The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook (19 page)

As Downton Abbey is the perfect estate for hunting game, it’s likely that Lady Mary and her guests would hunt their fair share of quail. Mrs. Patmore would take that quail and make a delicious dish to serve as the fourth or fifth course of the dinner party following the hunt.

4 cups dry white wine

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cup plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

12 bay leaves

12 semi-boneless quail

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cup unsalted butter, melted

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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

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cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups fresh figs, halved lengthwise, stems discarded

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cup finely chopped shallots

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cup celery, chopped

1 cup dry red wine

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cups veal demi-glace

3 tablespoons fig balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a medium-sized pot, boil white wine,
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   cup of the salt, and bay leaves. Once boiled, set aside and let cool. Submerge quail in this brine and refrigerate for 4–6 hours.
   
2. While brining, make the sauce: Heat
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   cup of the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Brown figs for 3–5 minutes. Transfer figs to a medium-sized bowl. Place shallots and celery into skillet and brown for 3–5 minutes. Add wine and 10–12 browned fig halves (reserving the rest) and boil, stirring repeatedly while mashing figs, until wine is reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Mix in demi-glace and bring mixture to a boil. Whisk in balsamic vinegar. Heat to a rolling boil for 3 minutes, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a heavy saucepan, discarding solids. Stir in tarragon, salt, and pepper.
   
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. While the oven preheats, free quail from fridge and pat dry. Cover quail with melted butter, and salt and pepper generously.
   
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium-sized skillet over moderately high heat for 45 seconds. One by one, brown half the quail for 10–15 minutes, transferring browned quail to a large baking pan, placing them breast-side up. Add remaining butter and oil to skillet, and continue to brown the remaining six quail.
   
5. Roast quail until just cooked through, about 10–15 minutes. Add reserved browned figs to pan for the last 2–3 minutes of roasting.
   
6. Bring sauce back to a low bubble, stirring in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until butter is fully incorporated with the sauce. Arrange quail and figs on a large serving platter. Pour leftover pan juices into sauce. Serve sauce on the side in an elegant sauce container.
   

By the 1920s, it was proper etiquette for the guests to arrive for a function no later than 8
P.M.
, and for the dinner to be finished no later than 10:30
P.M.
With the advent of
Service à la Russe,
the time for 6-hour dinners of the Victorian era had passed. Of course, it helped that, after World War I, many of the courses were cut.

While entertaining guests, the Earl of Grantham might perhaps offer a bit of hunting — should the weather permit. Although foul such as pheasants or wild game like hare might be preferred, should a guest kill a mallard or some other duck, it would not go to waste. Mrs. Patmore could certainly use the duck in a fine recipe such as this one to offer the guests a taste of their own hunting prowess.

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cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

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cup white sugar

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cup dry white wine: Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc

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cup orange juice

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cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1
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cups frozen blackberries, thawed

1
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cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons Cognac

1 tablespoon Vermont maple syrup

4 (5- to 6-ounce) duck breast halves with skin

Kosher salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Additional blackberries for presentation

1. Melt
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   cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
   
2. Slowly stir in sugar, stirring until sugar thoroughly dissolves and sauce turns a deep amber color, about 5–8 minutes. Pour in wine, orange juice, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. Still stirring, bring entire mixture to boil.
   
3. Add berries and chicken broth to sauce; continuing to boil until sauce thickens and is reduced to about 1
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   cups, stirring occasionally. This will take about 20–30 minutes.
   
4. Add Cognac and maple syrup. Using the back of a spoon, mash the berries into the mixture. Set aside.
   
5. Preheat oven to 400°F. After trimming any excess fat from the duck breasts, cut small slits in the skin (but not in the meat) of the duck. Thoroughly season breasts with salt and pepper.
   
6. Heat a heavy ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add duck — skin-side down — and sear until lightly brown, about 5 minutes. Turn over and cook for an additional 2–3 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until duck reaches desired doneness (about 5 minutes for medium).
   
7. As duck bakes, reheat blackberry sauce over low heat. Add last tablespoon of butter and whisk until just barely melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   
8. Spoon sauce onto plates, then place duck atop sauce. Garnish with additional sauce and blackberries if so desired.
   

It is out of respect for your guests that you serve their duck already carved into breasts. When served a half duck or a half chicken, a guest is expected to seamlessly use his knife and fork to cut the wing and leg away from the breast before he begins to eat any of the meal.

While this recipe requires few ingredients and little attention, Daisy with her curious nature would likely find this recipe quite difficult, as it involves not opening your oven for several hours to peek at the rib roast’s progress!

1 (5-pound) standing beef rib roast

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cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Allow roast to stand at room temperature for 1 hour, then thoroughly coat roast with olive oil.
   
2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together garlic powder, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub seasoning all over roast. Place roast, fatty-side up, in roasting pan.
   
3. Place roast in oven and cook for 1
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   hours. Turn oven off, leaving roast inside. Whatever you do, do not open the oven. Leave roast in turned-off oven for 3 hours. About 40–45 minutes before serving, turn oven temperature up to 375°F, roasting for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes in a warm place before carving.
   

Mrs. Patmore would know that one should never carve a roast immediately after cooking, or it will be tough. Instead, as directed in this recipe, a roast should be allowed to rest in a warm place for at least 10 minutes prior to carving. An aged Merlot or Cabernet would be excellent choices to accompany this dish, as the fat in the rib roast provides the meat with great flavor, thus necessitating a wine that is not overpowering, while still holding its own against the dish.