Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
(My tiny kitchen)
I think I first fell in love with food and cooking when I was a very young girl. My grandmother used to make exceptional soups, stews, preserves, roasts, breads, cakes, cookies and preserves . . . simple food, well prepared, using fresh ingredients or just whatever was in the larder. I don't think she had a cookery book collection. At best she might have had a community cookbook filled with recipes collected from the ladies in the community, or hand written recipe receipts given to her from friends . . . possibly a cookbook put out by the flour companies. For the most part she cooked from memory . . . doing things the way her mother had taught her . . . cooking by instinct, feel . . . taste.
Things were simple then and there weren't really many unknown, unusual, or luxury ingredients available. These days we are so blessed to have virtually a world of food and tastes at our fingertips. Even so, there are some dishes which we should really know how to do from heart, without a recipe. Oh . . . yes, we can follow a recipe the first time we make them, but with time and experience, these are the recipes which we can become so adept at using that we rarely need to look them up again, and indeed we can put our own stamps on them. They become recipes we know by heart, and these are mine.
A big Sunday tradition over here in the UK is the roast dinner. People either cook one at home, or they go out to have one at a restaurant . . . roast meat (beef, gammon, turkey, lamb, pork), with roast potatoes, veg, gravy etc. Oh and Yorkshire puddings. They're a must. We never have a roast dinner on a Sunday. By the time we get home from church and I call my mom, etc., there just isn't the time and to be honest I am pretty tired by then. So, I save our roast dinners for other days. On Sundays, we usually have something which I have either remembered to put in the slow cooker before we left for church, or I whip up something quick like these Bacon & Cheese Omelettes.
I picked up a small package of stew beef at the grocery store the other day because I had in mind to make myself a pot of stew. We've had some really nasty weather recently and I was really craving comfort food.
There is nothing quite like a nice bowl of beef stew on a cold winter's day for bringing comfort into your life.
There no shortage of stew recipes here on the blog. It is a real family favorite. Stew with Dumplings is a real winner. This is a recipe sized for two.
This Oven Braised Stew is also really enjoyed from time to time. We are also no strangers to delicious Lamb Stew. Stew has been bringing comfort and sustenance to my home for many, many years.
Like I said, I had in mind to make a nice stew with the beef, but then I spied this recipe on TOH for Tender Beef and Noodles for Two. It looked really appealing.
I decided to go with it. I had everything in the house, including the egg noodles. I didn't want to dig out my slow cooker however, so I adapted the recipe to cook it in my cast iron Dutch oven on top of the stove. It was delicious!!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE TENDER BEEF AND NOODLES FOR TWO
Very simple ingredients. I am sure you probably have everything in your home to make this delicious entrée today! It looks like a long list of ingredients, but trust me when I tell you they are very simple things, and not a lot is needed of any one thing.
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces) lean boneless stewing beef, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp canola oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup (240ml) water divided
- 1/3 cup (80g) tomato ketchup
- 1 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1 cup (90g) uncooked egg noodles
- 1 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
Small amounts of a variety of ingredients combine deliciously to make a fabulously tasty gravy. It almost has a hint of BBQ, but at the same time is completely different than BBQ.
Its rich and sweet and tangy, all at the same time. Plus the dry mustard powder gives it a tiny bit of heat, which is most pleasant.
HOW TO MAKE TENDER BEEF AND NOODLES FOR TWO
Like I said, the original recipe was meant to be cooked in the slow cooker. That process would have taken five hours however, and I just didn't want to wait five hours!
And so I adapted the instructions, etc. in order to cook it in a pot on top of the stove. The main difference was the amount of liquid, and the flour used to thicken it at the end.
Cooking this in the slow cooker would produce much more liquid and so you would naturally need more flour at the end to thicken the gravy. I basically cut the amount of flour in half as I did not have as many juices and didn't need the same amount of flour to thicken what I have.
In fact, I thought the gravy was a bit too thick with what I used and so I thinned it out a bit with boiling water. Judge accordingly. You know how thick or thin you like your gravy.
Have ready a small flame proof Dutch oven. Prepare your meat and onions.
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven until hot. Add the beef and onions. Brown all over in the hot oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Add half of the water, along with the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and dry mustard. Give it a good stir, bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.
Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the meat is falling apart and very tender. Check periodically to make sure it is not boiling dry. You can add a bit more water if it seems low.
Whisk the flour together with the remaining water until smooth. Whisk into the meat, stirring constantly until the gravy thickens. Simmer over low heat while you cook the noodles.
Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain well.
Serve the noodles, buttered if desired, with half of the meat mixture spooned over top and a vegetable or salad on the side.
This was really good. I happened to have egg noodles on hand, but I think it would be good served with any kind of pasta.
Bow ties, fusilli, fettuccini, corkscrew pasta, even macaroni would be nice with this.
Of course, if you are not a fan of pasta or noodles, you could also serve this tender meat in gravy with mounds of buttery fluffy mashed potatoes, or even rice.
At the end of the day its all about what brings you personal joy. I like pasta myself and I especially love noodles, but this would be delicious no matter what carb you choose to serve it with! You just want something which is going to cradle that delicious meat and sauce.
I had some brussels sprouts which needed using up and so that is the vegetable I chose to serve on the side, but in truth any vegetable would go well. Enjoy!!
Beef and Noodles for Two
Yield: 2
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 15 M
Tender pieces of beef in a delicious gravy spooned over egg noodles. This makes for a fabulously tasty supper for two with a vegetable or a salad on the side.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces) lean boneless stewing beef, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp canola oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup (240ml) water divided
- 1/3 cup (80g) tomato ketchup
- 1 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1 cup (90g) uncooked egg noodles
- 1 1/2 TBS plain all purpose flour
Instructions
- Have ready a small flame proof Dutch oven. Prepare your meat and onions.
- Heat the oil in the Dutch oven until hot. Add the beef and onions. Brown all over in the hot oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Add half of the water, along with the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and dry mustard. Give it a good stir, bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the meat is falling apart and very tender. Check periodically to make sure it is not boiling dry. You can add a bit more water if it seems low.
- Whisk the flour together with the remaining water until smooth. Whisk into the meat, stirring constantly until the gravy thickens. Simmer over low heat while you cook the noodles.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain well.
- Serve the noodles, buttered if desired, with half of the meat mixture spooned over top and a vegetable or salad on the side.
Notes:
Optionally this can be cooked in the slow cooker. Brown the meat and onions as above, then put together with the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until the meat is tender, about 5 hours. Increase the flour to 3 TBS and whisk together with the water. Whisk into the meat mixture in the slow cooker. Cover and cook for a further 30 minutes until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
I am just loving summer with all of it's fresh fruit and vegetables! It is by far and away the best time of year for fruit and veg just packed with flavour!
The supermarket shelves (not to mention my garden) are a dancing parade of delicious colour and taste, and I am love, love, lovin' every moment of it!
I especially love the abundance of fresh berries! Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, red and black currants, gooseberries, . . . oh so lovely. And the stone fruit . . . English cherries, early plums, apricots and fresh peaches from the continent . . . oh so yummy!
There is so very much you can do with them and we have been enjoying our fair share of them fresh and eaten out of hand and then in some pretty scrummy desserts . . . but you know what?
They just aren't for dessert! They also make lovely fruity salsa's that are just perfect with grilled chicken, lamb and pork.
Today I did some lovely grilled chicken breasts, all moist tender and flavourful . . . accompanied by a fruity yet zesty fresh berry salsa.
Each mouthful was a delight . . . the berries sweet and yet at the same time tangy from the lime juice and a bit salty from the salt and the pepper, chili and cilantro gave it a nice zip! And let's not forget the rich creaminess from the avocado!
All in all a truly wonderful combination that I hope you will want to try out for yourself! (I am thinking it would also be wonderful in a wrap with either sliced roast turkey or chicken, and perhaps a gutsy lettuce like Baby Gems or even rocket.) Watch this space!
This is light, fresh, colourful and delicious!
*Grilled Chicken with a Summer Berry Salsa*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Berries aren't just for dessert! Moist tender chicken with a delicious berry salsa that has a bit of a bite!
3 TBS olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
the juice and zest of one unwaxed lime
100g of fresh strawberries, roughly chopped (6 large berries)
100g of fresh blueberries (about 3/4 cup)
100g of fresh raspberries (23 raspberries)
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped (do be careful not to touch your nose, face or eyes when
working with fresh chilies)
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 ripe avocado, skinned and diced
20g of fresh coriander leaves, chopped (Cilantro) (a handful, leaves only, discard stems)
Heat a griddle to medium heat. Brush 2 TBS olive oil over the butterflied chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on the heated griddle, turning halfway through the cooking time, until cooked through and the juices run clear. (4 to 5 minutes per side.)
While the chicken is cooking, whisk the remaining oil with the lime juice and zest. Season to taste with some salt and pepper.
