Ode to Mrs Beeton

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly." -Andy Rooney

2011-12-19T15:59:00.000+11:00

If you are like me and a little short on time (and money) this Christmas, this is possibly the easiest Christmas Cake recipe I have every come across. I have made some smallish cakes as gifts for family, friends, etc. You can also add spices to the recipe to make it a bit more christmas-ish (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc.) and could probably add alcohol if you go in for that sort of thing.

QUICK EASY MINI CHRISTMAS CAKESINGREDIENTS.-
1 kg of mixed fruit

600ml Coffee or Chocolate Big M (If you live somewhere that doesn't have Big M, it's basically flavoured milk. You can substitute, I imagine, other flavoured milks, but don't go with the diet varieties as it's the fat content which binds the recipe together)

2 cups SR flour

METHOD.-
Soak fruit in Big M over night.
Add 2 cups of flour (and a bit extra) & stir.
Put in muffin tins, or large tin or whatever. Decorate with blanched almonds if you like that sort of thing.
Cook at 180oC until done (about 15-20 mins for cupcakes - longer for a bigger cake)
Enjoy
The End

On nom nom - quick and easy chocolate mousse

2011-06-01T08:32:00.002+10:00

QUICK AND EASY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS. - 300g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
3 eggs
1/4 cup Caster sugar
1 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder, sifted
300ml thickened cream, plus extra whipped cream to serve
Grated chocolate, to serve

METHOD. - Place the chocolatein a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted.
Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Place eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with electric beaters for five minutes, or until mixture is pale, thick and doubled in volume. Fold in cooled chocolate and cocoa powder until combined.
In a separate bowl, whip cream until thickened (becareful not to over-beat). Use a large metal spoon to carefully fold the cream into the chocolate mixture, trying to keep the mixture as light as possible. Spoon into 6 serving glasses and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before serving, then top with extra whipped cream and grated chocolate to serve.

Or serve with strawberries and whipped cream. Or however you feel like it really.

SERVES six.

“On the motionless branches of some trees, autumn berries hung like clusters of coral beads, as in those fabled orchards where the fruits were jewels . . .” - Charles Dickens

2011-05-26T10:14:00.000+10:00

I borrowed this recipe from my ΒΣΦ sisters, but it is delicious. Although I left out the marshmallows because I thought they were just weird. Crazy Americans.

But there you go...

UPSIDE-DOWN BERRY CAKE.
INGREDIENTS. - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, halved
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 package (3 ounces) raspberry gelatin
1-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows (what the ?????)
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1-1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons canola oil

METHOD. - In a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish, layer the walnuts and berries; sprinkle with sugar, gelatin and marshmallows (if you feel like adding the marshmallows. I found the cake was plenty sweet enough without them).
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, water and oil; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour over top.
Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter.
Refrigerate leftovers.
SERVES 15 servings.

Looking back, I have this to regret, that too often when I wanted a cupcake, I did not have one. - David Grayson

2011-05-02T23:09:00.000+10:00

So I have been making some cupcakes recently. A lot of cupcakes. And all different kinds of cupcakes.

And I'll confess my little bugbear - people who make muffins and call them cupcakes. They're not cupcakes, they're muffins!!!! Cupcakes are by their very nature cake, whereas muffins are supposed to be more bread-y, like a quick bread - even if they are sweet.

I was given for my birthday a book - 500 cupcakes, which only makes me more angry because at least a good third of the recipes are for muffins, making it more like "335 cupcakes and some muffins". That said, it's a lovely book and has some great recipes, but clearly I have some OCD issues with the title.

Blah!

Anyway, here is one favourite from the above book, written by Fergal Connolly.

BANANA & HONEY CUPCAKES

INGERDIENTS.-
450g mashed bananas
150g packed light brown sugar
90g honey
4 tablespoons margarine, melted
225g self-rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
150g roughly chopped walnuts

METHOD.-
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. Line pans with paper liners.
In a large bowl, combine the bananas, sugar, honey, and margarine. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended. Slowly add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix well.
Spoon the batter into the cups. Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove pans from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack. When completely cool, frost or sprinkle with powdered sugar. (I iced mine with honey buttercream icing)
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

The Manners Rap

2011-03-10T10:10:00.000+11:00

A recently released video to promote a new book A Guide to Australian Etiquette by society doyenne, Ita Buttrose. Not only has she been voted 'Australia's most admired woman' twice and was the founding editor of Cleo and later editor of The Australian Women's Weekly, but she also has a slight lisp that is sublime.

Ita Buttrose - my new hero.

http://www.australiannetworkentertainment.com/ita_buttrose.jpg

Music: The Baseballs

2011-02-24T10:35:00.000+11:00

My new favourite band is The Baseballs. They are the most awesome rock and roll band from Germany, who do covers of Top 40 hits - in ...wait for it... - 50s rock and roll style!

Which is both awesome and unbelievably catchy. I defy anyone to listen to their album "Strike" and not get up and dance. No, seriously, you HAVE to get up and get your boogie on. My feet refuse to stay still when listening, which probably drove the guy in aeroplance next to me crazy when I was listening on the flight and jigging all over the place.

Check out their version of "Umbrella" by Rihanna - defintely makes a bad song excellent.

You should definitely check them out if you love rock'n'roll, or those crazy Germans who make crazy ideas work fabulously! Hope you enjoy them as much I as I am.

Kate's Fabulously Awesome Layered Taco dip!

2011-02-07T11:58:00.000+11:00

This dip is the best thing ever at a party. Everyone loves it (even those that claim they don't like refried beans, or avocado or etc.) and some just sit right in front of it stuffing heavily laden corn chips in their mouths.

Allegedly, this an old Tupperware recipe, designed for a special Tupperware container that is 22cm X 32cm - which may affect the proportions of the layers, but I have made it in other containers and it's still delicious so have at it.

It basically tastes like tacos - which are awesome - so what could be better than having a massive taco to share with all of your friends.

INGREDIENTS. -
530g tin refried beans (although I think this size is made up - I just get the largest one I can which I think is slightly smaller)
1/2 cup taco sauce
3/4 cup shredded cheese
1 250g block Philadelphia cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tbs mayonnaise
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 large avocado (seeded and peeled)
1 medium onion (diced)
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tomato (seeded and diced)
1/2 cup sliced pitted olives
1/2 cup sliced shallotts

METHOD. -
1. In a large bowl, stir refried beans, taco sauce and several dashes of tabasco (if desired).
2. Spread the refried bean mixture evenly on the bottom and sides of large rectangular container. Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese over the bean layer. (If you forget the cheese here, its fine.)
3. Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo and garlic powder. Beat with electric mixer on med speed until smooth.
4. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the bean/cheese layer.
5. Cut avocado into small pieces. Blend in blender/food processer with onion and lemon juice until combined.
6. Spread the avocado mixture evenly over the cream cheese layer.
7. Sprinkle avocado layer with chopped tomato, sliced olives, sliced shallotts and remaining cheese. If desired, drizzle with additional taco sauce. Cover and chill.
8. Serve with corn chips

My mouth is just drooling thinking about this dip - now I'm hungry!

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things: Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax-- Of cabbages--and kings--"

2011-02-04T11:44:00.000+11:00

Tonight introducing the Eighth Wonder of the World...

the CABBAGE!!!!! (weee, roar, wooo)

Now, I'm sure some of you are going to tap me on the shoulder and say "Excuse me Miss... Cabbage is the most disgusting, evil, horrifying, appalling vegetable ever created, and if I were God, I would take it back." And I'm sure school lunches may have something to do with that.

But when cooked right, to just the right amount of crispness with a little salt, cabbage is delicious and juicy.

CABBAGE, BOILED.

INGREDIENTS. - Cabbages.
To each 1/2 gallon of water allow 1 heaped tablespoon of salt, a very small piece of soda.

METHOD. - Pick off all the dead outside leaves, cut off as much of the stalk as possible, and cut the cabagges across, tiwce at the stalk end; if very large, quarter them.
Wash them well in cold water, place them in a colander, and drain; then put them into fast-boiling water, to which has been added salt and sode in the above proportions.
Stir the cabbages once or twice in the water, keep the pan uncovered, and let them boil quickly until tender.
The instant they are done take the cabbages up into a colander, place a plate over them, let them drain thoroughly, dish, cutting them into squares.

TIME. - Small young cabbages, from 15 to 20 minutes; large cabbages and savoys, from 30 to 40 minutes. SUFFICIENT, allow 1 medium sized cabbage to 3 or 4 persons.

Note. - Cabbages are seasonable at any time

So that's how you cook cabbages. I like to slice mine up pretty fine. Nothing is worse than overcooked cabbage, so keep an eye on the times and you may want to reduce them accordingly.

Enjoy!

Holy Carp!

2011-02-01T21:12:00.000+11:00

http://interiordesigningblog.com/tips-tricks/a-complete-guide-to-interior-painting-ideas/

It's February already!

It's finally getting hot over here. Summer has arrived; it was 38oC on Sunday. (that's 100o Fahrenheit for you Imperialists playing along at home)

Whast could be better in the summer, than sitting in the beer garden at your local watering hole or public bar and enjoying some Vitamin D and some Vitamin Beer.

How to cycle in style - Part 1

2011-01-06T16:09:00.000+11:00

You may or may not know that I am a pretty keen cycler. I like to cycle to work or just about. My husband and I cycle into the city most weekends for coffee. It's fun and healthy.

What I don't love about cycling is the lycra, and the assumption that if you're not wearing lycra you're not a cyclist (damn snobby road cyclists). Lycra is really, really unattractive - and unless you're cycling a million miles in a road race - usually not that essential.

So instead, I'm offering some tips on how to cycle in style - not Lycra.

ESSENTIALS
1. Bicycle
So you have a bicycle, or you want to get a new one?
If you own one, well that's half the job done right there.

Now look at your bicycle, now back at me, now back at your bicycle.

http://www.metaefficient.com/bicycles/womens-cruiser-bikes.html

Does it make you want to leap on it and tear off down the street? No? Why not?

Consider getting a gel seat cover - and if you're a lady, perhap a ladies' seat. It's a bit wider and more supportive for your hips and things.

Get a basket at the back or the front - or perhaps some cute panniers or saddle bags. Try weaving some plastic flowers in your basket - make it fun!

http://cyclestyle.com.au/shop/bags-and-panniers/double-panniers/gingham-check-panniers/

If you are going to buy a new bicycle, consider your terrain. Riding along the beach front - go for a cruiser. Live on top of a mountain - perhaps something with a few (or heaps) of gears. Ride your potential new friend around the shop and see how it feels.

The first time I got on a bike that had suspension it felt super weird and squishy - but now I love it.

If you wear skirts - like I do - get a step through frame, or at least a ladies' frame. Trust me, you'll thank me.

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/womens-hello-kitty-26-retro-cruiser-pink-10

Also consider getting a second hand bicycle. They often have more classic style and most have nothing wrong with them except requiring a bit of paint and maintenance.

Whatever you get, make sure it's something you'll want to ride - often. I'm still a bit sad that my current bicycle is blue, but I'm considering a bit of cosmetic work to fix that *evil grin*

2. Helmet
Now you may live in parts of Europe and elsewhere that do not require you to wear a helmet when you ride. But I think you're nuts (and considering the number of odd looks I got in Europe when wearing one - you all think I'm nuts)

http://cyclestyle.com.au/shop/accessories/helmets/ocean-flower-helmet/

And with so many cute helmets out there, why would you risk have your brain come out of your ear sockets? Just check that they comply with the safety standards in your country.

Plus I'm a massive klutz and not wearing protective gear is just inviting trouble.

http://www.yakkay.com/SmartOne.aspx#11

3. Lights

I always ride with lights on my bike - just in case I want to go off on a long adventure or it gets really dark and cloudy out.

You can buy teeny clip-on LED lights for less than $20, so unless you live in a super high crime area, you can just leave them on your bike and not worry about the weather or the night time.

4. Bicycle Lock

Once you've gone to all the trouble of making your bicycle all pretty and fun, you don't want someone pinching it.

Depending on how prevalent bicycle theft is in your country (Netherlands, I have my eye on you) you may need a heavy duty lock (or several) or just a regular bicycle lock.

