Two weeks ago was the day I have been waiting for, for a very very long time.
The publication day and book launch of the English Pride and Pudding, my original work. My baby. You might find it quite odd that the Dutch translation came out before the original but the whole editing process of the two books was completely different. I’m thinking of writing a post about the two different ways this book was brought to life, it is quite interesting and could come with some advise for any of you are thinking of publishing a book….
Uncategorized
The Rise of Rice Pudding – a History and a 14th century recipe
Yesterday, 11 april, I was asked to come on the BBC One Breakfast television program to talk about the history of rice pudding in light of the sudden craze for rice pudding – and that I have just written Pride and Pudding, a whole book about pudding. So how has rice pudding got itself back on our menu’s and in our hearts?
Rice pudding now as its own restaurant in Manhattan, New York dedicated to rice pudding – called ‘Rice to Riches’. The BBC journalist contacting me told me that Waitrose executive chef, Jonathan Moore, said that after visiting Manhattan’s rice pudding-only shop recently, Jason Atherton’s Michelan star restaurant, Pollen Street Social, and Berner’s Tavern in London have both re-invented the classic dessert. He also said sweet, savoury and embellished versions are becoming more ‘extreme’, with options at The Rice Cream Shoppe in Greenwich Village including gluten free and vegan versions. Waitrose also reported that sales of rice pudding have risen by 8% year on year.
I’m sure that in this modern day and age with dishes that look like works of art, we are all craving for something real and honest. Something which just isn’t pretending to be more than it is. Something so humble it conjures up memories of your nan, your mum or the auntie who made it especially when you were visiting. I have faint memories of my mum making rice pudding and I can remember the impatience for it to cool off and develop that glorious yellow skin which was really, the best part of the pud….
Bath buns – or the tale of English buns #1
If you have visited the city of Bath, nestled in a green valley with its Roman baths, elegant Georgian townhouses and impressive circus, you might have noticed that there are two famous buns in town. Both are competing to be the oldest, most authentic, and most valuable to the city’s heritage. The Sally Lunn and the Bath Bun – they both even have their own tea room in town. Of course the notion that one of these buns is more important than the other is bollocks. At the end of the day, it’s just something to spread your butter on. I’m far more interested in both of these buns history than I am in their importance.
One bun maker claimed that the Bath bun was just simply a Sally Lunn which was slightly changed and then given the name Bath Bun for the tourists. A rather simplistic way of looking at it, but it has happened to other foods in the past. Of course in this case we are talking about two entirely different buns.
What a difference a bun makes
We know that during the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, set up by Prince Albert, 934.691 Bath buns were sold to the public. This shows they were either popular, or they were the best option! According to bun legend people remarked that the Bath bun sold in London was not exactly like the one sold in Bath and soon Bath buns in London were renamed London buns. However, mentions for London buns can be found 20 years before the Great Exhibition. So I’m fairly sure we are again talking about two different buns. To confuse things even more is that in Australia a Chelsea bun is known as a London bun.
The Sally Lunn which I will get to in another posting, is a light bun with a nice dome shaped top, it looks like a brioche but is less rich and not sweet at all. It is known since 1776. The Bath bun used to be a Bath cake in the 18th century. But although it was called cake, it was definitely treated as a bun, which according to Elizabeth Raffald The Experienced English Housekeeper, 1769 should be the size of a French roll and sent in hot for breakfast. Bath resident and cookery author Martha Bradley, gave a recipe in her book in 1756 entitled ‘Bath seed Cake’. Over the course of the 18th century eggs were added to the batter making the buns richer. In Andre Simon’s ‘Cereals: A Concise Encyclopedia of Gastronomy’ from 1807 the recipe instructs the cook to:
Rub 1 lb. of butter into 2 lb. of fine flour; mix in it 1 lb. of caraway comfits, beat well 12 eggs, leaving out six whites, with 6 spoonfuls of new yeast, and the same quantity of cream made warm; mix all together, and set it by the fire to rise; when made up, strew comfits over them.
Jane Austen was a fan of Bath buns and promised to stuff her face with them if her sister Cassandra would not be joining her for a visit to Paragon that May….
