A Treasury of Great Recipes

by Mary Price, Vincent Price

In perhaps the first celebrity cookbook, famed actor Vincent Leonard Price Jr, and his wife, Mary, present mouthwatering recipes from around the world in simplified, unpretentious forms that anyone can make and enjoy. Selected from London's The Ivy, Madrid's Palace Hotel, New York's Sardi's, and other legendary establishments, the recipes are accompanied by witty commentaries, while colour photos and atmospheric drawings by Fritz Kredel make this one of the most beautiful books of its kind.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Travel, Food and Drink

488 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Mary Grant Price (20 February 1917 – 2 March 2002) was a Welsh-American costume designer who worked in theatre and film. She worked professionally under the name Mary Grant.

Between the years 1965 and 1969, Grant co-authored a series of cookbooks with her husband Vincent Price .

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[✨Bean's Books✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing and beautiful book. I recommend this book not only to those of us who like to cook but also for those who like to have a true piece of history in the house.

Check out my full review in video here:
https://youtu.be/Tc6urGyxp68

[Martin Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vincent Price has always been "The Man" to me, ever since I discovered his old radio show The Saint as a kid. Since then I've gone out of my way to find old movies by him, and listen to shows like The Price of Fear, and The Saint. And the original House on Haunted Hill is better by far than any new variations. Anyway...

While browsing an antique store in my home town, I found this cool-looking cookbook and thought "that can't be the same Vincent Price", but it sure was. I never dropped $4 so fast.
The book is a wonderful collection of anecdotes and recipes from great restaurants around the world. Price was an avid traveler and even a great chef himself (he actually did an Italian cooking show on the radio).

These yellow pages and their stories and pictures will take you back to storied times and cherished memories. You can almost smell the oak paneling, the aroma of garlic and sizzling steaks, and hear the hushed voices of the ancient waiters. With pictures of the menus and of the establishments, Mary and Vincent take you with them on their travels.

And the recipes? Well, I've tried a couple, my favorite being the cheesecake (which I tweaked a little, sorry V), and they are wonderful. Mind you, this is not cutting-edge, nouveau stuff-this is rustic, hearty, old-word, and absolutely wonderful.

Many of us have comfort foods, this is my comfort cookbook.

Price will always be The Man.

[Jennie Rigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read this book if you're on any sort of healthy eating plan. If you aren't, though, it's an amazing trip into gourmet food history.

[Creolecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been wanting this for years. This is a 1965 hardback edition found in excellent condition at a used bookshop.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vincent Price as always been one of the three best horror actors for me, the others being Lee and Cushing of course.

Imagine the surprise of knowing he was an expert gourmet cook and a lover of fine art!

This wonderful book as had all the pages copied, it's a first edition and there is noooo way that anyone would want to cover this stunning book in cooking goop.

THE BEST RECIPE: custard rice. Why? Mum used to make this when I was young and now I have in these grubby hands the original recipe she used, at last. Now it's time to over indulge in the best dessert ever.

Thankyou Mr Price for the best food ever

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here in this book Mary and I have stored up for you many of the treasures of our lives, borrowed, bestowed and occasionally even stolen from all over the world. They have been an open sesame for us into the wonderful world of good eating.

This is sort of two or even three books in one. It’s a book about enjoying food in restaurants around the world; it’s a book of great photographs of both restaurants and Price’s own ideas of designing a home for good eating, and it’s a cookbook filled not just with what appear to be great recipes, but great lessons on how to make great recipes.

While it’s generally expected that celebrities use ghostwriters to assist them when writing books, I suspect that Vincent Price really did write at least a good part of this book. Every once in a while it is near impossible not to read it hearing his voice. Which makes it even stranger when most of how I know his voice comes from Michael Jackson and Alice Cooper songs.

A couple of years ago, after a six months’ stay in Rome, we took off a week to eat ourselves out of shape in Paris. Mary was pregnant and found that she yearned only for Chinese food. Darned if Paris didn’t come up with a half dozen top Oriental restaurants. Still, to eat Chinese food in that capital of French gastronomy is about on a par with dropping in at the Louvre just to buy postcards. You’ll get what you went after all right, but oh, what treasure you will have missed!

Besides the great photographs, the book reproduces the menus of many of the great restaurants of the past that Price collected his recipes from. They’re a fascinating look at dining out and cooking in, in the fifties and sixties. Coconuts are easily, albeit not widely, available, but coconut milk is not. Sushi is never mentioned, and when he refers to ceviche both in Spain and in Mexico, each time he also mentions how surprising it was to enjoy “raw fish”.

