How the Women of Mad Men Really Feel About Cooking

Ok, so my obsession with Mad Men has been exposed.  With only one episode left after tonight, I am as wrought as the cast as to whether there will be another season.  Maybe what is so compelling to me is that they're not afraid to show you that nobody's perfect in the series.  All of them have faults, just like we all do- some are just worse than others.  It makes the series more real and believable with a little history and nostalgia to help underpin the story line.  From a cooking perspective, it didn't take me long to ascertain the cooking skills of the Mad Men divas. Beyond obsession? Maybe. However, there are some take aways here.  First, let's look at each of them:



Betty's Around the World Dinner



Betty Draper has a classic style, yet opts to take the easy way out.  Doesn't want to ruin the manicure - What?? In all fairness, she probably had a mother who took care of all the meal preparation which is why she never developed an interest.  However, she did show come creativity when she prepared the Around the World dinner to help Don with the Heineken ad campaign.  Ok, I'll give her that.  Season 5 introduced junk food (who remembers Bugels?) and packaged food.  Boxed stuffing for Thanksgiving?! Really?? These helped busy moms but did not enhance creativity and was not the most healthy choice.  Hence, the introduction of Weight Watchers as a response to January's post-partum weight gain.  Again, not much creativity here.

Meghan Draper being French, was exposed to more cultural food and imparts her taste into her new marriage.  Prior to marrying Meghan, Don had to go to Sardi's if he wanted anything exotic.  Beef Borginogne can certainly turn a man's head (I know)! She also pays more attention to make meals and events special and doesn't mind going out of her way which seems to be a nice change of pace for Don.  This is even more interesting, given the fact that she manages to pull it off despite a full time job which doesn't give her much satisfaction.  She's proven her creativity in developing ad campaigns, and now she's proving her creativity in the kitchen.

Trudy Campbell always seems to manage putting an interesting meal on the table for her up and coming husband, Pete.  Too bad he's too consumed with clawing his way to the top that he could care less. Whether it was inbred in her from her well-to-do family or whether she learned it herself, is anybody's guess.  Either way, she is the epitome of prim and proper and it shows in all that she says and does- particularly those ladies' lunches.  Now a stay at home mom living in the country, she has the time and inclination to plan and prepare the perfect dinner party for Pete's co-workers, Don and Kenny and their wives.  Many women in that situation would crack under the pressure, but Trudy carried herself with style and grace through it all- too bad Pete doesn't appreciate it.

Then there's:


Joan's Crown Roas Dinner

 Joan Harris very elegant and exhibited the same as she prepared a crown roast dinner for her then fiance and their friends.  Unfortunately, she is overly occupied with her job, Roger, her failing marriage and the new baby for any of that now.

Midge's funky style was kitchy and whimsical- A spontaneous woman, she had the ability to come up with as many hits as she did misses in the kitchen.  With never a shortage of drinks and drugs, who cared?

Peggy Olsen is too busy getting ahead at work by trying to prove that she's one of the guys that the mere thought of cooking never even crosses her mind. Her mother taught her how to cook and it showed when she flubbed the Cool Whip rehearsal. I feel sorry for whomever she may someday marry.

What I've Learned from the Divas of Mad Men

• Keep it simple, yet elegant
• Don't sweat the small stuff
• Be flexible because you never know when someone will show up unexpectedly
• Don't be afraid to be adventurous and try new things
• Have plenty of drinks on hand
• Always look your best, because if the meal fails, at least you'll look good and they won't notice

Authentic Mad Men Premier Party Food

If you're as much of a Mad Men fan as I am, then you are anxiously awaiting the 2 hour premier of Season 5 on March 25th.  All this talk about some significant surprises has my interest piqued for sure.  With the Mad Men craze rapidly spreading, there are many fans out there who are planning on having a season premier party.  Of course no party would be complete without the right food.  Although food does not take center stage in Mad Men, it is the visual equivalent of the clicking typewriters, and a detail that certainly lends authenticity.

Judy Gelman and Peter Zheuthin beat me to the punch by writing the Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook- Inside the Kitchens, Bars and Restaurants of Mad Men.  Complete with recipes for cocktails, appetizers, main dishes and desserts, this cookbook highlights all the food and drinks that were depicted throughout all four seasons.  Each recipe is precededs by a historical and cultural dialogue about the food and why it was used in the particular season and episode mentioned.  I just finished reading the book, and although I remember most of the items mentioned from the episodes, there were a few that I completely missed.