Florentine
When Florentine arrived on my doorstep, I decided not to read bits here and there and save it for a moment when I could really tuck in with greed. When I did, on a spring-like winter morning with the cats warming my feet and purring silently out of utter bliss, I read it cover to cover.
Other than the fact that Florentine is a good book, it was also written by a close friend. Emiko Davies was born in Australia but grew up in China, and after her studies in Amerika she ended up in Florence where she lost her heart to a city and a Florentine man.
Quickly she fell in love with the food on offer in la pasticceria (pastry shops), la trattoria (small eatery), il forno (bakery) and food vans in the street selling Lampredotto (tripe) for which Florence is famous. Therefore it is not surprising that the recipes of her book are divided into these chapters, adding il mercato (the market) and il maccellaio (the butcher).
It is refreshing to see a cookbook divided up differently. Too long have chapters been divided into starters, sides, mains and desserts. Florentine’s chapters tell part of the story as do Emiko’s beautiful photo’s of the city that transport you to the streets yourself and make you long for a coffee and a Sfogliatine or Bonboloncini on a white paper napkin in an old fashioned bar….
The Pig near Bath
I arrived at the mansion that is the home of The Pig near Bath after a long november day. It was dark, rainy and my feet were stiff and cold from being in my red wellies for over 8 hours.
Stepping through the door at this house full of history and historical artefacts you will be slightly overwhelmed by the grandness which feels slightly out of place in this modern throw-away society. But modern it is, none the less. Although the manor looks like it has been frozen in time since the Georgean era, it was not long ago a derelict and forgotten place. The kitchen garden was no more than a gardeners nightmare but the house and its garden had been in the back of someone’s head for a long while: the current owner who opened it up once again as a hotel, naming it after my most cherished animal: the pig.
The home of The Pig is Hunstrete House and has been a hotel for many years. At one time it was managed by a husband and wife team, he did the cooking and she was the front of house. But after that it went from one owner to the next eventually falling in disrepair.
It took some love and effort to turn the house around, and the head gardner told me the kitchen garden it took 5 months of weeding before it was even possible to sow. But in march 2013 they were ready to open, and surprisingly it looks like it has been here like this for hundreds of years without having changed at all. The Pig’s philosophy evolves around the kitchen garden and a 25 mile menu. This means that all the food is either home grown, or sourced in a radius of 25 miles. The beer and cider as well, presenting a nice selection to have fun with pairing with your food. For me personally this is important as I do prefer a decent beer or cider with my food. I like to play with the flavours and it also feels so much less formal and heavy than wine. But I’m Belgian so I might be a bit biaised when it comes to beer!
I’m checked in and taken back outside along the corridor which is filled with colourful wellies, around the stately home to my room. It is pitch black, and I’m tired because I have been travelling from North Devon and had an early start that morning. The door to my room is opened and I realise I have my own little log cabin, complete with log burner, comfy chairs and a large bed with a lot of pillows. I throw myself onto the bed, legs and arms spread, it feels as if I’m being caught in the air by a fluffy cloud. Ah bliss…
Every once and a while you need that weekend away, a few days of hanging around reading books, gazing out of the window in the morning when the fog is still embracing the landscape and knowing that you are not going to do anything of much worldly importance that day. An indulging slow breakfast with more views over countryside, to see it awake and change color. Everything that bothers you in daily life becomes muted and trivial, relax mode takes over. I did a lot of writing for my book in this cosy log cabin too.
I could stay in there for a week, waking up early, having walks before breakfast on the estate watching the deer, the pigs, the chickens and then books, reading plenty of books….
Alan Davidson’s Library
A year ago, while on my never-ending quest for rare books, I stumbled upon a selection that once belonged to one great man.
Upon his death over a decade ago, his impressive library was split up and sold to the highest bidder. It was a collection of great value, which showed how this man did his research, and the thoroughness of it.
Alan Davidson was the owner of these books, and although the lot I bought was small compared to his enormous library, it already shows an insight to his train of thoughts.
Various seemingly unimportant books all decorated with his fish bookplate, on wild fruits, on citrus, on cider making and even books in Dutch and French. It is no surprise to me after spending 2 years researching pudding for my book, that Davidson spent 20 years to write that bible; the Oxford Companion to Food. Today that food bible is the first resource I grab when I am in need of an explanation. If it weren’t such a large and heavy tome, it would be my bedside reading. And it is so well respected and loved by many that facts from Davidson’s Oxford companion to food are even used in the program IQ, presented by Stephen Fry.
