Jul 4, 20232 min read

Lou Costello's Apple Griddle Cakes

Comedy chaos reigns in the kitchen with our frequent guest Rick Greene!

Abbott and Costello were a successful comedy team who conquered radio, film and television throughout the 1940s and 50s. Their comedy routine"Who's On First?" is one of the most famous of all time and is in their film "The Naughty Nineties" (1945).

Recipe

This recipe is from the cookbook "What Cooks in Hollywood" edited by Dorothy and Maxwell Hamilton from 1949.

Lou Costello's daughter Chris reached out to inform me that Lou NEVER made Apple Griddlecakes and that the autograph on this recipe is not his handwriting style at all. Fair enough. I realize most of the recipes are from studio publicists and writers, etc. and that few stars had the time or inclination to cook. Stars like Vincent Price, Joan Crawford and Marlene Dietrich are the exceptions and I've verified this directly with their family members. Even if the stars didn't make most of these recipes, I think this is a fun jumping off point to talk about their lives, careers and legacies.

Chris Costello said that Lou LOVED sweets and preferred candy bars. She said he used to take a piece of toast and cook it over an open flame on the stove. He also loved Italian food and his wife made a Thanksgiving stuffing that he loved. The recipe has been handed down through generations in their family. I suggested that we do a Lou Costello Thanksgiving stuffing episode this November. Stay tuned! By the way, Chris has a podcast called "On Cue with Chris Costello" and wrote a book about her father called "Lou's On First". I really hope we get to sit down for a chat in the near future.

Since the recipe was attributed to him, Rick and I decided to cook it for fun.

Ingredients

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs, well beaten

1 1/3 cups top milk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup apples, diced fine

Directions

Sift dry ingredients. Combine eggs and milk. Add to dry ingredients and beat only until smooth. Stir in melted butter and apples. Bake on greased griddle until brown on both sides. Makes 24 griddlecakes.

Special Guest

Rick Greene is a film history collector and also co-authored the book "Harry Brandon: King of the Boogeymen" with Bill Cassara. You can find Rick on Facebook and he runs the group Greene's Pop Culture Sugar Blast! Coolness From The 20th Century. His book "Marketing Mayhem!: Selling Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to Post-War America" was released from Bear Manor Media. His latest book is "Advertising Anarchy: Selling Bud Abbott & Lou Costello to War Torn America".

Final Result

I decided to cut the recipe in half, since it made 24 griddlecakes. We used a granny smith apple that was thinly diced. I thought the Apple Griddlecakes were delicious! I ate three of them on camera and I would definitely make these again.