It is with some modest authority that I claim to know a good deal about making biscuits.
Every Christmas for nearly thirty years I mix and bake and pack and give (and eat) multiple batches of these little seasonal specialities.
Most home-made biscuits are not much good, to be honest. Very often I have been told that someone makes great biscuits, and when you taste them they nearly always turn out to be a bland shortbread with a taste of slightly scorched flour and nothing else.
I would have to say that scorching is by far the commonest fault, and the reason for this is very readily understood: biscuits are small and usually thin, they contain very scorchable ingredients like sugar and butter, and a lot of recipes give temperatures that are too high and cooking times that are too long.
So the first secret of successful biscuiteering is to exercise great caution with baking: test the first trayful with a slightly reduced temperature, with several minutes chopped off the time allowed. Get yourself a good kitchen timer and always use it. Make notes of your findings, modify the recipes as required, and keep these notes for future use.
The best way to bake biscuits is on parchment paper. They may stick to the bare metal of a biscuit tray - even if they do not, sometimes a taste will come through from some long-ago pizza: I repeat, biscuits are very thin!
Have several FLAT baking trays and line them with non-stick parchment; don't use such things as roasting tins or swiss roll tins - the raised edges deflect heat unevenly around the biscuits and give irregular results. If such tins are all you have, turn them over and use the underside, covered with paper as before. Greaseproof can be used but the dough is more likely to stick to it, and then the biscuits break as you remove them to the cooling rack. And they must be removed to a cooling rack promptly in most cases, or the residual heat of the metal tray may bake them further and yes, scorch them!
Whenever you propose to make biscuits, start by placing the oven racks as needed - usually near the centre - and turn the oven on, and while it heats, line your biscuit trays with baking parchment and lay out your cooling racks and timer and a spatula for moving them about, and a tin or box to take the finished product.
THEN you can mix your dough, if it is the kind that can be done straight away.
Of course many biscuit doughs are rich in butter and need to be chilled after mixing, in which case you prepare the mixture, wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour: when ready to bake them proceed as above.
More to follow...
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Yogurt Scones
Put rack across the middle of the oven and turn on to 425F
Shake a handful of flour over a biscuit tray, or roasting tin.
Mix dry ingredients:
Sift together, 1 lb of plain flour, 4 level teaspoons of baking powder, 1 level teasp salt.
Rub in: 4 oz of packet marg like Stork, or butter. Rub in till fine crumb texture.
Stir in 2 oz of caster sugar.
Liquids: in your measuring jug, mix together: 5 fl oz natural yogurt and 5 floz cold water.(ie quarter pint of each)
Whisk lightly to mix.
Beat an egg in a cup and add most of it to the jug of liquid. (leave a little behind for glazing)
When the oven has reached temperature and tins ready (and not before!)---
Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix quickly but thoroughly with a fork: knead very briefly to amalgamate dough. Handle lightly.
With floury hand, press out on floured tray, about 1/4 to a /1/2 inch thick. Slash into squares, no need to separate them unless you want to.
Glaze the squares with the last bit of egg to which you might add a drop of milk .
Pop quickly into oven and bake for about 15 mins.
You can of course cut with a cutter into the classic rounds and bake them fairly close together. But do not let too much time elapse between adding the liquid to the dry, and baking.
The rise comes from the interaction of the acid yogurt with the baking powder: if left too long it loses its fizz!
You can halve quantities if wished.
A rich full-fat yogurt gives richest result.
Currants can be added, or sugar omitted, etc.
Eat same day (won't be a problem!) as scones stale quickly.
*****************************************************
Postscript: ingredients list;
Plain flour, 1 lb
Baking powder, 4 level teaspoons
salt, 1 level teaspoon
Hard margarine or butter 4 oz
Egg, 1.
Caster sugar, about 2 oz.
Natural yogurt 5 fl oz
Water 5 fl oz.
Shake a handful of flour over a biscuit tray, or roasting tin.
Mix dry ingredients:
Sift together, 1 lb of plain flour, 4 level teaspoons of baking powder, 1 level teasp salt.
Rub in: 4 oz of packet marg like Stork, or butter. Rub in till fine crumb texture.
Stir in 2 oz of caster sugar.
Liquids: in your measuring jug, mix together: 5 fl oz natural yogurt and 5 floz cold water.(ie quarter pint of each)
Whisk lightly to mix.
Beat an egg in a cup and add most of it to the jug of liquid. (leave a little behind for glazing)
When the oven has reached temperature and tins ready (and not before!)---
Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix quickly but thoroughly with a fork: knead very briefly to amalgamate dough. Handle lightly.
