Junkets,
curds and whey, or creams ... the names have become ‘muddled’ over time ...
sometimes curds are listed as creams ... while curds and whey were sometimes
listed as junkets in the old cookery books.
 |
| Junket with nutmeg topping |
Junkets
were often made in the west of England, where the peat country provided good
grazing for their dairy cows.
 |
| .... serve with Devon cream |
Today
the milk is heated blood-warm, lightly sugared, flavoured with brandy or rum,
and left to set with rennet – then served sprinkled with grated nutmeg, accompanied
by Cornish Cream.
Blackberry
junket – a very delicate variation ... without milk or cream ... take a square of coarse strong cheese cloth,
and pile it full of the ripest blackberries you can find.
 |
| Blackberry Junket photo c/o Simon Mitchell |
Knot the four corners; slip a stick under
them and twist, over a china bowl, pressing the bag with a wooden spoon, till
you have a bowl full of rich thick blackberry.
Leave undisturbed for about 2 hours in a
warm room ...it will then be the consistency of traditional junket ... and is
excellent served with sponge fingers and Cornish cream ...
 |
| Little Miss Muffet .... eating of curds and whey; |
Blackberry
junket sounds delicious to me ...
... but
I always enjoy my junkets .......
... the
US version – where it is made with a pre-packaged mix of rennet and sweetener –
sounds disgusting to me!! Statement made
– but I do prefer freshly made food = ‘twas the way we woz brought up!!
That is
J for Junkets from Aspects of British Cookery
Hilary
Melton-Butcher
Positive
Letters Inspirational Stories
40 comments:
Honestly never heard of junkets before (referring to foods). However, I will agree the balckberry one sounds pretty good :)
I'm not sure I've ever had it, Hilary. Quite like the sound of the blackberry one though.
Those junkets look lovely but for some reason I've never fancied trying one. The name is kind of off-putting.
Oooh it's spoilt by the rennet!! LOL!! But I'm sure there's a non-animal kind somewhere!! Yay! Take care
x
I have never heard of this (there is a US version? Must be a well-kept secret.) :) I love the thought of eating that with sponge cake fingers and cream. Yum.
Just to say Jo over at Jo on Food, My Travels - has a BBC recipe that is 'what I'd described as a muddled' junket - but one that is more appropriate to this day and age .. is a cream version ..
.. also on ours you couldn't add fruit it would just sink through ..
Here's the link to Jo:
http://henderson-jo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/j-josephine-and-junket.html
@ Rhonda .. it probably is a very English dish .. particularly this one ..
@ Suzanne .. the blackberry one came out of a very early recipe 200 years ago or so ..
@ Ros - they are very simple puds ... and I've always loved them
@ Old Kitty - I know I thought about you and the rennet - there is a vegetarian option ...
@ Lynn - there is a packet version for Junket .. it's not something I'd have thought could have come out of a packet .. must be thicker than the version I've quoted here ..
Cheers to you - interesting that junket is so unknown! Hilary
This is the first time I heard of Junket. I will have to try and make it. May be change it a little bit to fit the limited things that my husband can eat. Thank you for sharing. Your blogs are so help.
I've never heard of junkets before either, but I have of course heard of curds & whey. I long to try the Canadian dish, poutine, that has cheese curds in it (with gravy and french fries...basically a heart attack on a plate).
My grandmother made it. She made a lot of good food that I've forgotten about.
We should never eat processed food or anything labeled pre-packaged mix. Never purchase anything in the center of a supermarket. A good rule to live by.
Thanks for writing about curds.
Thanks for the shout out Hilary. The junkets I remember were solid with a clear liquid surrounding them. Almost blancmange consistency.
Funny we should both write about Junkets today.
JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE
Oh lovely! It's been so long since I've had any of these English delectables you're posting about. Junket is something I had as a child and loved....I think I need to investigate this Aspects of British Cookery!
Wow, never heard of junkets before but good old curds and whey--the stuff of old-timey poems. Probably because the word junket sounds too clunky. When you get to "R" you can explain what a rennet is. Lol.
I didn't know junkets were food! The only time I've heard the word is with the term press junkets.
I've long wondered what curds and whey was and now I know. The blackberry junket made my mouth water!
I had never heard the term Junket. I learned something new today. :)
I love junket - finding vegetable rennet can be a challenge these days, though! The blackberry one sounds lovely, but I love my bramble jam too much to spare them. I might try it with raspberries in the unlikely event of having a glut this year :(
Happy A to Z-ing
Jemima at Jemima's blog
Gosh I learned something else today - you are amazing. Sandie
You got me with this one, Hilary. Junket was always a short journey in my vocabulary, never something to eat; however, any time you can add brandy to something, you've got my attention!
Never heard of a junket, but now I want one, Hilary! Especially blackberry because it's one of my favorite berries next to the raspberry (my all-time fav).
It's known in Germany too, but not here in Belgium. I also would prefer the blackberry junket !
Fascinating! I just caught up with your alphabet cookery lesson and can't tell you how much I've enjoyed learning all of this stuff so unfamiliar to me. What a treat!
Hello, Hilary! I'm unfamiliar with junket. Thanks for the lesson!
Happy A to Z-ing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines
I think I missed out on junkets when I lived in England. Sounds good though.
