Dinner and Food Wrap-up …

 

Well that's that … one major week in the life of a daughter (now blogger) … cow invasion, cocktails for 80, dinner for 30 …

Platter of cheeses to finish off a meal

… definitely some guests – my father's younger sister: her husband was the uncle I spent time with, she'd asked me to look after him … all happening in the first 12 years of this millennium … when my mother was also in her last months – easing their ways onwards …

I'm sure we'd have finished with port or brandy … a platter of 1960s cheeses – cheddar, Stilton, camembert … about the only French cheese readily available …

My father had given up smoking (never cigars),
but some friends still did ... 

I'm sure everyone rallied round to help us clear up – I cannot remember that part … and no doubt left overs were Sunday lunch.

The denouement happened early the next week … I'd applied to become a chalet girl – ie work at a ski lodge …

Look to You tube to learn
'how to Make Hospital 
Corners'  ( no link here)

… I think I could cook, organise, plan, clean – but not do hospital corners on beds (but easy to learn n'est pas?) etc …

… so the interview comes around – I'd gone to London – no zoom in the 1960s … I can't remember much except the one question – which I answered truthfully … how would I make pastry … well I said I'd buy it …

Mayerhofen, Austria

Pastry wasn't something we'd had much of at home … as we were away at school – no suppers/evening meals needed – so I'd no idea about it …

… well that solved that - the interview: failed – I was not accepted as a chalet girl … on t'other hand looking forward – I wouldn't be here now … so a fork in life's road led me here …

Autumn in Tennessee -
here it is bucketing with rain

Back to normal: eclectic posts … as per my whim … take care and here's to a happy Autumn or Fall …

To finish off background to my ability to cook … my mother was a very good cook – I'd learnt at home … after school I had a short stint with a French lady, I guess a post WW2 refugee, who gave classes for 8 – teaching us how to cook all the basics – I still have her recipes … we rotated cooking, preparing, cleaning, washing up, time watching etc … it was an invaluable start to life in the kitchen – not to say I became a housewife as such …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

New Home celebration … 'mains' … 3/4

 

Now we've had desserts c/o WEP (my last post) we backtrack to the mains …

Fillet of Beef waiting to be cooked

I'd decided to offer fillet of beef, with new potatoes, a medley of vegetables, green beans and anchovy bread … but frankly to my surprise I can't remember …

I was, now looking back, very confident that I could prepare all the dishes … brash = today's description.

We had a similar cream Aga

I know I cooked the beef fillets – because they caused me a minor blip … but the rest – I'm really not sure about … and back in those days we didn't have global vegetables and fruits available …

I'd grown up using an Aga … and though I'd moved onto a refurbished gas oven in my London flat – bought from a friend, who had had it converted to North Sea Gas – when I left for South Africa … it was again sold on to some friends for their flat … recycling at its best.

In the house my father had bought, there was no gas, we had an electric oven … another adjustment required by the 'cook' (me!).

Anchovy or herby bread ... I still can't fathom why 
each slice isn't cut through ... I always do mine
wrapped in foil, opened up for the last few minutes

The beef fillet would be served at room temperature – being sensible I'd realised I wouldn't need to have hot food on the go … as serving 30 would be hard enough …

The instructions said roast the fillet at 400 degF, or gas Mark 7 for about 35 minutes and then leave to cool. Absolutely fine – simple … wouldn't take long and all would be well …

Green bean salad

When I opened the oven on the three fillets I was cooking to serve the guests … it dawned on me – that they were not remotely ready. So being the brash confident me of 20 or so … I shut the door and let them continue cooking …

After over an hour – I determined they 'had to be cooked' … and so on I went …

One sliced fillet of beef being 'aspic(k)ed

The fillets were sliced, laid out 'prettily' on serving dishes before being coated with three layers of aspic jelly and left to set.

The back door to the house – it was probably the local Victorian rector's home, as it was next to the church – had an entry passage – off which were a few small store rooms …

New potato salad

Useful for Victorian pickles, jams, storing fruit and vegetables … which we didn't need to use – but they were brilliant for storing the goodies/clutter for the dinner … including leaving the aspic(k)ed beef to set …

Made my life easier certainly … eventually we were ready to back track to the dessert as posted for the recent WEP prompt …

Courgette salad

One last wrap up post to follow next week …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Write … Edit … Publish … Bloghop /IWSG hop: Like Water for Chocolate … 2/4

 

Finger licking as kids … she remembered back – they'd lick each others' chocolatey fingers … then together entwined off to the sink for a wash … those were the days, occasionally repeated – sticky fingers …

This magical mythical, moving
story of love, sacrifice and
simmering sensuality ...

She was always in the kitchen – he often watched her … her favourites were a Gateau Diane, decorated with chocolate caraque; also chocolate truffles … the mixture rolled out, leaving the little globules to set, before sensually rolling in dark chocolate powder.

Life moves along … yet here they were again – so near, yet so far … not yet touching – but that yearning was there … she could see his – and felt sure he felt hers as his fingers often gently touched her.

Chocolate Caraque being made - always
chocolatey fingers ... 

Her memories came flooding back – she never forgot, could never forget … that pitter-patter of her heart, she couldn't control her emotions – now those erotic times and fantasies were once again at the forefront of her senses …

Ignition for their hearts

... matches on the chocolate cake set off the sparkling little bursts of intensity – so challenging to keep hidden – yet she thought he too felt similarly … another brush of the fingers across her palm … oh! that magic awaiting its future …

For now they couldn't talk … but silent times brought all the other senses to the fore … she was always aware he was there, while his eyes saw her …

Gateau Diane - chocolate caraque on a 
dessert of meringue and chocolate ganache

… some chocolate concoction was needed – it would keep her hands busy … her mind not so much … the kitchen and her grandchild opened that door … what to make …

Child and 'la Dona' had gathered the ingredients … dark chocolate for the caraque, cocoa powder for the truffles … the meringue dessert had been made, it was awaiting its decoration … the truffles also were ready for their final roll …

Cocoa powder ... 

