May 2020 – Vincent Price Legacy UK

Murder, She Wrote Cookbook | House of Hickman Chicken and the Cheddar Cheese soup saga

American actor Dwayne Hickman (b 1934) is best known as the title character in the 1960s US sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis opposite future Gilligan’s Island star Bob Denver, and appearing in a handful of American International Pictures drive-in teen flicks like How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. He and his Bikini co-star Frankie Avalon also teamed up for the 1965 Vincent Price spy spoof Dr Goldfoot & the Bikini Machine.

So when it came to testing out a recipe for Jenny Hammerton’s forthcoming culinary collection, the Murder, She Wrote Cookbook, I couldn’t resist trying out Dwayne’s House of Hickman Chicken. Little did I imagine just what a saga it would turn out to be.

Now although this is Dwayne’s recipe, it was his first wife Carol who actually did all the cooking in the Hickman household. The story goes that while Carol (who was married to Dwayne from 1963 to 1972) was spending a week in New York, some of the couple’s friends had decided to drop in on Dwayne, who then decided to cook dinner for everyone.

He remembered a favourite recipe that Carol had made with chicken and cream of mushroom soup. By mistake, however, he added in cheese soup, but it was one of those great accidents, as it went on to become the standard way to make the dish over at the Hickmans.

American actor Dwayne Hickman at home with his wife, actress Carol Christensen (1937 – 2005), circa 1965. (Photo by Graphic House/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

Here’s Dwayne’s original recipe… and what it looked like on my first attempt.

HOUSE OF HICKMAN CHICKEN
(serves 8)

INGREDIENTS
8 half chicken breasts
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 can cream of celery soup
1 cup chopped mushrooms (canned or fresh)
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

METHOD
Mix the soups, onions, and mushrooms together. Lay the chicken breasts in a casserole or baking pan. (You can serve from the casserole: if you use a baking pan, you have to put the chicken on a platter when it’s done). Sprinkle with pepper, and bake in a 350C/Gas Mark 4 oven for about an hour.

MY COOKING NOTES
* As I wasn’t serving a gang, I used four chicken breasts from my local butcher and sliced them in half. I also halved all the other measurements to serve four.
* For the soup, I used standard 295g cans of Campbell’s condensed soup – (I must admit the cream of celery was hard to find, but the cheddar cheese soup was another story – see below).
* I also sautéd some extra fresh mushrooms (pan-fried in a little butter) and added them to the top of the mixture, but also kept some aside to sprinkle on top after taking it out of the oven.

I used half the chicken amount and sliced
them in half

MY VERDICT
Even though I used some extra mushrooms, I actually found this dish to be rather bland. Will I try it again? Probably, but I’ll certainly be adding in a dash of tabasco or some such spicy sauce. Also – as you will read – I will probably have to make my own Cheddar Cheese Soup (the recipe is at the bottom of this post).

THE CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP SAGA
OK, so I wanted to use the exact ingredients to learn what made this dish so popular with the Hickmans. However there was a problem. It was that serendipity ingredient – the cheese soup. It’s not readily available in any UK grocery stores.

Last November (which seems like forever, now that we are all in lockdown), while I was in New York conducting one of my Vincent Price Legacy UK tours, I thought it would be so simple to just pop into a store and get a couple of cans. Uh! Uh! I couldn’t find it anywhere. However, one of our attendees, Patricia, who lives in New Mexico and is a big foodie, said she could get them cheap at her local Smith’s grocery store and send them to me. I said, great! Well, what I didn’t know was how much a can of Campbell’s condensed Cheddar Cheese soup being sent from the US to the UK was going to end up costing me.

About a month after I had returned from my trip to the US, I got an email from Patricia asking if I had received a surprise package from her. I said I hadn’t. So I did a little sleuthing and discovered that Patricia had written the wrong postcode on the package being sent to me in London. It was now sitting in a sorting office in Exeter, even though it had originally been sent to an East London postal office not far from where I live, and a delivery was attempted to a similar address to mine in Tiverton. Thankfully the staff at Royal Mail were really helpful, and they had it delivered to me the following day.

I was really so thankful to Patricia for sending me this elusive ingredient, but the cost of shipping was ouch!!!. After working it all out, those two cans came to US$22 a piece. Oh well, at least it makes for a great dinner conversation and thankfully I have found an alternative.

Those extra sautéd mushrooms really helped.

HOMEMADE CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP
I haven’t tried this as yet as I still have one can left for another attempt, but if I do then I’ll be trying this recipe which looks like the perfect substitute for the hard to find Campbell’s Soup canned variety. Will just have to readjust the measurements, I suppose.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (Kosher)
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

METHOD
1) In a small saucepan add the butter and melt over low heat.
2) Add in the flour and whisk, cooking for about a minute (but stop if it turns brown at all).
3) Add in the salt, mustard and milk and whisk until smooth.
4) Add in the cheese and whisk until smooth

Prep time (5mins), Cook time (10mins)
Serves 1, Calories 712kcal

If you’d like to test a recipe for the Murder, She Wrote Cookbook, just click on the link to register.

Dwayne was also a bit of a crooner in the day… so I’ll leave you with this little ditty

Three new interactive group events coming at ya!

Vincent Price Legacy: Virtual Visual Vincent: For the Love of Art
Sunday 17 May, 8pm (BST)

Join Victoria Price, Peter Fuller & global fans for this interactive Group Event. Peter will share rare clips showcasing Vincent’s lifelong love of the visual arts. Victoria will show slides and tell stories about her father’s favourite artists and works of art. And we invite fans and artists to share their art work, their Vincent tattoos, or the ways that Vincent has inspired your own love or art. Show items from your collection or the work of favourite artists. Let’s celebrate our Love of Art!