Put the berries into a bowl. Add the dressing along with the onion, chili, avocado and coriander. Toss gently together.
Serve the griddled chicken with the berry salsa spooned over top. Serve immediately.
I almost hesitated to post this. I mean Bacon & Cheese on Toast must be pretty common in most people's kitchens. They may not make it the way I do however, and so here I am.
With one of the most delicious snacks, light lunches, treats that anyone could want to eat! If you like bacon and you like cheese, you are going to simply adore this!
Bacon is one of those things which sets everyone's tastebuds to tingling (unless you are a vegetarian or vegan). And even they have their vegetarian options to enjoy. There is just something about that sweet smokiness that people just love.
Cheese is also a favourite of many people. I have so many cheeses that I love and when you combine any of them with bacon, well, you are singing the song of my heart.
It is the quintessential combination, is bacon and cheese. It exists in many forms. Quiche, flammkuchen, pizza, etc. Many different cultures clearly love this combination.
Its just something that people really love to eat! And I am no exception.
Bacon & Cheese on Toast was a treat my mother would sometimes make us when I was growing up. We always got very excited when she did.
It was always made with what I now call plastic cheese. Processed cheese slices. Bright orange. We didn't mind. This was the cheese of our childhood. It was what it was. We didn't care. We loved it anyways.
I always like to use a nice strong farmhouse cheddar if I can. It has plenty of beautiful flavour. You want something with enough flavour that it won't be swalloped up in the richness of the bacon.
I will let you in on my secret to a really great cheese on toast here. I always like to add a layer of something between the cheese and the toast. An extra flavour booster as it were.
Some days this can be something as simple as a thin schmear of marmite. Marmite gives it a nice salty meaty quality, and you don't need much of it to have an impact. When you are talking marmite less is definitely more.
Other times I will add a schmear of mustard. Dijon is a favourite, but my absolute favourite is a good grainy Dijon. Filled with lots of mustard seeds and texture. Honey Dijon is also very good.
If you can get Honey Cup Mustard you are in for a real treat. It has a lovely punchy heat but also plenty of sweet honey flavour. Goes very well with the saltiness of the bacon.
Today I used a good Mango Chutney. I adore Mango Chutney. Its sweet and tangy and spicy all at the same time. And yes, it goes excellent with cheese.
Lets talk bacon here. I adore bacon, but it has to be good bacon. I don't like bacon that smells like pig. I know. I know. Bacon comes from the pig. True fact that.
But I don't like to smell pig when I am cooking my bacon. Not any more than I want to smell barnyard when I am cooking beef, or burning mittens when I am cooking lamb.
This shouldn't happen with good quality bacon. I like a dry cure smoked bacon. Preferably without nitrates. I like the dry cure bacon because you get far less shrinkage with dry cure bacon.
Have you ever noticed that white residue in the skillet when you are cooking regular bacon? Regular bacon is injected with brine and when you cook it that comes out into the skillet.
When you take something out of something what's left behind is quite naturally smaller. Its physics! Oh that it were that easy when it comes to my hips!
Cured Bacon is made by adding artificial nitrates, usually sodium nitrate. This gets added to the regular salt and brine mixture.
Uncured bacon is left in a more natural state and so tastes more like pork belly itself. This is called green bacon, which does not refer the colour of it, but merely the uncured state.
Dry curing is a common practice used in sausages, hams and other chacuterie. Think salami here and pepperoni, etc. It is a combination of salt curing, air drying and sometimes smoking, all depending on the meat you are dry curing.
You can dry cure a roast before you cook it. Just rub it all over with salt and seasonings and leave it unwrapped and on a rack over a baking sheet in the refrigerator over night or for a day or so. Same with a chicken. This results in a beautiful crisp skin on the chicken and less shrinkage during cooking of the meat.
In the case of bacon, after it has been cured, it is usually also smoked in a smoker. (but not always) There used to be a place down the road from us that did beautiful home-smoked bacon. Oh my but it was lovely.
I don't think I have ever tasted such beautiful bacon since. It almost tempts one to set up your own smoker just so that you can smoke your own bacon and hams, salmon, etc. Mmmm . . . dry smoked salmon. The best.
But I digress. When you are cooking your bacon, do try to leave it a bit flimsy. It will cook further underneath the grill, so you don't want to have it over crisp or burnt. You also don't want to use any of that pre-cooked bacon.
Nasty stuff. Well, in my opinion anyways. And yes, when it comes to food, I can be somewhat opinionated. Sorry about that!
