jackal10

Make a chestnut loaf. Essentially chestnut stuffing cooked seperately from the turkey. The meat eaters can have it as a stuffing, the veggies as thier main protein. Use pre prepared chestnut for ease. 1lb chestnuts (2 tins of can whole) 1lb breadcrumbs or cooked potato Large Onion sliced, sauteed in best butter Garlic, sage if liked Seasoning 2 eggs, beaten Mushrooms roughly chopped (preferably wild, or shitake, or re-hydrated dried morel) very optional Mix together. If you include mushrooms you might consider a drizzle of truffle oil Pack into a non-stick or baking parchment lined loaf tin.Bake in a moderate oven for an hour. Turn out. Make a good gravy with the soaking water from the mushrooms, soy, maderia, and thickened somewhat with flour or cornflour. You can decorate it (either before you put in the mixture, or layered into the mixture, or after cooking) with carrot batons, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, cranberries etc

Amen! However all that butter makes them too greasy. The bread and cheese sandwich (untoasted) should be placed in the Aga toaster and sandwiched between the simmering plate and its lid. The boiling plate is too hot, and the bread blackens bfoe the cheese melts. Worcester sauce adsorbed into the bread first is permitted, even encouraged. Home made green tomato chutney (from the egCI Autumn and Festive Preserves Unit is good too.

I went to an Indian store (the wonderful Nasreen Dar store) near the office of one of my companies, where I was today. Besided Urad Dal, I picked up two instant mixes, made by Gits (unfortunate name for a brand in the UK). However they seem to have semolina and other different ingredients, although the pictures on the packet, and the method are similar: Rava Idli contents Semolina and Lentils, hydrogenated vegtable oil, cashew nuts, raising agents, citric acid, dhy green chilis, dehy curry leaves, dried ginger powder, fenugreek powder, aesfoetida powder, E 320) Rava Dosai contents: Semolina flour, rice flour, hydrogenated vegetable oil, citric acid, sodiun bicarbonate, sesame seed powder, cumin E320 How can this be?

Fingers. That is why a silver fingerbowl with warm water, and maybe a lemon slice or a few rose petals is brought to table. It is brought to table with your asparagus isn't it? Btw it is not corrrect to drink from the fingerbowl despite the Queen Victoria story.

Worcester sauce is often traditionally added to toasted cheese. I always do. It even features in the Lea and Perrins adverts Marmite is pretty good too.

Glad it worked OK. Pips are the seeds. Apple jelly on dark rye is a good combination..

Seven loaves Two fishes 4000 people

Depends on the apples. I like mine still in one piece. I scarecly cook it on the stovetop at all. I just turn the apple around in the hot caramel on the stove so that they are coated, then whack on the top and put it in a hot oven until the top browns - 20 mins or so Get the caramel fairly dark, otherwise it is too sweet.

Mulled wine

This is my thousand'th post!!

I've not made it myself but I guess hot, sweet and if vinegar is added sour, but otherwise fairly neutral, sort of a solid chilli sweet sauce. Perhaps others can say. I belive it is a staple in in Southern US

Amazing! I love the dosa's. How can I get white Urad dal in the UK, other than ethnic shops? Does it go by any other name, or have an anglicised name? Can anything else be substituted?

Pattern recognition of bubble chamber tracks, but I never finshed writing it up...

Oops The amount is 1pt/750mls vinegar. The best kidney suet (the fat from around the kidneys of beef carcases) should be available from a good old-fashioned butcher that does their own cutting. Cheap too, since its essentially a by-product. The short answer for meat in mincemeat is to add cooked chopped beef tongue, in the same weight as suet. For a very long answer I have posted some historic recipes, such as those of Sir Kenelm Digby of 1669 in the thread om Mincemeat pies.

Many thanks claire. That is really great! If you are having trouble with pix email them to me and I can upload them.

No, I'm British, but much the same applies. Particularly good tinned salmon sandwiches, on thin brown bread, were served in the Tea Room of the old Cavendish Laboratories, the physics department of the University of Cambridge, and where I did my PhD, and where many discoveries were made, including that of Crick and Watson of the double helix structure of DNA. The rumour was the sandwiches were provided under a trust fund established by Professor Bragg from his Nobel prize money, to provide sustenance for staff and students who had worked through lunch.

Mildly edited, and taken in turn from a possibly edited version of "The boke of Cury" dozen is spelt differently - possibly from several cooks. Also my typing at this time of night is not the best Conys are diferent from rabbetts somehow.