Although I never met him, I think I would have liked Alan Davidson for his down to earth manner. He loathed food fads and said in a radio interview in 1993:
“Haute cuisine, as they call it, is something I avoid, I am far more interested in what ordinary people eat.
And I am far more interested in producing information about say cookery in latin America, Afrika or South East Asia than adding to the already enormous pile of material about say cookery in France. I’m keen to add to the cell of human knowledge rather than just repeat.”
Davidson wrote his first book on food for his wife when they were living in Tunis – a handbook giving the names of 144 species in 5 languages with some recipes of people he met there. This was upon her request so shopping for food on the market would be slightly easier not speaking the language and not recognising most of the fish on offer.
The result was ‘Seafish Of Tunisia And The Central Mediterranean’ illustrated by art students in Laos which he published himself. Elizabeth David reviewed it in her column for the Spectator and passed it on to Penguin who published it as ‘Mediterranean Seafood’ in 1972. Tom Jayne writes in Davidson’s Obituary that Elizabeth David, ever watchful of professional values, had advised the diplomat to avoid self-publication.
In 1979 Davidson started his own publishing house called ‘Prospect Books’ and a journal of food studies Petits Propos Culinaires or PPC which was taken over by Tom Jayne in 1993. The publishing house has published some of my favourite books on food history and culture and their facsimile editions of old cookery texts have been valuable to me and many others. We can only be thankful that the team behind Prospect Books then and now have saved so many ancient and more recent books from being entirely forgotten, and that they managed to give life to new and slightly quirky books on food subjects. Titles range from ‘Noshe Djan’ (1987) a book on Afghan cookery to ‘Persia in Peckham’ (2007) and ‘Cooking & Dining in Tudor & Early Stuart England’ (2015). Prospect also publishes the proceedings of The Oxford Symposium of Food and Leeds Symposium. The Oxford Symposium was originally founded and co-chaired by Alan Davidson and Dr Theodore Zeldin. The Oxford Symposium website notes that: ‘The first Symposiasts included Elizabeth David, her editor and publisher Jill Norman, Anne Willan and Mark Cherniavsky of the La Varenne Cookery School in Paris, Paul Levy, Richard Olney and Professor Nicholas Kurti’.
…
Winter feasting
Planning christmas dinner ahead of time
I had it all under controle weeks ago, I only needed to sort out the bird for which I was late. To get a good bird, and with that I mean a bird that has roamed freely and has had a happy life without cruelty, I need to order at the farm over 6 months in advance. And I wasn’t that prepared this year. Getting a turkey, goose, duck or a capon like that is not easy in Flanders. Yes you can walk into a supermarket and get one, but since I don’t know where that bird has been, I tend to try and avoid it. Why? By buying factory farmed meat, you support it. So the number one thing to do if you want to take a stand is just not buying it anymore.
I now have a small turkey in my fridge, from a brand with a good name I’m not going to name. I’m going to treat it like a capon and go medieval this year. For the veg I have done my prep a little while ago, and there are a couple of side dishes which I am doing on the day itself. For us that is tomorrow, we traditionally come together for christmas eve rather than christmas day as we don’t have father christmas coming. Confusingly our father christmas came 6th of december and he is called Sinterklaas or Saint Nicolas. This is a pagan tradition which was adapted by christianity, and in some areas, Saint Nicolas became father christmas and was moved to christmas day. Children get gifts twice this month… imagine if you do not have a lot of money to spend.
But back to christmas and the food that come with it.
The veg prep in advance
Root vegetables.
These are so easy to prepare in advance so you can just finish them off just before serving. Especially if you have no help in the kitchen and the whole family has come to enjoy the celebrations at your house. First things first is choosing your roots, these can be parsnips, celery roots, turnips, celeriac and carrots. Clean and cut celeriac and turnip into dice, quarter thinner ones like parsnip or celery root, and leave small carrots whole.