Try getting a combination lock as then you have no key to lose.

http://bikereviews.com/2009/12/trek-dreadlocks-resettable-combination-cable-lock/

Stay tuned for the next installment addressing clothing and accessories.

HAVE!!!

2011-01-05T22:59:00.000+11:00

I guess Santa (or myself as it may be) was good to me this year. Now I just need a brooch to go with them.

P.S. Don't forget to get yourself something in my GREAT GIVEAWAY!!!!

Merry Christmas to all

2010-12-24T16:35:00.000+11:00

And to all a good night

Hope you all have a wonderful festive season.

P.S. - Don't forget to get yourself part of Elise's BIG Giveaway

"The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life." - Muhammad Ali

2010-12-23T11:11:00.001+11:00

Woo!!!!!! 50 readers!!!!!

I have been hovering in the mid 40's for ages, but now you guys have finally bumped me over the line!!!!!

Thank you all very much for reading my ramblings about stuff.

And now - I promised something special - so here it is.

ELISE'S GREAT GIVEAWAY.

I am giving stuff away. A random lucky dip. And to go all Oprah on you - everybody's getting one!!!!

You're getting one! And you're getting one! Everybody's getting one! (you have to imagine me saying that just like Oprah - and then you all scream; or you could scream at home by yourself if you like). Some things will be hand made, some things will be decorative, some things may be useful - it's a random surprise!

If you would like something sent to you - for free - please email me at weenie underscore tot7068 at hotmail dot com with your name and an address that you are happy for me to send stuff to, and please leave a comment here as well.

Hope y'all enjoy!

Incidentally - it's also my 180th post

Supersizers go....

2010-12-16T10:26:00.000+11:00

One of my current favourite television shows is "Supersizers go..."

It is a satirical food/history show in the vein of Supersize Me. Sound confused? Don't be - it's awesome.

Giles, a food critic, and Sue, a comedienne, spend a week eating, dressing and living the lifestyle of different time periods and then have medical tests, pre and post said week, to assess the impact said historical diets have on their health.

It's both fascinating and hysterical.

Here's the link to Youtube where you can find all the exciting adventures of eating your way through Wartime, 20s, 50s, 70s, 80s, Restoration, Regency, Victorian, Medieval, Elizabethan, Edwardian Britain, Revolutionary France and Ancient Rome.

Supersizers go...!

Caroling, caroling through the town

2010-12-14T15:02:00.001+11:00

So here are some funny words that you mostly only see in Christmas Carols (you might see them in other hymns, and ye olde English but do you really go around saying them all the time?) and what they mean.

Hither - as in "Come hither" or "Hither page, and stand by me" - To or toward this place
Thither - a bit rare than hither - "When we bear them thither" - To or toward that place - see the difference.
Whither - " Pray, wither sailed those ships all three" - To which place - getting the pattern now?

Oblations - "We to the Christ-child, bring our hearts' oblations" - A thing presented or offered to God or a god - we are offering Jesus our hearts
Wassail/wassailing - "Here we come a-wassailing, among the leaves so green" or "And to you, your wassail too" - the practice of going round to your neighbours and toasting them good health and possibly begging for scraps.
Troll - "Troll the ancient Yule tide carol" - not the internet kind. To sing loudly, freely or in a carefree way.
Cloven - "Still through the cloven skies they come," - split or divided (like the Devil's hooves)
Lo - "For lo! the days are hastening on" - Look, see, behold
Exultation - "Sing in exultation" - The act of exulting; lively joy at success or victory, or at any advantage gained; rapturous delight; triumph

And here's a picture of us all caroling at my parent's house, with all our friends and relations - it's a yearly tradition.

P.S. If I get to 50 readers, I'm going to do something super special. If you can't wait, you could create 2 phony blogger accounts and give me a bump. *wink*

WANT!

2010-12-10T10:38:00.000+11:00

I want these so bad - so I am saving all my pennies in my secret shoe fund which I fund with doing odd jobs for people. Or hoping that Santa brings them in his sleigh.

Vivienne Westwood

Product Review: Junior Mints

2010-12-09T10:37:00.000+11:00

So I was inspired by this post by Ginger at Sailing over a Cardboard Sea for Junior Mints, and when I saw them at my local coffee shop I thought - Why not? It seemed like a cleansing burst of synchronicity.

Apparently, Junior Mints are some kind of American Movie Theatre Institution. A family favourite at the movie concession stand - not unlike a box of Maltesers in Australia.

They have also featured in a Seinfeld episode "The Junior Mint" which obviously means they've reached the pinnacle in contemporary culture.

"Who's gonna turn down a Junior Mint? It's chocolate, it's peppermint; it's delicious!"

So my review of this sweet treat -

Pretty much an after dinner mint in a box. Possibly providing for easier delivery to the mouth - but for $3 a box, nothing so amazing that I need to buy a box every week.

I like mint, I like dark chocolate, I like the combination, but I think I'll stick with a mint slice - after all, you get a junior mint and a chocolate bbiscuit all in one.

Lest we forget

2010-11-11T09:51:00.000+11:00

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Photo from here

Today is Remembrance Day, or Armistice Day, so buy a poppy to support our veterans, and the families of the men and women who give their lives and service in defence of our country.

Having recently cycled through the Somme I have a new respect of those men who charged through the hills of the somme with a full pack under heavy fire.

Here's a photo from my cycling trip showing the beautiful hilly nothingness that is the Somme countryside.

What not to wear

2010-11-03T09:51:00.003+11:00

To the races - if you are a television personality.

Dear Channel 7,

Please extend your wardrobe budget so that
1) Fifi Box has a dress that fits her and is not pinned up the back
2) Fifi Box has a dress that isn't an ugly sack
3) Fifi Box has a hat, fascinator or hattinator - for pity's sake, it's the races - it's the Melbourne Cup!

Sincerely,
This young crank

Everyday is somebody's birthday

2010-10-22T23:10:00.000+11:00

Someone's born on each and every day
One day it's yours, and one day it's mine
Last month it was mine and so we say
"Happy birthday, Elise, Elise,
Happy, happy birthday, you're our friend"

"That is very kind of you, what a lovely thing to do
and I hope this day will never end."

And now, some photos of me being silly on my birthday - as it my wont to do.

And in case you were wondering, the lipstick is MAC 'Girl about town' and the nail polish is Revlon 'Fuschia Fever'

So....

2010-10-18T11:15:00.000+11:00

I've been thinking. As I have returned to work 4 days a week, I don't quite have as much time to create as many culinary masterpieces as previously.

So I'm wondering if you would be interested in hearing my other thoughts about life, love, clothes, society, history etc. And if so, do you mind if I put them here or would you prefer to follow me elsewhere.

I still plan to keep updating here but it's likely to be about once a month.

So let me know what you think - can Mrs Beeton make room for other things or should they find their own home elsewhere?

Every man who possibly can should force himself to a holiday of a full month in a year, whether he feels like taking it or not. ~ William James

2010-08-19T11:32:00.000+10:00

A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in. ~ Robert Orben

2010-08-05T11:29:00.002+10:00

Yep, still on holidays. Enjoy a fruity cocktail on me.

“A vacation should be just long enough that you're boss misses you, and not long enough for him to discover how well he can get along without you.”

2010-07-22T11:04:00.005+10:00

Elise is on vacation - Normal transmission will resume in September

Image from http://rememberwhen.gazettelive.co.uk/2010/02/good-morning-campers.html

"She shall be christened Betsy Trotwood Copperfield. She must be well brought up, I shall see to that. Far better than my impractical nephew would have done." - Aunt Betsey Trotwood - David Copperfield

2010-07-15T13:15:00.002+10:00

I don't know who Aunt Betsey is, but she makes a mean cake. This is also in the vein of the fruity, gingerbread-y kind of cake (like the coffee cake) but a bit lighter and more golden.

A simple sugar icing adds freshness to the rich cake, and is very delicious. Mmmm mmmmm.
And just make sure you use the same size cup (a breakfast cup is about a 1/2 cup (125ml)) otherwise you could run into trouble.

AUNT BETSEY'S CAKE.

INGREDIENTS. - 5 teacupfuls of flour
2 teacupfuls of sugar
1/2 a cup of butter
1 cup of golden syrup
1 cup of water
2 eggs
1/2 a lb. of chopped raisins
1 teaspoonful (each) of bicarbonate of soda, cloves, cinnamon, and mace.

METHOD. - Beath the butter and sugar together; add the eggs, dissolve the soda in the water, then add the molasses, flour spices and fruit, and well work the mixture in the bowl.
Turn it into a greased flat square tin baking-dish and bake in a moderate oven, or if preferred it can be cooked in small crinkled patty-pans.

TIME. - From 1 to 1 1/2 hours. SUFFICIENT for a 2-lb. cake.

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons. - George Eliot

2010-07-06T10:13:00.025+10:00

Wikipedia defines coffee cakes as "A class of cakes intended to be served with coffee or for similar breaks and snacks. Under this definition, a coffee cake doesn't need to contain coffee. (although this one does) They are typically single layer cakes that may be square or rectangular like a Stollen. Coffee cakes are typically flavored with cinnamon, nuts, and fruits. Some similarity to teacakes may be found, though teacakes are often smaller individual items served with tea."

So this coffee cake definitely qualifies. It also has the added bonus of having coffee as an ingredient as well. It is also a massive cake - MASSIVE. You may want to consider baking it in 2 smaller tins and freezing one, unless you are taking it to the footy club afternoon tea or something.

COFFEE CAKE

INGREDIENTS. - 1/2 a lb. of butter
1/2 a lb. of brown sugar
1/4 of a lb. of golden syrup
1/2 a lb. of currants
1/2 a lb. of sultanas
1 1/2 lb. of flour
1/2 an oz. of baking-powder
2 eggs
1/2 an oz. of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, mixed
coffee
a little milk

METHOD. - Sieve the baking-powder and spices with the flour into a pan; add the sugar and butter, rub well together, make a well in the centre, pour in the syrup, add about 1/4 of a pint of strong cold coffee, break in the eggs, and beat well together; then mix in the other ingredients with a strong wooden spoon using a little milk if not moist enough, mix in the fruit last, and then bake in a long square cake-pan nicely prepared.

TIME. - From 1 to 2 hours
I have added a buttercream icing but a simple glaze would probably be better, as there is so much going on in this cake. It's very fruity and a bit gingerbready, but well worth it.

Yes, men like sports. Men watch the action movie. They eat of the beef and enjoy to look at the bosoms. A thousand years of avenging our wrongs, and that's all you've learned?

2010-06-14T13:14:00.000+10:00

Corned beef is a strange beast. I suspect it, and other corned and pickled things, were much more widespread before refrigeration was commonplace. There seems to be a significant lack of Salted pork, Corned lamb and other corned things at the butchers and supermarkets, and yet corned beef is one of the most inexpensive meats available there. (I had a look at the supermarket, and the only cheaper meats were heart, liver and 3 star mince)

This is a surprisingly easy kind of meal to cook. It would also be super easy in a slow cooker as well.

CORNED BEEF.

INGREDIENTS. - Pickeld round of beef.

METHOD. - The beef may be bought ready pickled, or pickled, and, if like, afterwards spiced according to directions given for SPICED BEEF. Put it into a stewpan with sufficient warm water to cover it, boil up, and afterwards simmer very gently until done.
If required for immediate use, allow it to remain in the water until cold, as this will improve the flavour and render the meat more juicy, but it will not keep fresh quite so long.

TIME. - To cook, 8 or 10 lb., about 3 1/2 hours.

My husband really likes this one... Really really. It's almost as good as my lamb roast (and that's saying something)

You can add a little brown sugar and some malt vinegar to the water, or apple cider, or apple cider vinegar, cloves, garlic, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns - anything you like really. Also the vegetables - carrots and parsnips and brussel sprouts can be cooked in the same pan. Just add them about 1 hour before serving.

There were no cucumbers to be had at the Covent Garden vegetable market that morning, not even for ready money!

