Clams Jacquline

I grew up with a mother fascinated by the Kennedys- particularly all things Jackie. Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis’s glamorous and often tragic life was part of American culture from the 1960s, until she died in 1994: her style, travels,family, and various men. Jackie was famously a Francophile, though as First Lady, she often had to hide it. During her years at the White House, her preferences for French fashion and interior design were criticized as unpatriotic and often craftily disguised as American in origin.

When it came to food, however, the First Lady unabashedly chose French in the hiring of White House Chef Rene Verdon. One of my favorite podcasts, The Feast, recently featured a famous 1962 dinner party hosted by the Kennedys. Informally called “The Brains Dinner,” it honored American winners of the Nobel prize. The food, prepared by Chef Verdon and his staff, was a mix of cuisines but written in French to appear more so.

President Kennedy and Chef Rene Verdon.

Not retained by the next administration, Verdon was free to work on his cookbook, The White House Chef, published in 1968. A few used copies still exist, and I’d recommend it to any Kennedy history buffs out there. It's a fun read: part memoir, part White House history.

I’m assigned the appetizer course for a pandemicly paired down Thanksgiving meal with my mother next week. Verdon’s “Clams Jacqueline” seems only fitting, though I wish Rene Verdon gave the backstory of its name. My guess is the Gallic addition of Pernod was favored by the First Lady. It’s missing from any number of the other clam recipes in the book, more obviously catered to JFK , such as “Baked Clams Hyannisport” and “New England Clam Chowder, South-of-Boston Style.”

From Verdon’s The White House Chef

I prepared the clams over the weekend and enjoyed them served on the half shell. The Pernod’s slight flavor of licorice is a welcome addition to the overwhelmingly buttery recipe, as is the breadcrumbs’ crunch. I’ll be sure to make them again next week. A bit of Kennedy history served right at our Thanksgiving table.