One Young Fool in Dorset (28 page)
Read One Young Fool in Dorset Online
Authors: Victoria Twead
Tags: #childhood, #memoir, #1960s, #1970s, #family relationships, #dorset, #old fools
Quiche Lorraine
For the pastry:
1¼ cups plain flour
½ tsp salt
8 tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into small
cubes
1 to 2 tablespoons iced water
For the filling:
6 lean bacon slices
¾ cup cream, at room temperature
¾ cup milk, at room temperature
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 cup grated Gruyère or good Cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Method
Pastry: in a bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work
the ingredients together quickly until crumbly. Then, while quickly
stirring and tossing with a fork, add the iced water a little at a
time just until the dough begins to hold together. Gather into a
ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and
preheat to 220
℃
/425
º
F
On a lightly floured work surface, flatten the ball
of dough into a disk. Dust it with flour and roll out into an
11-inch round. Fit carefully into a 9 or 10-inch tart pan, or a
9-inch glass pie dish. Prick the dough in several places with a
fork and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Partially bake the pastry shell until it just begins
to colour, 10 to 12 minutes. If the pastry puffs up during baking,
prick again with a fork to release the steam. Remove from the oven
and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 190
℃
/375
º
F/Gas Mark 5.
To make the filling, fry the bacon until crisp and
golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. When
cool enough to handle, crumble into small bits. Scatter the
crumbled bacon over the bottom of the pastry shell.
In a bowl, combine the cream, milk, eggs and melted
butter. Using a whisk or fork, beat until well blended. Stir in the
cheese and season with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Pour
into the prepared pastry shell.
Bake until the custard is set and the tip of a knife
inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean, 25 to 30
minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for several minutes
before serving.
Back to Bras and Other Agonies
Clotted Cream Chocolate Cake
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 1 hour
Makes about 10 slices
125g (4½ oz) butter, softened
175g (6 oz) light soft brown sugar
2 eggs
125g (4½ oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
30g (1 oz) good quality cocoa powder
150g (5¼ oz) white chocolate
227g (8 oz) clotted cream
250g (8¾ oz) icing sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Lightly
grease and base line an 18 cm (7 inch) loose-bottomed cake tin.
Place the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl.
Using a fork, mash together until they blend together into a
paste.
Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after
each.
Add the flour, baking powder and cocoa.
Stir through until you have a lovely dark cake mix.
Roughly chop 100g (3½ oz) of the chocolate and add to the mixture
along with 100g (3½ oz) of the clotted cream. Stir to combine and
transfer to the prepared tin.
Bake for an hour. It’s a good idea to put some foil
or a drip tray under in case of leaks during baking.
Icing
Mix together the remaining clotted cream with the
icing sugar and set aside.
Remove the cake from the oven. Leave in the tin for
about 15 minutes then tip out onto a cake rack.
When completely cool, use a large knife to slice the
cake in half horizontally.
Fill the cake with a quarter of the icing then cover
with the rest. Grate or curl the remaining chocolate and scatter
over the cake.
Welsh Rarebit
Serves 4
25g (1 oz) butter
25g (1 oz) plain flour
150g (5 oz) mature grated Cheddar cheese
1 egg yolk
4 slices bread
Method
Preheat the grill to high.
Melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan and stir in
the flour.
Cook over a low heat for 30 seconds, stirring
constantly.
Simmer for 3 minutes, constantly stirring, until the
sauce is thick and smooth.
Add the cheese and egg yolk.
Cook until the cheese melts, stirring
constantly.
Set aside to cool.
Place the bread on a baking tray lined with
aluminium foil and toast on each side until golden-brown.
Spread the cheese sauce thickly over the bread,
making sure the slices are completely covered so the edges don’t
burn.
Return to the grill for 20 - 30 seconds longer until
lightly browned and bubbling.
Serve piping hot.
Prawn Cocktail
Serves 4
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp tomato purée
A dash of Tabasco sauce
1 tsp salad cream
1 tsp lemon juice
Little Gem lettuce leaves, shredded
75g (2½ oz) very small cherry tomatoes, halved
500g (17½ oz) cooked prawns
A pinch of paprika, for garnish
Method
In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, tomato
purée, Tabasco sauce, salad cream and lemon juice.
Mix the shredded lettuce leaves with the cherry
tomatoes.
Divide the salad mixture equally between 4 glass
bowls.
Keeping 4 garnish prawns aside, mix the prawns with
the sauce.
Spoon the prawn cocktail mixture over the salad in
each glass bowl.
Arrange a garnish prawn on each.
Sprinkle with a pinch of paprika and serve
immediately.
Dorset Mackerel with Gooseberries
Gooseberries grow well in Dorset and mackerel are
locally caught. Served together, they make a delicious dish, the
gooseberries offering a wonderful zingy contrast to the rich
fish.
Serves 4
15g (½ oz) butter
225g (8 oz) gooseberries, topped and tailed
4 mackerel, each weighing about 350g (12 oz),
cleaned and with the heads removed
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice, to taste
1 egg, beaten
Method
First cook the gooseberries by melting the butter in
a saucepan and adding the fruit. Cover tightly and cook over a low
heat. Shake the pan occasionally, until the gooseberries are
tender.