With floury hand, press out on floured tray, about 1/4 to a /1/2 inch thick. Slash into squares, no need to separate them unless you want to.
Glaze the squares with the last bit of egg to which you might add a drop of milk .
Pop quickly into oven and bake for about 15 mins.
You can of course cut with a cutter into the classic rounds and bake them fairly close together. But do not let too much time elapse between adding the liquid to the dry, and baking.
The rise comes from the interaction of the acid yogurt with the baking powder: if left too long it loses its fizz!
You can halve quantities if wished.
A rich full-fat yogurt gives richest result.
Currants can be added, or sugar omitted, etc.
Eat same day (won't be a problem!) as scones stale quickly.
*****************************************************
Postscript: ingredients list;
Plain flour, 1 lb
Baking powder, 4 level teaspoons
salt, 1 level teaspoon
Hard margarine or butter 4 oz
Egg, 1.
Caster sugar, about 2 oz.
Natural yogurt 5 fl oz
Water 5 fl oz.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Strawberries with Ricotta and Barbados sugar
I came across this simple seasonal dessert in Italy, many years ago.
It is still one of the best and nicest ways to serve strawberries.
As usual, the better the ingredients, the better the dish.
Good strawberries are pretty rare nowadays...don't get me started!
(But do tell every seller and grocer that those Elsantas are watery miserableness)
Good ricotta can be got, just make sure the brand you use is real ricotta, mild and creamy NOT CHEESY OR SALTY! It should taste like thick milk. The texture can be drier, almost sliceable sometimes, but it mustn't be like cream cheese.
Brown sugar - any kind will do, but the strong dark sticky Barbados type is best. Worst is that feeble kind that is like brown-coloured white sugar.
For a small family, use about a pint of strawberries, maybe a half of that volume in ricotta, and about 6 to 8 tablespoons of dark brown sugar.
Rinse and trim the strawberries. Quarter, slice, halve or leave, as needed for a comfortable spoonful size. Layer with the other ingredients into individual glasses, for single portions, or a pretty glass bowl for family serving.
Put strawberries, dollops of brown sugar, and spoonfuls or clumps of ricotta. About a third of each but more of the strawberries, the other things are a garnish for them.
It sounds very simple, but it is remarkable how good this mixture is!
For an excellent, clear account of what ricotta is and how it is made, have a look at Wikipedia.
It is still one of the best and nicest ways to serve strawberries.
As usual, the better the ingredients, the better the dish.
Good strawberries are pretty rare nowadays...don't get me started!
(But do tell every seller and grocer that those Elsantas are watery miserableness)
Good ricotta can be got, just make sure the brand you use is real ricotta, mild and creamy NOT CHEESY OR SALTY! It should taste like thick milk. The texture can be drier, almost sliceable sometimes, but it mustn't be like cream cheese.
Brown sugar - any kind will do, but the strong dark sticky Barbados type is best. Worst is that feeble kind that is like brown-coloured white sugar.
For a small family, use about a pint of strawberries, maybe a half of that volume in ricotta, and about 6 to 8 tablespoons of dark brown sugar.
Rinse and trim the strawberries. Quarter, slice, halve or leave, as needed for a comfortable spoonful size. Layer with the other ingredients into individual glasses, for single portions, or a pretty glass bowl for family serving.
Put strawberries, dollops of brown sugar, and spoonfuls or clumps of ricotta. About a third of each but more of the strawberries, the other things are a garnish for them.
It sounds very simple, but it is remarkable how good this mixture is!
For an excellent, clear account of what ricotta is and how it is made, have a look at Wikipedia.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
ABC: The All-purpose Birthday Cake
A B C
or
All-purpose Birthday Cake.
I am proud to report that I invented this recipe myself. It was originally made with some low-calorie spread or other - can't remember which one, but it accounts for the slight vagueness in the quantity for fat: use a little more if a lo-cal is being used, a little less if Dairygold.
It is an unbelievably simple and versatile recipe. Very easy to mix, no creaming, cooks quickly and the result is a fairly shallow sheet of light cake that can be cut into shapes, iced in any style, and served with any dessert like ice cream, whipped cream, fruit salad, etc etc. Cut into one-inch cubes to serve, and it will be enjoyed even by non-dessert-eaters or bored children. It is best baked in a chicken-size roasting tin that is lined with baking parchment. For complex shapes, double ingredients and use a large roasting tin.
Set oven to 180C or 350F; shelf across the middle
Line small roasting tin etc as above.