Do try it with that extra schmear of something and let me know what you think! I think it just makes something which is pretty amazing to begin with even more delicious.
This makes a great snack, or light lunch. Its also really nice with a hot bowl of tomato soup. Mmmm . . . now I am wanting some all over again! 😋😋😋
Bacon & Cheese On Toast
Yield: 1
prep time: 10 Mintotal time: 10 Min
This is more of a technique than a recipe, however delicious. You can make as many slices as you wish, but the amounts here are for one delcious serving. Feel free to play with it as you wish.
Ingredients
For one serving:
- 1 thick slice of lightly toasted bread
- 1 TBS of your favourite spread (marmite, mango chutney, grainy mustard, etc.)
- 4-6 TBS of your favourite cheese grated (I like strong cheddar)
- 3 slices of streaky bacon, cooked to semi-crisp
Instructions
- Preheat the grill on your oven to high. Spread your toast on one side with your desired spread. I love mango chutney. But I am also rather fond of grainy mustard. Both go very well with cheese.
- Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top, almost to the edge of the toast, but piling it higher in the centre. (Remember cheese will spread as it melts.)
- Top the bread with your bacon slices.
- Pop under the heated grill until your cheese has melted and your bacon is crisp.
- Cut in half and enjoy!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
People are always asking me what it was like to live, cook and work at the Manor. I thought I would do a post today about that experience in my life. To be honest, it was, to a humble girl from a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada, a bit of a dream come true!
When I was a child I used to dream of one day living in a pretty cottage in the English countryside, but I never ever thought that this would be a dream of mine that would come true. When I moved over to the UK in 2000 that dream came a little bit closer to coming true for sure, but it still seemed to be pretty remote to someone like me.
I decided to go to culinary school when I first arrived in the UK. This was something which I had always wanted to do, and the time seemed right. I was an empty nester without any obligations, and so I took the courses I needed to take in order to be able to work in the food industry. I had always been a very good cook, and I had run my own coffee shop at one point in my life, and I had, in fact, worked as a pastry chef (sans training) when I was a very young woman.
After I graduated from Culinary school, I started looking for a job. I did not want to work in a restaurant. At the age of 46, I reallyfelt that was too old for the fast pace of restaurant work. Restaurant work is a young person's game.
There is a magazine in the UK called The Lady. It is one of the primary places that wealthy people advertise to recruit staff. I decided that I would try to find a job working for a private school or a family cooking on a much simpler and easier pace. I began looking at adverts in the magazine and applying for jobs.
I received call backs from several positions but there was one job in particular that appealed to me. and so I went down to Kent for an interview. It was to work as a Chef for an American family living in the U.K. Kent is one of the most beautiful counties in England. It is known as the Garden of England and is host to a lot of beautiful little villages.
I went down by train for the interview from Chester where I was living at the time. This was just about the longest job interviews I have ever had. I was there for the most part of the day. I was given a guided tour of the Estate and of the cottage that would be mine.
By the end of the day I was told that I had the job, which would include a decent wage along with the cottage, which was situated just down the lane from the main house which you see above.
It was a very lovely cottage and would be my home for as long as I worked at the Manor. It was cozy and comfortable and well situated. We had a large eat in kitchen/family room down stairs, a laundry room, and a walk in larder. There was a circular staircase leading upstairs where there was a reception room, two largish bedrooms, a room we called the library/office and two bathrooms.
This was only a small portion of the kitchen downstairs in the cottage. It was quite large, with loads of cupboard and counter space.
My job at the Manor entailed cooking for a family on a daily basis, five days of the week, breakfast, lunch and supper. I got weekends off and bank holidays, unless it was a special occasion and of course I needed to work extra hours when they were entertaining.
As well as cooking, I was responsible for cleaning the kitchen, larder and conservatory.
There was a huge larder just off the kitchen which had slate shelves. It was lovely and cool in there. Stored in there were a variety of specialized dishes/platters/etc. which would be required for specific occasions.
There was a small wine/alcohol section, an area with tinned/packaged goods, and an ice machine. There was also another refrigerator which came in very handy to store things when a dinner party was planned.
The kitchen was huge. I had access to a large sink with a garbage disposal a professional sized electric/gas stove, a gas burning AGA and every electrical appliance you can imagine. On the other side of the cooking area was also a dining area which was never actually used for eating for the whole time I worked there, but served as an area to provide welcome drinks when guests were arriving for a luncheon or brunch.
