Hepburn's Son Recalls Mom's Life — And Kitchen — In New Book

In "Audrey at Home," an inviting cookbook filled with intimate family photos and memories, he paints a picture of a woman who was happier at home than on a movie set or, really, anywhere else — even though the press, he says, had a hard time believing that. The inspiration for the book came, Dotti says, from a binder he found in his mother's kitchen, filled with recipes and little notes. Those simpler recipes, he says, form the core of the book. [...] Dotti begins with hutspot, a nod to Holland, where Hepburn — born in Belgium to a Dutch mother and British father — spent her difficult youth, nearly starving during World War II. Upon liberation, a Dutch soldier gave her seven candy bars, Dotti recounts, and she became sick after devouring them, unused to having a full stomach. [...] Hepburn's friends — among them the famous designer Hubert de Givenchy — knew that if they wanted to see Audrey, they had to visit her at home, Dotti says. If Dotti had to pick only one recipe to symbolize his mother's life, he says it would be her beloved — and simple — spaghetti al pomodoro (with tomato sauce). Dotti and his childhood friends ate it all the time at birthday parties, and the son was surprised to learn as an adult — in a museum cafeteria, no less — that the American version is better, because it's made with cheddar. [...] Dotti, who's donating proceeds of this book to the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund, says he's by no means his mother's biographer, just a chronicler of what it was like to live in her home, and her kitchen. ('You can't get far cooking without gas,' my father warned.) In Switzerland, where electric stoves are the only option, my dad used two pans, one over a low heat for the onions and one over a high heat for searing the liver, before combining everything and quickly cooking until creamy. Transfer the caramelized onions and then the liver to the second skillet, stir for a few minutes until the meat is seared but still juicy. If you like extra acidity, add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice and stir, scraping the bits at the bottom of the pan, and serve. Nutrition information per serving: 510 calories; 370 calories from fat (73 percent of total calories); 42 g fat (12 g saturated; 0.5 g trans fats); 405 mg cholesterol; 90 mg sodium; 9 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 23 g protein.