Old Hollywood Kitchen: Mary Carlisle

In my quest to build culinary skills via vintage recipes, I have found a new ally: What Actors Eat When They Eat, compiled by actors Rex Lease and Kenneth Harlan and published in 1939.

More substantial than Favorite Recipes of the Movie Stars, I've been overwhelmed when trying to pick out test recipes. Several hearty soups, chilis, sauces, and rice dishes up for contention. Thankfully I found relief in a simple beverage recipe from Mary Carlisle, who is still going strong at the age of 104(!).

Mary Carlisle's Cafe Froid (serves 2)

1 cup cold coffee

3 tablespoons ice cream (no flavor specified- I used French vanilla)

Ginger ale (one 7.5 oz. can was sufficient for two servings)

Mix the cold coffee and ice cream in a bowl (better if you let the ice cream soften a bit) using either a whisk or a hand mixer, which creates a frothier texture. Pour the mixture into glasses and top off with the ginger ale.

At first I was wary of the ginger ale/coffee combination; it's unusual but surprisingly refreshing. I'll give it another try in the warmer weather as a pick-me-up. 

Plenty of recipes to choose from for my next test, but until then, why not raise a Cafe Froid toast to Mary Carlisle and enjoy 1935's One Frightened Night, a fun "spooky house" film in the vein of the previously-recommended The Cat and the Canary. Mary is a highlight even among a solid supporting cast, and the film is readily available online as it is in the public domain.