The best way forward and this will take a little time, is to fry these veg separately because they will each be done at a different stage. If you get your mind set to it, it is actually a relaxing task and arranging all the veg to cool is actually quite pleasant, especially if you are a bit OCD, check my tray. Now leave them to cool, bag them carefully and chuck in your freezer. Then when you need them, defrost in your fridge overnight and glaze them with some butter and stock if you have it just before serving. If you are doing this the day before, you do not have to freeze them of course. Make sure the roots are warm all the way through and place in a warmed serving dish. The full and detailed recipe will be up on the Guardian soon but I think you will manage.
Next up are Brussels sprouts.
Now I am not particularly fond of sprouts, I don’t think they are pleasant to bite into except when they have stewed for hours in a quintessentially Dutch/Flemish dish called Hutsepot. In this dish, potato, roots, and sprouts are stewed with salty meat and sausage. A bit like a cassoulet but without beans and vegetables instead. But it can not be christmas without sprouts, I always prepare them, without fault. So here is an idea to make them a little more fun. I’ve added roasted pumpkin to give a little sweetness, and nuts to bring out the earthiness of the sprouts, and kale because I like it and because it gives a little silkiness and it works like a shawl around the other veg.
I prepped these veg in advance by blanching the sprouts and the pumpkin and then freezing them. Again if you are doing this the day before, you do not have to freeze them. The kale is blanched on the day, then finished off by tossing it in a hot pan with a generous know of butter, salt and pepper. The pumpkin is charred on a grill and the sprouts also tossed in a hot pan with butter. You can add bacon if you must, but some chopped up nuts and whole ones are enough for me.
Celeriac
Another veg that is always on my christmas table. I peel and cube these in advance, blanch and freeze or keep in the fridge until needed for either celeriac puree or soup. I saved you on time to do this in advance and it feels very good when you just have to finish these veg on the day. You feel wonderfully prepared!
Over to the fresh and crisp vegetable sides to make on the day
Kohlrabi is to winter what cucumber is to summer, a refreshing mouthful. I simply peel and dice the kohlrabi and toss them with a very simple dressing made of yoghurt diluted with water and salt and pepper. Then the whole lot is mixed with torn up watercress leaves and basil just before serving. More watercress then basil. It looks pretty and is perfect to bring a little fresh note to the meat and butter heavy table. Keep covered in the fridge until needed.
More roots – fresh beetroot and carrot salad
I can’t seem to get enough of them, but they are extremely healthy. If you can get your hands on multicoloured beets and carrots then use these. Some people just really love this stuff and will empty the plate quite quickly. This salad is made on the day. Just use a food processor or mandolin (careful!) to finely grate the carrots and beets. Cut parsley finely and mix in with the roots. Make a dressing by mixing a little apple vinegar, olive oil, yoghurt and salt and pepper. Now toss in with the roots. If you used more vegetables you might need to double the amount of dressing. Now cover up and place in the fridge until needed, or serve at once.
Beans, for bean lovers
Beans at the christmas table? Why not? I love beans. All too often I won’t have a large appetite after cooking christmas dinner, I will be running around giving people more sauce, more meat, more whatever. So I will end up, not eating meat and enjoying the vegetables instead. These beans are also good the day after for lunch. They are tasty. Vegetarians on your table will also be grateful for these. These are also okay to make a day in advance, or a couple of hours in advance. Soak a cup of white beans overnight and cook until done, let them cool. Finely chop up a half of red paprika, heat up a little olive oil in a small pan and fry lightly with one crushed clove of garlic. This will help it digest better. Chop up a handful of parsley and mix in with the beans, paprika and garlic. Now prepare 1/4 cup of yoghurt with a teaspoon of water and season with salt and pepper. Toss in with the beans, ready.
Mulled wine or Ypocras. (find my recipe here)
You need to make this a couple of days or a week in advance so the flavours can develop. You can even make the base and freeze it. I always make my mulled wine to an ancient recipe for Ypocras, or Hypocras. The spice mixture for ypocras was known as ‘Gyle’ and usually contained cinnamon, grains of paradise, long pepper and cardamom pods. These spices were bruised with a pestle and mortar and then left to steep in the red or white wine overnight or possibly even longer to soak up all the flavours.
