Come to my British Pub dinner
table.
 |
| Burgundy spray roses. They are gorgeous, and I bought them at the super-market. |
I’m always looking for ideas
that turn my dinner parties into more. Embellishing a recipe into a menu, a
table setting, a mood.
About a month ago, I was
gearing up my food and entertaining engines for a dinner party. Something had to spark a theme.
I came across a menu in
Victoria magazine on the comforts of classic pub fare.
www.victoriamag.com It was a perfect prelude to Fall. I’ve made fish and chips
for my family before, but not for a dinner party. I wanted to go whole hog
British. To create the table environment, I went straight to my prop room,
which is my whole house.
Victoria Magazine
To add to my inspiration, I had just been on a tour of the Goodspeed Opera House in Hadam Ct. http://www.goodspeed.org/
Warm and cozy, well worn, decades
of old props tweaked and kick started the hunt for my table setting.
I gathered well read and well worn
books of English subjects. Like “The Observer’s Book of Heraldry” by Charles
Mackinnon of Dunakin, “The Once and Future King” by T.H.White, “Culpepper’s
Complete Herbal” made and printed in Great Britain.
 |
| Some of the books stacked on the table for reading. |
Writing instruments, like an
ink well and an antique holder for nibs. A specimen preserved under a glass
dome, which happened to be my dried wedding bouquet arrangement.
 |
| The "specimen wedding bouquet" preserved under glass for forty-two years. The glass balls still filled with water. |
Colors; burgundy, rust,
earthy and Fall. Flowers; burgundy spray roses scattered in individual vases,
pottery, pewter, wood, and ceramic.
Flower patterned dinnerware,
a muted fall colored runner, a pair of ceramic book end vases. An
English crystal carafe bought in Oxford. Pewter serving pieces, iron candle
holders, a pewter single candle holder with handle.
 |
| The complete table. |
Here’s the menu:
Hors d’oeuvres:
Red wine-infused hard sausage
with whole grain mustard.
Caperberries.
Port Salut cheese and water
crackers. Mixed green and black olives. Cashews. Phyllo pastry pizza, made
with roasted mixed tomatoes from my garden- (plum, heirloom and cherry).
 |
| Nibbles before dinner. A bit of a Ploughman's selection. |
 |
| Just baked phyllo pizza. |
 |
| Pizza cut into bite size servings. |
 |
| Guinness Stout. One of the offerings in addition to wine and beer. |
Main Course:
Fish and chips. Beer-battered, lighter than usual, made with rice flour.
Fish and chips. Beer-battered, lighter than usual, made with rice flour.
Variations of traditional
side dishes, sauteed peas, mashed with mint, and chives.
British baked beans, simmered not baked, tangy and spicer than the usual baked beans. Cole slaw dressed in a honey Dijon-mayo spiked with red
onion, chives, and champagne vinegar. Tartar sauce just bursting with piquant
flavorings of capers and chives. Cornichons and the addition of whole-grain
mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Wow.
 |
| Plate of fish and chips, beans, cole slaw and mashed peas. |
For dessert I found a recipe
for frozen Crème Caramel, which is great since it can be made ahead and frozen for up to one week.
 |
| The Creme Caramel, slightly frozen in the center, surrounded by blackberries, raspberries and whipped cream. |
If you don’t want to bother with
the making of fish and chips, which have to be made at the last minute, keep everything else and
substitute a simple roast chicken. A
steak and ale pie, or fish pie. It's all traditional pub food.
It's hard to pick just a few recipes for you, but you know that you can always ask for the others.
Recipe:
British Baked Beans: serves 6
recipe adapted from Victoria magazine
4 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 shallots, diced
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
( known as "English Sauce". First made in 1897 in Worcester, England)
2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
4 tablespoons tomato paste
3 (14.5-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes ( reduce for a less spicier flavor)
3 tablepoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a Dutch oven (I use Le Creuset because I like a heavy enameled iron pot) over medium-high heat, cook bacon until browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and shallots, and cook, stirring often, until soft, but not browned, about 3 minutes.
Add molasses, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, and tomato paste; stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add drained beans, celery salt, and red-pepper flakes. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add parsley before serving.