2010-06-07T13:10:00.000+10:00

Cucumber Sandwiches - they seems to be quintessentially British. The main staple (ha ha) of afternoon teas and delicate luncheons. I say ha ha because they are nutritionally pretty useless, and therefore only the upper classes could afford to eat something that is essentially water.

But who know there is actually a recipe for them?

Here it is:

CUCUMBER SANDWICHES.

INGREDIENTS. - 1 large cucumber
creamed butter
white or brown bread
salad-oil
lemon-juice or vinegar
salt and pepper

METHOD. - Peel the cucumber, slice it thinly, season liberally with salt, drain on a hair sieve for about 1 hour, and dry thoroughly.
Now put it into a basin and sprinkle with pepper, salad-oil, lemon-juice or vinegar, liberally or otherwise according to taste.
Have ready some thin slices of bread and butter, stamp out some rounds of suitable size, place slices of cucumber between 2 rounds of bread and press parts well together.
Dish lightly overlapping each other in a circle on a folded napkin, and serve garnished with parsley.

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf, the lion and the fatling together, and a little child to lead them.

2010-05-18T10:37:00.000+10:00

It's actually surprisingly hard to find quotes about lamb that aren't religious... so I went with one - but I'm actually more familiar with this quote from Buffy so there you go. I also refuse to do the Twilight thing so that quote was also out -although the idea of snacking on Bella could be rather tempting.

Anyway... back to the subject, which is LAMB, of the roast kind. It is delicious. And super easy to cook... and also super easy to ruin. My favourite tool - the meat thermometer - it lets you know just when your lamb is done enough... Here's what Mrs B has to say on the subject

ROAST LAMB.

Lamb, when roasting, requires more attention that any other kind of meat. No part of it must be underdone, and to secure this result without drying and hardening the thinner portions to an undesirable degree, much care is necessary.

The intense heat to which all meat must first be subjected to for a few minutes is applied for too short a time to affect the colour of a hjoint, and the subsequent browning and over-cooking of any part may be obviated by covering the meat with 2 or 3 folds of well-greased paper, and by frequent basting.

The amount of heat applied to any part may be regulated by careful turning of the joint in the oven, and the rate of cooking by judicious use of the dampers.

See also NOTES ON ROASTING - to follow

Serve with gravy and mint sauce.

I'll love you, dear, I'll love you till China and Africa meet and the river jumps over the mountain and the salmon sing in the street. - W.H. Auden

2010-04-15T15:47:00.000+10:00

Salmon is a popular food. Classified as an "oily fish", salmon is considered to be healthy due to the fish's high protein, high Omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content.

It also happens to be delicious. I would totally be one of those bears who fish for salmon in some remote mountain stream. Mmmm, mmm.

SALMON, BAKED

INGREDIENTS. - 2 slices of salmon
about 2. oz of butter or good dripping
1/2 a teaspoonful of chopped parsley
1 shallot
salt and pepper
grated nutmeg

METHOD. - Lay the salmon in a baking-dish, place the pieces of butter or dripping over it, and add the other ingreients, rubbing a little of the seasoning into the dish.
Baste frequently, and when done place the salmon on a dish, and serve.

TIME. - About 3/4 of an hour. SUFFICIENT for 6 persons.

"...there are times when only mashed potato will do." - Nigella Lawson

2010-04-06T13:30:00.000+10:00

Sometimes I agree with Nigella. Sometimes I think she's just a little too excited by food. But Nigella hits the nail on the head with mashed potato. Mashed potato is essential... and as if they read my mind - an article in the Times describes all different varieties of ways to produce the perfect mashed potato.

So here's how Mrs Beeton suggests you make them. How do you make yours?

POTATOES, MASHED.

INGREDIENTS. - 1 lb. of potatoes
1 oz. of butter
1 or 2 tablespoonfuls of milk
salt

METHOD. - Peel and steam the potatoes over a saucepan of boiling water, or boil them in their skins, and afterwards peel them.
In either case, pass the potatoes through a wire sieve, or mash them well with a fork.
Heat the butter in a stewpan, add the milk, stir in the potato, and season to tastes with salt.
Beat well with a wooden spoon, pile lightly in a hot dish, then serve.

TIME. - To steam, 30 to 40 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 3 persons

Fishing for coffee

2010-03-29T15:41:00.000+11:00

Sometimes you just make things for fun. Like this fish - it is a coffee fish - actually it is COFFEE CREAM but for some unknown reason I decided to put my cream in my fish mould et volia - COFFEE FISH - swimming in a mint leaf sea.

COFFEE FISH

INGREDIENTS.- 1/2 a pint of cream
1/2 a pint of milk
coffee essence
2 1/2 oz. of castor sugar
3/4 of an oz. of gelatine
the yolks of 2 eggs.

METHOD. - Beat the yolks of the eggs, ass them to the milk when nearly boiling, stir until they thicken, then put in the sugar and cool slightly.
Now dissolve the gelatine in 1 tablespoonful of water, and add it to the custard.
Whip the cream stiffly, stir it into the custard when nearly cold, add the coffee essence, and pur into the prepared mould.
Let the mould remain in a cold place until firm.

TIME. - About 1/2 an hour.

Artists reflect the course of obesity with expanding portions in the Last Supper

2010-03-25T11:50:00.000+11:00

From The Times
March 24, 2010

Chris Smyth

Jesus Christ and Ronald McDonald may seem to have little in common. But both are presiding over the supersizing of their followers’ eating habits, according to researchers who found that the portion sizes in paintings of the Last Supper have piled up over the past 1,000 years.

American academics analysed 52 of the most famous depictions of the Last Supper and found that the appetites of the Apostles have become increasingly prodigious. The size of the main dish grew 69.2 per cent and bread portions by 23.1 per cent over the millennium, while the plates grew by 65.6 per cent, they found.

The findings suggest that today’s obesity crisis may have deep historical roots, according to the researchers. “I think people assume that increased serving sizes, or ‘portion distortion’, is a recent phenomenon,” said Brian Wansink, director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University, New York, who led the study. “But this research indicates that it’s a general trend for at least the last millennium.”

From the austere repast laid on by the early 14th-century Tuscan artist Duccio, through Leonardo’s lively party of 1495, the supper became a feast in Titian’s depiction of 1544. When Tintoretto painted the Last Supper in 1592-94 the table was groaning with dishes.

Professor Wansink, with his brother Craig, a Presbyterian minister and Professor of Religious Studies at Virginia Wesleyan College, examined dozens of artworks including modern depictions by Stanley Spencer and Salvador Dalí.

Using computer design software, they scanned the meals and calculated the portion size relative to the head size of the average apostle. They found a big upwards trend, in research published in the International Journal of Obesity.

The Bible, being more concerned with its religious import, does not dwell on the amount of food consumed at the Last Supper, and it was a “tertiary matter” for most artists, Professor Wansink said. “The ampleness of the food is coming from the mind of the artist, showing what he thought was reasonable and appropriate in the time and place he was living,” he told The Times.

Professor Wansink, whose book Mindless Eating studies how social and environmental forces affect how much we eat, argues that the increasingly meaty Christianity on display is an indication of improvements in agriculture.

“The last thousand years have witnessed dramatic increases in the production, availability, safety, abundance and affordability of food,” he said. “We think that as art imitates life, these changes have been reflected in paintings of history’s most famous dinner.”

The New Testament mentions only bread and wine, but Professor Wansink discovered that fish was the most commonly depicted main course, featuring in 18 per cent of canvases. Considering the symbolism of the fish and Jesus’s injunction to his disciples to become “fishers of men”, this is perhaps unsurprising. Lamb was the main course in 14 per cent of the pictures and, more puzzling for a gathering of Jews on the eve of Passover, 7 per cent of the paintings featured pork.

Jeff Brunstrom, Reader in Behavioural Nutrition at the University of Bristol, described the research as “very interesting”. But he said: “The obesity epidemic is a relatively modern phenomenon and it’s really only in the past 40 to 50 years that you’ve seen big changes in body mass index (BMI).”

The researchers needed to show whether the larger portions had been making people fatter, he said. “If people were really eating 70 per cent more calories than they used to we would be rolling around,” said Dr Brunstrom. “Whether we have seen an increase in BMI historically is unclear.”

That will have to remain among the divine mysteries: the Wansink brothers did not assess whether Christ and his disciples themselves were getting bigger.

Yes, Virginia - there is meatloaf in Britain

2010-03-22T10:27:00.005+11:00

Except it's called 'Beef Cake'. (Beef Cake, BEEF CAKE) Sounds delicious, doesn't it?

I misread the recipe and added only half the required breadcrumbs, so I resulted in more of a Savoury Mince, than cake, as my cake didn't hold together. However, my husband said it was delicious and even better because it wasn't dry like some meatloaves are. So, win for me.

Here is it beforehand.

BEEF CAKE.

INGREDIENTS. - 1 lb. of cold roast beef
4 oz. of breadcrumbs
1 small onion chopped finely
2 oz. of cooked ham or bacon
1 teaspoonful of chopped parsley
pepper and salt
1 egg
1 gill of stock
2 oz of bread raspings
1 oz of dripping

METHOD. - Grease a plain mould or shallow cake tin, put in the raspings, and turn the mould round until quite covered with raspings.
Melt the dripping, fry the onion until slightly brown, mince the beef and bacon finely, and then mix all the ingredients together, using more stock if the mixture is very dry.
Then turn into the prepared mould, press carefully into shape, cover with a greased paper, and bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes.
Turn out carefully, and pour a little brown sauce round.

TIME. - To bake, 45 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 4 persons.

With apologies to Virginia, who was only inquiring if there was a Santa

The only thing that will make a souffle fall is if it knows you're afraid of it — James Beard

2010-03-15T08:43:00.000+11:00

I showed my fear... but I didn't back off. I didn't let my fear rule me. But my souffle still didn't rise. Well, it did a bit but not as much as I was hoping.

However, it was still delicious. So you can't really complain.

RASPBERRY SOUFFLÉ.

INGREDIENTS. - 1/2 a lb. of ripe raspberries
2 oz. of cake-crumbs or bread-crumbs
2 oz. of castor sugar
2 oz. of rice-flour or cornflour
1/2 an oz. of butter
1/2 a gill of cream
3 eggs

METHOD.-
Put the raspberries, cream, rice-flour and sugar into a basin and reduce them to a pulp by means of a wooden spoon.
Beat in the yolks of the eggs, add the cake-crumbs, stir in lightly the stiffly-whisked whites of eggs, and turn the mixture into a well-greased mould.
Bake in a hot oven from 25 to 30 minutes, and serve.

TIME. - From about 25 to 30 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 5 or 6 persons.

I don't usually have cake crumbs just lying around - so I used sponge fingers and crubled them up... and ate the left overs ;) ... definitely calls for another go around... stay tuned

Mothers lose art of cooking

2010-02-22T15:24:00.000+11:00

From the Herald Sun yesterday...

Mothers lose art of cooking

Traditional cooking skills such as poaching an egg and making short-crust pastry are almost obsolete, according to a new survey.

More than two thirds of today's mothers (my question is where are the fathers?) do not know how to make gravy from scratch, compared with a third of their mothers. Only 15 per cent know how to make custard, compared with almost half of mothers 35 years ago.

Teh study of 2500 British women aged 18 to 70 finds traditional cooking skills have deteriorated, with 65 per cent of the women admitting their mothers cooked more family meals from scratch than they do.

One in four knows how to poach and egg without gadgets, compared with 75 per cent of the older generation. Only 16 per cent can make short-crust pastry.

Clearly there is room for a little blogger like me in the big bad world out there. Not know how to make short-crust pastry.... Fuggedaboutit!

Three of the rudest people in the world are: a young person making fun of an older person, a strong person jeering at an invalid, and the wise mocking a fool.

2010-02-15T10:04:00.000+11:00

So don't mock. Just make them a pretty tray to entice them to eat.

“It is easy to halve the potato where there is love.”

2010-02-15T10:01:00.000+11:00

Or in this case, fluff them.

Potatoes are a wonderful super food. They are an excellent source of carbohydrates and the 4th largest food crop in the world. I love potatoes. Potatoes are a food for everyone.

