Final Downton Dinner this Season

My friends and I gathered with much anticipation for the last episode of this exciting saga. We were both eager and sad knowing this would be the last until the release of season five.

From the previews we knew this would be an episode of revealing information and celebration. We chose to do it up right as best we could. Our meal was a smoked salmon quiche, with artichoke hearts, goat cheese and dill. We started off the evening with a blended white wine from Conundrum vineyards in Rutherford CA. We moved on to a Prosecco, a sparkling wine from Italy. Our dessert was fresh fruit marinated in port wine and sugar wrapped in a crepe. What a way to finish the season!

The recipes did not come from the Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook. The dessert was on the back of the crepe bag. Yes, they were store bought. Sometimes you just have to take a few shortcuts. The quiche is a combination of a recipe and my imagination.

This has been a lot of fun both planning and cooking around a central theme. To watch a show of this type and be able to discuss immediately the ins and outs of the progressions of the lives involved. We have enjoyed watching the fashions change both as the years pass and the social demands dictate. It has been somewhat of a refresher course on the history of the early 20th century.

Planning a meal is a wonderful way to have friends and family around, but to have a focus, something to be discussed at least part of the time, helps liven up the conversation. Whether your focus is a book or TV program or a cookbook based on a TV program, you are inspired to ponder new things and bring fresh discussion to the gathering -- not just the same old same old on what is happening around you. Think about this the next time you invite friends over.

Smoked Salmon Quiche with Goat Cheese and Dill

1 9-in. piecrust

3 eggs

1 cup half and half

1 can artichoke hearts, chopped

4 oz. smoked salmon, flaked

1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles

1 tablespoon fresh dill, divided

2 tablespoons fresh chopped green onion, divided

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/8 tsp Tabasco hot sauce

   

Bake piecrust in 400-degree oven for 10 minutes and allow to cool while preparing rest of quiche. Be sure to press edges to pan and prick with fork so crust will not draw in while baking. Use baking beads or other device to help hold crust shape. This pre-bake step will help insure a crisp crust bottom.

Combine eggs, half and half, salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce beat until eggs are completely blended. Sprinkle the flaked salmon in cooled crust, add artichoke hearts, crumble goat cheese, half of the fresh dill and chopped green onions.

Pour egg mixture over other ingredients and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Check during baking time and if the crust starts to get to brown protect with foil or other device. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack 10 to 15 minutes. This is important so crust will not sweat and be soggy. Sprinkle with remaining dill and green onion. The quiche can be eaten at room temperature if desired, so it makes a great bake-ahead dish.

The recipe for the fruit crepe was on the back of the prepared crepe package. I used strawberries, raspberries and dewberries I happen to have in my freezer.  By the way, just for you information, strawberries will not continue to ripen after picked. If you buy some that are still white or green at the tops around the stem they will stay that way. Some fruits do continue to ripen you just have to know which ones.

I hope you have enjoyed sharing this little adventure with my friends and me and I will be back on my regular food adventure quest next time. 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.