I've wondered exactly what curds and whey was. Now the Little Miss Muffet poem makes perfect sense.
Oh I have eaten a great many junkets and puddings over my many days...My mum thought the boxed stuff in the USA was disgusting too. Raspberries will also set to a gelatin with just time I like it the way it naturally comes and not with added sugars or creams and milk.
My mom made all our cottage cheese too from raw milk...
Oh so good memories conjured up here today Thank you
I can't believe I've never heard of Junkets before...I need to get out more!!
Hi, Hilary,
Thanks so much for your comments at my blog this morning.
That real blackberry curd looks awesome! I would ways choose natural over processed.
I could eat the blackberry one.
@Munir .. I don't think you could alter the junket I use much ... it's one of those deserts that doesn't take kindly to alteration! ..
@ JoJo - I'll have to look up poutine - I've never heard of it. It sounds very savoury and interesting ..
@ Manzanita - that's great you remember your grandmother making it. I'm not keen on processed food at all ..
@ Jo - pleasure about the shout out - yours is a different version ..
... once you 'cut' into them the junket separates out the water .. but it's not got any of the depth of blancmange
@ Val - childhood memories -which are so good to remember ... actually we still have junket to this day ...
@ Kim - Little Miss Muffet - one of those old rhymes ... I'm afraid R is taken .. I'll have to do a reference post or something! Thanks for coming by ..
@ Julie - our junket is food and pre-dates the modern junketing around!!
@ Bish - so pleased I've enlightened you ... and yes I rather like the sound of the blackberry junket ...
@ Ciara - I have to say this is one of my posts I thought not many would know about!
@ Jemima - lovely to meet you ... that's wonderful you eat junket to this day .. and we still get rennet in little bottles, but I know vegetable rennet is around ...
Any homemade jam, especially bramble, is delicious isn't it ..
@ Sandie - these are old family favourites ...
@ Lee - I will only eat it with brandy added, can't stand rum!
@ Talon - I think the blackberry one looks delicious .. but a little of that with some old-fashioned junket would be good ..
@ Gattina .. interesting they have it in Germany .. I'll have to ask friends next time I go to Hamburg .. but not in Belgium ..
@ Rosaria - thanks so much - I've enjoyed concocting the posts ...
@ Laura - great that you've enjoyed the post ..
@ Inger - your employers probably didn't like junket themselves I expect ...
@ Sherry - it's interesting how our learning comes together ..
@ Patricia - junkets are special to families by the sound of it .. using gelatine is another way to set desserts ... rennet is another entity ... I'll have to clarify exactly ...
My mother made jams and jellies .. but we didn't have a cow ... so couldn't make cheese! Delighted you've enjoyed those memories ...
@ Keith - it is a very old fashioned pudding ... not often served now-a-days ...
@ Michael .. I'll be back to your other posts ... I've come north for a few days with friends ..
The blackberry natural set .. does look too delicious ... and yes - after your change of habits I can believe you'd always have natural foods ...
Thanks everyone .. and I know Diane's just posted ..
So thanks for coming by Diane ..
Cheers Hilary
Trust me, the instant American version is disgusting.
I've never heard of a junket unless it involves stars and lots of reporters...that blackberry one sounds as delectable as the others. When I send you through the wormhole to come camping with us, you can make it for us, OK?
Tina @ Life is Good
Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
@TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge
I like the sound of junket but have never had it. It does contain rennett, which is taboo for me.
Nas
That takes me back to when I was young, I rather liked junket but have not had it over forty years.
My grandmother and mother always made puddings and custards from scratch, no boxed mixes because they didn't taste as good. The blackberry junket idea is totally new to me, and it sounds wonderful. I think I'll give it a try the next time I find fresh blackberries at a farmers' market.
The food names are sometimes a little off-putting that sure looks good. That blackberry junket looks delish...even if it sounds weird!
Still getting hungry, Hilary!
Chuck at Apocalypse Now
@ Alex .. I'm sure it is!
@ Tina - no stars, no reporters = just us!! Most certainly as long as you all go foraging for blackberries too! The wormhole idea sounds good ..
@ Nas - there is a vegetable version of rennet ... but I don't know any more for now!
@ Rob - it's one of those delicious home old recipes isn't it ..
@ Patricia - I don't think we had packet mixes for things when I was growing up ... good luck with the blackberry junket - it does sound good ... I wonder if the cultivated blackberry works as well at setting naturally ...
@ Chuck - the food name has only altered because modernity took it over!! But I agree .. I'm a great fan of blackberries, blackcurrants et al ... Sorry about the hunger! I guess breakfast will loom large soon for me!
@ Joylene - you must get lots of blackberries around your lake ...
Thanks so much to everyone for commenting .. cheers Hilary
Cool The first one sounds delicious
I never knew what Junket was! Thanks so much for this post. I will try it next time I get to hop the pond. Also, I'm not going to wait to try the blackberry junket. They're in season right now!
@ A Lady's Life - glad you enjoyed seeing the recipe ideas ..
@ Lisa - I hope you can find junket on the menu .. it's more a home made food - well the BBC's version sounds more like a restaurant/pub variety .. and so pleased your blackberries are in season now ..
Thanks for visiting - Hilary
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