Capote's Black and White Ball

Chicken Hash at Midnight

Going through some old files (in an actual file cabinet) I came across a clipping from the Montclair Times about a Black and White Ball sponsored by the Montclair Art Museum (NJ) in 2006. The museum called for artists to design and submit masks that could be sold in their gift shop as a fundraiser and then worn by patrons at their ball. The museum shared the proceeds of the mask sales with the artists, an unusual gesture as artists are often encouraged to donate art with the promise of exposure along with supporting a cause. I designed two masks and was happy to discover that I had a photo in a file (on my desktop) of one of the masks.

The inspiration for the event in Montclair was the fortieth anniversary of Truman Capote’s masked Black and White Ball held in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel on November 28, 1966. Capote was flush from the proceeds of his best-selling work of non-fiction “In Cold Blood”. The ball was given in honor of Katherine Graham, publisher of the Washington Post and Newsweek. It is said that 540 guests were invited, and 540 attended. The guest list was a mixture of socialites, artists, writers, and European royalty. Andy Warhol, Mia Farrow and husband Frank Sinatra, President Johnson’s daughter Lynda Bird, JFK’s mother Rose Kennedy, and Norman Mailer all mingled and danced the night away. Truman Capote purchased his mask from FAO Schwarz for 39 cents, but many guests put in considerably more effort. Halston, yet to establish his brand of iconic luxury American clothing, was a well-known milliner and designed many of the attendees’ masks.

Mia Farrow and Frank Sinatra. Photo by Elliott Erwitt

If you dig just a little deeper into the history of the 1960s you will find that the writer Dominick Dunne and his wife threw a Black and White Ball in 1964 to celebrate their ten years of marriage. Nancy and Ronald Reagan, Natalie Wood, and Truman Capote were guests at that party. Capote did not invite the Dunnes when he gave his ball. Good ideas are always out there to be borrowed or stolen. Certain themes have an appeal that we keep returning to and it had not occurred to me until I discovered the clipping that masks as an art form are something that I have returned to more than once. I’ve been commissioned to design them for everything from the opening of an antique show in San Francisco to a dinner party in Milan. They can be a conversation starter, a prop for a photo booth, or a surprise gift tucked inside a goodie bag.

Vicki Smith

At midnight spaghetti and chicken hash, rather pedestrian dishes that you might expect from one’s mom in the ‘60s (no disrespect intended), were served at Capote’s ball. Hash seemed particularly unappealing to me, something mushed together from leftovers, but after some trial and error, I came up with something that is easy, full of fresh vegetables, and perfect for chilly autumn nights when it turns dark by five o’clock.

Photo by Vicki Smit

Chicken and Vegetable Hash

Ingredients

Olive oil

3 medium red potatoes, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 lb. ground chicken

1/2 large red pepper, diced

1 c. grape tomatoes, diced

2 T. tomato paste

1 t. sweet paprika

3 c. spinach, chopped

salt and pepper

4 eggs

Directions

The recipe makes four moderate-size servings.

Heat a large skillet over medium. When the pan is hot, drizzle in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the diced potatoes and sautee for six minutes. Put a lid on the pan and continue cooking for another six minutes. Check for doneness. If they are cooked, set them aside in a bowl. Add a touch more olive oil to the pan along with the onions. After the onions have cooked for 2-3 minutes, add the ground chicken, red pepper, and tomatoes. Begin to heat another skillet for the fried eggs that will top the hash. Use a spoon to break up clumps in the chicken and ensure that it cooks all the way through. Fry your eggs. Return the potatoes to the skillet with the hash. Add the tomato paste and paprika to the hash and season with salt and pepper. Toss in the spinach which will only need about a minute to cook.

Serve in bowls and top with a fried egg.

Thank you for reading, commenting, liking, and sharing!

Happy Thanksgiving, especially to all those who are cooking!

Vicki