There are many fine things the British have given the world. Shakespeare. The steam engine. Paddington Bear. And the Lemon Drizzle. It is a cake of quiet confidence and broad appeal. Wonderfully unfussy it requires no elaborate layers, no architectural buttercream, no edible glitter. It arrives modestly and without fanfare: a cake for life’s ordinary moments. And yet beneath its sensible exterior, it is deeply comforting and quietly nostalgic. It is the culinary equivalent of a lovely cotton dress or a crisp white shirt. Eternally stylish, endlessly versatile. Which is why it shows up everywhere: village fêtes, church halls, garden…
Category: <span>EATING</span>
British flapjacks are nothing like American flapjacks. Think granola bar, not pancake. They’re a little bit chewy, a little bit crunchy and nerdily uncool in their humble, oaty goodness. Unlike, say, the macaron, there’s no delicate piping, no pastel boxes, no Parisian drama. The flapjack is the sturdy raincoat of the baking world: humble, dependable, and shyly excellent. The macaron might pose elegantly in the window of a chic pâtisserie, but the flapjack’s in the kitchen making a proper cup of tea and getting on with things. Flapjacks are rich in buttery, caramel-ly goodness and have a surprising depth of…
I have been making mint brownies for many, many years. They are my most requested recipe. They have joined in the fun at classroom get togethers, kids parties, picnics and many a holiday gathering. Wrap half a dozen in parchment, tie with ribbon and you’ve got yourself the perfect little gift card holder. Great for teachers or tucked in the mailbox as a nice little holiday surprise for the mailman. They are a doddle to make, a dream to store in the fridge for days and can be frozen and kept on hand for any and all last minute surprises…
As the cool of autumn collapses into the cold of winter, as the late afternoon sunshine burnishes the remaining stubborn leaves on the tree tops to a gorgeous glowy copper, a world is created where the cosy comfort of an apple crumble is simply divine. While I adore a good crumble with spring and summer fruit, there is nothing quite like the simplicity of the humble apple at this time of year, and apple crumble feels like the crisp white shirt of the crumble world: elementary, yet classic, with hidden depths. You can, of course, use any apple your heart…
Custard in its most simple form is a mixture of eggs and milk, gently heated so that the eggs can provide the necessary thickening. Possibly around since Ancient Rome, but certainly finding its groove in the Middle Ages, the word “custard” is thought to come from the French word “croustade” meaning pastry crust, because custard was frequently baked into tarts. But custard has a variety of guises. Freeze it and you have ice cream. Put it in a crust with savory flavorings and you have a quiche. It serves as the base for creme brûlée, chocolate pudding, flan, and creme…
Kedgeree is a dish swiped from Indian culture during the days of the British Raj. It appears to be derived from an Indian dish, khichri, which was made with onions, rice and lentils. In England, in its purest form, kedgeree is a curried rice combined with smoked haddock and egg and it became quite the breakfast item for the upper classes in the Victorian Age. Think of our friends at Downton Abbey enjoying an early morning gallop through the dewey countryside, returning to a chafing dish of Kedgeree whipped up by dear Mrs Patmore, to be devoured alongside deviled kidneys,…
It just ain’t an English Christmas without mince pies. And these mince pies are really, really, easy. Why? How? Well, because these mince pies are made with store bought pastry and a jar of store bought mincemeat. To be fair, I don’t think I have ever made my own mincemeat, but I generally do make my own pastry. However, I recently discovered that Trader Joe’s frozen pie crust is delicious — which is a huge compliment coming from someone who is not, as a rule, a huge pastry fan. With sweet desserts I will generally make a sweetened pastry crust…
Terry’s Chocolate Orange is a British Christmas staple thanks to a decades old, ingenious marketing campaign suggesting it as a perfect stocking stuffer — perhaps a play on the traditional orange often given at Christmas. Its storied roots go all the way back to York, England in the 1700’s where a confectioners shop sold candied lemon and orange peel. In the 1820’s Joseph Terry joined the company and introduced marmalades and chocolate and then, in the 1930’s, he got wildly creative and the classic Chocolate Orange was born. For as long as I can remember, their slogan has been “tap…
Cranberry sauce seems to be one of those things that everybody loves to hate. Not me. For me, it’s one of my favourite parts of Christmas dinner, in part, I suppose, because I never have it at any other time of the year. And while I’m certainly not above eating canned sauce if I’m a guest in someone else’s home —which means I’m not cooking, so a small sacrifice to pay in my estimation! — when I am the host, I will always make my own. (On a side note, I read somewhere recently that some people just take the…
This is (not) Shepherd’s Pie because it’s actually Cottage Pie! And the difference, you ask? Well, the difference is that Shepherd’s Pie is made with ground lamb and Cottage Pie is made with ground beef. I make mine with ground beef and yet somehow I started calling it Shepherd’s Pie, despite the fact that I’m sure we called it Cottage Pie growing up. I have no idea at which point along the way I made such an egregious error, especially as I have never once made it with ground lamb, but, in my defense, I did read somewhere that the…