Oh the groans of it being a classic and the length that
it would never be finished in eight weeks time (thank goodness I didn't
select Little Dorrit, a mere 928 pages) and how boring it was in
the beginning, I'm only to wonder the inner thoughts of what everyone
was really thinking.
After much plugging and promising that it does get so much better, it seems as if the club finally believed me. Although we had a small group and the ones present did not finish, they did come to agree that it was worth the extra bit of time.
If you haven't read it, pick it up! It truly is a masterpiece and a story to fit in any time period.
Each guest received a bookmark depicting one of Shakespeare's plays from his First Folio. The cards were in original Shakespearean text and everyone had to guess the translations as the modern text was read. As promised, here are two of the recipes that were made for the evening's discussion. They are both from the cookbook Favourite WELSH Recipes, published by J. Salmon Ltd., Sevenoaks, England
Potato Pie (Pastai Datws)
This supper dish, found throughout Wales, is traditionally served with pickled beetroot or pickled red cabbage. (I used as a side dish with chicken..would work well as a Lenten dish.)
2 lb. potatoes, peeler & cut into quarters
1/4 pint milk
1 oz. butter
Salt & white pepper
4 oz. grated cheese, strong Cheddar or similar
2-3 oz. white breadcrumbs, lightly crisped
A little melted butter
Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked. Set over to 425F. Drain the potatoes well, add the milk and butter and mash until smooth, then stir in the cheese and seasoning. Well butter a 1 1/2 to 2 pint pie dish and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, pressing them to the base and sides of the dish with the back of a spoon. Spoon in the potato and cheese mixture and rough up the top with a fork. Brush with melted butter and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with picked beetroot or pickled red cabbage or with crusty brown bread. Serves 4 to 6.
Gwent Gooseberry Cream (Eirin Mair Hufennog Gwent)
A South Wales recipe for poached gooseberries in a rich, creamy individual setting.
Now, the recipe clearly calls for gooseberries. However, since they were not readily available, I substituted plump raspberries and it was just delicious. I would think blackberries would do just fine as well. I am on the hunt for gooseberries to make the recipe accurately next time and will let you know how it turns out.
1 lb. gooseberries
3/4 oz. caster sugar (very fine granulated sugar, if you cannot located caster)
8 oz. double cream
5 oz. plain yoghurt
A few drops of vanilla essence (vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon icing sugar (powdered sugar)
6 dessertspoons demarara sugar
Poach the gooseberries in a saucepan with very little water and with the caster sugar; keep them whole by poaching gently and add more sugar if preferred. When cool, spoon the gooseberries, with a little juice, into 6 ramekin dished. Beat the yoghurt and cream together until they form soft peaks, fold in the vanilla essence and icing sugar and spoon the mixture on top of the gooseberries. Sprinkle a dessert spoon of demarara sugar over the top of each ramekin. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for several hours. The sugar forms a nice crunchy topping. Serves 6.
Enjoy!