Sift together once or twice into large bowl:
8 oz plain flour
7 oz caster sugar
2 teasp baking pdr
1 tsp Bextartar
Make hole in middle; add
4 - 5 oz light soft marg ie golden Olive
4 fl oz milk
2 eggs
1 teasp vanilla/any other flavouring you like: (grated lemon rind is good, and use the juice, diluted, as your extra liquid.)
[OPTIONAL] up to 2 fl oz diluted orange squash or juice IF NEEDED to loosen batter
Beat vigorously for 2 - 3 mins. Add dollop of moistening (as in recipe) if too dry, it is a slack batter, not dough.
Pour into tin, about 1 and a half ins deep: bake in prepared tin for half an hour.
Turn out, cool, then strip paper off. Carve into shapes when cool. Ice with fondant or water icing or any topping. It goes a long way if cut into small cubes, which I recommend.
Good for making a celebration cake for any occasion.
or
All-purpose Birthday Cake.
I am proud to report that I invented this recipe myself. It was originally made with some low-calorie spread or other - can't remember which one, but it accounts for the slight vagueness in the quantity for fat: use a little more if a lo-cal is being used, a little less if Dairygold.
It is an unbelievably simple and versatile recipe. Very easy to mix, no creaming, cooks quickly and the result is a fairly shallow sheet of light cake that can be cut into shapes, iced in any style, and served with any dessert like ice cream, whipped cream, fruit salad, etc etc. Cut into one-inch cubes to serve, and it will be enjoyed even by non-dessert-eaters or bored children. It is best baked in a chicken-size roasting tin that is lined with baking parchment. For complex shapes, double ingredients and use a large roasting tin.
Set oven to 180C or 350F; shelf across the middle
Line small roasting tin etc as above.
Sift together once or twice into large bowl:
8 oz plain flour
7 oz caster sugar
2 teasp baking pdr
1 tsp Bextartar
Make hole in middle; add
4 - 5 oz light soft marg ie golden Olive
4 fl oz milk
2 eggs
1 teasp vanilla/any other flavouring you like: (grated lemon rind is good, and use the juice, diluted, as your extra liquid.)
[OPTIONAL] up to 2 fl oz diluted orange squash or juice IF NEEDED to loosen batter
Beat vigorously for 2 - 3 mins. Add dollop of moistening (as in recipe) if too dry, it is a slack batter, not dough.
Pour into tin, about 1 and a half ins deep: bake in prepared tin for half an hour.
Turn out, cool, then strip paper off. Carve into shapes when cool. Ice with fondant or water icing or any topping. It goes a long way if cut into small cubes, which I recommend.
Good for making a celebration cake for any occasion.
Monday, March 9, 2009
A crazy food list
Taken from an English food blog...test your tastebuds.
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
**************************************************************************************
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
**************************************************************************************
Thursday, January 29, 2009
January food - 1935
And now at last to business.
Mrs Evelyn Wallace recommends that the foods in season should be used, they being the most appetising and nourishing. No doubt the words "carbon footprint" would have been as foreign to her as ancient hieroglyphics, but nowadays the local and seasonal qualities of food are moving urgently to centre stage. If you care about such things, scan these suggested menus for food-miles!
SUNDAY
Breakfast: Fried eggs on toasted muffins, honey, bread and butter, coffee.
Dinner: Rabbit pie, baked potatoes, cabbage, orange pudding.
Supper: Cheese straws, scones, tea, Christmas cake.
MONDAY
Breakfast: Grilled rashers with grilled tomatoes, toast, marmalade, cocoa.
Dinner: Cauliflower cheese, beetroot with white cause, mashed potatoes, waffles.
Supper: Apple dumplings, coffee biscuits.
TUESDAY
Breakfast: Fried bacon with apple fromage, marmalade, toast, coffee.
Dinner: Stuffed pork steak, baked potatoes, apple sauce, parsnips, lemon pie.
Supper: Chipped potatoes with fried eggs, tea.
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: Baked herrings, bread and butter, lemon honey, coffee.
Dinner: White stew of rabbit, creamed potatoes, carrots and turnips, steamed ginger pudding.
Supper: Welsh rarebit (sic), bananas, coffee and biscuits.
THURSDAY
Breakfast: Kidney and bacon, toast, lemon cheese, tea.
Dinner: Rabbit soup, savoury pork chops, apple sauce, cauliflower, pancakes.
Supper: Potato cakes, bread and butter, cheese and biscuits, cocoa.
FRIDAY
Breakfast: Kedgeree with smoked haddock, breakfast scones, coffee, honey.