"A diet that consists predominantly of rice leads to the use of opium, just as a diet that consists predominantly of potatoes leads to the use of liquor." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche clearly not a fan then. But have you ever seen potatoes like this?

It's a freakin' potato soufflé. Well, technically it's called POTATO OMELET, but whatever...

Yes, that is a potato.

POTATO OMELET.

INGREDIENTS. - 1 large potato
2 or 3 eggs
1 oz. of white vegetable butter
leomn-juice
nutmeg
salt and pepper

METHOD. - Bake the potato in its skin, pass the mealy part through a fine sieve, and mix with it the yolks of the eggs, a few drops of lemon-juice, a pinch of nutmeg, and a little salt and pepper.
Whisk the egg whites stiffly, stir them lightly in, and fry the omelet in the hot butter. If preferrred, the omelet may be baked in the oven.

TIME. - To fry, about 4 or 5 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 2 persons.

Needs something else added to it. Parmesan cheese works well. Or maybe mustard. Otherwise is quite bland.

"A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges."

2010-02-01T10:43:00.000+11:00

Good old B. Franklin.

Now bring us some figgy pudding, Now bring some out here!

2010-02-01T10:09:00.003+11:00

And finally we come to the end of Christmas. The silly season is definitely over. Who's going in for a Feb Fast? (giving up alcohol for the whole month of February? Definitely signals the end of silliness)

And for my last trick... the Christmas Pudding. Remember I was a bit unsure of how this would turn out? Well, it was fabulous. Lots of fruit, but not the gross kind of fruit. Enough brandy without getting everyone drunk. Not too dark.

To be honest, I'm not really a fan of Christmas Pudding... but this one I liked.

CHRISTMAS PLUM PUDDING.

INGREDIENTS. - 8 oz. of moist sugar
8 oz. of finely-shredded suet (I used the packet stuff and it worked out okay, so you can use that if suet is hard to come by)
8 oz. of sultanas cleaned
8 oz. of raisins halved and stoned
8 oz. of currants washed and dried
4 oz. of shredded mixed candied peel
4 oz. of flour
4 oz. of bread crumbs
2 oz. of almonds blanched and shredded
the grated rind of 1 lemon
3 eggs
1/2 a teaspoonful of salt
1/2 a pint of milk
1 small wineglassful of brandy (optional)

METHOD. - Mix all the dry ingredients together, stir in the well-beaten eggs, milk and brandy (if used), turn the mixture into 2 well-greased basins, steam from 5 to 6 hours.

TIME. - From 5 to 6 hours. SUFFICIENT for 8 or 9 persons.

Pretty nummy. Serve with ice cream, or cream or brandy custard. Incidentally, this is exactly the same recipe my nana used, except she used butter instead of suet. Her recipe is called Royal Pudding, and so I think I'll try that next year instead.

That's just the icing on the cake.

2010-01-25T15:05:00.001+11:00

Peas, peas me, whoa yeah, Like I peas you...

2010-01-25T11:36:00.003+11:00

Just because you can buy frozen peas and ping them in the microwave, doesn't mean you can't know how to cook them for real.

PEAS, GREEN, BOILED

INGREDIENTS. - 2 pints of green peas
mint
butter
salt and pepper

METHOD. - Shell the peas, put them into boiling water, add a little salt and a sprig of mint, and boil, with the saucepan uncovered, from 10 to 25 minutes, according to age and variety.
Drain well, put them into a hot vegetable dish, season with pepper, add a small piece of butter, and serve.

TIME. - From 10 to 25 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 6 or 7 persons

Rock and/or Roll for a Game, Set and Match

2010-01-22T13:49:00.002+11:00

Topical too, because we are hosting the Australian Open right now.

Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. - Mark Twain

2010-01-22T11:44:00.001+11:00

Cauliflower is pretty awesome. What can make it even awesomer is the addition of cheese sauce. Preferably lots of it. For some reason, I usually only make this at Christmas time, which is probably good for my cholesterol levels.

CAULIFLOWER, BAKED, WITH CHEESE.

INGREDIENTS. - 2 or 3 small cauliflowers
3/4 of a pint of white sauce
2 tablespoonfuls of grated cheese, preferably Parmesan
1 tablespoonful of brown breadcrumbs
about 1 oz. of butter

METHOD. - Boil the cauliflower as in the following recipe, (Put them into fast-boiling water and let them boil gently, keeping the saucepan uncovered.) drain well, and divide them into pieces convenient for serving.
Have ready a round gratin dish, or any fireproof dish, that may be sent to the table, grease it well, and in it arrange the pieces of cauliflower so as to appear as one large one.
Mix 2/3 of the cheese with the COLD white sauce, and the remainder with the breadcrumbs; pour the sauce over the cauliflower, and cover the surface with the mixed breadcrumbs and cheese.
Place small piece of butter on the top, and bake in a moderate over until well browned.

TIME. - About 40 minutes. SEASONABLE from June to November. SUFFICIENT for 5 persons.

I omitted the breadcrumbs. And I think I had a bit more white sauce. And lots more cheese. Lots and lots more cheese. I usually ping my cauliflower in the microwave rather than boiling it until tender, and add the white sauce while it is warm and all the cheese melts into it and then it seeps all around the cauliflower. But that could be just me...

"On Wednesday I go shopping And have buttered scones for tea."

2010-01-19T16:22:00.001+11:00

Turkey lurkey!

2010-01-19T09:57:00.003+11:00

Turkeys seem like Christmas to me. I know a lot of Americans associate turkeys with Thanksgiving, and Canadians associate turkey with Canadian Thanksgiving... but to me, Christmas is turkey time... and as I love turkey, that's a pretty good thing.

It's really all Charles Dickens' fault. Before it was published in 1843, Christmas was in a decline. Dickens sparked a revival in Christmas as well as the Christmas turkey dinner. Obviously, before the discovery of the Americas, turkeys were unknown so a traditional Christmas dinner was more likely to consist of goose or beef. Ham and pork are also quite common.

"Do you know the Poulterer's in the next street but one, at the corner?" Scrooge inquired.
"I should hope I did," replied the lad.
" An intelligent boy!" said Scrooge. "A remarkable boy! Do you know whether they've sold the prize Turkey that was hanging up there?- Not the little prize Turkey: the big one?"
"What, the one as big as me?" returned the boy.
"What a delightful boy!" said Scrooge. "It's a pleasure to talk to him. Yes, my buck!"
"It's hanging there now," replied the boy.
"Is it?" said Scrooge. "Go and buy it ... I'll send it to Bob Cratchit's," whispered Scrooge, rubbing his hands, and splitting with a laugh. "He shan't know who sends it. It's twice the size of Tiny Tim. Joe Miller never made such a joke as sending it to Bob's will be!" - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

This is not my Christmas turkey. I had a cold at Christmas time and whilst I did cook my turkey and do it all very well, I didn't take any pictures. So the turkey above is actually from Christmas 2... last Saturday when I baked a half price post Christmas turkey. But I love turkey so it was a terrible thing to have to cook another one just for fun (and photos).

TURKEY, ROAST

INGREDIENTS. - 1 turkey
1 to 2 lbs. of sausage meat
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. of veal forcemeat
2 or 3 slices of bacon
1 pint of good gravy
bread sauce
fat for basting

METHOD. - Prepare and truss the turkey. Fill the crop with sausage meat, and put the veal forcemeat inside the body of the bird.
Skewer the bacon over the breast, baste well with hot fat, and roast in a moderate oven from 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours, according to age and size of the bird.
Baste frequently, and about 20 miutes before serving remove the bacon to allow the breast to brown.
Remove the trussing-strings, serve on a hot dish, and send the gravy and bread sauce to table in sauce-boats.

TIME. - From 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours. SUFFICIENT for 10 or more persons

Sides will be following in later posts so for now just enjoy the turkey goodness and get sleepy from the tryptophan.

Dessert is probably the most important stage of the meal, since it will be the last thing your guests remember before they pass out all over the table

2010-01-11T15:08:00.000+11:00

It's a great pastry debate!

2010-01-11T14:18:00.004+11:00

Hi everybody!

(Hi Dr Nick)

Hope you didn't miss me too much over the Christmas period, and I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and an excellent new years.

As we learned last year in this post, I make a pretty mean mince pie. However, this year I set myself a new challenge, which provoked the great pastry debate. I wanted to see what the difference was if you make a pastry with lard instead of with butter as I am used to.

SHORT-CRUST, PLAIN. (For Pies, Tarts, etc.)

INGREDIENTS - 1/2 lb of flour
3 oz of lard, clarified butter or dripping
1 teaspoonful of baking-powder (heaped)
1/4 of a teaspoonful of salt
1/4 of a pint of water

METHOD - Pass the flour, salt and baking-powder through a sieve into a large basin, then rub in the fat, add the water, and work into a smooth paste with a knife. Roll out to desired shape and thickness and use at once. When required for fruit tarts, 1 tablespoonful of sugar should be added to the above ingredients.

TIME - About 1/4 of an hour. SUFFICIENT for about 1 medium-sized tart

SHORT CRUST PASTRY (my recipe)

INGREDIENTS.-
4 oz (125g) of plain flour
4 oz (125g) of SR flour
4 oz (125g) of butter
2 oz (60g) of castor sugar
1 pinch of salt
About 3 tablespoons of water

METHOD.- Put butter, flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Turn on and process until it resembles bread crumbs, add egg yolk, and process, add water a little at a time until the mixture forms a ball of dough whirling round the mixer. Remove and roll out on a floured board/bench top. Then use or refrigerate until required (no more that 1 day)

And here they are:
Butter Pastry

Lard Pastry

Personally I prefer the butter ones. The lard ones took a few days before they stopped tasting really lardy...but after that they were very nice. I found the lard pastry to be much shorter (probably due to the lower fat content) but would be really good for a savoury pie.

In the grand scheme of things then, the real difference is - not much. I'm calling it a tie.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2009-12-25T10:25:00.001+11:00

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year.

Holy Smokestacks, Batman!

2009-12-14T13:41:00.000+11:00

So sue-t me!

2009-12-14T09:16:00.003+11:00

There are all different types of fats involved in cooking. Lard, tallow, suet, duck fat, ghee, butter, oil, olive oil... the list goes on.

However, essential in a Christmas pudding is suet... which makes finding suet an exciting adventure. Apparently, there can be a big difference between Suet mix and actual suet... but actual suet is a bit thin on the ground here and I haven't located a butcher who will do me up some suet of my own. (Wow, I wonder how many times I can say suet in a sentence? Suet, suet, suet... anyone else think the word suet looks really weird?)

Anyhoo, I've given the old Tandaco Suet mix a burl in my christmas pud. Hopefully it will taste great and not weird. In addition, there are rasins, currants, sultanas, candied peel and lemon rind... and not actually a whole lot more. There's also on interesting recipe for fruitarian pudding (which is without suet) so I may try that one in the future as well.

I like aeroplane jelly! Aeroplane Jelly for me! I like it for dinner, I like it for tea, A little each day is a good recipe!

2009-12-08T11:14:00.000+11:00

Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies.

2009-12-08T10:32:00.000+11:00

Well, going on the success of my last cream, I thought I'd try another. And what better to try than Chocolate cream, because really - who doesn't love chocolate?

(Now, before you all jump about saying you hate chocolate, I know not everyone loves it... but it sounds poetic, so just let that one through to the keeper. *wink* )

CHOCOLATE CREAM

INGREDIENTS. - 4 oz. of chocolate
2 oz. of castor sugar (that's superfine sugar for you yanks.)
3/4 of an oz. of gelatine
2 yolks of eggs
1/4 a pint of cream
1/4 of a pint of milk
1 teaspoonful of vanilla essence

METHOD. - Simmer the milk and chocolate together until smoothly mixed, let it cool slightly, then add the yolks of eggs and stir until they thicken, but the mixture must not boil or the eggs may curdle.
Dissolve the gelatine in 1 tablespoonful of water, strain it into the custard, and add the vanilla essence.
Whip the cream stiffly, stir it lightly into the custard, turn into a prepared mould, and stand on ice or in a cool place until firmly set.

TIME. - From 20 to 30 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 1 mould.

