We knew that the Hollywood icon , actress, singer and femme fatale, was a beast of fashion dressed by Dior, Hermès or Chanel, a true muse of the greatest fashion designers.
In his latest book Dinner at Marlene's , Georg A. Weth invites you to discover another facet of the star: “ An unprecedented Marlene Dietrich , cook and attentive hostess” and retraces “ the important moments in the life of this star, [often] intimately related to food ”.
Unparalleled cook, the actress does not hesitate to put on an apron and cook for the whole set on the set of Witnesses to the Charge by Billy Wilder : a Hungarian goulash with pasta and a salad of cucumber, strawberries in red wine, “ And to finish, absolutely delicious coffee ,” says Charles Laughton , the actor with whom she shares the bill.
Her favorite recipe? The pot-au-feu , symbol of this easy-to-cook cuisine that she loved to prepare to seduce her lovers. Gary Cooper , James Stewart , Jean Gabin , John Kennedy , Frank Sinatra ... Have they all succumbed to his charm and his little dish?
Ingredients for 8 people
2 kg of beef
2 large onions
some leeks
6 large carrots
1 stalk of celery
1 bunch of parsley
salt and peppercorns
6 potatoes
small onions
cabbage (collard greens)
coarse salt
grated horseradish
chopped parsley
The chef's advice on the choice of meat? “ It is better to take the pieces of gîte or trumeau, chuck or rib dish. Lean pieces are not suitable for this dish . ”
Recipe
Preperation
In a large Dutch oven , cook together for 1 hour at least 2 kg of meat, the onions, leeks, 3 carrots cut into rings, the stalk of celery, the salt, the peppercorns and the bunch of parsley. Cover with water and skim from time to time.
Secondly, remove the vegetables and leave only the meat, still covered with water. When boiling resumes, lower the heat and simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 hours to obtain very tender meat.
Take and filter the necessary quantity of broth to cook the potatoes , 3 whole carrots , the spring onions and the cabbage separately in 4 different saucepans .
You can safely add water to thin out the broth in which the onions, carrots and cabbage are cooked (very little). It will no longer be used.
Once the potatoes are cooked, return their broth to the large Dutch oven, and pour a little meat broth over the potatoes to keep them warm.
Dressage
Serve the meat and vegetables in a dish, generously adding the chopped parsley, and place the coarse salt and horseradish on the table.
You can serve cups of broth as a starter or alongside the main course, having previously garnished the cups with chopped parsley.
Dinner at Marlène, Marlène Dietrich's cookbook , Georg A. Weth, ed. Michel de Maule and ed. Le Quai, 2015, € 34.50
Also discover the 3 best-sellers of Gramme, the cult canteen of Marine Gora