There were a multitude of cabinets, some of them glass fronted, which held a variety of silver and china, crystal, etc. I was also responsible for the maintenance of these. The ceiling was oak beamed. The walls were lined with copper utensils. I was also responsible for polishing all of the silver and copper. There was not only silver in the kitchen, but a huge cupboard across from the laundry room that was filled with it from the floor to the ceiling.
Working there cured me from ever wanting to have any copper, silver, or crystal for myself. It was a lot of work keeping these things up to par, and during those years I did enough of it to last me a lifetime.
Everything was beautiful however and I have to say it was a wonderful opportunity for me to get to work in a beautiful environment with some of the finest equipment and ingredients.
Every day meals were quite ordinary. Much the same as anyone would eat. In the mornings I would make breakfast for the Mr. who usually had toast and jam, coffee, juice. The Mrs. would have 3 mini bran muffins, a glass of my homemade fruit smoothie and 2 prunes. The recipe I used for the bran muffins was this Refrigerator Bran Muffin recipe. I kept a big jug of that in the refrigerator at all times.
It was only ever very occasionally that they would want anything else for breakfast. Occasionally he would like some scrambled eggs and toast, and if they had guests I would cook full breakfasts to order. Bacon, eggs, sausage, etc.
Lunches were also very simple affairs. He might ask me to make him a sandwich, or sometimes I would make a pizza and have it in the refrigerator that he could eat whenever he wanted. A tray of Deviled Eggs was kept in the refrigerator at all times and I would often make a homemade soup for him to enjoy with his sandwich. He also liked to munch on cold chicken and there was also always a tray of crisp vegetables with homemade dip in there for snacking.
Every day suppers were also very simple. Usually just some sort of protein with some vegetables on the side. They did not eat carbs such as rice, pasta or potatoes on a regular basis. Dinner would be simply some beef, pork, chicken, duck, or fish (usually salmon), and 3 or 4 simply cooked vegetables as well as a salad. Dessert was also not an every day thing, although the Mr. did like me to cook my Chocolate Chip Cookies and Fudge Walnut Brownies on a regular basis.
On Chocolate Chip Cookie days, all the staff made a visit to the kitchen. They all adored my cookies, and would pop into the kitchen, one at a time for a freshly baked cookie.
The Ladies' Luncheons were a different matter. These were much more involved and required a lot of work in preparation. The Mrs. would entertain ladies for luncheons several times a month. They would consist of drinks served in the kitchen upon arrival, usually Elderflower cordial as well as an assortment of finger foods. Not too many, only one or two because the ladies were always watching their weight. Small nibbles only.
There would usually be a soup course to begin, with perhaps some cracker breads or tiny muffins on the side. It would only be a simple soup like Potage Crecy.
The soup was often served in these vegetable shaped ceramic soup dishes which each had their own lids to keep them warm. They were all different shapes and very pretty.
The main course would usually be a salad of some sort, sometimes grilled chicken with a few vegetables, or salmon. All very dainty, and of course, beautifully presented.
There would be a dessert to finish. A favorite of the ladies was the Frozen Lemon Souffle which would have been prepared by myself as small individual souffles and served with some berries or a coulis.
There would be iced water and a variety of wines to serve with each course and chocolates and coffee to finish.
I loved doing the luncheons. Sometimes they would be held outside on the patio, but more often than not they were held in the conservatory, which was just off the kitchen. (See photo above.)
I did all of the planning, shopping, prepping, cooking and serving. I was also responsible for setting and dressing the table, an example of which you can see above. Plus all of the clean-up afterwards. I tried to pick dishes that I could do in advance for the most part for the first and dessert courses. That way I had only to really concentrate on the main course on the day.
They involved long hours of preparation, and many hours spent on my feet on the day, but I loved the challenge of being able to pull it all together and I can tell you, they were always very happy with what I had prepared. I was right in my element, and, as tired as I would be at the end of it all, I always felt a great sense of accomplishment when it was done, and really enjoyed all of it. They were considered to be quite casual affairs.
As fun to plan and prepare as the luncheons were, the dinner parties were what I loved doing most of all! I planned, cooked and served dinner parties for as few as 6 or 8 people and as many as 25. Usually six courses, including the coffee's and chocolates afterwards.
Dinner parties were always quite a bit more elaborate and involved a lot more in terms of preparation and effort. They were silver service and consisted of appetizers and drinks upon arrival, usually served in the main reception room. I would usually prepare 3 to 4 different appetizers. Some favorites were this delicious Smoked Salmon Spread with crisp breads, boiled Quails Eggs, Toasted Cheese Rounds, Smoked salmon on little rounds of brown bread with lemon, etc.
