Dinner and a Movie: The Masque of the Red Death

Vincent Price, Jane Asher, Patrick Magee and Hazel Court wear rather ridiculous (and very '60s) "medieval" costumes in The Masque of the Red Death

Oh my. What to say about this one? It's pretty entertaining, in a bad-movie way. The costumes are hilarious and look like they were put together with a glue gun from bits out of the bargain bin at Jo-Ann. They remind me of nothing so much as the costumes for the production I was in of Once Upon a Mattress in high school. Don't get all excited--I only had one line.


You can watch The Masque of the Red Death on DVD, from Netflix Watch Instantly, or on TCM October 25th at 4:00 a.m. CST.

On to the food--
Yippee for more British recipes from Vincent Price! This week we have Welsh Rabbit and Mushrooms in Cream. (The salad dressing is at this post.)

Welsh Rabbit

4 slices sourdough bread*
1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon brown ale, separated, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 lb sharp cheddar, grated
1 egg yolk


Put oven on lowest heat. Add two plates. Toast sourdough bread and keep warm on plates in oven while you make cheese sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the teaspoon of ale with the paprika, mustard powder, cayenne pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.

In a double boiler over lowish heat, melt the butter, then gradually stir in the cheddar. Keep stirring and add the 1/2 cup ale, a bit at a time, stirring constantly. When mixture is smooth, temper the egg yolk, then stir into cheese mixture and keep stirring. Add paprika/mustard mix and keep stirring. When cheese sauce is warm and smooth, pour over the toast and serve immediately.

Serves 2

Adapted from "Welsh Rabbit" in Mary and Vincent Price, A Treasury of Great Recipes (Ampersand Press, Inc., 1965), 165.

Mushrooms in Cream

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 lb mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
salt
pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a small skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat. When the foam has just subsided, add the mushrooms and stir well for 1 minute to coat thoroughly with butter. Season well with salt and pepper, then add cream and simmer until mushrooms are softened.

Serves 2

Adapted from "Mushrooms in Cream" in ibid., 183.

Last week: House on Haunted Hill, next week: The Pit and the Pendulum

I'm not sure if I'll be able to check comments over the weekend, so I'm leaving comment moderation up to Disqus. I'll check it Monday to make sure your comments get published. Have a great weekend!!!