Meanwhile, season the mackerel inside and out with
salt, plenty of pepper and lemon juice.
Make two or three slashes in the skin on each side
of the fish, then grill for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on size,
turning once, until tender.
Puree the gooseberries in a blender or food
processor. Use a fine sieve to ensure you have removed all the
gooseberry pips.
Pour the puree into a clean pan, beat in the egg,
then reheat gently, stirring.
Season to taste.
Place the mackerel on warmed serving plates and
spoon the sauce around the fish.
Quick & Easy Sausage and Mash Pie
Serves 2
5 sausages
1 onion (half if large)
Gravy granules
Tomato puree
3 potatoes (good size)
Handful of mushrooms
Red wine
Powdered garlic, salt and pepper
Grated cheese, (optional)
Method
Chop the onion, sausages, and mushrooms and place in
a pan with some oil.
Put potatoes on to boil and take them off when
tender (approx 15 mins).
When the sausages are cooked, add a dash of gravy
granules and tomato puree and stir together with the sausages,
onions and mushrooms.
Add pepper, salt, some garlic powder and red wine
for taste.
Cook it all until the potatoes are ready to be
mashed. Mash them, and put the sausage mixture into a casserole
dish.
Put mashed potato on top, sprinkle with grated
cheese and pop under the grill until the cheese turns golden brown
and bubbles.
Crêpes Suzette
Serves 4 - 6
For the crêpes:
1 cup plain flour
2 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
For the filling:
Juice of 2 oranges
Zest of 1 orange
175g (6 oz) butter
75g (2½ oz) caster sugar
80ml (3 fl oz) liqueur (for instance, Grand Marnier,
Cointreau or Triple Sec)
Method
To make the crêpes:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and
the eggs.
Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to
combine.
Add the salt and butter and beat until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high
heat. Pour or scoop the batter in, using approximately ¼ cup of the
mixture for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that
the batter coats the surface evenly.
Cook the crêpe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom
is light brown.
Loosen with a spatula, flip over and cook the other
side.
The filling:
Pour the orange juice into a saucepan, and add the
zest, butter and sugar.
Bring to the boil, and then turn the heat down to
simmer for a further 15 minutes or until the sauce becomes
sticky.
Fold the crêpes and arrange them in a large pan so
that they slightly overlap each other.
Pour the warm syrup over the crêpes and then gently
heat them for 3 minutes.
Warm the liqueur in the emptied (but syrupy)
saucepan.
When the crêpes are hot, pour the liqueur over them
and set light to the pan.
Serve immediately.
Coq au
Vin
Serves 4
8 cooked joints of chicken, on the bone - a mixture
of breasts and thighs or legs
30g (1 oz) butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 red onions, sliced
250g (9 oz) button mushrooms
Good pinch of dried thyme
290ml (½ pint) red wine
500ml (17fl oz) fresh chicken stock
150m (l¼ pint) double cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Skin the cooked chicken pieces and set aside.
Heat the butter with the oil and add the garlic and
onions.
Sauté for about 5 minutes until softened.
Add the mushrooms and thyme and sauté for a further
5 minutes.
Pour in the wine, bring to the boil and continue
boiling until the sauce is reduced by half.
Pour in the stock and bring back to the boil.
Season and add the chicken to the sauce.
Simmer for 5 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly
heated through.
Remove the chicken pieces.
Increase the heat and boil the sauce until reduced
by half.
Reduce the heat, stir in the cream and heat.
Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces and sprinkle
with parsley.
Grumpy’s Garlic Mushrooms Tapa
Champiñones al Ajillo
Serves 4
50ml (2 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
250g (8oz) fresh mushrooms (sliced)
4-6 cloves of garlic (chopped or sliced)
3 tablespoons dry Spanish sherry
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Large pinch of dried chili flakes
Large pinch of paprika
Salt, freshly ground pepper
Chopped parsley to garnish
Method
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the mushrooms
over a high heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Stir constantly.
Lower the heat and add the garlic, lemon juice,
sherry, salt and pepper.
For a milder flavour you can leave it at that if you
like. But if you like a few ‘fireworks’, now is the time to add the
dried chili and paprika as well.
Cook for another 5 minutes or so until the garlic
and mushrooms have softened, then remove from the heat.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and divide up into
pre-heated little dishes.
Serve with plenty of fresh, crusty bread to mop up
the seriously garlicky juices.
Note:
Tapa means ‘lid’ or ‘cover’ in Spanish.
It’s thought that the name originally came from the practice of
placing slices of meat on top of a sherry glass, to keep out flies.
The meat, often ham or chorizo, was characteristically salty,
inducing thirst. Bartenders saw this and began serving a variety of
tapas which increased alcohol sales. Thus a new tradition was
born.
This recipe is from the next book, Chickens, Mules
and Two Old Fools
Contact the Author and
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Acknowledgements
Most importantly, thanks must go yet again to
my
loyal readers
. Thank you for taking the time to read my
scribblings and HUGE thanks to those of you who have taken the
trouble to leave reviews. Authors love reviews more than wine or
chocolate and I read and appreciate every comment.