James Buchanan Brady was one of the most conspicuous symbols of fin de
siecle America's age of opulence. He was a financier railroad equipment
manufacturer, and philanthropist whose total collection of diamond
dinner jewelry was estimated at more than $2,000,000.00
(approximately $50 million in today's market),
thereby giving him the nickname of "Diamond Jim Brady
Diamond Jim
is was also known for his romantic association with singer
Lillian Russell, a famous
full-figured singer of the era. It is said that her eating habits were a
perfect match for his own.
Diamond Jim was a glutton of immense proportions, often spending several
hundred dollars a day for his own meals. One of his favorite restaurants
was Rector's on Broadway near 43rd Street. George Rector once said that
Diamond Jim was the best twenty-five customers that he ever had. A
typical Brady meal would begin with three dozen oysters, followed by a
half-dozen crabs and a few bowls of turtle soup. Brady would then
consume several lobsters, two or three canvasback ducks, more seafood,
a few sirloin steaks, several pastries, and a box or two of candy. This
was just dinner. Brady also ate a comparable breakfast, a midmorning
snack, lunch, and what the British call "High Tea" which was more than a
full dinner by itself.
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James Buchanan Brady |
On one of
Diamond
Jim's European trips, he developed a passion for a variation of fillet
de sole Marguery ,the recipe for which was a guarded secret at Cafe Marguery
in Paris. When he returned home he had George Rector send his son to Europe
to learn how to make the dish. His son dropped out of classes at Cornell University the next day, sailed to France, and
landed a dishwashing job at Cafe Marguery under an assumed name. Over the
next two years, he worked his way up until he was able to learn the closely
guarded recipe for the sauce, He then sailed back to the US, and
prepared the dish for Brady at his father's restaurant, after which it was
known as Fillet of Sole Marguary a la Diamond Jim.
So what would be more
appropriate way to celebrate Diamond Jim's birthday than with Fillet
of Sole Marguary a la Diamond Jim and watching
Preston Sturges' biopic Diamond Jim
(1936) with Edward Arnold as Jim
and Alice Faye as Lillian Russell?
Fillet
of Sole Marguary a la Diamond Jim
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Ingredients
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2 cups fish fumet*
1 lb haddock or other white fish 1 lb sole fillets
1 lb fresh large shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 doz shucked fresh oysters, drained
1/2 cup unsalted (sweet) butter
* See Appendix A
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6 egg yolks, beaten well
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced parsley
extra butter for greasing baking dish
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Instructions
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