Of course it can’t be christmas without christmas pudding if you are British, or obsessed with Britain like I am. But unfortunately it is too late to cook a christmas pudding, this is definitely a task you should do weeks and sometimes months in advance if you like a boozy pudding. I you want to be prepared for next year, you can start your pudding early with this recipe I posted a couple of years ago here >
I’ve written up the vegetable recipes in a more detailed manner for my friends over at Burleigh pottery, these are the links to the pages:
Preparing for christmas part one >
Preparing for christmas part two >
I’m wishing you a happy christmas wherever you are, and I hope to see you over on this blog again in 2016!
Love
Regula x
A winter visit to Bath
It was a crisp winters day when we took the train from London Paddington to Bath on an early februari morning.
Bath must be one of my all time favourite cities to go to in England, the Somerset town is small enough so you don’t have the hassle of having to work out buss and underground systems and large enough to spend the day walking and taking in the gorgeous sights. The city has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, something that won’t surprise you when you arrive.
Bath is named as such because it is and has been a spa town since Roman times and possibly even before that. The Roman Baths are still one of the city’s largest attractions and they are well worth a visit. When we visited on a gorgeous winter morning in february, we were alone for most of our visit which was quite magical. After the Roman empire fell in the first decade of the 5th century, the Roman baths fell into disrepair and were slowly lost. The entire structure above the level of the pillar bases which you can see today is a later construction. The hot water spring is now housed in 18th-century buildings, designed by architects John Wood, the Elder and John Wood, the Younger.
Visitors in Georgian England drank the waters in the Grand Pump Room, which is still accessible from the Baths and is a good way to end your visit with tea and cake – rather than water. With the opening of Thermae Bath Spa in 2006, Bath has become the only town or city in the United Kingdom where you can bathe in naturally heated spring water. With it Bath is reclaiming it’s historical heritage.
The city is primarily built in Georgian architecture crafted from light golden Bath stone and is well known for its terrace structures. The most spectacular of Bath’s terraces, the Royal Crescent, was built around 1767 and designed by the younger aforenamed John Wood. Walking around these streets, especially when the beams of sunlight are kissing the stone buildings and colouring them golden is a very nice way to spend an afternoon. I am not surprised that Bath has such an uplifting and positive feel to it, every time I arrive, I just want to stay.
Jane Austen lived in Bath in the early 19th century and you can visit the Jane Austen Centre on one of the larger impressive lanes. Go to the gift shop if you need an I love Mr. Darcy tote bag or mug in your life. My favourite view is looking up the hill towards Pulteney Bridge from the banks of the River Avon. The bridge is one of only four in the whole world to have shops built across its full span on both sides and was completed in 1774.
Another place I like to go to – especially for its cellar again – is one of the oldest buildings in Bath called Sally Lunn’s in the formerly Lilliput Alley. This is an eating house which houses the historical kitchen in which the recipe for the Sally Lunn bun was recovered in the 1930’s. Legend goes that Sally Lunn created the first Bath bun – naming it the Sally Lunn all the way back in the 17th century. The Sally Lunn Eating House claims that the recipe was brought to Bath in the 1680s by a Huguenot refugee called Solange Luyon, who became known as Sally Lunn. Another theory is that Sally Lunn is the anglicisation of ‘Sol et lune’ which is French for ‘sun and moon’, representing the golden crust and white base. It was a custom in the past to name things after how they looked. Like Hot Cross buns were named Cross buns because they were marked with a cross. Pop downstairs to see the kitchen and the 12th century faggot oven. I just want to cook in it, push the dolly who sits in front of it aside and take over the kitchen. Seriously, why are places still putting creepy old dolls in settings?
Bath has two buns today, the Bath bun and the Sally Lunn, and both are competing to be the first bun to be made in Bath.
The Bath bun is said to have been invented as a cure in the 18th century by a doctor called William Oliver, het later invented the Bath Olivers, a rather dry biscuit that served his purpose to be easy for the stomach much better than the rich Bath Bun did.
The bun is made of a sweet dough very much like that of an original Hot Cross Bun, it is dotted with currants and at the bottom of each bun you will spot a knob of sugar. The buns are finished with a sticky wash and dotted with a couple of extra currants and a few of those teeth breaking sugar nibs. There is a description of this bun in a mid 19th century journal showing us that the bun was known all over England and Scotland by this time.
