Downton Abbey Dinner with Staff

As I announced last week, we will be eating with the staff this week. With all the activities going on around this big house I am amazed they could all sit down for a meal. Of course it was a much simpler meal, but Mr. Carson always observes protocol and sees that proper standards are upheld.

This is a sit-down service with everything on the table and passed around to each person. Choosing from the designated staff section of the Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook we prepared Bangers and Mash (page 194) as our main entree. We choose a celery and toasted walnut salad with Pecorino cheese (page 208) as a side and finished with a Treacle Tart (page 232). We couldn’t resist adding Bluebell Homemade Vanilla to the tart.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with the term “banger,” that means sausage. The recipe called for beef sausage. We tried to be true the English version, but I am not fond of beef sausage and will not use that if I ever make this again. During World War II, because of the lack of farm meat and rationing the sausages were stuffed with cereal and water and had tendency to hiss and pop when cooked over fires in the trenches; thus the name banger. This dish is popular today and can be found in many local pubs.  Of course, the “mash” is mashed potatoes. This is just another version of Shepard's pie without the lamb. Using mashed potatoes as a topping for a casserole can come in very handy for many meat and vegetable dishes.

From reading the cookbook, potatoes were a main ingredient in the staff diet. I am assuming there was a kitchen garden nearby. We have never seen or heard anyone talking about working a garden, but I feel certain there was one and potatoes were a main staple. The only garden talk has been about growing roses and the Dowager Countess seems to have the lock on that production. Today, we talk about being locavores, these people really put it to the test. What they didn’t grow on the place, local tradespeople delivered to the back door.

Dressing for Walnut and Celery Salad

2 small shallots, minced

2 Tbsp sherry vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)

2 tsp fresh lemon juice (best with fresh juice)

1 Tbsp walnut oil, optional

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together and pour on salad right before severing.

Treacle Tart (Cockney slang for “sweetheart”)

Pastry

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

2 1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

6 tsp ice water

Thoroughly mix flour, salt, and sugar, cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time just until mixture clumps together. Divide into two parts, form two separate disks. Wrap separately with a little flour and chill for at least 90 minutes.  This a very delicate pastry, handle with care.

Filling

1 1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 cup golden syrup (1 part sugar to 1 part water)

2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix lemon zest, oats and ginger set aside. Mix syrup and lemon juice and set aside.

Remove one pastry disk from refrigerator; allow to set for 10 minutes. Roll gently and place into 9” pie plate. Place half of oat mixture in prepared pie crust, pour all of the lemon syrup mixture on top of oats, then add the rest of the oat mixture. Roll out the rest of the pastry and cut into strips to form a lattice topping. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Can be served hot or cold. Top with whipped cream.

This was a little scary for me with so little in the filling but it worked with a good topping. Remember those Ritz cracker pies? This has been a fun journey to share with friends. Next week we plan to have tea Crawley style.

Lets us hear from you about this adventure. I can be reached at PatsChat@livingston.net. 

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.

Be sure to follow this blog to receive future posts. I can be reached at PatsChat@livingston.net. I love hearing to friends about mutual interests.