Posted on 12/15/2017 4:39:44 PM PST by Jamestown1630
While enduring a ‘bug’ this week that left me unable to do much but sleep or sit in front of the TV, I happened upon Clarissa Dickson Wright’s series, ‘Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner’, which you can find on YouTube, and which is a really interesting history of how our 'three squares', and the ways we partake of them, have evolved over time.
In the Lunch episode, she featured a pasty (yes, no 'r') crust design, executed by food scholar Ivan Day. This was so beautiful, I had to find the design, and know more about it.
On the way, I found some interesting stuff – including Day's great website on historic food:
http://www.historicfood.com/portal.htm
The pasty design seems to have been derived from Edward Kidder’s ancient ‘Receipts of pastry and cookery, for the use of his scholars’, published in 1720 (you can still buy a copy on Amazon ;-):
http://www.historicfood.com/Edward%20Kidders%20Lamb%20Pasty.htm
I’m not personally a fan of British pasties; but it seems to me that we could decorate our sweet or savory pies just as beautifully – it just takes practice, and starting small! And you don’t need cutters to do this; just find a design, make a cardboard cutout of it, and find a sharp knife to cut the pastry to each of the shapes; then do some detail on the pieces.
Food52 has a lot of starter ideas for ‘fancying up’ your pie:
https://food52.com/blog/8744-9-ways-to-fancy-up-your-pies
-JT
Perfect.
Burps over here. Ate way too much. Our “4-5 lb” rib roast turned out to be 6 1/8 pounds when we got it home and weighed it. For 2 people. Needless to say there will be a 2nd prime rib dinner today and then strouganoff tomorrow. Adding portabella mushrooms.
Shepard's Pie is a very yummy dish. Just saute onions and carrots (maybe other veggies).
Add leftover beef; layer in casserole; top w/ fluffy mashed potatoes. Brown top in hot oven.
Serve w/ a shower of minced parsley.
====================================
OR THIS ---Thai Style Beef Salad
Serve at room temp; no last minute rush. To do ahead: cutup veg/herbs,
cover/chill. Combine with leftover beef just before serving.
ING splash of fish sauce, s/p tbsp oil cucumbers cut into small batons small red onion, halved and finely sliced 4 spring onions, thinly sliced 24 cherry tomatoes, halved 40 mint leaves, torn 4 tbsp coriander, chopped ⅔ cup Chilli Jam or thai sweet chilli sauce (see below) 4 tbsp lime juice
METHOD For nice presentation, angle-slice beef thinly across grain. Steep a bit in fish sauce.
ASSEMBLY Place sliced meat and any cooking juices in bowl w/ cucumber batons, red onion, spring onions, tomatoes, mint, coriander.
DRESSING Pour on combined Chilli Jam, lime juice; toss to combine.
COOK TIP substitute cup sweet chilli sauce, grated zest of 2 limes and 2 tsp fish sauce for Chilli Jam.
How could anyone mind a second prime rib dinner, I ask?
I decided last night to unfeast while the world feasts. Not Chinese food though. I bought the uncooked corn tortillas and made fried in butter cheese and apple slice quesadillas. If you weren’t in the mood for roast goose, it was a perfect supper.
And we watched the old version of The Bishop’s Wife. Sure, no Denzel, but Cary Grant and Loretta Young were great. Never saw it before, never saw this gorgeous Loretta Young before. I had to look her up. When she was an older woman she was watching a tv show on date rape with one of her daughters and exclaimed, “That’s what Clark Gable did to me!”
He made her pregnant during filming a movie, and she disappeared, then the next year “adopted” her own baby, and it was apparently an open secret that Clark Gable had been the father. At some point she told that daughter that Clark Gable was her father, but never told her it was of rape. She blamed herself for not fending him off enough. She was a religious catholic woman. The daughter never knew it was date rape. The sister opened up about it after all three involved had passed on.
My takeaway is that it was sad that women and girls back then would think it was their fault (for being in the room, or wearing that dress, or even being pretty) when a man would force himself on her. Obviously there is a level of too far for a woman to go to then call no, and blame him. But before that, the woman has the right to not have sex.
Thanks for the recipes they both look delicious. Especially the thai beef. That bag of noodles is sitting out on the counter so this year it’s the stroganoff. I’ve not seen the remake but The Bishops Wife with Loretta Young has been a staple for many years. I read once that David Niven originally wanted to be the angel. I like it just the way it is. Big fans of Loretta Young too. I knew about the baby. I discovered another movie of her’s this year -Come to the Stable. Best Christmas movie ever and the word Christmas is never uttered or portrayed.
OOPS sorry Yaelle I combined my responses by mistake, read above for my comment on The Bishope Wife.
Aldi had Kerrygold butter for $2.99, before Christmas. Don’t know if they still have it.
Oh how cute! Those are the perfect size. Love the detail and I can’t wait to try my metal pan. The silicone was a flop, in comparison.
We did eat the village for Christmas, along with some cream puffs. They were moist and tasty, just not as cute as yours!
Glad you are having fun with them ;)
I meant the people were the perfect size.
Great price.
Thanks, I’ll take a look next time I go there. I never thought to look at Aldi’s for it
Beautiful. thank you Liz
“I can say without hesitation, NYC has a vibrancy....a verve.....no other city has.”
We have been invited to visit by a friend that lives there. I think I will go eventually, for a short time. I’m sure the excitement and energy will wear me out :-)
I much prefer calm and quiet. Like Venezia in the off-season, we can just walk peacefully over bridges and along canals. It definitely is a most serene place. (Serenissima Venezia). Second only to walking on the trails in my forest :-)
I wonder what the reasons are for Kerrygold being so good. The process? What the cows eat?
I’m wondering if and when I make my own butter, if I will be disappointed or be able to emulate the good stuff…
Grass-fed herd is the claim.
Doesn’t wear you out-—the NYC excitement is invigorating-——you never want it to end.
BTW, I love Venice, too.
ok, i’ll try it! I think it’s neat we know someone local and is willing to show us around. And then she’ll have to come to East Tennessee. I know it will seem boring in comparison. I hope she thinks that is peaceful and calm, not boring!
WHITE CHOCOLATE LEMON CREAM TRUFFLES
TRUFFLE ING 3 oz white chocolate 3 tbl lemon curd (canned lemon pie filling is OK)
tb h/cream, conf. COATING 6 oz white chocolate chips
METHOD gently melt the white chocolate (not the chips) over a bain. You micro, but be very careful;
haste makes chocolate caramelize. Add/mix in lemon curd. Add/mix in h/ cream. Freezer 2-3 hours.
Now shape into truffle-sized balls. Dust hands with conf to stop the truffles melting at edges.
Freezer an hour on sheetpan covered with baking paper.
FINAL After about 30 mins, melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave.
Set melted chips 20-30 mins to reach room temperature (gives a thicker coating of chocolate).
If you wait, the chocolate will resolidify and need rewarming; keep truffles in the freezer.
NOTE If the chocolate is too cooled down, it will not coat evenly.
Put the melted chocolate in a small bowl or shot glass and coat each truffle.
Fridge/set a few minutes on sheetpan covered with baking paper.
Hey just wanted to double back and post a thank you for this recipe....Everyone loved it :)
Interesting I did a second batch with low-fat eggnog and one person thought it was “a little dry.” Hmmm wonder if that made a difference or perhaps it could have been that I used medium eggs in first and large eggs in second batch...Who knows but people liked it and wanted recipe too :)
Followup: Recipe was wonderful :)
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