Can you see what we're making here? It's effectively chocolate mousse but with a less fancy name.
You want to make sure your chocolate mixture is pretty cool when mixing it with the cream, as mine was a bit warm and so my mousse was more solid than it should have been.

Very tasty, but also very rich as I used dark chocolate. Use milk chocolate for a lighter taste.

Batter up!

2009-11-30T10:30:00.000+11:00

It's a long way to the shop if you wanna sausage roll.

2009-11-30T10:16:00.003+11:00

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll,
and it's a long way to the shop if you wanna sausage roll.

But they're so tasty...nom, nom, nom

SAUSAGE ROLLS.

INGREDIENTS. - 1/2 a lb of sausages Or you can use sausage mince from the butcher if you prefer.
rough puff pastry

METHOD. - Boil the sausages for about 5 minutes, remove the skins, cut each sausage down and across into 4 pieces, and place them on squares of pastry.
Wet the edges, fold over, leaving the ends open, and bake in a moderate oven.

TIME. - To bake, about 1/2 an hour. SUFFICIENT for about 8 or 9 rolls. Or more if you are making party sausage rolls

"He has no more backbone than a chocolate eclair." - Teddy Roosevelt

2009-11-24T11:01:00.001+11:00

I scream, you scream, we all scream for rice ... pudding.

2009-11-24T10:45:00.000+11:00

Rice pudding seems like comfort food to me.

Even though I couldn't tell you one instance where I had it as a child at a particularly trying time or anything.
But it seems like the thing to have.

I did however eat rice cream, which comes in a can, which is effectively what rice pudding is anyway.

This is not the exact recipe in the book because the book has a baked rice pudding and we all know how well I manage baked custards.

It's also a pretty good way to use up any left over rice you may have. Waste not, want not...and all that jazz.

RICE PUDDING

INGREDIENTS. - Rice (cooked)
1 egg yolk
1/2 a pint of milk
sugar
vanilla essence

METHOD. - Warm the milk and rice together. Do not let the milk boil. Allow to cool a little.
Add beaten egg yolk gradually, stirring to avoid curdling.
Heat on low flame until thick.
Add sugar and vanilla essence to taste.

TIME. - 15 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 2 persons.

Obviously if you have more rice you can add more milk and egg yolks and make more rice pudding which is effectively just vanilla custard with rice in it... go figure.

“....the art of cooking as practiced by Englishmen does not extend much beyond roast beef and plum pudding.” - Pehr Kalm 1748

2009-11-17T09:22:00.001+11:00

Raspberries

2009-11-17T09:21:00.000+11:00

Seeing as everyone knows what roast beef looks like, I thought I'd skip straight through to Dessert... although technically it is called the Sweet Entremet as it is a large sweet.
It is also awesomely delicious and the entire thing got eaten save for about 1 spoonful left at the end.

I made 1 portion to begin with, but that was clearly not enough so I made double again (so in total 3 portions)... not only increasing the amount but also giving a pretty two toned effect (I totally meant to do it on purpose ;) )

RASPBERRY CREAM.

INGREDIENTS. - 1/2 a pint of cream
1/2 a gill of milk
3/4 oz. of castor sugar
1/4 oz. of gelatine
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 as gill of raspberry syrup, or 2 dessertspoonfuls of raspberry jam
cochineal

METHOD. - When raspberry jam is used instead of syrup, pass it through a hair sieve, dilute with water to make the required quantity, and add a few drops of cochineal.
Dissolve the gelatine and sugar in the milk, add the lemon-juice, mix with the raspberry syrup, and stir in the stiffly whipped cream.

TIME. - About 1/2 an hour. SUFFICIENT for 1 small mould.

A few notes about this recipe. When adding the lemon-juice (an acid) to the milk/sugar/gelatine mix, wait until it has cooled a little and add it very gradually or else you get lemon milky curds when it curdles. Not so nice... however the lemon juice does add a lovely tang to the cream stopping the dish from being far too cloying and making it delectable. I actually used a Bundt cake pan for my mould and served with fresh raspberries and blueberries. If your cream is sticking too much to the mould, dip it very quickly in hot water... DO NOT LEAVE IT IN THERE FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME, or else you will melt the cream and get the run-off like you can see in the pictures... Learn from my mistakes.

THIS RECIPE IS DELICIOUS!!!!!!

'Make a remark,' said the Red Queen; 'it's ridiculous to leave all the conversation to the pudding!'

2009-11-16T16:41:00.001+11:00

Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were -- Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter.

2009-11-16T10:11:00.003+11:00

The last part of the entrée was a surprise hit. I made it mainly to amuse myself, because after all, what's the point of cooking a fabulous meal if you can't have some fun with it?

But... a surprise hit and consumed by some people who had suggested that it was not something they ate.

It's not actually a Mrs Beeton recipe, but very close to, and similar to a potted meat, of which Mrs Beeton has many recipes. It is essentially a confit of rabbit, shredded and then pressed into a pot/mould.

RABBIT RILLET

INGREDIENTS. - 1 rabbit
duck fat
salt and pepper
sage

METHOD. - Cut the rabbit in to pieces and put in an oven dish. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover with duck fat. (And I really mean, cover, as in submerse)
Confit in an oven at 100oC for about 4 hours.
Drain over a bowl and shred the meat.
Mix with sage and more salt and pepper and then press into a mould or dish.
Cover with saved duck fat from the confit.
Warm before serving.

Warning: Will make your whole house smell like roasting rabbit for hours and can be used as some kind of mental torture for those you live with. Is pretty darn delicious.

Tarty! wink

2009-11-13T11:12:00.001+11:00

It was... THE SALMON MOUSSE!!!

2009-11-13T10:54:00.000+11:00

Just a little Monty Python for you readers out there...

Also for entrée was Salmon Mousse. This is not to be found in All About Cookery, so we will have to repair to the 70's (which perhaps is a better place for salmon mousse to reside) and Mrs Beeton's Simple Cookery in Colour for the recipe. Please note the tasty fish aspic that also surrounds my salmon mousse...

SALMON MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS. - 1/2 lb of cooked salmon or 1 X 7 3/4 oz. can of salmon
1/2 oz. of powdered gelatine
1/2 a pint of fish stock
salt and pepper
1/4 of a cucumber, sliced
A few slices of tomato

METHOD. - Drain the oil from the canned salmon, and take out any skin and bones. Mash the fins in a basin.
Sprinkle the gelatine on the fish stock, to soften it. Season it. Then heat the stock gently, stirring it, until the gelatine melts; a spoonful will then be clear, without specks.
Rinse the inside of a china souffle dish or cake tin with cold water. Pour in a thin layer of the stock, and let it set.
Arrange cucumber slices on the set jelly in a pattern. Very gently, pour a little more stock over them. Let this set too.
Add a layer of salmon, press it down gently with a fork, cover with stock and leave to set once more. Repeat this process until you have used all the salmon and stock. (If the stock looks like setting, warm it a little)
Keep the mousse in a refrigerator or somewhere cool until you want to use it. Then turn it out. Run a sharp knife round the sides of the dish, to loosen the mousse.
Put a serving dish upside down on top of the dish. Turn the dish and plate over together, and jerk them to dislodge the mousse. (If it will not come out easily, hold a hot wet cloth over the dish for a moment.)
Decorate with cucumber and tomato.

3-4 helpings.

Or use a fish mould which is way cooler... pretty yummy although a little too gelatinous for me... and definitely too much left over stock - hence the fish aspic...

The greatest delight the fields and woods minister is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable.

2009-11-10T13:39:00.000+11:00

I'm game if you are...

2009-11-09T10:37:00.001+11:00

Cannelons, not Cannelloni

2009-11-09T10:25:00.002+11:00

I've been writing this post for about 2 weeks and keep getting interrupted because I know you're all just dying to know about the rest of my dinner party.

Anyway, here are the entrées -

CHICKEN CANNELONS

INGREDIENTS. - Chicken croquette mixture
rough puff-paste
egg
breadcrumbs
fat
parsley

METHOD. - Roll out the paste as thinly as possible, and cut it into 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 inch squares.
Place a little of the chicken mixture in the centre of each square, and roll up rather tightly.
Coat them carefully with egg and breadcrumbs, fry in hot fat until lightly browned, then drain well, and serve garnished with sprigs of crisply-fried parsley.

TIME. - To fry, about 5 minutes. SUFFICIENT, allow 2 cannelons to each person.

CHICKEN CROQUETTES.

INGREDIENTS. - 6 to 8 oz. of cold chicken or fowl (boned)
2 oz. of cooked ham or tongue
1/4 of a pint of stock
1 oz. of butter
1 oz. of flour
1 tablespoonful of cream or milk
1 teaspoonful of lemon-juice
6 button mushrooms
1 truffle
salt and pepper
egg
breadcrumbs
fat (these last three ingredients are for if you actually want to make the croquettes)

METHOD. - Chop the chicken and ham or tongue finely, cut the mushrooms and truffle into small pieces. As I had several people who don't eat pork I just used more chicken. Also truffles are worth their weight in gold here so I used more mushrooms and covered them in truffle oil. Sue me.
Melt the butter, fry the flour without browning, add the stock, and cook well. Stir in the chicken, ham or tongue, cream or milk, lemon-juice, mushrooms and truffle, season with salt and pepper, and turn on a plate to cool.
Make into cork-shaped croquettes, coat carefully with egg and breadcrumbs, and fry until lightly browned in hot fat.

TIME. - About 1 hour. SUFFICIENT for about 6 persons.

This recipe is very delicious. I think it works better though if you make sausage roll sized cannelons, because it is less fiddle than the 1 inch ones... would be great for an afternoon tea.

Duck, duck, duck...goose

2009-10-23T13:52:00.000+11:00

Fly away on my Zephyr

2009-10-23T12:32:00.003+11:00

zephyr (plural zephyrs)
1. a light wind from the west
2. any light refreshing wind; a gentle breeze
3. any thing of fine, soft, or light quality, especially fabric

Strangely, I cannot find zéphire(s) in the dictionary so I'm just going with zephyr, and considering cheese zéphires are made with whipped cream it probably fits. I thought they were a touch boring on their own but served on garlic toasts with a bit of tomato, quite yum.

CHEESE ZÉPHIRES.

INGREDIENTS. - 3 heaped tablespoonfuls of Parmesan cheese
1 oz. of gelatine
1/2 a pint of cream
1/2 a pint of milk
cayenne
salt

METHOD. - Soak the gelatine in the milk for about 1/2 an hour, then stir it over the fire until it is dissolved.
Let it cool, add the cheese, the cream previously stiffly whipped, and seasoning to taste.
Turn into oval fluted zéphire moulds, set on ice until firm, then unmould, and serve garnished with chopped aspic jelly and shredded truffle and pimiento.

TIME. - About 4 hours. SUFFICIENT for 6 or 7 persons.

And I'm not sure what a zéphire mould is either, I just used a round cupcake pan to get some cute little domes.

I'm a bow legged chicken, I'm a knock kneed hen...

2009-10-20T12:45:00.000+11:00

The devil is in the detail

2009-10-20T12:27:00.000+11:00

Angels on Horseback and Devils on Horseback - which is which? You guess. Angels on Horseback are actually a 'savoury' in Mrs Beeton which would therefore come at the end of the meal. But seeing as we are not really in the habit of eating more after the sweets, I decided to make them as an Hors d'œuvre instead.

"ANGELS ON HORSEBACK"

INGREDIENTS. - 12 oysters
12 small thin slices of bacon
12 small round croûtes of bread
1/2 a teaspoon of finely-chopped shallot
1/2 a teaspoon of finely-chopped parsley
a little lemon juice
Krona pepper

METHOD. - Beard the oysters, trim the bacon, cutting each piece just large enough to roll round an oyster, season with Krona pepper, sprinkle on a little shallot and parsley.
Lay an oyster on each, add a few drops of lemon-juice, roll up tightly, and secure the bacon in position with a large pin.
Fry in a frying-pan or bake in a hot oven just long enough to crisp the bacon (further cooking would harden the oyster), remove the pins and serve on the croûtes.

TIME. - About 20 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 8 or 9 persons.