Each section begins with an introduction to the country highlighted. Each chapter, an introduction to the restaurant highlighted, and each recipe a short blurb talking about what substitutions he made, some of the wonderful spurious and non-spurious cookbook-style historical tidbits.

All of it is engaging writing. In the section about the food of Italy, for example, he writes:

…seasonal respect for the good things of the earth is what makes each meal in Italy a special feast… In time with nature, never out of step, one can taste the months go by in the simplest or most elegant places to eat.

And the chapter highlighting Le Pyramide includes:

This kind of cooking can only be done by a master chef, an artist, a Rembrandt among cooks. Madame Point… very generously gave us three of Fernand Point’s most famous creations… When we are in the mood to recreate that heavenly lunch at the Pyramide, we get to work with one of these recipes—to do them all at one sitting would be a bit beyond us. The results are delicious, reminding us all over again of that memorable afternoon at the Pyramide in much the way that a good art reproduction can reawaken your memory of an original Rembrandt.

The recipes are presented in a unique way. The ingredients are listed, without measurements, along the side, in red. The instructions are divided into sections. The recipe for “Soup Anglaise (Cake with Custard Cream)” for example, is divided into a section for making the cake, the fruit, the vanilla custard cream, the meringue, and then a section for the presentation.

It seems to work well, but I’ll have more for the second part of this review, when I’ve actually made some of the recipes.

To eat is to live, to live is to be happy, and why not let the world know it?

This is a book I’ve known existed for quite a while, and usually only saw with higher prices on it; it’s a huge tome and more than other books I am sensitive to the shelf space used up by cookbooks. Cookbooks are utilitarian books. If I’m not going to use a cookbook to cook there is no point in wasting shelf space on it.

I finally pulled the trigger on buying it not just because I found it at a good price, but also because my experience cooking over the last several years helped me recognize that it contains—I hope—the kind of vintage recipes that I enjoy. It’s a collection of recipes not just from a wide variety of countries, but also from a variety of chefs, filtered through two amateur chefs, Vincent and Mary Price. That perspective should make for great food from a nonprofessional kitchen.

It is also a beautiful book, bound in some sort of padded material and with two built-in bookmarks for marking recipes.

For my first recipe from this book, I made Hazelnut Ice Cream from Tre Scalini of Rome. The recipe calls for grinding hazelnuts in an “electric blender” with milk. This was very difficult: the nuts didn’t have enough liquid to succumb to the blender’s vortex, and just stuck to the sides of the blender. Despite the work involved, however, the “ice cream” (really a sort of nut cream) is very tasty, and I expect to make it again—but in a food processor instead.

A far easier recipe was the Sopa de Ajo inspired by the garlic soup at La Mallorquina in San Juan. This is dead easy: sauté a lot of garlic in a little olive oil, then add beef stock, bring to a boil, and pour into a bowl with a raw egg. This was a great start to a meal, and then an even better breakfast. The leftover soup is easily refrigerated and then brought back to a boil and poured over the egg.

Finally, I made some Chicken and Virginia Ham Shortcake. This isn’t really what I would call a shortcake; it’s a slice of cornbread, a slice of ham, and some creamed, minced chicken poured over it. And then, parmesan cheese sprinkled over that and the whole thing boiled. I have another name for this from my childhood, although then we used toast and creamed chipped beef. But this is far more elegant than the old shit-on-a-shingle we used to eat. It’s still a comfort food.

I think there may be a typo in it, however. The recipe calls for making the cornbread in a 9x9-inch pan; then when it’s cool, cutting it into thick slices. I suspect he meant a 9x5-inch loaf pan, as he does recommend a loaf pan when describing the shortcut of using a “corn muffin mix”.

The recipe format turns out to work fine. The ingredients, besides being listed without measurements on the side, are bolded with their measurements in the text, and the text is divided into numbered steps.

I have far too many recipes bookmarked to list them all here; this is as much a function of the size of the book as the quality of the recipes. Some of the highlights are likely to be René Hure’s Roast Game Hens with Mustard from the Hostellerie de la Poste in Avallon; Coeur à la Crème; Mussels with Saffron from London’s Boulestin; Paella “Good Friend” from The Palace Hotel in Madrid; and Zucchini Soufflé from The Blue Fox in San Francisco.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a beautiful edition of this book. It's cushioned hard covered, the pages are guilded gold and it has a satin book mark attached to it. It was my mother's. This is more than a cookbook. It has picture of Vincent and his wife and his friends throughout. He includes copies of the restaurant menus he features, their recipes and personal stories. A very enjoyable read.

[Coleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up the 50 th Anniversary Edition through my local library. Never knew it existed. Unless I saw it in my friend's mother's kitchens when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's. I've read through all the introductions and the commentaries on the restaurants. Love the richness and nostalgia of the menus and pictures. I even looked up to see if the Super Chief train was still running (great breakfasts!)...sadly it is not. Several of the restaurants are still going strong. I'd love to visit them in my future travels.
I bought packets of yeast tonight at my local Kroger- plan on baking the house bread on Monday when the snow blows.

[Modbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the 1974 edition of this book that originally came out in 1965. It's kind of a hoot, in that it features a lot of old menus from restaurants that are now long gone (including the prices for each dish). This book came out when all "gourmet" food was French, so most of the recipes are French as well, but there are some other regions covered. Vincent Price was a polymath of sorts...a gourmet, an art collector, an actor, bon vivant ;) Just reading through this book makes you want to go back in time and overindulge.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps a little underseasoned for the modern palate, but we had a dinner party made up completely of dishes from this cookbook and it was generally declared a success. Some updating of ingredients may be needed.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first "gourmet" recipe book. I bought it many years ago and tried most of the recipes in the book. A lot of the recipes were labor intentive, but every recipe I tried was very good.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories of places the Prices visited and restaurants they loved. Lots of great recipes.

[Kathy Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grilled Gravad Lax (Grilled Marinated Salmon)

Jim and I are Vincent Price fans. We grew up watching him play Count Dracula. I found this 1965 cookbook, and was surprised to read he was a gourmet chef who wrote a number of cookbooks—and even had his own cooking show. We looked up his cooking shows on youtube, and enjoy watching him.

This is the first cookbook he created with the help of his wife.

This dish is the Grilled Gravad Lax (Grilled Marinated Salmon) on page 146. The dish is delicious. I made the sauce and did not care for it - Jim liked it. I made a second sauce and instead of using olive oil with the dry ingredients, I used mayonnaise and cut the sugar due to that already being in mayo. Next time I make this - and I will - I will cut the salt - I usually write notes next to a recipe but this is such a beautiful book - I won't do that with this book.

It's a beautiful book - interesting read, but I do not see many recipes I'm interested in trying. There are a few interesting ones, but this one took some time to put together and the sauce was a no for me, so I'll give 4 stars due to the salmon turned out delicious.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Vincent Price fan wouldn’t love this? What gourmet cook wouldn’t love this? I borrowed this book from a cousin, who was a chef, when I was in my teens (after discovering Price’s film classics), and I was soooo reluctant to give it back! Even as a small child, I would pour over my grandmother’s cookbooks for hours, so it’s not surprising that I am so passionate about cooking today. When I recently found this at an antique store (and for a very reasonable price, I might add), I was ecstatic! The time and effort required to create these culinary masterpieces is well worth it. As my mother once said, “Life, like cooking, is a fine art: dare to create, and savor the memories!”

[Gladys Jurado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually owned this book and when I moved to California in 1990, the moving company went bankrupt and I lost all of my possessions including this book. One of my favorite recipes was Shrimps Stuffed with Mustard Fruit. Had this dish the first time as an appetizer at the Four Seasons Restaurant. The waiter suggested that I try it and I fell in love with it! In browsing thru this book I found the recipe and was so thrilled to find it that I purchased cookbook at that time.

I am so happy to find the book here and able to read it.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

What delightful cookbook. This would be the second cookbook that I have read and I've enjoyed it. Just about every page and a handful of recipes left me drooling. I'm going to have to definitely try some of them at some point.
I loved the story telling that went along with each section it gave you a small glimpse into Mr. and Mrs. Price life. I'm so glad they shared their world view and cuisine view.

[Kym · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite the tome of old-school, sauce-laden restaurant recipes enjoyed around the world by the Prices. There are very few vegetables to be found. Still, there are some recipes worth trying and it is an interesting historical food perspective and a glimpse into some of those famous restaurants where we can no longer go.

[Two Readers in Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vincent Price was quite the Renaissance Man, a gourmand and artist in addition to being an actor and -- by many accounts-- a very generous and kind man.

His Curried Lima Bean Soup recipe is a perennial favorite with us, but this classic cookbook makes for a great read just for the photographs and accounts of the era.

