July 28
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier's Birthday
 

Jacqueline Bouvier first came to the public's attention when she was named by then Hearst columnist (and later one of her favorite designers) Igor Cassini as "debutante of the year."  After two years at  Vassar College. Jackie spent her junior year studying in Fence with part of her studies at the Sorbonne in Paris which explains her well-publicized Francophile tastes. After graduation, she worked as  the "Inquiring Photographer" for The Washington Times-Herald and became engaged to John Husted, a stock broker which she broke off after meeting  the handsome then-US. Representative John F. Kennedy whom she married. in 1953. When Jack was elected president in 1960,  Jackie was just 31, one of the youngest First Ladies in history. When her daughter Caroline released Jackie's breathy-voiced taped recording with Arthur Schlesinger just months after President Kennedy's assassination, we all learned that the snarky cattiness of many Vassar students carried over into her White House observations. She called French president Charles de Gaulle who adored her an "egomaniac;"  India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi -a "prune - bitter, kind of pushy, horrible woman'." Martin Luther King  Jr.-a "phony;" Lady Bird Johnson-  She described her a "trained hunting dog.; and described Indonesian President Sukarno- a lecher, saying he left "a bad taste in your mouth." Jackie brought glamour, style, and elegance to the presidency and soon took on the restoration of the White House,. She wrote personal requests to those who owned pieces of historical interest that were, subsequently donated to the White House.. She planned most of the major social events at the White House and often invited artists, writers,  poets, and musicians to mingle with politicians and government officials. Six months after JFK's death, she allegedly began four-year love affair with Bobby Kennedy. JFK's brother ,according to  Pulitzer-nominated biographer C. David Heymann, the author of Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story  which includes recollections of the affair from many Kennedy intimates, including Pierre Salinger, Arthur Schlesinger, and Gore Vidal.  Franklin Roosevelt Jr., who served as JFK's undersecretary of commerce, was quoted in the book stating ."Everybody knew about the affair. The two of them carried on like a pair of lovesick teenagers,"    When Robert was also assassinated, it was allegedly Jackie -- not his wife -- who instructed doctors to pull the plug. A year later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis; they remained married until his death in 1975. For the final two decades of her life, she had a successful career as a book editor. Jackie Francophile tastes also were integrated into White House dinners and her Crème Brûlée  became on of Jack's favorite desserts. So to celebrate Jackie's birthday, what could be more appropriate than her recipe for Crème Brûlée and watching the History Channel's 2011 miniseries The Kennedys in which Jackie is played by Katie Holmes?  However, if you are a John Waters fan, you may want to rent Eat Your Makeup (1865) in which she is portrayed by drag-star Divine.

1. In upper part of double boiler, heat 3 cups of heavy cream with the vanilla bean. In a bowl, beat 6 TB of sugar with the egg yolks and eggs until light and creamy.
2. Take out the vanilla bean, and stir the warm cream into the yolks very carefully and slowly. Return the mixture to the double boiler, over boiling water. Stir constantly until the custard coats the spoon. Then put into a glass serving dish and place it in the refrigerator to set.
3. When ready to serve, cover the top of the custard completely with brown sugar, using 1/2 cup or more. Place the dish on a bowl of crushed ice and place custard under broiler flame until sugar melts and caramelizes. Keep watching it, for the sugar will burn. Serve immediately