The Bath-bun is a sturdy and gorgeous usurper – a new potentiate, whose blandishments have won away a great many children, we regret to say, from their lawful allegiance to the plum-bun. The Bath-bun is not only a toothsome dainty, but showy and alluring withal. It was easier for ancient mariners to resist the temptations of the Sirens, than it is for a modern child to turn away from a Bath-bun…Large, solid, and imposing, it challenges attention, and fascinates its little purchasers.
Edinburgh Journal of 1855, Chambers
Address book
See and do
The Roman Baths
Jane Austen Centre
The Circus
The Royal Crescent
Bath Abbey
Theatre Royal
Pulteney Bridge
Food
The Foodie Bugle Shop and Cafe
7 Margaret’s Buildings, Bath BA1 2LP
My number one spot for breakfast, light lunch and cake and tea or coffee. But also for carefully sourced groceries, your daily loaf of decent bread, cheeses, pastries, vegetables, and homewares in the basement shop. Beautiful vintage kitchen and home items and carefully chosen new items to grace the home, kitchen and garden. A must visit for the perfectionist foodie. The owner Silvana is a friend.
The Fine Cheese Co
29-31 Walcot St, Bath BA1 5BN, Verenigd Koninkrijk
www.finecheese.co.uk
For cheeses from Britain, France and Italy. They also have a cafe.
Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating House & Museum
4 North Parade Passage, Bath, BA1 1NX
For Sally Lunn buns served with all kinds of extra’s like eggs, bacon, jam etc.
In the basement a rare faggot oven can be seen in an ancient kitchen setup.
The Bath Bun Tea Shoppe
2 Abbey Green, Bath
For Bath Buns and tea
Pump Room, Searcys (££)
Stall Street, Bath, BA1 1LZ
For Afternoon Tea in Jane Austen style surroundings, right by the Roman Baths.
The Circus Cafe and Restaurant (££)
34 Brock St, Bath
+44 1225 466020
For lunch and dinner, serving modern British food and English wines (French and Italian too)
Jamie’s Italian Bath (£)
10 Milsom Street, Bath BA1 1BZ, Verenigd Koninkrijk
For Italian inspired dishes cooked with fresh ingredients. Always a winner
Outside Bath
Eat and Stay
The Pig restaurant and hotel (££)
Hunstrete, Pensford, 4NS
+44 1761 490490
www.thepighotel.com
For lunch and dinner, serving modern British food and English wines and ales. Breakfast for guests of the hotel.
The food prepared is sourced within 20 miles of The Pig and from their own kitchen garden. I highly recommend this place and a whole post about my visit is following soon.
The death of a kettle
Yesterday evening at half past seven my kettle died.
I was boiling water to cook my penne and the moment he had boiled and clicked, a burning smell arose from its base and a melting hole appeared. That was it. After twelve years of loyal service, this was his last task. And he completed it, he did not fail leaving me with lukewarm water, he boiled and clicked and then he said, it is enough, I die, here and now.
My kettle was bought with my mother, who bought his twin. They were both quite cheap. He went home with me where he cooked me my water for tea once or twice a day, not failing his duty in the evening to cook water for either pasta or vegetables and that last cup of herbal tea before bed. He was there, every day, and made a weird ‘ping’ noise for no reason during the course of each day. I got used to the ping, and got weirdly fond of it.
His twin in my mothers kitchen didn’t last six months, he died suddenly and unloved. Unlike my kettle which was part of my life, and moved house with me four times before eventually settling in our newly built kitchen in the home I made home with my dearest man. After 7 years of being together with Bruno, he asked me what the hell that ping sound was each day, I told him that that was the sound the kettle made when he was relaxed.
Tomorrow I have to boil water for my tea in a pot on the hob, old school. Well not really because back in the day people had a kettle that whistled. Who boils water for tea in a pot? Tomorrow I will have to, and will also have to go to the shop to buy a new kettle, and you know what, I am not looking forward to it. It feels like replacing a family pet. The new kettle will sit there unloved for the first six months and if it survives I will maybe open my heart to it and love it like the old kettle.
You know, I never realised I loved my kettle until it died today.
