Joan Bennett's Beef Stroganoff

from the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook

When I turned to the Main Dishes section of the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook for the first time, I was thrilled to see two of my favorite dishes heading the chapter -- Joan Bennett and Beef Stroganoff.  Miss Bennett brought an aura of real Hollywood mystique, glamor, and sophistication to her role on the program and her offering of Beef Stroganoff has  those same qualities in the culinary realm.  It originated in Russia in the nineteenth century and was enjoyed in wealthier households and by the Czars as well.  Composed of de luxe ingredients, beef tenderloin, mushrooms, and sour cream, this is fancy cookery and something you'd probably prepare for entertaining or for a special occasion.  There are a number of recipes for it that are basically similar but have a variety of small differences, such as the addition of a little mustard, garlic, or flour.  Miss Bennett's recipe is uncomplicated and unadulterated.  Easy to make in several short steps, it includes a simply done sauce of sour cream with a colorful and flavorful addition of tomato paste and paprika.  It finishes briefly in the oven so you can tidy up and get the rest of the dinner ready.  The result is mouth watering and succulent.  The beef is tender and juicy, having been seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon juice at the end as Miss Bennett recommends, and the deep pink sauce has a subtle flavor but is nicely piquant.  Beef Stroganoff is often served with rice, but I enjoyed it accompanied with summer vegetables and a cucumber salad.  An older friend of mine who now lives here, grew up in Hollywood where he worked in a grocery store and remembers frequently bagging groceries for Joan Bennett.  He said she was always very pleasant, but he didn't remember what she bought.  I'm sure Elizabeth prepared Beef Stroganoff at Collinwood now and then, and it's a recipe she easily could have shown Mrs. Johnson how to do.