Vincent Price Legacy: Victoria Price presents: Vincent Price: Master of Menace, Lover of Life (A Photographic Talk followed by a Q&A)
Wednesday 27 May, 7.30pm (BST)

Victoria Price has shared her popular talks about her father’s life with audiences all over the world. But this year on his birthday, she’s excited to celebrate it virtually, with people who may not have been able to meet her in person — as well as those who may have heard her speak before.

She will be giving two talks on the evening of what would have been her father’s 109th birthday, 27 May. One for European and UK audiences and one for US audiences. Featuring rare photos and lots of stories.

Vincent Price Legacy: The Birthday Boys: A Virtual Vincent Celebration
Sunday 31 May, 9pm (BST)

Join Vincent Price’s daughter Victoria & Vincent Price expert Peter Fuller host a birthday celebration and Q&A about House of the Long Shadows — starring birthday boys Peter Cushing (May 26), Christopher Lee (May 27) and Vincent Price (May 27). Dress up for the occasion and we’ll raise a toast to Vincent with special cocktails — as we answer Q&As about Vincent and The House of the Long Shadows.

No jacket required | Our Virtual Cook-up was a taste sensation

Over the past three weeks Victoria and myself have been hosting weekly interactive Q&A’s via zoom and our latest saw us celebrating Vincent’s culinary legacy with over 40 fans tuning in from all around North America and the UK. It was another great success with cooking, clips, cocktails and chat being the menu de jour.

The different time zones meant some attendees where making brunch, others lunch, while in the UK, it was dinner time – and everyone got into the spirit sourcing their inspiration from Vincent and Mary Price’s three classic cookbooks: A Treasury of Great Recipes, Come Into the Kitchen and Cooking Price-Wise. Here’s just a sample of what was dished up.

*Stateside, Sara crafted her own hibiscus and mezcal cocktail: Masque of the Red Death*

*Jaime prepared blueberry muffins, banana bread (no nuts) and iced coffee*

David whipped up some of Luchow’s German pancakes and as Vincent always did himself, gave the first one to his dog

*Clayton enjoyed Steak Diane and Mousse au Chocolat*

Britt’s mouthwatering contribution was Steak au Poivre, Champignon grille Marie Victoire and one of Victoria’s favourites – wilted spinach salad

*Michele prepared some fruit-filled French Toast Santa Fe*

Don and birthday girl Mary Kay whipped up some Blue Cheese salad dressing, *Tour d’Argent’s Soufflé au Grand Mariner* and Cannelloni alla Passetto

*Over in the UK, Chris and Pippa made a boozy trifle*

*Sarah made a very meaty spaghetti bolognese*

*Selene served up moussaka but with a Keto kink*, while we all enjoyed a rare never-before-seen clip from Vincent’s 1971 TV show, Cooking Price-Wise

*Jenny, my collaborator on the forthcoming Co*Star Cookbook, made Cannelloni alla Passetto*

*And I did Sweet and Hot Chicken, and one of my favourites – Banana Nut Cake*

Our next session takes place on Sunday 17 May (8pm BST), where the theme will be art and collecting – so show us your art, tats and the pieces that inspire you, plus will have clips and a discussion on Vincent’s lifelong passion for the visual arts. SIGN UP HERE

Then, on Sunday 31 May (9pm BST), we celebrate the birthdays of Vincent, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Just watch the film beforehand and then join in our Q&A session about their friendships and collaborations on film, TV and even radio.

Here’s the link to the film: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1x6uxh

Vincent Price’s scrumptious Banana Nut Bread

Have you, like me, been letting your bananas get a little too ripe lately? Well don’t throw them away as I’ve got another tasty recipe from Mary and Vincent Price’s A Treasury of Great Recipes cookbook – Banana Nut Bread. It really is so simple to make and you can scoff a slice or two for breakfast, morning or afternoon tea, or even as a late-night snack.

Here’s how to make it and at the end of the post, there’s a video of me making it. Hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
Butter
Sugar
All-purpose flour
Baking soda
Salt
Bananas
Walnuts

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to moderate (350F/4).

2. Cream together until lights: 1/2 cup (113g) butter and 1 cup (200g) sugar.

3. Beat in 2 eggs.

4. Sift together 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir into butter-sugar mixture, blending well.

5. Stir in 1 cup mashed ripe bananas and 1/2 cup (40g) chopped walnuts.

2. Spoon batter into a well buttered 1-pound bread tin (9 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 2 3/4) and bake in moderate over for 1 hour, or until loaf tests done.

7. Cool for 5 minutes, then turn out on rack to cool completely.

MY TIPS
When creaming the butter and sugar, ensure the butter is at room temperature to ensure a smooth mixture. Sometimes I cheat and put the butter in the microwave for 1min using the quick defrost setting. Just don’t let it turn to liquid.

As for the eggs, I always take them out of the fridge a couple of house before using them. Like the butter, they work best at room temperature. I also lightly beat them separately before folding them gently into the mixture. This helps with the rise of the loaf I suspect.

If you don’t have any walnuts around, try toasted almonds or cashews (40g) or even chia seeds (1tsp).

As for the bananas – the riper then better I say. And rather than waste them if you have more than 1 cup mashed, just throw the whole lot in and give the baking an extra few minutes. Just so long as you knife comes out clean you will be OK.