Miss Peggy Lee’s Jade Salad

“The brilliant chanteuse is best know to baby boomers for such songs as Fever, Is That All There Is? and I’m a Woman, the W-O-M-A-N song that Miss Piggy sang with Raquel Welch that time on The Muppet Show…. Lee’s originals-like the recipe that follows- will give you fever, baby.”

Frank DeCaro, The Dead Celebrity Cookbook

Alright, so the inspiration for this post is a recipe published in the deliciously outrageously entitled, The Dead Celebrity Cookbook: Recipes and Ruminations from the Great Studio Commissary in the Sky: A Resurrection of Recipes from More Than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen.

The author is Frank DeCaro, an American film critic, who has made this collection by sifting through old newspapers, recipe compendiums, musty biographies and vintage film magazines.

I’m not sure I would have given too much attention to this particular recipe if I wasn’t a big fan of Miss Peggy Lee (as she was always introduced), as well as of George Shearing, the jazz pianist who often accompanied her.

In any case, I’m very glad I did, because DeCaro is right – it’s a simple green salad, but made a bit special thanks mostly to generous quantities of both almonds and spring onions. I’ve developed the concept a bit, and exchanged the garlic powder for the Real Thing.

What to have with this salad. Well, on one memorable occasion (February 24th 1970), Peggy Lee sang at the White House… she made a number of embarrassing gaffes, and finished by planting a robust smacker right onto the President’s lips. It was a state visit from Georges Pompidou, president of France. She wasn’t invited back. On that occasion they served Contre-filet de boeuf au cèpes and a Château Ausone 1962…. just a suggestion.

Music to cook by

It has to be Peggy Lee singing Fever.

.. or maybe this…

or even this…

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Related Posts

Grape and cucumber salad with walnuts

This is effectively a very different take on a ‘green’ salad. But rather than the normal flamboyant ubiquitous leafy affair, this is more of a…
Read More

Rocket salad with olives and walnut dressing

Clearly, this useful green rocket salad can be made with any peppery green…watercress is an obvious example.   Recipe for rocket salad with olives and…
Read More

Two versions of a Gentleman’s Celery Salad

The Chief Taster can take or leave celery. He’s not keen on anchovies… or raisins. But he likes both these salads. Because the anchovy is…
Read More

Sign up to our Saucy Newsletter

subscribe today for monthly highlights of foodie events, new restaurant at home menus, recipe ideas and our latest blog posts