Sep 162 min read

Lauren Bacall's Watercress Soup

Her centennial birthday called for a celebration!

Lauren Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske in The Bronx and began her career as a professional model. She had a sultry stare, a husky voice and a maturity far beyond her years. At only 20 years old, she made her film debut opposite Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not. Their chemistry was undeniable and they quickly fell in love and were married the next year. They went on to star together in the more films in the noir genre including The Big Sleep, Key Largo and Dark Passage. Bacall went on to have a long career in film, television and on the Broadway stage.

Recipe

This is from "The Celebrity Cookbook", which was published in 1966. It consists of recipes that were collected by Dinah Shore.

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 pints milk

One bunch of watercress

1 oz butter

Serves six to eight

Directions

Peel the potatoes, quarter them and boil them in salted water until tender. Drain, crush them with a potato-masher, and when free from all lumps add the boiling milk and salt.

While the potatoes are soaking, wash and pick the leaves off the watercress and chop roughly.

Add to the soup and cook for 5-6 minutes. Take off the fire and add the butter. Pour into a hot tureen and serve.

Special Guest

Danny Miller is a journalist, editor and film history expert. He also co-authored the book "About Face: The Life and Times of Dottie Ponedel: Make-up Artist to the Stars" with Meredith Ponedel.