Doing Dinner in Downton Abbey Style

This week some close and amenable friends and I embarked on an adventure with the help of a Christmas gift I received. The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook by Emily Ansara Baines was a gift from my sister Sandy, who along with her husband Steve, has helped to support my interest in the PBS series Downton Abbey.

     With the aid of the cookbook we have embarked on a journey through food to try and absorb a little taste of old England. We will never be able to recreate the sumptuous

meals the Crowleys and their staff dinned on, but we are going to do our best.

     My cohorts in this project are Lucy who is furnishing location, accoutrements and some technical advice. Bonnie is furnishing liquid support, and factual background. I as you probably know, cooking is my thing and so I am planning menus and adding technical support to preparing the meals. All are providing enthusiasm and encouragement.

     Our first attempt was a dinner at home was Downton Abbey en famille, meaning only family present. A simple meal, prepared by the cook, no tiaras worn. We could not manage as many courses, but tried to space it out to finish the main course, rest and then have dessert and cordial during the after show.

     We started the evening with the savory, which most of us know as an appetizer. Ours was smoked salmon served on a thin slice of cucumber topped with cream cheese, more smoked salmon and garnished with dill. A white wine accompanied this.

      We moved on to the main course of the Crowley Family Chicken Breast with Caper Cream Sauce, page 70 in the book. This was wonderful, a simple preparation and so smooth. It is a soft sauce like velvet. We accompanied this with Baked and Buttery Balsamic Asparagus with Sea Salt, page 118.  A light sauvignon blanc accompany this. This was easy to prepare and the timing worked well with the main dish. Asparagus is great this time of year. Remember to look for tightly closed tips when buying to get nice young tender stalks. Store upright and trim just before using.

     We served a fruit salad to finish the meal. In the Edwardian Period, a selection of fruit was served often and was chosen to show one’s status. Fresh fruit was hard to come by, especially oranges. We chose the Upper-Class Fruit Salad, page 153, to conclude our evening. This was accompanied by a small glass or Port before retiring.

         

Crowley Family Chicken Breast with Caper Cream Sauce

(from The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook by Emily Ansara Baines)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 tsp. lemon pepper

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. fresh dill

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 clove garlic diced

1/2 tsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. dry white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. capers, drained and rinsed

 

1.  Thoroughly season chicken breast with seasonings and marinate in lemon juice for at least 2 hours.

2.   Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sugar, sauté for 5 minutes. Then place chicken breast in skillet and increase heat to medium-high. Turn chicken frequently until brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook breast 5-7 minutes or until are cooked through. Test with an instant-read thermometer for 165 degrees. Remove chicken and cover with foil and keep warm.

3.  Increase heat to high, and whisk in wine and heavy cream. Whisk until mixture is reduced to a sauce-like consistency, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in capers. Pour sauce over chicken breast and serve.

Remember Downton Abbey airs on Houston PBS at 8 o’clock on Sunday evenings. We plan to dine again next week downstairs with the staff.

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