If you are planning on serving these at a party, baking needs less attention allowing you to enjoy more time with your guests. I left my pins (or toothpick in this case) in for ease of serving and eating when hors d'œuvring.

"DEVILS ON HORSEBACK."

INGREDIENTS. - 12 prunes
12 small thin slices of bacon
12 small round croûtes of bread
1/2 a teaspoon of finely-chopped shallot
1/2 a teaspoon of finely-chopped parsley
Krona pepper

METHOD. - Trim the bacon, cutting each piece just large enough to roll round an oyster, season with Krona pepper, sprinkle on a little shallot and parsley.
Lay a prune on each, roll up tightly, and secure the bacon in position with a large pin.
Fry in a frying-pan or bake in a hot oven just long enough to crisp the bacon and warm the prune, remove the pins and serve on the croûtes.

TIME. - About 20 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 8 or 9 persons.

These are also pretty tasty, but remember they still have a pip in them (being dried plums) so have a little bowl or something to receive the pips.

Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn, and cauldron bubble

2009-10-19T14:39:00.000+11:00

The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.

2009-10-19T13:12:00.000+11:00

Well, I had a birthday recently. And for said birthday I had a dinner party of almost Herculean standards. Well for me anyway. It was a "How to host a Murder" Party set at a movie premiere in 1936.

So naturally I go way overboard with the cooking but it was all in good fun.

Here is my table all beautifully set. I polished the silver myself as it's so hard to get good staff these days. I even measured my table to ensure everyone had the required 24". It required 1 extra leaf in my table, just to seat 8. And an appropriate use flowers to follow the colour scheme. I think it's pretty if I do say so myself.

So to a brief overview of the menu then.

Hors d'œuvres
Oysters au Naturel
Cheese Zephires
Angels on Horseback
Devils on Horseback

Soup
Clear Julienne Soup

Entrées
Chicken Cannelons
Salmon Mousse
Rabbit Rillet

Main
Roast Beef
Roast Potatoes confit in Duck fat
Asparagus
Carrots
Peas
Gravy

Sweets
Raspberry Cream

Cake
Ingrid's Chocolate cake

And now on to some recipes:

OYSTERS AU NATUREL.

There are many ways of dressing oysters, either hot or cold, but only one way of serving them, "au naturel," which is considered the most popular hor's dœurve. Only the best kinds, natives - Whitstable or Colchester oysters, should be served "au naturel," i.e., raw. All the need, after being opened, is to be placed on the upper shell with a little of the liquor; they are then ranged on a dish, garnished with sprigs of fresh parsley, and if possible, surrounded with shaved ice.

Some thin slices of buttered brown bread, and quarters of lemon are handed round at the same time; also Nepaul or cayenne pepper.

I have to confess I didn't check to see if my oysters were Whitstable or Colchester but they were yummy none the less. I substitued those garlic toast biscuits instead of the buttered brown bread.

Is this a toast or a roast?

2009-10-18T14:38:00.000+11:00

How much of human life is lost in waiting.

2009-10-18T13:04:00.002+11:00

HOW TO WAIT AT TABLE

ORDER AND ROUTINE.

The waiting commences from the head of the table, and there must be assistants, outside the door, to bring the dishes and remove them entirely from the room. When the dinner is served on the table the attendant must stand at the left-hand side of the carver, and remove the covers. As the soup comes first, a plateful is carried to each person, unless they signify they do not wish for any, and commences from the one on the right of the host. The sherry or claret is then handed round. At a large gathering the moment a person's plate is empty, or finished with, it must be quietly taken away, spoon and all, but when the party is only a small one, the plates are usually left until all have finished the course. In any case, the plates of the host and hostess are always left till last. At informal parties guests should be asked if they wish for a second helping, but not at formal gatherings. Never remove a dish which is being served until all have finished that course. The fish is carried round in the same manner as the soup, the attendant having in the left hand the sauce-boat, or being followed by another servant carrying it. All plates are placed by the attendant at the left-hand side of the person being served, and when used removed from the left or right. Entrées are invariably handed even when the joints are carved upon the table. When the joint comes on, and the meat has been taken to the guests as before, the vegetables (which are usually placed upon the sideboard, and not on the table) are handed about, together with a sauce-boat of gravy for fowls or birds. As soon as all have been served with the meat course the wines are again handed round. The meat course finished, the soiled plates are removed, and the sweet course, followed by the savoury, is brought in. Dinner over, the unused cutlery, the glass, cruets and carving cloth are brushed away from the guests' left-hand side; the dessert-plates, finger bowls and port glasses are arranged upon the table; and after everything is in proper order, the port and a few dishes are handed round by the attendants. who then leave the room. In handing aerated waters, lemonade, etc., the attendant takes the small tray or salver in the left hand and, standing on the left side of the guest who places his or her glass upon it, pours out the required liquid with the right hand. When clean knives and forks are required, they must be placed on the table and not handed on the salver.

At hospitality school we learnt to serve from the right and clear from the left... I wonder which is the more "correct" way or if it has changed over the years?

Dishes should be handed at a convenient level: they are usually served too high and not far enough forward. They should be served with the left hand, the body turned a little to the right. If the right hand be free do not rest it on the back of the chair.

Heaven forbid your wait staff should get overly familiar with your guests and dare to touch their chair.

All trussed up with nowhere to go

2009-10-17T13:35:00.000+11:00

Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.

2009-10-17T12:53:00.000+11:00

FAMILY SUPPERS.

At these, food of a light description should be served, and to make these meals enjoyable the dishes should be as varied as possible. Fish re-dressed in the form of mayonnaises, croquettes, or pies, can easily be made into a good supper dish; the remains of poultry or game hashed make a tempting and savoury one where hot dishes are liked, and all kinds of odds and ends can, with a little ingenuity, be utilized to form more appetising food at supper time than perpetual cold meat. Salad or cucumber should not be wanting at the family meal in summer, when such things are plentiful and cheap, while in winter a few cold potatoes friend make a nice addition, or a well-made potato salad. As with breakfast dishes, those for supper are more a question of trouble and time than cost.

Don't fritter it away

2009-10-16T12:25:00.000+11:00

You can't fake quality any more than you can fake a good meal.

2009-10-16T11:15:00.004+11:00

TO LAY THE CLOTH FOR DINNER.

The cloth itself must first be put on straight and evenly, and if at all creased should be pressed with a clean iron over a damp cloth. The cloth should not be laid upon the bare table, but the table should be first covered by some asbestos-felt or an old cloth. Should the housewife wish to display her highly-polished table, she may dispense with a table-cloth and use dainty lace mats for each plate or dish, taking care to protect the polish of the table by using small asbestos mats under the fancy mats.

Here we go with the asbestos again. I believe all of my place mats are cork backed, so I hope that suffices.

Everything necessary for laying the cloth, including the napkins, should first be brought into the room, and it is a good plan to put the latter round the table first, so that the same amount of space can be allowed to each person.

Remember we're giving each person AT LEAST 24 inches. Except at a lot of restaurants where they really don't seem to care if you keep nudging the person next to you when cutting your steak.

These occupy the space between the knives and forks, and in each, if folded, should be put either a dinner roll or a piece of bread cut rather thick.

Remembering of course that side plates are a definite no-no at dinner.

Table-napkins are often merely folded over and laid flat on the plate ready for the hors d'œuvre, between the knives and forks; a small knife is then laid on the napkin.

Next place the menu cards, if these are used, either one to each person, or one between three or four, if only a few are provided.

The water jugs, cruets and salt cellars may next be laid. There should be a cruet at each corner of the table, while a salt cellar should be between every two persons. We now come to the knives and forks, and of these it is usual to lay a large one of each, the knife flanked to the right by a fish knife, a soup spoon, and an hors d'œuvre fork, and on the left of the fork should be the fish fork; other knives and forks are supplied with the plates for different courses.

A cruet set is a collection of little bottles of vinegar and oil and pepper... sometimes salt as well.

The question of what wine is to be drunk at dinner will determine what glasses are wanted, as the glasses used for dessert are put on afterwards.

Supposing, as is so often the case, sherry, champagne and claret are to be served, put the proper glasses for each to the right side of each person, setting them in a triangle, with the sherry glass (the first used) at the top, just reaching to the point of the knife, but at a convenient distance from it.

Exactly the same way we were taught to put glasses on the table at hospitality school. Some things never change.

The sideboard requires to be laid as carefully as the dinner-table itself, and everything that can be put there ready for placing on the table afterwards, such as finger-bowls, glasses for dessert wine, dessert plates, decanters, and knives, forks and spoons of every kind should be there ready and carefully arranged. The decanters, salvers, glasses, etc., should be put well at the back of the sideboard, and the plates, knives, forks, etc., neatly laid in front.

When the dinner is not carved on the table, one specially intended for the carver should be prepared with carving knives and forks (the former carefully sharpened beforehand) of various kinds, soup ladle, fish-carvers, etc., in the order of serving the dinner, that nothing may delay him when he commences his duties.

I always, always, always carve in the kitchen. I don't know why, but it seems easier somehow, and I always make a big mess which would probably ruin my table cloth.

Champagne, hock, or other sparkling wines that are only uncorked when wanted, may find a place under the sideboard of side tables where the ice pails are to be found; decanted wines are put on the sideboard.

Entree vous

2009-10-13T17:23:00.001+11:00

After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations.

2009-10-13T13:52:00.003+11:00

DINNER.

When dinner is placed upon the table, if there is only on chief dish place it at the head of the table. If two, one to the host and one to the hostess. If three, one (the principle) at the head and the other two together near the bottom. If four, the two principle at top and bottom, the others at the sides. Six dishes can be arranged as for four. Seven will require three dishes down the middle of the tale and two on either side.

To be honest, I think I just plonk 'em down wherever they will fit. My bad...

Courses. - The order of the courses of a modern dinner should be as follows: the soup is usually preceded by an Hors 'dœvre, such as caviare, croûtons, sardines, oysters, or other little appétissants.

The First Course is usually soup, the second fish, then comes the entrées (made dishes). The next Course, joints, then poultry and game, and after these sweets, then savory dishes, then cheese and celery. When there are two roast meats they should be opposite colours, i.e., not two whites or two browns. Entrées require care in handling; there is nearly always gravy with them, and this must not be upset upon the cloth. The last arrangement of dishes - which cannot be called a course, seeing that the dinner is virtually over - the dessert comprises tastefull arranged fruits that are most in season.

Following is a specimen menu:-

SPECIMEN MENU FOR A DINNER

FRENCH

Potage.

Consommé a la Colbert

Poisson.

Turbot bouilli

Sauce aux Huîtres.

Entrée.

Filet de Bœuf à la Brillat

Tomate farcies à l'Italienne

Rôti.

Faisan bardé au Cresson.

Salase de Saison. Pommes frites.

Entremets.

Omelette à la Célestine.

Gelée aux Bananes.

Bonne Bouche.

Buissone d'Ecrevisse.

Dessert.

ENGLISH

Soup.

Clear Soup with Poached Eggs.

Fish.

Boiled Turbot. Oyster Sauce

Entrée.

Braised Fillet of Beef.

Stuffed Tomates.

Roast.

Roast Pheasant with Cress.

Chipped Potatoes. Salad.

Sweets.

Omelet with Preserved Fruit.

Banana Jelly.

Savoury.

Dressed Prawns.

Dessert.

I always just assumed sweets and dessert were meant to be the same thing and people were just being pretentious. However, it is evident in this context that they are completely different things. It also makes my 6 course meal into only 4 courses, because Hors d'œurves don't count as a course... and I would imagine neither does cake.

In giving a dinner it is far better to have a simple meal, which one knows will be properly cooked and serves, than to risk anything elaborate, for it is difficult to appear utterly unconcerned when one is harassed by petty cares, and a thoroughly good hostess is one who is able herself to enjoy, without anxiety, the dinner she is giving.

This is by far and away the most important point I think in the whole chapter. Emily Post also agrees that it is better to have a good simple meal than a bad elaborate one. Also on this note, it is hard to enjoy oneself with a giant burn on ones' hand as happened at a recent dinner of mine and put a pretty big dampner on the whole evening.

