Fine English Cookery by Michael Smith (Pebble Mill)

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Notes about this book

  • veronicafrance on March 05, 2021

    A fancy version of rice pudding. Not sure why I chose this, as I've always been sceptical of rice pudding recipes where you cook the rice in water first, thus discarding the starch that should be slowly released to thicken and enrich the milk. Not only that, it had eggs in it, which seem entirely superfluous to me. Plus dried fruit and candied peel, and a good slug of brandy. It's baked in a bain marie; when I took it out, the custard was still a bit liquid, rather than having set like a crème caramel, which seemed to defeat the object. If it had been cooked a little longer, no doubt it would have been better. But on balance I'll stick with the unimprovable classic rice pudding.

  • veronicafrance on March 05, 2021

    Beef olives. This version had a thoroughly English stuffing: lemon zest, breadcrumbs, butter, and cooked ham. Rather bland. The sauce was a triumph though; rich with mushrooms, carrots, red wine and port. The only thing wrong with it was that there wasn't enough of it. I'd halved the recipe but I think I should have made the full quantity of sauce. But in the past I've made an Italian version with a stuffing including pine nuts and sultanas, and a rich tomato-based sauce, which is far superior.

  • veronicafrance on March 05, 2021

    Maids of honour. I believe the traditional version of these tarts has curd cheese in it. This one doesn't; the filling is basically frangipane, similar to Bakewell tart, with a layer of quince jelly in the bottom. They were delicious, albeit rather too sweet; I'll reduce the sugar next time. A flaky, crisp pastry case, filling that's squidgy in the middle (possibly a bit underbaked) and crisp around the edges. Of the recipes I've tried from this book, this is the only one I'd make again.

  • veronicafrance on March 05, 2021

    Pineapple and curry soup. Yes, really. Served chilled, very 1970s! It specified a fresh pineapple. I was not about to waste a delicious fresh one by cooking it in chicken stock and liquidising it. so I bought a tin. Other ingredients: curry powder, mango chutney, courgettes, onions, lemon juice. Served with cream swirled into it. Sheer curiosity meant I had to try it. Unfortunately it looked like snot. And the taste was pretty strange, flavours battling each other. It wasn't disgusting, but it's not something I would do again.

  • veronicafrance on February 23, 2016

    Salmagundi: not bad, a kind of English salade niçoise. We felt it needed some punchier flavours/spices, but also that it would probably have tasted better outdoors on a hot day (as opposed to in February ...)

  • veronicafrance on August 09, 2015

    Carrot and orange soup: a fairly classic combination enlivened by the addition of a pinch of curry powder, which adds subtle warmth and interest without being detectable as curry. Can be served hot or chilled -- will try the chilled version tomorrow. There are a lot of really delicious sounding soups in this book.

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  • ISBN 10 1897959362
  • ISBN 13 9781897959367
  • Published Mar 20 1998
  • Format Paperback
  • Language English
  • Edition 2nd Revised edition
  • Countries United Kingdom
  • Publisher Serif
  • Imprint Serif

Publishers Text

English food is enjoying a renewed vitality after decades spent in the shadow of European and other cuisines. The author's highly acclaimed book offers a refreshingly contemporary collection of classic recipes and proves that the inventiveness and diversity of English food deserve to be recognized--and enjoyed.

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