Another favorite were these Stilton and Walnut Shortbreads which were served spread with cream cheese and topped with a dollop of Mango Chutney and a toasted walnut half. Real party fare.
Following the appetizers and drinks there would be a first course. (This photo above is of the dining room, but dressed for a luncheon rather than a dinner party. Dinner parties were always silver service.) The first course was usually a soup dish or a fish dish. She was very fond of stacked salads. I had special rings to stack things up in. You would set the salads up in the rings, on plates, and then once they were set remove the rings for service. Things like this Layered Cobb Salad would be a prime example.
Following the first course (starter) there would be a main course. This could be any number of things. Lamb, Beef, chicken, fish, etc. Accompanied with a variety of vegetables and of course the special dinner rolls that I would have baked earlier in the day. This recipe on Cooking Classy is very similar to the party rolls I used to make for the dinner parties.
I plated everything very judiciously. Small dabs of each thing, artfully placed, so as not to overwhelm appetites. It took some getting used to. I was used to family service prior to working at the manor and had to really learn to restrain myself when I was plating up. With five or six courses being served they didn't want overly large helpings of anything.
They really were very elegant affairs.
Following the main course there would be a dessert course. Typically I would prepare two to three different desserts. Usually a chocolate one, a light one and then a cake of some sort. I tried always to pick desserts that I could make well ahead of time that I wouldn't have to do for when it came to the actual day. These Baby Sticky Toffee Pudding Cakes were very popular.
Lemon Possets were another favorite.
After dessert there would be a cheese course. Prior to cooking at the manor I had a very timid cheese palate. I soon learned that in order to put together a delicious cheese tray I needed to know what I was doing and so I learned to love cheese.
I would prepare a large silver tray holding a variety of cheeses and fruits with special silver scissors meant to be used to clip off little sprigs of grapes. Normally there would be a hard cheese, some semi hard cheese, a soft cheese, a conversational cheese and a variety of fruits. Perhaps some wedges of apple, grapes, ripe figs, etc.
A silver biscuit barrel would also be passed at the table for the guests to enjoy a variety of crackers and biscuits with their cheeses. Small bread and butter plates with special silver knives would have been laid for them to spread their biscuits, cheese and fruits on.
As they were enjoying their cheese course I would be preparing the coffee course.
We always used a large wooden antique tray for this with handles. A hand crocheted antique lace cloth would be places over top and then the coffee things would be placed on top of the cloth. Small demi-tasse cups with silver spoons, and a silver basket covered with a doily and filled with a variety of quality chocolates.
By that time my work would have been almost done for the day. I would be busy clearing, cleaning and washing up. Leftovers, if any, would have been covered and refrigerated. The silver and crystal hand washed and put away and the dish washer would be humming.
Normally I would clean up the coffee things the next morning. That way they were free to socialize as they wanted and I could go home and get a well deserved good night's sleep before work the next day.
All did not always run smoothly. I remember the first Thanksgiving dinner I cooked, the turkey burned. It was a really large turkey and I had it in the electric oven. I went back to our cottage for a wee break and when I returned it was to discover that the bottom of the turkey was burning. It was so large that it was too close to the bottom element . We quickly ran to the shops, picked up two smaller ones and the first one was used as a show piece (elaborately garnished with plenty of parsley) and the guests were served meat from the other two. We did have a great laugh over that one.
The Mrs. said that it wouldn't be Thanksgiving if nothing happened to the turkey!
All in all I really enjoyed my years working at the Manor. I got to work in a beautiful environment with the finest equipment and ingredients. I got to stretch and expand my culinary skills more than I had ever thought myself capable, and I left there with a really good reputation intact.
So much so that a few years ago, they contacted me from their home in the Bahamas asking me could I come to work for them again. They said I had been the best Chef that they had ever had working for them. The offer included a cottage on the beach, etc. I had to turn it down though. I was very content now to just do what I am doing and to be near my family. I do admit I was very flattered to have been asked to return, however, and I was really chuffed that they thought so highly of me.
It really was a great experience and one that this simple girl from rural Nova Scotia had never thought that she would ever get to live. Living and working in a beautiful spot in the Garden of Kent. If I had my life to live over again, this experience would always be a part of it. Through it I learned a great deal about fine cooking and dining, proper service, and entertaining on a grand scale. This I will always be grateful for.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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