Lifestyles of The Rich & Famous back story + delievery photos..cakes, paella, strudels

It is Columbus Day on Monday, here in USA.
To celebrate this I am featuring some dishes celebrating squash, beans, and corn..the basic fare of the early Americans, and it reminded me of when I was working with the actress Ms. Katherine Helmond  and her husband Mr. David Christian at their home in Los Angeles.
She had been asked to appear on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and asked me to do a dinner party, at  their home, for the filming.
It was in  the early 1990's.
 I constructed a South American feast the main entree being an Aztec inspired "head dress" made from 5 roasted fresh fish, the head of the Aztec warrior made from masa  corn and grilled vegetables, served individually on beaten real gold salvers.
Ms Helmond always "watched her figure" as she was busy filming movies and TV shows back than, and loves fish, so it became a big hit...(I will have photos and more info on this in the upcoming book). I did appear on camera, serving the meal to them and their distinguished guests.
A beautiful, warm & genuine lady,  just the same off screen as on.
Their home is atop a hill, via long and twisting road, in the Hollywood Hills and has 360 degree, panoramic views of Los Angeles, to the south &  east, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the mountains in the San Fernando Valley, to the north.
The house is Spanish  style and was built in the early 20th century, reportedly as a love nest for Ms. Marian Davis, actress &  the mistress of  the then newspaper mogul, Randolph Hearst of Hearst Castle fame. So there is a lot of Old Hollywood history there.
The TV shoot  took a couple of days and almost drove their miniature dachshund Max, crazy as there were cables and wires all across the floor for him to trip over.

The menu my clients have chosen for Monday is;

Sweet potato and fresh corn chowder..the fresh sweetcorn is fire roasted before adding to the soup, the base is made from the cooked husks, and coconut milk, red waxy potatoes.

Blended butternut squash and lime soup..lime leaves and coconut milk make this a a wonderful soup also accented by lemongrass.

Mexican Inspired strudels with green chili..a hearty red kidney bean chili base of lots of veggies with feta cheese and grated Cheddar cheese, in puff pastry.

Cashew Paella..this is a great dish and so good, you don't notice it is Vegan..black olives, sweetcorn, peas, onions, garlic, rice, smoked paprika, artichoke hearts, bell peppers.

 Collard  Greens with balsamic glaze and sauteed onions. Collard greens are tough and strong greens, take a little longer to cook but well worth it; I am also adding turnip greens to add a tender touch.

Stir-sauteed carrots with cilantro, ginger and garlic...lime juice.

New potato salad with peas, limes, fennel, fresh mint, mayonnaise and yogurt..odd combination but a really good light addition


Desserts will be:
Dark and white chocolate CRISPY thin oatmeal cookies

Lemon,poppyseed and blueberry cake with lemon glaze ..fresh berries and lemons from local trees make all the difference.....

Collard Greens and Mustard Green plunged into cold water for 30 mins..to remove any dirt and debris

just peeled( husks removed) corn now soaking in fresh water

Turnip greens air drying with washed local lemons

Garnet Yams

Collard Greens air drying having had stems removed

Carrots, parsnips and Butternut squash air drying

The base for the "Mexican" Strudels, during cooking process with  added cumin, green chili peppers, tomatoes, garlic and ground achiote

Crispy thin oatmeal cookies with white and dark chocolate chips

celery, corn, collards, &  cilantro air drying