To mark Pride And Prejudice’s 200th anniversary, a new book- Dinner with Mr Darcy- shows you how to make the roasts, pies and puds Jane Austen’s characters would have enjoyed.
I am a huge Mrs Beeton convert- I have her books and refer to them for almost everything (Since we only have an oven and hob and no microwave it's actually better as I don't end up disappointed at how much longer it takes to cook that way!)
I do like my stodgy, traditional, carbtastic meals.
I'm not a very adept chef mind- but looking at the recipes from this book they don't seem too awful to make- Simple but different.
I am quite tempted to give this a go- Some of the recipes are on the Daily Mail website- I just liked the look of flummery.
Maybe I'mm make one for christmas!
There seem to be plenty of actually make-able savoury dishes too.
300ml (½pt) milk
50g (1¾oz) ground almonds
1-2tbsp caster sugar
1tsp natural rosewater (with no added alcohol, available online)
A drop of natural almond extract (from supermarkets)
300ml (½pt) double cream
Put the gelatine in a bowl and cover with cold water; leave for 4-5 minutes. Pour the milk, almonds and sugar into a saucepan and heat slowly until just below boiling. Squeeze out the excess water from the gelatine leaves and add them to the almond milk, along with the rosewater and the almond extract. Simmer for a few minutes, keeping the mixture below boiling point. Let it cool a little and strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve.Put the gelatine in a bowl and cover with cold water; leave for 4-5 minutes. Pour the milk, almonds and sugar into a saucepan and heat slowly until just below boiling. Squeeze out the excess water from the gelatine leaves and add them to the almond milk, along with the rosewater and the almond extract. Simmer for a few minutes, keeping the mixture below boiling point. Let it cool a little and strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve.
Dinner with Mr Darcy: Flummery
Flummery is a white jelly that was set in elegant moulds and served at balls such as the one Mr Bingley throws at Netherfield in Pride And Prejudice. Its creamy, delicate taste goes particularly well with fresh berries. If you prefer, you can add puréed fruit to the ingredients, omitting the same volume of milk.
5 gelatine leaves
Whip the cream until thick, then fold it into the tepid mixture. Take a jelly mould, ideally with a removable lid, and wet it (essential, to turn the flummery out). Put the mix in and leave in the fridge overnight.
Turn out the flummery and serve. (If you don’t have a mould with a removable lid, dip the base of your mould briefly in a shallow tray of boiling water before turning out onto a plate.)
HERB PIE
Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5. To make the pastry, put the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the cold butter, then chop it with a knife until each piece of butter is as small as you can make it; make sure the butter pieces are thoroughly coated in flour. When you can chop no more, rub it in using just your fingertips – this will keep the mixture from becoming too warm, which may make it dense. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of cold water and mix everything with a knife until it clumps together. Add a little more water if necessary. Bring the mixture together with your hands just until it makes a smooth dough – don’t knead it. Cover it with clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes before using.
SPICED MUSHROOMS
Gently cook the shallots in the butter until they are nearly soft – about 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan with a little more butter if needed, and cook for about 10 minutes until they are brown on all sides and oozing juice. Sprinkle over the spices and salt, add the bay leaves, cover with the wine, if using, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until there is just a little liquid remaining. If you prefer to dry the mushrooms like Martha, omit the wine, and leave them somewhere very warm, such as the bottom of an Aga, or the top of a woodburner, for a few hours. The dried mushrooms can be powdered and added to stews, or left whole and reconstituted in water.
HERB PIE
Dinner with Mr Darcy: Herb pie
This is an updated version of a recipe that Mrs Rundell, a contemporary of Jane Austen, included in her book A New System Of Domestic Cookery, published in 1806. At the time people did not distinguish between what we call leaves and herbs. The beauty of Mrs Rundell’s pie is that you can use any combination of leaves and herbs; even ones that the Georgians wouldn’t recognise, such as fresh coriander or rocket, would work here.
l 800g (1lb 12oz) of mixed seasonal herbs and greens. Mrs Rundell uses parsley, spinach, lettuce, mustard and cress borage, and white beetroot leaves. You could also use beetroot leaves, chard, kale, spring greens, mint, dill or chives
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Butter, to grease the pie dish
2 medium eggs
200ml (7fl oz) milk
250ml (9fl oz) single cream
2tbsp flour
For the shortcrust pastry
170g (6oz) plain flour
A pinch of salt
115g (4oz) unsalted butter (chilled)
For the pie filling, quickly blanch any of the tougher leaves – such as spinach, beetroot, kale, chard – in boiling water, then immediately plunge into cold water. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid and chop them roughly. Mix with the more delicate leaves and herbs, season with salt and pepper, and put aside in a buttered pie dish.
Beat the eggs well, then add the milk and single cream, continuing to beat. Add the 2tbsp flour, whisking thoroughly to ensure that there are no lumps, and when thickened pour over the mixed greens.
Roll out the shortcrust pastry and cover the pie dish, making a couple of slashes on the top to release moisture while cooking. Bake in the oven until the pastry is lightly golden and cooked through, about 30-40 minutes.
Gently cook the shallots in the butter until they are nearly soft – about 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan with a little more butter if needed, and cook for about 10 minutes until they are brown on all sides and oozing juice. Sprinkle over the spices and salt, add the bay leaves, cover with the wine, if using, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until there is just a little liquid remaining. If you prefer to dry the mushrooms like Martha, omit the wine, and leave them somewhere very warm, such as the bottom of an Aga, or the top of a woodburner, for a few hours. The dried mushrooms can be powdered and added to stews, or left whole and reconstituted in water.
Dinner with Mr Darcy: Spiced mushrooms
Martha Lloyd was a close friend of the Austens and her Household Book is a wonderful record of what Jane and her family ate. It contains a recipe for drying mushrooms with spices which is adapted into a side dish here. It has an earthy, robust flavour that goes well with venison, which Mrs Bennet serves when Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley come to dinner at Longbourn.
12 small whole shallots, peeled
2tbsp butter
450g (1lb) field mushrooms, quartered
Freshly ground white pepper
¼tsp ground cloves
½tsp ground mace
½tsp grated nutmeg
Sea salt
2-3 bay leaves
A small glass of white or red wine (optional)
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