Dinner: Savoury omelette, potatoes, butter beans, mince pies.
Supper: Cheese and tomato rolls, coffee, cakes.
SATURDAY
Breakfast: Grapefruit, Scotch eggs, bread and butter, honey and coffee.
Dinner: Raised pork pie, or beefsteak pie, baked potatoes, Brussels sprouts.
Supper: Tomatoes in pastry, chocolate roll, tea.
I have scanned these menus with fascinated interest: Note that the only imported ingredients are coffee and tea, oranges, lemons, grapefruits (which are all in season), bananas, and, mysteriously, tomatoes which appear no less than three times.
In January? In 1935?
I don't know if huge shiploads of tomatoes were brought to Dublin from distant colonies, or what. I must find out. Maybe they were tinned! Even today, with polytunnels and hydroponics and air freight, a January tomato is a sorry thing in the Northern hemisphere. Even now, expensive.
I do think that this was a very expensive, not to say pretentious, line-up: in keeping with the whole magazine, perhaps! But note, however, that no meat was to be served for main meals on Monday or Friday.
She gives recipes, too: though, sadly, none for the apple fromage.
But more of this anon.
Mrs Evelyn Wallace recommends that the foods in season should be used, they being the most appetising and nourishing. No doubt the words "carbon footprint" would have been as foreign to her as ancient hieroglyphics, but nowadays the local and seasonal qualities of food are moving urgently to centre stage. If you care about such things, scan these suggested menus for food-miles!
SUNDAY
Breakfast: Fried eggs on toasted muffins, honey, bread and butter, coffee.
Dinner: Rabbit pie, baked potatoes, cabbage, orange pudding.
Supper: Cheese straws, scones, tea, Christmas cake.
MONDAY
Breakfast: Grilled rashers with grilled tomatoes, toast, marmalade, cocoa.
Dinner: Cauliflower cheese, beetroot with white cause, mashed potatoes, waffles.
Supper: Apple dumplings, coffee biscuits.
TUESDAY
Breakfast: Fried bacon with apple fromage, marmalade, toast, coffee.
Dinner: Stuffed pork steak, baked potatoes, apple sauce, parsnips, lemon pie.
Supper: Chipped potatoes with fried eggs, tea.
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: Baked herrings, bread and butter, lemon honey, coffee.
Dinner: White stew of rabbit, creamed potatoes, carrots and turnips, steamed ginger pudding.
Supper: Welsh rarebit (sic), bananas, coffee and biscuits.
THURSDAY
Breakfast: Kidney and bacon, toast, lemon cheese, tea.
Dinner: Rabbit soup, savoury pork chops, apple sauce, cauliflower, pancakes.
Supper: Potato cakes, bread and butter, cheese and biscuits, cocoa.
FRIDAY
Breakfast: Kedgeree with smoked haddock, breakfast scones, coffee, honey.
Dinner: Savoury omelette, potatoes, butter beans, mince pies.
Supper: Cheese and tomato rolls, coffee, cakes.
SATURDAY
Breakfast: Grapefruit, Scotch eggs, bread and butter, honey and coffee.
Dinner: Raised pork pie, or beefsteak pie, baked potatoes, Brussels sprouts.
Supper: Tomatoes in pastry, chocolate roll, tea.
I have scanned these menus with fascinated interest: Note that the only imported ingredients are coffee and tea, oranges, lemons, grapefruits (which are all in season), bananas, and, mysteriously, tomatoes which appear no less than three times.
In January? In 1935?
I don't know if huge shiploads of tomatoes were brought to Dublin from distant colonies, or what. I must find out. Maybe they were tinned! Even today, with polytunnels and hydroponics and air freight, a January tomato is a sorry thing in the Northern hemisphere. Even now, expensive.
I do think that this was a very expensive, not to say pretentious, line-up: in keeping with the whole magazine, perhaps! But note, however, that no meat was to be served for main meals on Monday or Friday.
She gives recipes, too: though, sadly, none for the apple fromage.
But more of this anon.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Seventy four years ago: suggested menus
I have in my possession a copy (well, a photocopy) of Model Housekeeping, dated January 1935, retailing then for the pricey sum of 3d. It proudly advertises itself as Ireland's National Women's Magazine. It was in fact the Irish version of Good Housekeeping - not a silly rag by any means.
The cover picture shows a well-dressed model - in a pajama suit, very 1930s - chatting to a parrot of similar colouring. The lady holds a cigarette languidly, elegantly.