As a child in the 60's, Mad Men brings back many memories for me and I grin every time I see something in an episode that transports me back to that timeframe: Like my grandmother's dishes in the Draper kitchen and highball glasses used in Betty's Around the World dinner party, Don's travel alarm clock like the one my father had for so many years, and the exact African prints in Peggy's apartment that hung in my grandparent's living room until the mid 70's.  Much like these props that bring back fond memories, so does the food of Mad Men.  I grew up with all the food of that era which are all in the book: California Dip, Parmesan Canapes, Waldorf Salad, Stuffed Crown Roast of Pork, Chicken Kiev and Ladyfingers Cheesecake.  Like the characters in Mad Men, my  parents would throw dinner parties that included these items and of course would not be complete without Tom Collins.

So for those of you who are planning a Premier Party and appreciate retro food, here are some menu suggestions from the book to tie a bow around your ultimate Mad Men event: P.S. don't forget the vintage hostess apron and Mad Men soundtracks!

Don Draper's Old Fashioned
1 orange slice
1 maraschino cherry
1 tsp. sugar
few drops of Augostura bitters
a splash of soda water to muddle ingredients
2 1/2 oz. rye or bourbon (Don prefers Canadian Club of course)

In a mixing glass, muddle orange slice, cherry, sugar, bitters and a litte soda water: push around and break up cherry and orange until flavor is released.  Add soda water so cherry is wet and sugar is melted.  Add rye or bourbon and serve over rocks.

Fill a martini glass with water and large ice cubes enough to keep it cold while mixing the drink.  Pour vermouth and gin into a mixing glass (or shaker) and stir.  Pour ice and water out of martini glass. Pour martini into prepared glass.  Put leftovers in a rocks glass.  Makes 1 drink.

Roger Sterling's Martini
1/8 oz. dry vermouth
2 1/2 oz. Gin

Fill a martini glass with water and large ice cubes enough to keep it cold while mixing the drink.  Pour vermouth and gin into a mixing glass (or shaker) and stir.  Pour ice and water out of martini glass. Pour martini into prepared glass.  Put leftovers in a rocks glass. Makes 1 drink.

Bridge Night Tom Collins
1 1/2 oz. dry gin
1 oz. lemon juice
1 tsp. powdered sugar
1/2 lime
3 oz. club soda
Maraschino cherry and orange slice for garnish

Add gin, lemon juice and powdered sugar to cracked ice in a cocktail shaker and shake thoroughly.  Strain into a tall glass.  Add ice cubes, squeeze lime into drink and fill with club soda.  Stir a little and garnish with lime shell, cherry and orange slice.  Makes 1 drink.


Betty's Stuffed Celery
3 oz. soft cream cheese
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
8 chopped stuffed olives
10 minced, blanched almonds
4 long and wide celery stalks

Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, olives and almonds in small bowl.  Stuff celery stalks with filling. Chill and cut into bite size, 2 - 3 inch pieces before serving.  Makes 8 servings.

Pete's California Dip
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 c. sour cream

Mix ingredients in a medium bowl, chill and serve with (nothing other than) Utz potato chips.  Makes 2 cups.

Rockefeller Fundraiser Parmesan Canapes
3/4 c. minced onion
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
20 Melba toast rounds
Paprika

Mix onion, mayonnaise and cheese in a small bowl.  Spread on toast pieces.  Sprinkle with extra cheese and paprika.  Before serving, broil 3 inches from heat for 2 - 3 minutes.  Makes 20

Fill a martini glass with water adn large ice cubes enough to keep it cold while mixing the drink.  Pour vermouth and gin into a mixing glass (or shaker) and stir.  Pour ice and water out of martini glass. Pour martini into prepared glass.  Put leftovers in a rocks glass.


Waldorf Salad
2 Granny Smith apples, diced
1 c. diced celery
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. red grapes
5 T. mayonnaise
Lettuce for serving

Mix apples, celery, walnuts, and grapes with mayonnaise.  Place mixture in the middle of a salad bowl, lined with lettuce.  Makes 2 servings.

Avocado and Crab meat Mimosa
2 ripe avocados
1 scallion, minced
2 t. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
dash tobasco sauce
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. chili sauce
1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
1/8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
ground pepper
8 oz. cooked fresh crab meat
2 c. watercress
2 hard-cooked egg yolks
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Peel half of one avocado.  In small bowl, mash avocado half. Add scallion, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt and tobacco.  Still until combined and set aside.  In separate bowl, stir together mayonnaise, chili sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire and remaining lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.  Peel remaining 1 1/2 avocados and cut into half inch cubes and place in a large bowl.  Squeeze excess moisture from crab meat.  Add to cubed avocado and gently combine.  Fold in mayonnaise mixture until crab and avocado are evenly coated. Line bottoms of 6 chilled open champagne glasses (or small glass serving dishes) with watercress.  Divide crab mixture evenly among the glasses.  Top each with a dollop of mashed avocado mixture.  Press egg yolks through fine mesh sieve.  Combine with parsley in a small bowl.  Sprinkle yolk mixture evenly over each portion.  Can be refrigerated up to 3 hours.  Makes 6 servings.