Great Feast of Sept 23, 1387 given by King Richard and the Duke of Lancaster 14 Oxen lying in Salte 20 Oxen ffresh 120 hedes of sheep fressh 120 carcas of sheep fressh 120 bores 14 calvys 140 pigges 300 maribones of lard and grece, ynough 3 ton (barrels) of salt veneson 3 does of ffresh venison 50 swannes 210 gees 50 capons of hi grece 8 dozen other capons 60 dussen hens 400 conyngges (rabbit) 4 fesauntes 5 herons and bitores 6 kiddes 5 dozen pullayn for gely (pullets for jelly) 12 dousan to roast 100 dousen peions (pigeons) 12 dozen partrych 8 dozen rabettes 12 dosen curlews 12 cranes wilde fowle ynough 100 galons milke 12 galons creme 11 galons of cruddes (curds) 12 bushels of appelles 11 thousand egges

Salmon sandwiches Must be tinned salmon, mashed with vinegar, salt and pepper, and the odd slice of cucmber if you are posh. Like canned tuna, its a differnt thing from the natural stuff...

I think it would be too dilute. Straight lemon juice might do it. The objective is to delay the browning so the potato crisps before the sugars colour. My guess us the sugar coke will colour quickest, then the cold stored potato, then the ordinary potato then the acid dipped ones, with crispness and keeping in reverse order. I'm fascinated to see how it turns out...

Not quite. The acid retards the Maillard reaction during frying. I don't know why its used warm - I took the method from Talburt and Smiths "Potato Processing", the standard text boook

