Remembering Chef Tell

Laurie McCabe e-mailed a request for Chef Tell's recipe for spinach salad with bacon and mushrooms and a dressing made with bacon drippings. She remembers watching him on "PM Magazine" in Miami in the '70s.

There are a number of recipes for spinach salad with bacon dressing online and in cookbooks; however, I couldn't find one associated with Chef Tell. Of those I found, I chose to share the one from Marion Cunningham's "Lost Recipes" (Knopf, 2003) because it sounds like one my mom used to make (see recipe). If any readers have a recipe attributed to Chef Tell, I hope you will share.

While looking for the recipe, I was reminded that before Emeril, Rachel Ray and Bobby Flay, there was celebrity Chef Tell. He was born Friedman Paul Erhardt in Germany and nicknamed Chef Tell because he had as a boy played the role of William Tell, according to a New York Times story by Marian Burros. In the '70s and '80s, he had his own PBS program, "In the Kitchen with Chef Tell," and also appeared on "Evening Magazine," "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and "Regis and Kathie Lee."Before his death of a heart attack at age 63 in October 2007, he had written several cookbooks, opened restaurants and created a line of cookware and knives.

Sharing memories: After reading last week's column about malted milk, Jack Cunningham e-mailed with this memory: "When I first started my career with Westinghouse, my bride and I were transferred from Pittsburgh to Boston. Shortly after arriving, I left the office and went to a small lunchroom near South Station in downtown Boston and ordered a sandwich and a chocolate milkshake. When I was served a glass of chocolate milk, I asked the waitress 'Where's the ice cream?' She said 'If you wanted a frappe, ask for a frappe!' Being a 'country boy' from western Pennsylvania, I had never heard of a 'frappe.' " And while writing my column last week and saying I was not a fan of malteds, I completely forgot how much I like malted milk balls. Go figure.

Requests: Rita McAuley remembers a recipe for blueberry muffins made with frozen apple juice concentrate. Readers?

Don't forget we will be slimming down some Thanksgiving recipes. Send me your favorites.

E-mail Linda Brandt at linda.g.brandt@gmail.com. or write to P.O. Drawer 1719, Sarasota, FL 34230.