the original palm beach classic
A true classic, Marylou Whitney (or Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney as she was known back then) was the epitome of the Palm Beach hostess: beautiful, elegant, welcoming, a great cook and a gracious entertainer. Her luncheons and dinner parties were legendary, be they in Saratoga, NY, Lexington, KY or Palm Beach. She penned multiple cookbooks, including one dedicated to potato chips, which were incidentally invented by Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt! A staple dessert at her dinner parties, was a frozen lemon soufflé that she attributed to her dear friend, Elizabeth Arden. I can still hear her proudly declaring that it was actually very low calorie. I must say, I never believed that was the case until I reached out this week to her husband, our dear friend John Hendrickson, and asked that he share her recipe.
Note: One of Marylou’s favorite wines was Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, which happens to pair beautifully with lemons. Marylou Whitney’s Frozen Lemon Soufflé
- 8 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 packages unflavored gelatin, dissolved in juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon grated lemon rind
- 6 cups Cool Whip