The short answer is add cooked, chopped ox-tongue in the same amount as the suet. The (very) long answer ... If you want to be really authentic, I give the original sources. I reproduce below some original recipes from books in my library, that should be safely out of copyright. Let us know how you get on. I've translated the old long s to modern ones. A Neat was a cow. Pippins are apples. A coffin was a raised pie crust, usually hot water pastry. From "The Closet of Eminently Learned Sir Kenelm Digby Bt, opened by his Son" 1669. This was originally a sort of notebook, so it is full of additions and corrections. MY LADY OF PORTLAND'S MINCED PYES Take four pounds of Beef, Veal or Neat's Tongues, and eight pounds of Suet; mince the meat and the Suet very small before you put them together. Then mingle them well together and mince it very small and put to it six pounds of Currants washed and picked very clean. Then take the peel of two Limons, and half a score of Pippins, and mince them very small. The take above an Ounce of Nutmeg, a quarter Ounce of Mace, some Cloves and Cinnamon, and put them together, and sweeten them with Rose-water and Sugar. And when you are ready to put them into your Paste take Citron and Orangiadoe, and slice them very thin and lay them upon the meat. If you please put Dates on top of them. And put amongst the meat an Ounce of Caraway seeds. Be sure you have very fine paste. My Lady of Portland told me since, that she finds Neats-tongues to be the best flesh for Pies. Parboil them first. For the proportion of ingredients she likes best is to take equal parts of flesh, of Suet, of currants and of Raisins of the Sun. The other things are in proportion as is said above. You may either put the Raisins in whole, or stone the greatest part and Mince them with the Meat. Keep some whole ones to lay a bed of them at the top of the Pye, when all is in. You will do well to stick the Candid Orange-peel and green Citron peel into the meat. You may put a little Sack or Greek Muscadine into each Pye. A little Amber-Sugar doth well here. A pound of flesh, and a proportionality of all things else is enough for a large family. ANOTHER WAY OF MAKING EXCELLENT MINCED PYES OF MY LADY PORTLAND PArboil Neats-tongues. The Peel and hash them with as much as they weight of Beef-Suet and stoned Raisins and picked Currants. Chop all exceeding small, like Pap. Employ therin at least an hour more than ordinarily is used. The mingle a very little Sugar with them, and a little wine, and thrust in up and down some thin slices of green Candyed Citron-peel, An put this into coffins of fine light well reared crust. Half an hour baking will be enough. If you strew a few Carvi comfits on the top, it will not be amiss. MINCED PYES My Lady Lasson makes her finest minced Pyes of Neats-tongues. But she holdeth the most savoury ones to be of Veal and Mutton in equal parts very small minced. Her finest crust is made by sprinkling the flower (as much as is needed) with cold water, and then working the past with little pieces of raw butter in good quantity. So that she useth neither hot water, nor melted butter in them; and this makes the crust short and light. After all the meat and seasoning, and Plums and Citron peel etc is in the Coffin, she puts a little Ambered-sugar upon it.thus: Grind much two grains of Ambergreece and half a one of Musk, with a little piece of hard loaf sugar. This will serve six or eight pyes, strewed all over the top. Then cover it with a Liddle, and set it in the oven About 120 years later, meat in the pie was going out of fashion. This is from John Farley "The London Art of Cookery" My edition is the eighth of 1796. John Farley was "Principal Cook at the London Tavern", and renowned for his potted and preserved meats. Mince Pie Take a Neat's tongue and boil it two hours; then skin it and chop it as small as possible. Chop very small three pound of beef suet, the same quantity of good baking apples, four pounds of currants, clean washed, well picked and dried before the fire, a pound of jar raisins stoned and chopped small, and a pound of powder sugar. Mix them well together with half an ounce of mace, the same quantity of grated nutmeg, a quarter of an ounce of cloves, the same quantity of cinnamon, and a pint of French Brandy. Make a rich puff paste, and as you fill up the pie put in a little candied citron and orange cut into pieces. Put close down in a pot what mincemeat you have to spare and cover it up; but never put any citron or orange to it till you use it. Or you may make your pie in this manner, which is considered by some the best way. Shred three pounds of suet very fine, and chopped as small as possible. Take two pound of raisins stoned , and chopped as fine as possible; two pounds of currant nicely picked, washed and dried at the fire; half a hundred of fine pippins pared, cored and chopped small; half a pound of fine sugar pounded fine; a quarter of an ounce of mace, the same quantity of cloves, and two large nutmegs, all beat fine. Put all together in a great pan, and mix them well with half a pint of brandy and the same quantity of sack. Put it close down into a stone pan, and it will keep good for months. When you make your pies , take a little dish, something bigger than a soup plate, and lay a very thin crust all over it; then lay a thin layer of meat, then a thin layer of citron, cut very thin; then a layer of mincemeat and a layer of orange peel cut thin. Pour over that a little mincemeat, and squeeze in the juice of half a fine Seville Orange or lemon. Then lay on your crust and bake it nicely. These pyes eat very well when cold; and if you make them in little patties mix your meat and your swaetmeats accordingly, If you choose to have meat in your pies, you may take two pounds of the inside of a sirloin of beef boiled, chopped as fine as possible, and mixed with the rest; or you may parboil a neats's tongue and treat it as above directed. Scotland was a little more old-fashioned. "Mistress Margaret Dods" (a pen name from Scott's Waverly Novels, keeper of the Cleikum Inn, St Ronan) in the Cook and Housewife's Manual (my copy is 4th Edition, 1829) gives 814 Mince Pies (We reccomend to every young housekeeper to adopt this favourite preparation in the receipt of her own grandmother. This ought to produce the best Christmas pies) These are made in an endless variety of ways. Indeed every family receipt-book teems with prescriptions. We select what is, after experiment and mature consideration we considered the best formula. Par-roast or bake slightly a couple of pounds of the fine lean of good beef or tongue. Mince this or scrape it. Mince also two pounds of fresh suet, two of apples,pared and cored, three pounds of currants, rubbed, picked and dried, and a pound and a half of good raisins stoned. Let the things be seperately minced till fine, but not so fine as to run together; then mix them with a pound of beat sugar, and add a teaspoonful of salt, a half-ounce of ground ginger, the same weight of allspice and bruised coriander seeds, some beat cloves and two nutmegs grated, the juice and rind two lemons and two Seville oranges, half a pound of candied lemon and orange peel, and quarter of a pound of candied citron, sliced. Mix the seasonings equally with the meat. Keep the minced-meat close pressed in cans in a cool dry place. Put half a pint of brandy, or pineapple rum into a basin with double that quantity of Maderia or Sherry, and half a pint of orange flower water. When to be used cover pans of any size, small saucers, or a small pie dish with puff or plain paste, and moisten the meat, if hard, with a little of the wine and brandy and fill the pies. Put a cover of puff paste over them, or if plain paste, ice it. Pare the edges neatly, and mark the top with a paste-knife. Half an hour in a moderate oven will bake them. Slip them out of the tins, and serve them hot. - OBS Mince-pies may be made cheaper, and yet very good by substitutung gravy for wine; or by using home-made wine (ginger wine is best), by lessening the quantity of expensive fruits and spiceries and taking any bit of lean dressed beef the larder affords or a piece of double tripe boiled, minced fine. 815 - Superlative Mince Pies Rub with salt and mixed spices a fat bullocks tongue. Let it lie for three days, and parboil, and mince or scrape it. Mince seperately three pounds of Zante currants, picked, plumped and dried, a dozen of lemon pippin apples, pared and cored, and a pound of blanched almonds with a few bitter ones. Mix the mince and add half a pound of candied citron and orange peel minced, and an ounce of beat cinnamon and cloves, with the juice and grated rind of of three or four lemons, half an ounce of salt, and the same quantity of allspice, quarter of a pound of fine sugar pounded, and a pint and a half of Maderia, the same quantity of brandy and orange-flower-water. Line the pans with rich puff-paste and serve the pies hot with burnt brandy. OBS The brandy should be burnt at table, as it is used. Edited: typos

Do you lay the cutlery bowl up or bowl down? If so where is the hallmark placed? I assume, of course, that it is solid silver. I was brought up with the cutlery hollow side up, and the hallmark hidden. I understand some people like to show off with the cutlery the other way up, or cutlery with the hallmark in the bowl. Are there seperate soup spoons (round) (Victorian I believe) or is it a tablespoon (tradition) or even a desertspoon doing double duty? Do you lay desert cutlery above the plate, or at side? Naturally with multi-course meals this is not an issue, since the cutlery for more than three courses should never be on the table at any time.

Its in glorious technicolour in the eGCI Autumn and Festive Preserves unit. Click here.

Land of the blessed. A pity so few appreciate it! Waiting with baited breath for the Acme lists.. Do thy have a URL?