The Secret 4-Ingredient Recipe Jackie Kennedy Loved to Serve at the White House
Jackie Kennedy’s iconic pillbox hats and elegant Chanel suits are just two of the many ways she set a standard for grace. We remember her for bringing a sense of refined sophistication to the White House. But this woman also had a secret, go-to recipe that was a world away from the lavish state dinners she hosted.
The Influence of René Verdon
Image via Wikimedia Commons/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
In 1961, Jacqueline Kennedy hired French-born chef René Verdon as the White House Executive Chef, a position newly created to elevate the nation’s culinary standards.
Verdon, trained in Paris and previously associated with New York’s La Caravelle, introduced a French culinary flair to American dishes. His first meal at the White House was a luncheon for British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, and featured dishes like trout in Chablis and artichoke bottoms Beaucaire.
This emphasis on French cuisine was part of a broader movement in the 1960s, when American dining began to embrace European culinary traditions, partly owing to the popularity of Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Given her admiration of the chef, Verdon’s refined approach to food naturally shaped Jackie’s thinking about entertaining.
The Recipe
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At a White House dinner honoring her sister and brother-in-law, Princess and Prince Radziwill, Jackie presented her secret recipe. This dish, known as Casserole Marie-Blanche, featured egg noodles, cottage cheese, sour cream, and fresh chives. Cottage cheese had gained popularity during this time as an affordable and versatile ingredient and was often used in both savory and sweet dishes.
The casserole itself was simple to make. It required boiling and draining a package of egg noodles, then stirring them with a pint of cottage cheese and sour cream, plus a generous handful of chopped fresh chives. The mixture was placed in a buttered casserole dish and baked at 350°F until the top turned lightly golden, usually about half an hour.
Casserole Marie-Blanche shares similarities with comfort foods from various cultures. For instance, the Polish “lazy man pierogi” and the Jewish “kugel” both incorporate noodles and dairy. Jacqueline Kennedy also famously had personal culinary preferences for simplicity regarding food. Her daily meals often included straightforward dishes like toast with honey and coffee.