The smell of food is amazing, and everything is lovely and hot, considering it's been brought up the back stairs from the kitchen in the basement. Despite the aroma of warm nutmeg already in the air, you see Mr. Blair bring out his little silver nutmeg grater from his capacious pockets, and set it ready: he loves his nutmeg! By contrast, Mr. Armstrong is anxiously wondering if he brought his stomach powders - all that cream!
The recipes marked with an asterisk are from The Jane Austen Cookbook by Maggie Black
and Deirdre Le Faye, London 1995. Recipes marked with a hache are from A Choice Selection of Regency Recipes by
Marie-Pierre Moine and Antonia Williams (London 1995), produced for the Royal
Pavilion, Brighton.
Negus*
Here we are, a warming drink as you come in on a cool
September evening. Daniel will hand you a glass in the drawing room – Robbins
checked to see he hadn’t made any of the glasses sticky.
1 pint port wine
1 lemon
12 sugar lumps
2 pints boiling water
Grated nutmeg
Pour the port into a large, heatproof jug. Rub the lemon
with the sugar lumps, then squeeze the lemon juice and strain it. Mix the sugar
and the lemon juice with the port, and add the boiling water. Cover the jug
until the liquid has cooled a little, then serve in glasses with a scrape of
grated nutmeg.
In the supper room, the first course dishes are all laid on
the table in a symmetrical display.
Start with the soup (watch out – Robbins is good at serving
this but William has a bit of a shaky hand!)
White Soup*
There are lots of recipes for this – my tasters enjoyed this
one very much.
6 pints water
1 medium-sized boiling fowl
8 oz lean bacon or gammon trimmings
4 oz white rice
6 black peppercorns
2 onions, peeled and halved
2 anchovy fillets
2-3 sprigs each thyme, marjoram and tarragon, tied in a
cloth
4-6 stalks celery, chopped
4 oz ground almonds, a popular Georgian ingredient
1 egg yolk
10 fl.oz single cream
Pour water into a large stewpan. Rinse the chicken and add
to pan with any giblets (if it’s a bit big, you can joint it). Add bacon, rice,
peppercorns, onions, anchovies, herbs and celery. Cover, bring to boil and cook
very gently until the chicken meat is fully cooked.
Strain into a bowl, cover with a cloth and leave in a cool
place overnight (locked away from the family cats, obviously). Next day, skim
off any fats or impurities and pour into a clean pan. Add the ground almonds,
bring slowly to the boil and simmer 10 minutes. Strain yet again, through
cheesecloth. Whisk the egg yolk into the cream and add to the soup. Reheat
until very hot, but do not boil again. Watercress leaves on each bowl are
pretty.
Now for the main course – all the savoury courses are served
at once. In this modern household you can serve yourself – the Georgians of the
early nineteenth century were growing independent of their servants at social
gatherings. Take a little of each of these savoury dishes – the meat ones are
the larger ones in the centre:
Chicken Baskets*
14oz shortcrust pastry (I hate buying ready made pastry
unless it’s puff, so made my own.)
1lb cooked chicken without skin or bones
2oz shredded suet
1 large slice white bread without crust, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (fortunately someone had
given me a pot, or I’d have had to run to the allotment)
½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
Pinch of grated nutmeg (the Georgians loved nutmeg, and
would keep some in their pocket with a little grater for adding as we would add
salt and pepper)
Salt and white pepper
1 oz softened butter
1 oz flour
10 fl.oz chicken stock (cheated and used a cube)
1 tablespoon double cream
Preheat oven to 375-400’F/190-200’C/Gas Mark 5-6. Line deep
bun tins with the pastry and on a separate baking tray lay out pastry handles
for the baskets, a little narrower at the base than the pastry cases. Make a
few spares as they’re very brittle!
Bake the pastry blind until fully cooked – the cases will
take 8 – 10 minutes but the handles will only take 5 – 6 minutes. Keep aside.
Mince together the chicken meat, suet, bread, parsley, lemon
rind, nutmeg and seasoning. Blend the butter and flour together with a little
stock to form a paste. Bring remaining stock almost to boiling point, then drop
in the butter-flour past in small spoonfuls and simmer, stirring, until the
sauce is very thick. Add the chicken mixture and heat through, still stirring.
Now you can either serve hot by keeping the filling warm
while you warm the pastry cases gently in the oven, or you can serve it all
cold. Arrange the cases on a dish, fill, and slide the handles in carefully.
Sprinkle with parsley.
Venison Cake*
This can also be done with veal, or indeed lamb, but venison
was what we had.
2 ½ lbs lean venison, boned (keep the bones)
Salt and pepper
8 hard-boiled egg yolks
8 large sprigs parsley
1lb streaky bacon rashers
10fl.oz meat stock
Cut meat into three equal-sized slices, to fit your 2lb loaf
tin. Lay the thickest slice in the tin and season lightly. Crumble four of the
egg yolks and mix with 4 tablespoons of parsley, and spread over meat. Cut the
bacon rashers in half lengthways and arrange half the strips in a layer over
the egg mixture. Cover with a second meat layer and season. Repeat the egg
layer, cover with remaining bacon and top with third meat layer. Season again.
Preheat oven to 325’F/170’C/Gas Mark 3. Add the stock to the
tin. Cover the meat with the bones and then with a sheet of baking parchment,
followed by one of foil. Bake for 3 hours.
When the meat is done, remove the coverings and bones, and
pour off any excess stock. Cover with a weight and leave to cool overnight.
Turn out to serve, and slice with a sharp knife.
Herrings with
mustard butter#
Here they’re served with stewed cucumbers (see below) which
go very well with the strong flavour of the fish and mustard. This was one of
my tasters’ favourite dishes.
4 herrings, cleaned and trimmed
2 oz. flour
Salt and black pepper
For the Mustard
Butter:
2 oz soft butter
¼ teaspoon mustard powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Make the mustard butter first, by mashing together all the
ingredients. Chill.
Heat the grill till it’s hot. Make diagonal slashes in the
sides of the herrings. Roll the herrings in the seasoned flour, then grill for
4 – 5 minutes each side until cooked. Serve very hot, with slivers of chilled
mustard butter on top.
Roast Ham
A popular Georgian meat, often roasted or baked with a crust
or in wine. Here I’ve done a citrusy glaze, which keeps the meat lovely and
moist.
‘A Receipt to Curry
after the Indian Manner’*
Murray couldn’t resist asking his cook for a curry after he
loved the food so much in India, though this is warming rather than over-spicy.
Robbins likes the plate.
6-8 fleshy chicken joints
4oz unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
6oz onions, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons Curree Powder (see separate entry)
Juice of 1 Seville orange or lemon
Wipe the chicken joints and put them in a stew-pan with enough
water to cover and a small pinch of salt. Put the lid on and cook gently until
tender. Transfer joints to a plate: keep cooking liquid.
Melt butter in a large pan till sizzling, add garlic and
onions and sauté till browned. Add the chicken joints and curree powder and
stir, shaking the pan, for 3-4 minutes until the chicken pieces are well
coated. Stir in 1 pint of the cooking liquid, then cover the pan and simmer
until the mixture is well heated through. Taste for seasoning and stir in the
fruit juice.
Curree Powder*
1/2oz ground galangal
1/2 oz ground turmeric
¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2oz rice flour
This is a bit sweeter than modern curry powders.
Interestingly, commercially blended curry powder was available in Britain by
1806. I’ve been having trouble for some time finding ground galangal in
Aberdeen so I used potted galangal.
Now the salady side dishes, which are arranged around the
edge.
Artichoke Pie#
Pastry was the usual carbohydrate, not potato: a substantial
pie was a very common feature at the dinner table. The artichokes were easily
grown at Letho and brought down to the Queen Street house (but if you’re using
modern tinned ones, give them a rinse to take off some of the salt).
1lb shortcrust pastry
1 1/2oz butter
Flour for dusting
½ lb brown mushrooms, wiped and thinly sliced
12 large artichoke hearts
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 hard boiled eggs, cut into wedges
A little egg yolk mixed with milk, for glazing
1 egg
3-4 generous tablespoons of cream
Salt and black pepper
Take 2/3 of the pastry and use it to line a large deep
greased pie dish. Roll out the other third for a lid, prick and chill.
Fry the mushrooms in a little butter. Heat over to
190’C/375’F/Gas mark 5. Thickly slice artichokes and put them in the pice.
Season generously with salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon zest. Top with the hard
boiled egg, mushrooms and their juices. Dot with butter. Add the pastry lid,
cut a hole in the centre, decorate as you wish and glaze. Bake for 40 minutes.
Remove from oven. Mix the egg with the cream and season. Pour this into the
pie. If the pie is already golden-brown, cover loosely with foil, and continue
baking another 5-10 minutes. Leave to cool and settle before serving.
Salmagundy
Splendid!
This is just a question of picking ingredients and arranging
them nicely in concentric ovals. Beetroot was popular, along with various cold
meats, anchovies, and hard-boiled eggs. Watercress or shredded lettuce leaves
can look pretty, too.
Beetroot pancakes#
This is the recipe Mrs. Costane was so proud of at Scoggie
Castle: Murray talked her into giving it to Mrs. Mack.
About ½ lb cooked beetroot, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons whisky or brandy
¼ pint double cream
4 large egg yolks
2oz sifted flour
Tiny pinch salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Butter for greasing the pan.
Mix the ingredients until well blended and let the thick
batter rest for at least an hour.
Heat butter in frying pan and coat it well. Drop a
tablespoon of the batter into the centre and cook until set, turn and cook on
the other side. Keep adding butter as required until all the pancakes are
cooked. Serve warm or cold.
Stewed Cucumbers#
These are on the same plate as the herring above, and go
very nicely with it. Allow your neighbour to pass you some. A bit
counter-instinctive for us to cook a cucumber, but it does the job well.
2 medium or one large cucumber
2 oz butter
White parts of 3 large spring onions or scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
¼ pint chicken stock
Salt and black pepper
Halve the cucumbers lengthways, then quarter lengthways and
deseed. Cut into 1” segments.
Melt butter in a frying pan, add the onion and cucumber and
fry for a minute. Sprinkle on the flour, stir well and season. Add nutmeg,
vinegar and chicken stock and stir again for a minute.
Cover, reduce heat a little and cook for about 10 minutes
until the vegetables are soft and translucent, and serve hot.
A Pretty Dish of
Eggs*
6 square slices of toast, without crusts
12 or more cold hard-boiled eggs
Unsalted butter for frying
Salt and black pepper
Good pinch of grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
2 shallots or 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon plain flour
Salt and pepper
6 fl.oz medium dry white wine
Make the toast first and keep it warm. Shell enough eggs to
provide 24-30 presentable, round slices ¼” thick. Coat the base of a large
frying pan with melted butter. Gently fry the egg slices, turning them over
once: they brown very quickly. When they have browned on both sides slip them
out and on to kitchen roll.
Keep aside the six best slices for garnishing and pile the
rest on a warmed serving platter, leaving room for the toast round the edge.
Sprinkle with pepper, salt and nutmeg, then keep it warm.
Put 1 tablespoon melted butter into a saucepan and add the
shallots or onion. Stir over a medium heat until they soften. Off the heat,
blend in the flour and season well. Stir the wine in gradually, with a little
more butter from the frying pan if you wish. Stir over low heat until it
thickens.
Cut the toast into triangles and arrange on the edge of the
dish, then pour over the sauce. Arrange the reserved egg slices on top.
Eat quickly while the toast is crisp! Though I must admit I
was nibbling happily at the leftovers next day.
Now the damage has been done to the savoury dishes, the
table is cleared, the cloth lifted, the cutlery changed and the puddings are
laid out, again in a pretty pattern. Just talk amongst yourselves! Three or
four puddings are set out with small dishes of nuts, fruit in season (or out,
if you can get enough horse manure to bring on those pineapples), and cheeses.
Ices were popular at balls or routs, or summer parties, but less so at an
autumn city dinner. Instead soft puddings or fruit pies were the thing. Help
yourself!
Jaune Mange*
Well, think of blancmange!
2 tablespoons powdered gelatine
1 pint hot water, in a saucepan
16 fl.oz white wine
Strained juice of 2 oranges
5 egg yolks, beaten
About 4 oz caster sugar
Scatter the gelatine on to the hot water and stir until it
dissolves. Let it stand for a few moments to settle, then add the wine and
orange juice, followed by the beaten egg yolks. Stir in the sugar a tablespoon
at a time: try to judge how much you need by the strength and flavour of the
wine, and blend it thoroughly to make a smooth, sweet liquid. Place over low
heat and bring to simmering point very slowly. As soon as it begins to rise in
the pan, pour into a 2 ½ pint or 6 individual wetted moulds and allow to set
(takes up to 12 hours).
Turn out and decorate.
Claret and
Redcurrant Jelly#
½ oz powdered gelatine
¼ pint water
½ lb redcurrant jelly
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Juice and grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
3 or 4 cloves
¼ pint claret
2 or 3 heaped tablespoons caster sugar
Sprinkle gelatine over the water and dissolve over a low
heat. Stir in the redcurrant jelly, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, cloves and
sugar.
Heat through without boiling, still stirring. Stir in the
claret. Line a sieve with a double layer of damp muslin or a very clean damp
cloth. Strain the jelly into a mould, glasses or bowl. Chill until set.
Watch this – my guests reeled at the sweetness, though
apparently this has been toned down from the Georgian levels!
Antonin
Careme’s Apple Pudding#
Careme was the Prince Regent's chef at Brighton Pavilion, where the kitchens were a palace in themselves. This is a good autumn pudding, and an alternative to all those slithery jelly things Georgians loved so much. My tasters, who are not averse to a good steamed pudding of an evening, devoured this one.
2 teaspoons baking powder
8 oz plain flour
4 oz caster sugar
4 oz shredded suet
2-3 Bramley cooking apples, peeled and finely sliced
2 oz raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Make a dough with the baking powder, flour, suet and half the sugar, and a little water. Grease a pudding basin, and line it with 2/3 of the dough. Fill with apples, raisins, cinnamon and the rest of the sugar. Flatten the rest of the dough as a lid and pinch to seal. Cover pudding basin, place in large pan with water well up the sides. Bring to boil and cook 2 hours, with lid on pan, topping up water as necessary.
Upend on to a plate and serve hot with custard or cream.
Dinner is over! (go to next post (no.3, that is, if you've had too much wine!)