Frozen Creme Caramel: serves 6
(recipe adapted from Food and Wine magazine)
Custard
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
1 vanilla bean
3 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
Caramel
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons water
fresh berries (I used blackberries and raspberries)
whipped cream, for serving
Make the custard:
In a small saucepan, combine the cream, milk and vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the egg, sugar and salt. Slowly whisk in the cream mixture. Set the bowl in the ice bath and let stand, stirring the custard occasionally, until chilled, about 20 minutes.
Make the caramel:
Arrange six 4-ounce ramekins in a large baking dish.
(Ramekins are so very handy for so many tasks and for serving. Have as many different sizes as you can on hand)
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and the 1/4 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderate heat, washing down the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush, until a light amber caramel forms, 15 minutes. Carefully stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of water and simmer until the caramel is dissoved. Pour the caramel into the ramekins, swirling to coat the bottoms evenly. Let the caramel cool for 15 minutes.
Fill the ramekins with the chilled custard. Carefully pour enough hot water into the baking dish to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours*, (check after 45 minutes, and again at 1 hour,and if needed, cook longer) until the custards are almost set but still slightly jiggly in the center.
Remove the foil and let the custards cool to room temperature in the water in the pan for 30minutes. Wrap the ramekins in plastic and refrigerate until the custards are thoroughly chilled, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Thirty minutes before serving, take the creme caramels out of the freezer and let stand at room temperature until just slightly frozen in the center. Runa thin knife around the creme caramels and inver them onto plates. Serve with berries and whipped cream.
The creme caramels can be frozen for up to 1 week.
Happy Fall, don't forget your reservations for October 2.
I'll see you there.
As Always,
xxoo, Sheila
It's hard to pick just a few recipes for you, but you know that you can always ask for the others.
Recipe:
British Baked Beans: serves 6
recipe adapted from Victoria magazine
4 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 shallots, diced
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
( known as "English Sauce". First made in 1897 in Worcester, England)
2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
4 tablespoons tomato paste
3 (14.5-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained
2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes ( reduce for a less spicier flavor)
3 tablepoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
In a Dutch oven (I use Le Creuset because I like a heavy enameled iron pot) over medium-high heat, cook bacon until browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and shallots, and cook, stirring often, until soft, but not browned, about 3 minutes.
Add molasses, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, and tomato paste; stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add drained beans, celery salt, and red-pepper flakes. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add parsley before serving.
Frozen Creme Caramel: serves 6
(recipe adapted from Food and Wine magazine)
Custard
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
1 vanilla bean
3 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
Caramel
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons water
fresh berries (I used blackberries and raspberries)
whipped cream, for serving
Make the custard:
In a small saucepan, combine the cream, milk and vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a large bowl with ice water. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the egg, sugar and salt. Slowly whisk in the cream mixture. Set the bowl in the ice bath and let stand, stirring the custard occasionally, until chilled, about 20 minutes.
Make the caramel:
Arrange six 4-ounce ramekins in a large baking dish.
(Ramekins are so very handy for so many tasks and for serving. Have as many different sizes as you can on hand)
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and the 1/4 cup of water and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderate heat, washing down the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush, until a light amber caramel forms, 15 minutes. Carefully stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of water and simmer until the caramel is dissoved. Pour the caramel into the ramekins, swirling to coat the bottoms evenly. Let the caramel cool for 15 minutes.
Fill the ramekins with the chilled custard. Carefully pour enough hot water into the baking dish to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours*, (check after 45 minutes, and again at 1 hour,and if needed, cook longer) until the custards are almost set but still slightly jiggly in the center.
Remove the foil and let the custards cool to room temperature in the water in the pan for 30minutes. Wrap the ramekins in plastic and refrigerate until the custards are thoroughly chilled, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Thirty minutes before serving, take the creme caramels out of the freezer and let stand at room temperature until just slightly frozen in the center. Runa thin knife around the creme caramels and inver them onto plates. Serve with berries and whipped cream.
The creme caramels can be frozen for up to 1 week.
Happy Fall, don't forget your reservations for October 2.
I'll see you there.
As Always,
xxoo, Sheila
