Leila Hyams led us astray with this wacky muffin misfire.
Leila Hyams was born in New York in 1905 into a show business family. Her parents were popular in vaudeville and she soon followed in their footsteps. In 1924 she made her film debut in the Barbara Lamarr film Sandra. She went on to co-star in several classics including Freaks, Red Headed Woman, Island of Lost Souls and Ruggles of Red Gap. She married agent Phil Berg in 1927 and retired in 1936. They were together for fifty years until her death.
Recipe
This recipe is from Photoplay Magazine - March 1931. The article is called "A Luncheon for Eight" by Carolyn Van Wyck.
Ingredients
1 cup pastry flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 1/4 cups graham flour
1 egg
1 cup cream
Directions
Mix these ingredients, then sift thoroughly, and add 1 1/4 cups graham flour, and 1/2 cup dates, cut fine mixing thoroughly with dry ingredients; 1 egg and 1 cup of cream, mixed together, and then poured into dry ingredients and immediately stirred. Stir very lightly and only long enough to mix wet and dry ingredients. Place batter in the pans, handling gently to avoid toughening and bake until muffins are golden brown -- about twenty minutes.
Special Guests
Angie Schneider is a board member and curator of the Hollywood Heritage Museum and collects memorabilia on Mary Pickford and Theda Bara. She blogs at “Tinsel and Stars" and is currently writing a cookbook on the recipes of Pickfair.
Dominique Benedict
Breakfast At Dominique's is a woman-owned and operated boutique coffee company working to keep the legacies of our past alive through high quality coffee. A special interest is placed on the silent era of film where carefully crafted homages to stars such as Mary Pickford, Harold Lloyd, Boris Karloff, Joan Crawford, and Barbara La Marr become highlights of the Breakfast At Dominique's lineup. Many coffees support causes and Foundations that each icon dedicated thought and care to in their own lives such as Hounds in Pounds dog rescue, the Mary Pickford Foundation, and the National Film Preservation Foundation. Learn more at hollywoodblends.com
Leila Hyams - The Venus Blend
Video
Final Result
We love Leila and all, but this proved to be a muffin misfire! The recipe had way too much flour and not nearly enough liquids to make it work. This resulted in dry, tasteless muffins that even the addition of fruit couldn't salvage. That's ok though. I mean these things happen and they all can't be hits!
Here are some of the Leila Hyams films that you can find on DVD.
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Thank you for watching and stay tuned for more food, fun and film history.
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