We get used to binning things in this day and age, kettles, blenders and fridges aren’t made to last anymore. They just end, and you take it to the recycling centre, or have it picked up by the man with the van of the company of which you bought the new machine. It leaves you almost without any feeling. I had several hand mixers die on me those past 12 years, three to be exact, and never did I give a damn. I just got my money out and bought a new one. Though never a fancy one, because I never had that much money to spend on a mixer.
But the kettle was different.
I’m even contemplating about keeping it in the cellar, because I feels just too rude to leave it with those grumpy people at the recycling centre who will probably prod at it and open it up to try and sell it in the recycling shop… Imagine. Imagine my kettle being saved and brought to another home where someone will wonder why he does ‘ping’ in the middle of the day for no good reason. Someone who will perhaps change his or her mind about MY kettle and bin it, buy another one, an newer one, and just leave my kettle to be recycled – again.
In this throw-away society it is good to feel sad about a kettle dying on you. It didn’t cost much, if I can recall it was 15 euros, so about 10 pounds – dead cheap. So I am not sad about the cost of a kettle, I am sad about the loss of a loyal kitchen appliance that was with me for over a decade while his twin didn’t even last a year.
Bye my kettle, thank you for that last pot of tea and boiling my water for pasta for the last time. I will keep you in the cellar where no one will mess with you. There you will gather dust, and get forgotten about.
A good end for a good kettle, don’t you think?
Edit: a very nice facebook friend has composed a lament for our dear kettle!!
Thank you Jorgi for creating this!
Quince Ratafia
Quince really are a mystical fruit. They hang like lanterns from the trees, forcing the branches to bend down with their weight. One can not ignore their smell, how they fill your kitchen with that sweet incense-like scent. The smell far sweeter than they really are, because as far as fruits go, they are very tart. So tart that they are considered inedible raw.
Recipes over time always require you to cook quinces, and cook them long and slow. Some authors claim you should never put spices with quinces but most instruct you to add cinnamon, cloves, peper and more sweet spices.
Quinces are responsible for the word marmalade as their Portuguese word is ‘marmelo’ and they were made into fruit cheeses named marmalades. The marmalades were served after dinner as a digestive and they were often prescribed by apothecaries to cure minor ailments.
The pear shaped yellow fruits were made into pies, preserved whole and in form of a syrup and they were also made into Ratafia. Ratafias were infused alcohols much like the Amaretto we know today. It could be made with apricot kernels, bitter almonds – which produce the original Amaretto, cherry kernels and cherries, and our beautiful quinces.
Ratafia of quinces was popular in the 18th century in England, and in the 17th and 18th in France. The following recipe is that of Vincent La Chapelle, the master cook to the fourth earl of Chesterfield, William IV, the Prince of Orange, John V of Portugal and even the mistress of Louis XV of France: Madamme de Pompadour.
Like with so many historical writers, he borrowed a lot of his recipes of another author, in this case the French Francois Massialot who published a book on court cookery and confectionery in 1692. These two gentlemen both share recipes for Quince Ratafia, but La Chapelle instructs us to bring the quince juice to a boil, while Massialot does not. They also use different spices, making the end result not the same drink at all.
You must have some Quinces, and rasp them with a Grater; all being grated, you must have a Piece of strong Cloth, put in a small handful, and squeese it with all your Might, that the Juice may come from it; when all is squeesed and you have all the Juice, put it in a Preserving pan, let it take just one single Boiling, and let it cool; being cooled, measure two Quarts of Juice and two Quarts of Brandy, Measure by Measure, and clarify some Sugar; to each two Quarts, ten Ounces of Sugar, a Piece of Cinnamon, four Cloves, and three or four Grains of white Pepper whole; stop up your Jug very close, put it aside for two or three Months, put it through a Straining-bag, until it come very clear, and put it up in Bottles flopped very close.
Vincent la Chapelle, The Modern Cook, London, 1733
In 1830 ‘The Cook’s Dictionary’ by Richard Dolby instructs us to leave the scrapings of quince for 24 hours until they start to ferment, then extract the juice and add it to spiced brandy. We’re not going to ferment the quince, I will try that next year as I just caught the last of the quinces of the year at the market. And I’m going to leave out the spices because I want to know how it tastes like without them, quince have such a delicate flavour.
What is your favourite quince recipe?…