. Here are a few grilled cheese tips:

- Grate your cheese: Grated cheese melts more quickly and easily than slices.

- Butter the bread, not the pan: That’s the outside of the sandwich, not the inside. Buttering the bread on the outside ensures that the sandwich will brown evenly.

- Cover your sandwich for the first few minutes: This will conserve the heat and melt the cheese more quickly. Flip the sandwich after about 4 minutes and then leave it uncovered.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are ripe for experimentation. Why not explore with cheeses and breads you find in your local gourmet store? How about a bleu cheese sandwich? Gouda or Fontina would be delicious melted up. As for breads, brioche would make a very tasty nibble! So would a rich hearty 7 grain with plenty of nuts and crunchy bits.

Just in time for the holidays, we have a new Brini Maxwell store! If you click on the “Shop” link at BriniMaxwell.com you’ll be directed to our new store featuring fun Brini Maxwell products, some you may be familiar with, some that are brand new! One of the new products is the Brini poster. It’s a fun, inexpensive way to bring me into your home. Have a look!

#03-05 Bovine Blessing - Marvelous Mac and Cheese

Hello people, I’m back with a new episode! This week is the beginning of our renovation series featuring the renovation and redecoration of my apartment. This time around we’re talking about how to fuel that renovation. We’re making a delicious mac and cheese and I have a tip for you! If your house is going to be torn up you won’t be wanting to cook much, but the work you’ll be doing requires good nutrition. Before you begin your renovation, prepare a few casseroles to cook when you’re knee deep in debris. Line your casserole dish in heavy weight plastic wrap, then fill the dish with your casserole and wrap the plastic over the top. Freeze the casserole in the dish, then pop the frozen casserole out of the dish and put it back in the freezer. Your casserole dish is free to use for other purposes and when you’re ready to eat the casserole just unwrap it and pop it back into the dish, let it thaw, then cook it normally. You can prepare several of these uncooked casseroles to tide you over until your home settles down again. Brilliant, no?

Now, what to make? Why not this stunning gourmet mac and cheese recipe? Here’s how:

You’ll need:

1 lb farfalle (bowties)
1 stick of butter
2 shallots, minced
6 Tbs. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne
4 cups buttermilk
3 cups grated extra sharp white cheddar
1 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Fresh seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 and butter (or line with plastic wrap) a 3 quart casserole dish. Cook the pasta until just al dente, drain and set aside in a large bowl. In a heavy sauce pan melt seven tablespoons of the butter and sauté the minced shallots until transparent. Add the flour to make a roux and whisk until well combined and all the lumps are gone. Whisk in the mustard and cayenne, then add the buttermilk in four parts whisking in between. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, whisking occasionally. Pour the sauce over the pasta, add cheddar and one cup of the parmesan and mix well. Fill your casserole dish with the mixture. Combine the breadcrumbs and the rest of the parmesan then sprinkle it on top of the casserole and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until bubbly and golden brown, or freeze to bake and serve later.

#15 Pecorino Pointers and Havarti Hints

Hello people, Brini here with some cheesy ideas for you. This week the show's all about smoothing your interactions with the wine of foods - cheese! Be sure and watch! 

Warm knives will go through cheese much more easily than cold ones will. 

Keep your cheese grater fresh and clean by spraying it with cooking spray before grating your cheese on it, and when it comes time to wash it use a tooth brush to clean out all those little holes!
 

02-05 The Crown Roast of Cheese - Dinner Fit for a Queen

Well, it's almost 2007! What better occasion for a cheese casserole? This week on the show I'm making one of my favorites - the Crown Roast of Cheese. It's just delicious and so simple:
  

You'll need: 

¼ cup of butter

7 slices of bread (about ½ inch thick each)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp paprika

Pinch of cayenne

½ tsp dry mustard

Preheat the oven to 350. Start by buttering both sides of all slices of bread with half the butter. Cut two into triangles (cut across the slice in an "X" pattern) and cut the rest into cubes. Then line the bottom of a buttered casserole dish with a handful of bread cubes and on top of that toss a layer of grated cheese. Repeat until you've used up all the cubes and cheese. Place the triangles of bread around the outside of the dish to create your "crown" and set aside. Combine all remaining ingredients except for the remaining butter in a mixing bowl and mix well. Pour the mixture over the casserole, then dot with slices of the remaining butter and bake for 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

This dish is just delish with a lovely dry white wine.

01-10 Toasty Tasty Chedder Cheese Wafers

Cheese. It’s one of nature’s wonders, and one of my favorite foods. This week on the show we’re making toasted sesame cheese wafers. It’s a very tasty recipe that was originally featured in an episode devoted to the wonders of this delightful food.

For the wafers you’ll need:

5 oz processed cheese spread
3 Tbs. butter
¾ cup flour
¼ tsp paprika
2 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 400. Sift the flour and paprika together, and then blend in the sesame seeds. Combine the cheese and butter in a bowl and cream together. Add the flour mixture and stir until well blended. The dough will be stiff. On a sheet of wax paper work the dough into a log about 6 and one half inches long and an inch and a half in diameter and wrap in the wax paper. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least an hour and up to one week. When chilled, unwrap the dough, slice thinly and bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown around the edges.

Cheese, milk’s leap to immortality, is one of the most versatile foods in any cook’s arsenal. It can be used in savory or sweet dishes and has such varied flavors, as to confuse even the most devoted epicurean. Some of my favorites are:

Cotswald: This is a cheddar variation from England. It’s rich and robust with a delightful tang. I love it on hearty sourdough bread.

Saga Bleu and Cambazola: These are brie/bleu combinations – both delicious with French bread or fruit.

Gruyere: This is the prince of Swiss cheese. Its rich and nutty flavor are delightful in fondue or on crackers.

I love having people over for cheese tastings. Putting out several cheeses on a board and letting my friends become intimate with them is my idea of a delightful Sunday afternoon. Try it yourself and see how much fun it can be!