[Brian Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decided to flip through one of my favorite Christmas gifts again, if you love food, food history, fine dining, restaurants, cooking, or just Vincent Price you’ll love this book. The pictures of antiquated dishes and menu reprints are awesome.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to obtain a copy, it was gifted to me by a family member. You can definitely hear his voice as you read through the pages. Mine is in excellent condition as it has only had two owners to treasure it. The recipes are exceptional, the stories are just as golden.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that I love Vincent Price and his movies, only made this book that much more attractive. It's a pretty book...bound in an attractive way with personal, colorful photographs and memories inside.
The recipes and stories make this a book to treasure.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original pressing this was a wedding gift to my parents.

[Nancie Lafferty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun reading the recipes collected and revised for “American tastes” by the Prices from restaurants all over the world.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Treasury of Great Recipes (1965) by Mary and Vincent Price is a treasure itself on so many levels. First, of all, I love Vincent Price and reading through this glorious recipe book was lovely experience. Mary was responsible for the look of the cookbook--the cover, the photos, the arrangements of the food in the photos and Vincent wrote the introductory pieces for each section and the reminiscences which precede each recipe. I could absolutely hear his voice reading those introductions to me. Vincent Price so very obviously enjoyed life and food and travel were two of his favorite parts of life. His joy in traveling the world--sampling the local food, discovering new restaurants, wheedling treasured recipes out of the chefs--that joy spills over into all the memories and tidbits that he shared with us in this cookbook.

It is also a delight to look at all the menus from a by-gone era when fresh lobster could be had for $4.50 and desserts would run less than a dollar. Unfortunately, most of the restaurants featured in the book are gone. Some having disappeared only within the last 10-15 years or so. But it is still fun to look at the pictures from some of the best eateries of the 1960s and to know that Vincent and Mary have preserved a number of the best recipes for us.

One thing that I found amusing was the fact that Wolfgang Puck (who writes an introduction for this--the 50th anniversary edition) made a great deal of the fact that Vincent Price--movie star that he was--was just a Midwestern boy at heart. Having grown up in St. Louis, he was a down-to-earth kind of guy and ALL (emphasis mine) of these recipes were intended as helps for the average housewife. Well--either I'm not an average housewife or "average" means something quite different to Wolfgang than it does to me--because I have never served baby octopus at my house and, quite frankly, can't ever imagine myself doing so. There are several recipes that call for ingredients that this average housewife does not keep stocked in her pantry....

But. That doesn't mean that I might not get adventurous and try some of the more out-of-the-way selections (NOT baby octopus, though). In fact, I'm quite determined that a copy of this book needs to find its way into my house on a permanent basis (this one was from the library). The desserts especially look fantastic and there are several chicken recipes that I'm anxious to try. This is definitely a book for those who love cooking and who enjoy peeking into the kitchens of a different time and place....oh, and it's a definite must-read for those who love Vincent Price.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for my librarian wife's birthday last year. We love to cook together and for each other, and maintain a blog of our cookbook exploits. When I learned of this volume -- written by someone with whom she shares a birthday -- I decided it would be perfect for our Nueva Receta blog (http://nuevareceta.blogspot.com/).

Price dined at many of the world's finest restaurants during the peak of the "jet set" age, and was invited into the kitchens. These recipes are ambitious -- rather cryptic notes by some of the world's most accomplished chefs. So each recipe should be read with care, and any notations about prep times should be disregarded.

But we've made some lovely dishes from this volume, and consult it first for birthday celebrations!

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vincent Price, the voice that haunted every scary story and movie of my childhood, was a gourmand. This (very-hard-to-find) collection of recipes was culled from the chefs at his favorite classy restaurants. Included are anecdotes about the restaurants, the foods, his friends...a kitschy glimpse into the past. Even if you never try one of the recipes, this is still an interesting read.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is ADORABLE.

You can hear Vincent Prices voice when you read it. It's full of very old, historical American recipes, and little doodles. The copy I have is called "Come Into My Kitchen.." and has a cute picture of Vincent price in an apron on the cover. One of our most beloved cookbooks.

[Karlyne Landrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, do I love this book! Whenever I want a trip to nostalgia-land, I pull it out and read it through. It's a gorgeously bound volume with color photos and menus from all of the Price's favorite restaurants through-out the world. And the recipes work, too!

[Cws]

641.5 Pri

[Erryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains a fantastic collection of recipes from all over the world.