The temperature of the room is a very important subject that is often overlooked. It is not possible thoroughly to enjoy a good dinner in a room either too hot or too cold.

Particularly a hot cooked Christmas dinner on a 44oC day in Australia.

If you want my gravy, pepper my ragout...but only entree sized

2009-10-12T17:07:00.000+11:00

I'm flattered

2009-10-06T13:30:00.006+11:00

Well, I'm honoured to receive the Kreativ Blogger award.

The "RULES" of this award are that I am to:
1) tell you seven things that you don't already know about me.
2) I am to name seven other blogs to receive this award.
3)I am to leave a comment on each of the blogs I have nominated letting them know that I have given them an award.
4) And lastly, I am to thank the blog that you gave me the award.

seven things you may not know about me...
1) I have a small piece of gravel in my forehead. Long story short, don't do hurdles on the gravel yard.

2) I love sewing, but HATE HATE HATE cutting out so I have a large pile of material and patterns all waiting for the scissors faries to do their magic

3) I'd love to flounce around in my house in a BIG crinoline, but I don't think I'd fit down the hallways.

4) I have an unnatural interest in English history. No seriously... apparently it's not the current fad at Australian Universities

5) I have Dutch heritage which I like to exploit by wearing clogs and plaits and riding a bicycle... also eating olle bollen, croquettes and other fried foods

6) I was scared away from the local SCA group because when I went past their stall at 'O' week at uni there was a very large lady with a distrubingly large amount of bosom on show

7) I am always surprised that there are people interested in reading my blog

There are a heap of great blogs that I love but here are just a few that I nominate for this award:
1) Jitterbug at Destination 1940

2) Trixie at That's just stupid what you said

3) Vintage Verve at Vintage Verve

4) LaPetiteMort at LaPetiteMort

5) Roxanne at The Haven of Home

6) Packrat at Swatting at flies

7) Lolita Haze at Vintage Starlet

Many thanks to Wearing History for the nomination

Multicultural Fillets of Beef

2009-10-06T13:29:00.002+11:00

Game on, Elizabeth David...

2009-10-06T09:59:00.003+11:00

I recently had a birthday, and for said birthday a lovely family friend gave me a cookery book (everyone seems to have picked up on my exciting new-ish obsession for cookery books...).

I got Elizabeth David's French Provincial Cooking, first published in 1960.

Elizabeth David is considered responsible for bringing French and Italian cooking into the British home (along with now ubiquitous items such as olive oil and the courgette). In a Britain worn down by post-war rationing and dull food, she celebrated the regional and rural dishes of the Mediterranean rather than the fussier food of the gourmands and aristocrats. David's style is characterised by terse descriptions of the recipes themselves, accompanied by detailed descriptions of their context and historical background, and often laced with anecdotal asides. She was often scathing of bad food, including much of the food of England that she and her readers had grown up with.

I used her book in conjunction with Mrs Beeton for one dish of my latest and greatest dinner party, so I was most distressed to read this quote from her.

"If I had been given a standard Mrs Beeton instead of Mrs Leyel's wonderful recipes," she said, "I would probably never have learned to cook."

I find it endlessly interesting that a woman who was born in 1913 and was given her first cook book age 19 (The Gentle Art of Cookery by Hilda Leyel) saw Mrs Beeton as the epitome of boring and bland British Cookery, whereas I, born 70 years later, find Mrs Beeton inhabiting a fascinating world of interesting ingredients and ideas. Things that were common place for Mrs Beeton and for Ms David are strange and unusual for me. And no doubt things that are ordinary for me would be bewildering for Mrs Beeton or anyone else of that era.

Anyway, I'll not hold Ms David's poor opinion of Mrs Beeton against her, as really... she didn't know any better.

Isn't this a hip joint...

2009-09-29T13:33:00.000+10:00

It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?" - Winnie the Pooh

2009-09-29T10:45:00.007+10:00

LUNCHEONS.

Luncheon Dishes. - Ordinary luncheons, as a rule, have fewer courses than dinner, but in other respects they are almost identical, and may comprise hors d'oeurves, soup, fish, meat, poultry or game, sweets and savouries. Hors d'ourves are almost invariably served as a preliminary; either soup or fish is frequently omitted, and the sweets provided are of a comparatively simple characters, such as soufflés, milk puddings, fruit tarts, compôte of fruit, etc. A joint of meat, a fruit tart or stewed fruit, or a suet or milk pudding, constitute the luncheon of many who dine late, more especially when the household includes children who share the midday meal. Or the luncheon may consist of the cold remains of the previous night's dinner, in which case parts of birds, tarts, creams, jellies, etc., are usually made more presentable by being cut into portions suitable for serving, and neatly arranged on a dish.

The Service of Luncheon varies considerably, for while luncheon à la Russe may be said to predominate in fashionable circles, yet a very large number of people still follow the older custom of having all the hot dishes placed upon the table.

The table arrangements for luncheons served à la Russe are the same as for dinner, the centre of the table being occupied by nothing but fruit, flowers, cruets, and other articles used in the service. Under any circumstances, each cover should comprise one large and one small knife, a fork, and a small fork for the hors d'oeuvre, but the old custom of placing a small fork and dessertspoon is no longer followed, except at informal meals. When fish is included in the menu, the knife and fork provided for its service must be laid to the right and left, on the outside of those already on the table, and if soup is to be served, a soup spoon or a tablespoon must be placed to the right, outside the fish knife. According to present fashion, the maximum alllowed to each cover is two knives and two forks, one fish knife and fork, and one soup spoon, all of which should be placed a quarter inch from each other and one inch from the edge of the table. When the dishes are placed upon the table, instead of being served à la Russe, each dish to be carved must be accompanied by appropriate carving-knives and forks, and each entrée, or sweet, by a tablespoon and fork. The wine to be served will determine the number of glasses to be used. If, say, claret, hock and minerals are selected, then tumblers, hock and claret glasses should be provided; but glasses should never appear on the table unless the wine to which they are appropriate is to be served.

Table-napkins should be placed in the space between the knives and forks.

Enticing Entrees

2009-09-25T16:26:00.001+10:00

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It's unbelievably important. You should eat breakfast at least three times a day.

2009-09-25T15:12:00.002+10:00

BREAKFASTS.

Breakfast Dishes. - The moral and physical welfare of mankind depends largely on its breakfast, yet many of those upon whom the responsibility of providing it rests do not realize how far-reaching may be the effects of a good or bad meal. A being well fed and warmed is naturally on better terms with himself and his surroundings than one whose minds and body are being taxed by the discomfort and annoyance of badly cooked or insufficient food. In small households there is a constant complaint of lack of variety, and the too frequent appearance of bacon and eggs, which, it must be confessed, is the sheet-anchor of the English cook.

But, notwithstanding this plea for "something new", there are over two hundred ways of dressing eggs, to say nothing of grilled chops, steaks, cutlets, kidneys, fish and mushrooms, anchovy and sardine toast, sausage rolls, sausages grilled, boiled or fried, meat patties, rissoles, croquettes and croûtes, fish omelet, fish-cakes, fish soused and kedgeree, pressed beef, galantine of beef, potato chips, potatoes fried in a variety of ways, and a host of other inexpensive and easily-prepared dishes. Many housewives cannot, of course, afford to provide some of the dishes enumerates above, but the present work includes an almost endless variety of preparations of a simple characters, which might be advantageously used to relieve the monotony of breakfast.

Which all makes perfect sense. Breakfast is very important, and if you end up eating the same cereal over and over again, it can quickly grow dull and unappealing.

The Service of Breakfast varies very little, no matter how simple or elaborate the meal. On the cottage table, the breakfast-ware, teapot, bread, butter, and dish of bacon, or whatever constitutes the homely fare, all have their allotted places, although the arrangement of the respective articles may not agree with everybody's sense of fitness. When the table is a small one, the centre of it may be occupied by a single vase of flowers, or bowls of flowers placed equidistant from each other may form the decoration of a larger table. Other appointments depends on the number of persons to be seated and the dishes to be served. When the meal consists of one dish, a knife and fore, either large or small, according to choice, and a small knife for bread and butter, should be laid for each person. When fish is included in the breakfast menu the knife and fork provided for the service must be places to the right and left outside the ordinary knife and fork. When the breakfast comprises several dishes, usually three knives and two forks are laid instead of one, but there is at the present time a steadily growing tendency to avoid unnecessary display of silver and cutlery. A small late for bread and butter is places outside the forks, and the napkin is laid in the space between the knives and forks. No hard-and-fast rules can be laid down for the disposal of the cruets, butter, toast, eggs, marmalade, etc., but they all appear on a properly-appointed table, arranged according to the space available and , of course, some symmetrical order must be maintained. As a rule, once end of the tale is occupied by the breakfast ware, sugar, hot and cold milk, tea and coffee pots, and when only one hot dish is provided, it is nearly always places at the opposite end of the table. Porridge, bread and butter and other cereal foods may be very daintily and easily be served in fireproof glassware; the same applies to stewed fruit.

Okay, not sure what Mrs B would think about toast scoffed in front of the morning telly shows...

Breakfast being, in many homes, such a moveable feast, an electric hotplate is invaluable for keeping the various dishes warm, and hot toast made with one's own hands in an electric toaster, on the table, tastes delicious indeed. An electric egg boiler or poacher on the breakfast table will save many an egg from being cooked in the kitchen and from being "not wanted" in the breakfast-room.

Such courtesy towards unwanted eggs. *sniff*

When cold dishes are served, such as ham, tongue, potted meats, sardines, etc., they may be placed down the sides of the table.

A cutlet of entrées

2009-09-22T14:40:00.002+10:00

A good meal ought to begin with hunger

2009-09-22T13:02:00.003+10:00

As I am preparing for the dinner party of the season for my up coming birthday, I thought I should explore the importance of meals.

MEALS

REGULARITY.
One important consideration with regard to meals is their regularity, and, speaking from the health point of view, it is most essential. A meal that we have waited for an hour too long is often one that we fail to appreciate; and while to the healthy irregularity is dangerous, to the delicate it is injurious. It is not difficult to determine what are the best and most convenient times to take our meals, and when once these hours are fixed, the next thing is to insist on punctuality, not only for those who serve them, but for those for whom they are prepared.

Whoops. Here we get a big F. Our breakfast and lunch are usually around the same time but due to the variety of different things going on at night time, dinner is anywhere from 6.30 to 9.30.

TABLE ARRANGEMENTS
There are few general rules which apply equally to mansion and cottage. However simple may be the meal, and however coarse in texture the cloth, it should be clean, free from creases, and arranged smoothly with the centre fold forming a true line the whole length of the table. The knives should be clean, bright and sharp, and the silver clean and well polished. When properly trained servants are kept, contrary conditions seldom exist; neither would they in small households, where the work devolves upon an inexperienced housemaid, if a few simple rules were strictly enforced, such as removing the crumbs and folding the cloth on the table, instead of allowing it to be shaken and folded outside the room; that after each meal all knives should be cleaned and made ready for use; and, what is still more important, that such articles as silver-plated dishes, spoons, etc., should be washed separately with soap and hot water, and well polished with a leather. Apart from the fact that silver thus treated always presents a bright and well-preserved appearance, there is the further consideration of the silver being kept in good condition without a frequent application of plate powder, which, however fine it may be, ultimately destroys the plated surface.

My silver is a little less than shiny, but it's going to get a good going over before Saturday.

An asbestos-felt or baize under-cloth for dining-tables cannot be too strongly recommended, for it enables the table-cloth to lie better, and the latter is more pleasant to the touch with some soft, thick substance beneath it. Sometimes the baize is drawn under the edges of the table by means of a string run through the hem, but it may be stretched more tightly when fastened underneath with small tacks, and this without the least injury to the table. Grey felt is preferred by many, because it is less likely to stain the cloth than a coloured substance, and is also less expensive.

Some of you may know baize as the stuff on pool tables. I wouldn't recommend asbestos cloth for my dining table, but it is still available for purchase - mostly from China. I believe it is illegal in Australia however.

Tablecloths and table-napkins should be of as good a quality as means will afford, and alike in design.

I just bought new napkins, however they are in a complementary colour as my table cloth is a bed sheet.