… oh! oh! … pitter-patter in her chest … her heart was pumping, thumping, trembling …

Close up of Caraque ... tasty, flaky shavings 

Memories – the caraque reminding her of how often his fingers touched her palm, now a little rougher … but then: more to taste, to touch, to feel … just more …  

... her nervous activity needed to hide her emotions – she just knew they had to be together … too much water under the bridge from those early days – the sensual chocolate would come to the fore ...

She'd find it nigh impossible waiting for another deep lingering kiss – or truffled hands rolled in cocoa powder – all to be slowly, deliciously, silently enjoyed – as they sank into each other, as she remembered from days gone by …

Tag line:

Like Water, Like Chocolate … both life long intimate companions …

PS - If you haven't read 'Like Water for Chocolate' by Laura Esquivel - I highly recommend it!

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

New Home celebration Dinner Party … 1/4

 

Frankly I cannot remember what I served as the first course for my father's party … but I do remember a few other facts …

Champagne Cocktail

I'm not sure how long he'd been in the Northamptonshire house – but it was as he wanted it … and we were expecting 80 for drinks beforehand, then 30 were staying on for dinner … my mother by then was in Cornwall, I was in London as well as betwixt and between ...

We were living in the 1960s era … so it was going to be pretty posh – not the relaxed way we (some) live today …

All expected drinks would have been available – but as the main on offer was a Champagne Cocktail … I remember a baby bath full of ice and champagne bottles … with brandy awaiting in the glasses …

… also sugar cube on the side … apparently it keeps the devil away, or slightly sweetens the champers – as in the early/mid 20^th century – it'd have been much drier than many champagnes tend to be today …

Angostura bottle

Angostura Bitters was also added … to aid appetite and digestion … and to balance out the drink … I enjoy a few drops of Bitters in a tonic water – it is very refreshing …

Cattle in the pasture by 
Thomas Sidney Cooper (1881)

My father had been putting in a lot of work in the garden – and it was looking tidy and well kept – until Tuesday morning … when, while he was in London, I was about to start preparing the food elements …

Muddy damaged bank

… 'about to start' being the operative part of this saga … I heard rather a lot of noise going down the drive towards the tidy garden – which had three tiers of grassy banks … towards the lawn …

'Separated, not divorced!' - the
title by 'Cow Cooper' (1874)

… horror upon horror – I looked out of the kitchen window to see a herd of cows walking through! They are large animals and that tidy garden was no more – I dashed round to the drawing room (as we called it) to look out to see a very muddy garden full of cows!

… there wasn't much I could do – though the after-effects, once the cows had been herded out along to their normal pasture, were pretty soul-destroying … ah well! … a distant memory now … but a good excuse to put up the paintings by 'Cow Cooper' …

... we carried on – my father's sister and hubby arrived to help – by now it was probably the day … as I was into making fruit salad … my aunt somewhat floored me by asking if she should de-pip the grapes … that was the era …

Grape - cross section c/o Wiki

We survived and everyone had drinks and mixed, no doubt admiring the house – and then dinner came around … as I mentioned – starters … I can't remember … next comes the dessert, which forms part of WEP … the mains I do remember!

Northamptonshire - a map by
John Speed (1611)

Intimidating cows in the garden – good memories, de-pipping grapes – I'm sure I paid a bit more attention as the years ticked by!

C is for Cattle … and Cow Cooper … 4 April 2017

WEP 'Chocolat' Flash Fiction Challenge runs from 16 – 18 August … Desserts shall appear!  Do join us ... it's fun ... 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Edward Dando – the Oyster guzzler …

 

I had a prompt 'Foes' to find and read about … there was a poem by William Blake 'A Poison Tree' – but I came across the Oyster guzzler – which amused me … Dando punished and savag'd the oysters ... as a foe might do ... 

Dando as perceived by Thackeray in his
short story 'The Professor' ... here is Dando
declaring his name and quality ... 

… especially as I'd never heard of Dando (1802 - 1832), nor the publisher and printer James Catnach (1792 - 1841), who had published this ballad …

… live and learn I say – and if there's a chance in this day and age – enjoy a few oysters, so be it … also I had found a fun poem for you and the blog.

Speciality Oyster Bar for the rich

The Ballad:

"The Life and Death of Dando, the Celebrated Oyster Glutton”

One day he walk'd up to an oyster stall.
To punish the natives, large and small;
Just thirty dozen he managed to bite,
With ten penny loaves—what an appetite!
But when he had done, without saying good day,
He bolted off, scot free, away;
He savag'd the oysters, and left the shell—
Dando, the bouncing, seedy swell.

Street food for the poor man

The prompt Write Edit Publish 'Chocolat' is coming up on the 17^th – so in the run up … I thought I'd write about recipes I'd made back in the day – 50+ years ago … but we start with this ballad – which amused me …

Dishes with Oysters, Fruit and Wine -
1620s painting by Osias Beert (1580 - 1623)

... my father used to love oysters when six were exorbitant – I tried one in the early 1960s … the next time I had them was years later in South Africa – when I had many.

Foods from plant sources

… the next posts during August were dishes I served, after my parents separated, at a party my father put on to celebrate his new home. I was in my very early twenties … as I need some easy posts: August is food month …

My post from 2013 on Oysters:

O is for Oysters …

Edward Dando – c/o Wikipedia ...

James Catnach – also from Wiki …

There are other links in the James Catnach entry – which might be of interest …

William Blake – A Poison Tree ...

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories