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Written out of a love for traditional cookery techniques and flavours, ‘Victorian Pastries Puddings and Treats’ delves into an extensive recipe collection amassed over countless years to bring together a selection of delights, all of which are well worth sampling. In order to ensure that there are no disappointments in the process, rest assured that each and every recipe has been successfully tried out on my long suffering family! Having waited for three years for this book to appear in print, I was told in August 2000 that Jarrolds of Norwich were no longer going to publish. So much for my contract with Erskine Press too, which was apparently cunningly written in order to allow them to ‘escape’ paying me any form of compensation in the event of the book not going to press. Believe it or not, I was foolishly under the impression that I had been dealing with decent and respectful business people in these two organisatons. Clearly I was wrong. |
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Tea Cake Rounds Whilst yeast has been recorded as having been used as a leavening agent for countless years, it is surprising just how many modern cooks have never even tried their hand at this ancient art. In order to introduce the subject to anyone who is prepared to have a try, here is a recipe that once graced the tables of the Victorian household. The ‘tea cake round’ would have either been cooked a short time before and served up with lashings of butter, or alternatively (if made the day before) toasted, buttered and sent to the table on a piping hot plate! The recipe shown below make a sufficient quantity of ‘dough’ to make two good sized rounds, each capable of serving four persons. Although it might be theoretically possible to use the first and store the second in a tin for use on the following day, this has never been possible in our household. |
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Ingredients 1lb plain flour Half a tsp. of salt 2 oz butter 1 egg 1 sachet of yeast 2 oz currants 1 teacup warmed milk Sugar and egg white for the glaze |
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Method Sieve the flour and the salt into a respectable sized mixing bowl and rub in the butter. This is perhaps best accomplished by ‘cutting’ the butter into smaller and smaller pieces with a sharp table knife before setting to the task with the tips of the fingers. Once this has been done and there are no obvious pieces of flour coated butter remaining, add the currants, the yeast and the well-beaten egg. With these ingredients thoroughly combined, make a well in the middle of the mixture and begin to pour in the warmed milk. Taking up the knife once again, work this in by degrees from the centre outwards until a smooth paste is created which will eventually form as a heavy lump around the blade of the knife. At this point the knife can be discarded and the dough kneeded with the fingers within the mixing bowl until it is perfectly smooth. Cover the bowl with a large plate and allow to prove in a warm location such as an airing cupboard &c. After about an hour the dough should have risen to approximately double it’s original size. Kneed well for a second time and return the covered bowl for another 30 minutes. Now divide into two and place the ‘lumps’ on a greased baking sheet, flattening each one out to about a half an inch thickness. Bake the rounds in a moderate oven for about 15 minutes, after which they should be brushed generously with egg white and sprinkled with sugar. Continue the baking for a further period of 15 minutes, at which time they should be withdrawn and set aside to cool on a tray. |
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A Bachelor’s Pudding This recipe is one of my all time favourites, epitomising the English Pudding at it’s very best! Interestingly enough, I have a number of similar variants in my collection from as far afield as Dorset and Inverness, leading me to believe that it might well have been originally published in a book or newspaper. Notwithstanding, no less than two of these incorporate a ‘receipt’ for the manufacturing of a suitable lemon essence. Ingredients 4 slices of bread 1 large cooking apple 6 oz currants 3 eggs 3 oz sugar 2 tsp. lemon essence 1 tsp. grated nutmeg |
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Method Par, core and mince the apple. Finely grate the bread and place these two items in a bowl along with the sugar and the currants. Whisk the eggs and beat into the mixture along with the lemon essence. When all is thoroughtly combined, spoon into a buttered basin, sprinkle the nutmeg onto the top, cover with a cloth and boil for about three hours. Hints As an alternative to a lemon essence, in the past I have used 2 teaspoons of ordinary lemon juice with acceptable results. This is one of those recipes where a modern food processing machine can be an invaluable tool for the grating of the bread, the mincing of the apples and even the whisking of the eggs if time is tight. In fact, with a little forethought, it is possible to make the entire pudding in the confines of the machine’s mixing bowl. (Peeling and coring the apples excluded of course!) For those with an adventurous outlook on life there is always the option to try and reduce time by cooking the pudding in the microwave, not that this is necessarily something that I would undertake myself out of choice with time in hand. If however there is a desire to experiment with this possibility, the pudding should first of all be brought up to boiling point on one of the higher power levels, before being reduced to a ‘defrost’ setting for the remainder of the cooking period. A tablespoon of water over the top should help to keep it moist. About one hour’s cooking time should suffice. |
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Ladies Delights Ingredients 4 eggs, 6 oz. (170gms) sugar The rind of one lemon 6 oz. (170 gms) flour Method |
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Separate the eggs, place the sugar in a mixing bowl, stirring in the yolks and the lemon rind. Now gradually beat in the flour and when fully combined to form a smooth paste, carefully fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Leave the mixture to stand for a few minutes whilst preparing a greased baking tray, then pour in the mixture and place in a maderate oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The biscuits may be considered ready as soon as the top has just started to brown. |
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