Turning to the first page, we see an ad for Ovaltine, with the unexpected caption "Happy the baby that is breast-fed." Picture of smiling mother and laughing baby. " OVALTINE Enables Mothers to Breast-feed their Babies".
Contents page follows, including this month's free pattern, a Charming Blouse.
The whole thing is a hoot from beginning to end. I was particularly intrigued with several articles advertising new homes in Dublin's newest suburb, Mount Merrion. The air is mentioned as being very healthy, horse riding is among the amenities and the star of the piece is the All-Electric House (illustrated): it had electric fires, a drying-room, a fridge! - very futuristic - and even an Electric CLOCK!
Now, all this is good for a laugh, if you're young enough, or nostalgia if you're not. Yet there is a more serious lesson to be learnt within these elderly pages.
I was about to embark on the fascinating Suggested Menus for a Week, but instead must go and attend to my own modern family dinner...hasta la vista!
The cover picture shows a well-dressed model - in a pajama suit, very 1930s - chatting to a parrot of similar colouring. The lady holds a cigarette languidly, elegantly.
Turning to the first page, we see an ad for Ovaltine, with the unexpected caption "Happy the baby that is breast-fed." Picture of smiling mother and laughing baby. " OVALTINE Enables Mothers to Breast-feed their Babies".
Contents page follows, including this month's free pattern, a Charming Blouse.
The whole thing is a hoot from beginning to end. I was particularly intrigued with several articles advertising new homes in Dublin's newest suburb, Mount Merrion. The air is mentioned as being very healthy, horse riding is among the amenities and the star of the piece is the All-Electric House (illustrated): it had electric fires, a drying-room, a fridge! - very futuristic - and even an Electric CLOCK!
Now, all this is good for a laugh, if you're young enough, or nostalgia if you're not. Yet there is a more serious lesson to be learnt within these elderly pages.
I was about to embark on the fascinating Suggested Menus for a Week, but instead must go and attend to my own modern family dinner...hasta la vista!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Hi folks!
New Year's Day seems a suitable moment to commence. And let us begin with Janus, after whom this month is named.
He was the Roman god of entrances, depicted with two faces (carved on many doorways,) one looking in, the other out. Or one looking back, the other forward. So you see he is very suited to name the month.
So, looking back, some seventy years ago almost to the day an Irish women's magazine published suggestions for weekly menus in its cookery column. The dishes listed for the first week of January are well worth a ponder in these very different times. I have not the article before me now, but I seem to recall that the only imported ingredients were tea, coffee, oranges, lemons, spices and possibly bananas. Everything else would have been locally grown and in season.
Await a more detailed look at this fascinating culinary snippet in a later post.
Looking forward, I propose, mainly, to rejoice in food! As I have always done, indeed. And no doubt my own agenda will become apparent. That is, um, several strands. One, good judgement in food is about 90% tastebuds, and maybe 10% context. There's also about 10% memory in there: I know this doesn't add up to 100 but food preferences are irrational and fiercely intractable.
I have excellent faith in my own tastebuds, and love to put them to the test, and learn.
I do know a lot about food, just as an amateur,you understand. No catering college or commercial kitchens in my life story, just a lifetime of family cooking, often on a short budget, always energised by contact with the national cuisines of other countries. I have a large collection of cookery books which I read for pleasure rather than practice!
Enough of this rambling...until next time. Bye!
He was the Roman god of entrances, depicted with two faces (carved on many doorways,) one looking in, the other out. Or one looking back, the other forward. So you see he is very suited to name the month.
So, looking back, some seventy years ago almost to the day an Irish women's magazine published suggestions for weekly menus in its cookery column. The dishes listed for the first week of January are well worth a ponder in these very different times. I have not the article before me now, but I seem to recall that the only imported ingredients were tea, coffee, oranges, lemons, spices and possibly bananas. Everything else would have been locally grown and in season.
Await a more detailed look at this fascinating culinary snippet in a later post.
Looking forward, I propose, mainly, to rejoice in food! As I have always done, indeed. And no doubt my own agenda will become apparent. That is, um, several strands. One, good judgement in food is about 90% tastebuds, and maybe 10% context. There's also about 10% memory in there: I know this doesn't add up to 100 but food preferences are irrational and fiercely intractable.
I have excellent faith in my own tastebuds, and love to put them to the test, and learn.
I do know a lot about food, just as an amateur,you understand. No catering college or commercial kitchens in my life story, just a lifetime of family cooking, often on a short budget, always energised by contact with the national cuisines of other countries. I have a large collection of cookery books which I read for pleasure rather than practice!
Enough of this rambling...until next time. Bye!
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