Journal, Part 7

Excerpts from an English Journal,

Part Seven

Saturday, March 14: We’re planning a quiet day today. I promised to make a dessert after we come back from shopping, a decision I may well regret before the day is over. Cooking here is a bit different from the way I do it.

We drove into Chelmsford to Sainsbury’s this morning to shop for ingredients to prepare chicken and fresh salad for lunch as well as several things to serve when Richard’s family comes over after his formal birthday celebration at Channels’ Golf Club tomorrow.

I prepared oven-baked chicken and fresh salad for lunch and while these dishes turned out nicely, unfortunately, the Chewy Cake didn’t fare as well. It would be a kindness to call it a total disaster as far as I’m concerned. We got the measurements and temperatures converted but unfortunately, we didn’t get me trained to use this stove. I either turned a button wrong or turned the wrong button or something. Whatever it was, the stove went off during the time the cake was supposed to be baking without my realizing what had happened.

By the time Richard wandered back into the kitchen and asked why the oven wasn’t on (I didn’t know what that little light was for!), it was almost cool. I had to guess at cook time and this cake that is almost foolproof turned out to be too chewy, i.e., sticky. The flavor was okay but it looks a complete mess. I think I need to stay out of the kitchen the rest of my visit!

Evening: We went to quiz night this evening. It was an affair held to raise funds for a cancer charity. I told them not to count on me but surprisingly, there were several American based questions in the mix. I was the only one there who knew what Americans would “put their weenies in.” (Their official answer was “roll” but they accepted my answer of “bun.”

Other than the “weenie” question, the most amusing (and frustrating) thing to me all evening was when it turned out I was the only person in my group who knew which British property has its own postal code. The monitor in charge of our group would not accept my answer of Buckingham Palace, using Scotland Yard instead. When the correct answer of “Buckingham Palace” was announced, I really, really wanted to say, “I told you so” but I diplomatically refrained. It was strictly a guess on my part but as a former American postal employee, I thought it was the most logical one. (I was considering the huge amount of mail that is likely sent to and from there.)

Sunday, March 15: Kevan and Joseph were a little tardy because Joseph had an early football (soccer) game but all the children and grandchildren all came over this morning to deliver birthday cards and even more goodies to serve this evening when everyone comes back here after the celebration. They are a lovely family and the grandchildren are very polite and well behaved.

We left for Channels Golf Club about 1:00 p.m. We had a room reserved for the party but got there early and had drinks and socialized while we waited for everyone else to arrive. (Still no Margaritas!) Some guests had fairly long drives to get here, one reason for waiting until later to host the luncheon. The table was beautiful and food and service were excellent.

The Chicken Caesar Basket, salad served in a cheddar bowl, for a starter and Seafood Medley Caprice for my entrée were fantastic. The seafood medley was sea bass, cod, scallops and prawns in a cream sauce with white wine and grapes: beautiful as well as delicious. They, as other good restaurants, have a wonderful dessert menu but after that feast, I had no room for anything else! I have to confess that one item was so unusual sounding that it piqued my interest: Spotted Dick. I was glad the gentleman seated to my right ordered it so my curiosity was satisfied without my having to break down and order it just to see what it was.

The weather has been beautiful all day and the grounds were safe enough for the children to run off some energy before heading back to the house. All the guests reassembled at Richard’s home and after a champagne toast, gifts were presented and Kevan surprised his father with a slide show he had put together from old photos Joanne and Justine had smuggled out of the house a few weeks before. It was well done and Kev’s narration was amusing. The granddaughters put on a little impromptu show too. K**** and K******* (my granddaughters) would have a ball with these girls. So lively and creative and so much alike!

Afterwards it was, you guessed it, more food! And of course, birthday cake. The cake was Richard’s favorite, a celebration fruitcake from Marks & Spencer. It was covered with pure white marzipan and decorated with fondant icing. It looked like a gift-wrapped package done up with gold ribbon. It was beautiful and better than any fruitcake I’ve ever tasted before.

It’s been another long day, albeit a fun one, and both of us are tired. The last guests left not too long ago so I’m headed off to bed. I desperately need a long walk tomorrow to work off some of this ton of calories I consumed today.

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Spotted Dick Sponge Pudding

2 oz plain flour

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. cinnamon or spice of choice

Pinch of salt

2 oz. shredded suet

1 oz. white or brown sugar

4 oz. currants

2 oz. fresh breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

4-5 T. milk

Butter a 1.5-pint pudding basin (ramekin). Sift flour, baking powder, spice and salt together into a mixing bowl. Mix in suet, sugar, fruit and bread- crumbs. Stir in the egg and sufficient milk to produce a soft consistency that drops off the spoon in 5 seconds.

Pour mixture into baking dish. (It should be two-thirds full. Cover with greased foil or a snap-on lid (the plastic container from a 2 lb Christmas pudding is worth saving for this purpose.) and steam for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. When it has finished cooking, remove the cover and allow pudding to shrink slightly. Cover the basin with a hot serving plate then and hold it firmly and invert. Lift off the basin to leave the pudding on the plate. Or just buy the microwavable version in a can at World Market or most Krogers.

Serve hot with custard. (You can buy custard mixes at specialty stores but it is easier to make than the sponge pudding.)

Custard

3 egg yolks

1 T. caster sugar

1 c. whole milk

1/4 t. vanilla extract

Whisk the yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Scald milk in a saucepan and whisk the hot milk gradually into egg and sugar mixture. Put the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or in a double boiler). Cook and stir until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Do not use direct heat, as it will make the custard curdle. Stir in vanilla extract and add more sugar if desired, according to taste. Strain and serve hot over Spotted Dick or other sponge puddings or any other dessert you prefer.

Cheese Baskets

A cheese basket is a bowl or dish made out of cheese that can be filled with pasta, fresh fruit, risotto, gnocchi, salad greens or anything without an overly liquid content. My cheese basket contained Chicken Caesar Salad and was made of cheddar but you can use other cheeses. I’ve only seen cheddar and Parmesan but there’s no reason other firm grating cheeses won’t work as well. What is most important though is for the cheese not to be overly moist or filante, i.e. a cheese that strings out when heated like Mozzarella, Jack or Fontina. Grateable goat's milk cheeses work especially well because of their high fat content. You can also add flavorings to the cheese if they are not too moist: Poppy seeds, red pepper flakes or even finely minced parsley are good examples.

Cheese baskets make for a beautiful presentation and are surprisingly easy to make. To make a basic one, you only need a heat source, cheese, a clean unscratched non-stick frying pan about 9 inches in diameter, a pair of non-stick tongs that won't scratch the frying pan and a cup or bowl to lay the cheese over. If the pan is pristine, you won't need either butter or oil to keep the cheese from sticking.

You will need about 1-1/4 cups of grated cheese (65 gm) or a couple of handfuls. After you've made a few cheese baskets you'll be able to judge simply by eyeballing it.

Heat the skillet over a medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Let it get hot but not searing. Sprinkle cheese evenly over hot pan and by the time you’ve finished sprinkling the cheese, it will have begun to melt, especially around the edges.

Use the tongs around the edges to separate the cheese a little from the sides of the pan. In another few seconds, the cheese in the middle of the pan will begin to tan. Do not let it brown. When it colors just a little bit, tip the skillet so the cheese flows out as a sheet and drape it, tan side up, over a bowl or cup.

You can use a round straight-sided cup about two inches in diameter and about the same height or you can use any shape you want. It will set in about 15 seconds and you can lift it off the cup and start the next basket. It takes 3-4 minutes per basket.