Table-linen whould be very lightly starched, for, if made too stiff, the corners of the tablecloths, instead of falling in natural folds, stand out in an awkward fashion, and the table-napkins are unpleasant to use.

A good rule is to allow 24 inches for each person's accommodation. Where the table is necessarily a little too large, a little more room does not matter, but on no account give less, for there is no greater misery than a crowded table.

Right-o, off home to measure my table and to do some calculations.

Entre'acte

2009-09-21T14:51:00.001+10:00

Tie me kangaroo down, sport.

2009-09-21T13:42:00.004+10:00

Mrs Beeton touches on the subject of Australian Cookery. Which for a British woman in 1861 is rather progressive...and unusual.

I'm not convinced that she actually knew anything about Australian food, but let's see what she says.

AUSTRALIAN COOKERY.

Cookery in Australia is of course English in character, while in the hotels the French cuisine plays a prominent part just as it does in England. The various dishes which are peculiar to the country are those obtained from animals and fruits indigenous to the soil.

FISH
is plentiful and good, and includes nearly all the varieties exsteemed in England except the sole, which is not found in any Australian waters' but there are many other varieties unknown in England, such as trumpeter, schnapper, flat-heard, barracouta, etc.

VEGETABLES
grow abundantly in most parts of Australia. Sour sop, a fruit which in its ripe condition resembles the custard apple, may in its green state be cooked and served as a vegetable. Paw paw also serves the doule purpose of fruit and vegetable, for it is equally excellend boiled while in a green, unripe condition, and served with white sauce, or eaten when ripe with wine and sugar. The choko is a vegetable little known, although it grows freely in many parts of Australia. It is excellent plainly boiled and served with white sauce. Pumpkins, trombone, vegetable and custard marrows are very plentiful.

FRUIT
is so plentiful in many parts of Australia that many varieties may there be had for the picking.

POULTRY.
Birds are not plentiful, but the wild ones congregate around the water-holes, and though it is sometimes difficult to procure them in town, the sportsman on the farm will often bring in pigeons, plover, bush turkey, quail, parrots, etc. These birds are almost invariably best when stewed.

Here's a brief list of "Typical Australian Dishes" - some are not so typical, methinks.

Apricot Jam
Apricots and rice
Australian cakes
Bandicoot stewed in milk ?!? I believe Bandicoots are currently endangered so we may be waiting a very long time to try this one
Barracouta, Baked
Barramunda
Black Duck (Wood Goose)
Blackfish in Batter
Black Swan, Roasted or baked Being the state emblem of Western Australia, probably no longer on the menu too.
Cape Gooseberries
Chelgi
Choko, to Boil
Cod Steaks
Coma What the? And I can't even google it properly
Fish Klosh
Flatfish
Flathead
Gill Birds, Jugged
Gramma Pie or Tart
Grandilla CreamGrandilla Jelly
Green Fig Jam
Groper, Head and Soulders, boiled
Guava Jelly
Island Blue Geese, Roast
Kaka, or Parrot
Kangaroo Is actually pretty darn tasty... I'm surprised she doesn't have emu on the list. I think Australia is the only country in the world that eats both its' national animals.
Kangaroo tail, curried
Kangaroo Tail Fricassee
Kangaroo Tail Soup
Kawai, Baked And not the Japanese for cute, it's some kind of fish
King Fish, Baked, with tomatoes
Kumaras
Loquat Jelly
Loquat Pie or Tart
Mallee Hen, Baked
Melbourne Pancakes
Murray Cod, Boiled
Parrot Pie
Paw paw, Baked
Prickley Pear or Cactus Fruit Jelly
Pukaki, Jugged
Pumpkin Pie
Rosella Jelly I believe she means the flowers and not the birds
Schanpper, Baked
Scrub Turkey, Roast
Sour sop, to boil
Taro
Terrapin, to boil
Travalli
Trumpeter, Baked, with tomatoes
Trumpeter, Boiled
Waikato Scones
Wallaby, Roast
Water-Melon, preserved
Yellowtail

I'm not sure what half of these are, but some will definitely be on the menu. Stay tuned.

Just a small morsel.

2009-09-21T11:48:00.001+10:00

Tea for two and two for tea...

2009-09-18T12:23:00.003+10:00

I think "Tea" is on of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted concepts out there. Afternoon tea, High tea, Tea, Dinner - all possibly meaning the same thing - or completely different ones.

So, let's go the panel and get a professionals' view.

AT HOME, HIGH AND FAMILY TEAS.

"At Home" Tea is served upon small tables, the servant before bringing it in seeing that one is placed conveniently near her mistress, who generally dispenses the tea. No plates are given for a tea of this kind, and the servant, or servants, after seeing that all is in readiness, leave the room, the gentlemen of the party doing all the waiting that is necessary.
The tea equipage is usually places upon a silver salver, the hot water is in a small silver or china kettle on a stand, and the cups are small. Thin bread and butter, sandwiches, cake, petits-fours and sometimes fresh fruit are all the eatables given. These are daintily arranged on plates, spread with lace doilies.

High Tea. - In some houses this is a permanent institution, quite taking the place of late dinner, and to many it is a most enjoyable meal, young people preferring it to dinner, it being a movable feast that can be partaken of at hours which will not interfere with tennis, boating, or other amusements. At the usual high tea there are probably to be found one or two small hot dishes, cold chicken, or game, tongue or ham, salads, cakes of various kinds, sometimes cold fruit tarts with cream or custard, and fresh fruit. Any supper dish, however, can be introduced, and much more elaborate meals be served, while sometimes the tea and coffee are relegated to the sideboard. In summer it is not unusual to have everything cold.

Family Teas. - At these meals cake, jam, sardines, potted meats, buttered toast, tea cakes and fruit are often provided, in addition to the tea, coffee, bread and butter. Watercress and radishes are nice in summer.
The hours for family teas may vary in many households, but are generally governed by the time of the dinner that has preceded them, and the kind of supper partaken of afterwards. Where this is of a very light character, such as a glass of wine and a slice of cake, or a more homely glass of beer and bread and cheese, a 6 to 7 o'clock tea would not be too later, and a few savouries or eggs would be needed in addition to the bread and butter and cake so generally found; but where a substantial supper is to follow the tea the latter would be of a very light description, and should be served as early as 4.30 to 6 o'clock.

One fish, Two fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

2009-09-14T14:01:00.001+10:00

What a toad-aly hole-some meal.

2009-09-14T13:28:00.002+10:00

Well, when my (vegetarian) sister said we wouldn't be able to go to her house for dinner, I turned to my other (non-vegetarian) sister and said "Come to mine."

It was an excuse to make something with gratuitous meat in it. Just for fun. Oh, and lard too.

Not that there's anything wrong with being vegetarian (or vegan or pescatarian or pescapollotarian or whatever) but sometimes meat is fun. Turducken anyone?

So I went with Toad-In-The-Hole - which is not as gratuitous as it could be, but it's still meat in a yorkshire pudding, or as Special-Toad-In-The-Hole has it:- sausages wrapped in ham in a Yorkshire pudding covered in lard.

Mmmm, mmmm

TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE

INGREDIENTS. - 1 lb. of beefsteak (cut up small)
4 oz. of flour
1/2 a pint of milk
egg
salt
dripping

METHOD. - Mix the flour, milk, egg, and a little salt in a smooth batter.
Put in a Yorkshire pudding-tin sufficient dripping to form a thin layer when melted, pour in about a quarter of the batter, and bake until set.
Then add the meat, season it with salt and pepper, pour in the remainder fo the batter, bake quickly until it has risen and set, and then more slowly until sufficiently cooked.
Cut and serve in squares arranged neatly overlapping each other on a hot dish.

TIME. - To bake, about 1 hour. SUFFICIENT for 3 or 4 persons.

But what I've done here is use a different recipe, which oddly enough came with my electric beaters.

special toad in the hole (you can tell it's a modern recipe due to the lack of capitalisation.)

ingredients
175g (6 oz) plain flour
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
200ml (7 floz) milk
200ml (7 floz) water
45ml (3 tbsp) fresh chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, rosemary and thyme
8 good pork sausages of your choice
8 slices Parma ham
25g (1 oz) lard
15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
2 red onions, sliced

method
Place the flour, salt, eggs and milk in a large bowl. Using the mixer beat for approx. 1 minutes, until well blended. Then with the beater still running gradually add the water and herbs, until blended. Leave batter to stand for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 22oC, 425oF, Gas Mark 7. Wrap each sausage in a slice of Parma ham. Place the sausages and lard in a large shallow roasting tin and bake for 10 minutes, until very hot.
Remove the roasting tin from the oven, pour in the batter and bake for 30-40 minutes, until well risen and golden.
Meanwhile heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onions for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caramelised. Remove the tin from the oven, scatter onions over and serve.

Prep. time 15 mins; Cook time 40 mins
Serves 4 people

I thought it was pretty darn tasty. Also, my first true lard experience which was exciting. Although now I have 225 g of lard in the fridge just waiting for the next experiment.

We swim free today, we won't become mornay...

2009-09-01T16:26:00.000+10:00

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

2009-09-01T14:35:00.003+10:00

No, they're not dinosaur eggs, they're SCOTCH EGGS. A delicious and disturbingly awesome dish.

Pretty much, Scotch eggs are just protein. Eggs, wrapped in meat and fried (or baked).

Contrary to popular belief (and despite being the butt of a number of English comedians' jokes about the Scottish diet), Scotch Eggs were actually invented by the famous London department store, Fortnum & Mason in 1851 and are still available from them.

Anyway, hat's off to them, because they are scrummy. If you like eggs. And sausage meat. You could probably even use lean meat. Or maybe vegetarian sausages.

SCOTCH EGGS

INGREDIENTS. - 3 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 lb. of sausage meat
1 egg
breadcrumbs
frying-fat
6 croûtes of friend bread

METHOD. - Let the eggs become quite cold, remove the shells, and cover each one completely with sausage-meat.
Coat them carefully with beaten egg and breadcrumbs, and fry in hot fat until nicely browned.
Cut each egg in half, dish them cut side upwards on the croûtes of fried bread besprinkled with chopped parsley, and serve either hot or cold.

TIME. - About 3/4 of an hour. SUFFICIENT for 6 persons.

Or you can bake them in the oven, which is probably the healthier option. Very, very yummy, especially cold. Like a takeaway snack. Of pure protein. But if you look at my last post, I served it with the left over spinach pudding so I got some vegetables as well. Would be great at a picnic.

The Leaning Tower of Salmon

2009-08-28T13:17:00.001+10:00

Saucy Señoritas - wink, wink, nudge, nudge

2009-08-25T14:08:00.003+10:00

The mystery that is SPANISH SAUCE.

I've had several readers inquire about this (well, 2...) so here it is. It is actually tastier than it appears in this photo. If you look at the photo in the Spinach Pudding post you can see it in the little jug.

Odd as it sounds, I would compare this to a vegetable gravy cross tomato sauce. But it's pretty good.

ESPAGNOLE OR SPANISH SAUCE

INGREDIENTS. -
1 quart of stock
1 oz. of raw lean ham or bacon (obviously omitted if you are vegetarian)
2 oz. of butter
2 oz. of flour
1 carrot
1 onion
1 clove
4 peppercorns
a bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf)
1/2 a gill of tomato pulp (I used instead some tomato paste)
1/2 a gill of sherry (optional)
2 mushrooms

METHOD. - Melt the butter in a stewpan, add the ham, cut into small pieces, fry for a few minutes, and then put in the vegetables slices, the herbs, and spices.
Stir these ingredients over a slow fire for about 5 minutes, then add the flour and brown it carefully.
Add the stock, tomato-pulp, and sherry (if used), stir the sauce until boiling, draw the saucepan to the side of the fire, let it boil slowly for about 1 hour, then skim off the fat, pass the sauce through a tammy-cloth, season, warm up, and serve quickly.

TIME. - About 1 1/2 hours. QUANTITY, about 1 pint.

I'm sure I didn't cook it for that long, and I just passed it through a sieve at the end. Pretty darn lickable though, and my sister ate some of the vegetables that were left in the strainer. She tells me they were good.