FIG SUNDAY, an April Palm Sunday Tradition

Palm Sunday falls on April 14th, 2019.

This is hearty fare, be warned! You might need to go on a long country walk after eating this figgy delight.

TO MAKE FIG PUDDING

Ingredients

1/2 lb breadcrumbs made from stale crusty white bread

1/2 lb dried figs

1/2 lb of soft light brown sugar

6 oz suet

1/2 a nutmeg grated

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 eggs, well beaten

Lashings of cream

1. Mince the figs very small

2. Mince the suet likewise.

3. Mix the bread crumbs, figs, sugar, suet, vanilla and nutmeg very well together

4. Moisten with eggs

5. When well mixed place in a clean, floured muslin cloth and tie tightly.

6. Drop into a pan of boiling water and leave at a low simmer for 4 hours.

7. Remove from the pan and hang to drain and cool for 5 minute, unwrap the figgy cannon ball from the cloth and place on a plate.

Serve with cream, and a cold glass of white wine.

Oysters Hot or Cold?

Oysters Hot, Oysters Cold? I like ’em hot. A modern day version of this is to fy them and stuff them into a slim baguette, warmed and spread with garlic butter. Mmmm.

Fresh Green Peas in the Pod

Elderflower Fizz and Cordial

In Summer I like to make elderflower fizz the simple, quick way with nothing but the wild yeasts of the air. The result can be volatile so the best way to bottle Elderflower Fizz is to use old plastic soda or lemonade bottles as you have to let the gasses out occasionally. I’ve done it with swing top bottles but you have to keep your eye on them. The resultant fizz has an alchohol content of 3-5%. If you want to make a finer version you will have to add champagne yeast, use a demi-john with a bubble trap and fiddle about with the bottles quite a bit after decanting. I’m too impatient.

I also make cordial but that is best drunk in the Winter. The fragrance is so redolent of warm summer evenings is seems more special when drunk in the chilly darkness of a winter’s eve.. I make it with lots of sugar so the resultant syrup makes larger quantities, as you need more water to dilute it, I find most recipes too thin. You will need citric acid to bring out the flavour or the sugar overpowers the scent. Drink it now but put some of the syrup in jars in the freezer for the colder months and add it to cocktails.

To make Elderflower cordial

30-40 elderflower heads

3 litres water spring water

2kg caster sugar

1 packet of citric acid (available from chemists)

2 unwaxed oranges, juice and zest

3 unwaxed lemons, juice and zest

Method

1. DO NOT RINSE the elderflowers or you lose half the fragrance, shake gently to remove any dirt or little creatures.
2. Boil half the water in a large pan, pour in the sugar and stir to dissolve it . Leave to cool. Add the rest of the water
3. When ready add the orange and lemon juice and zest and then the flowers. I usually bag them in muslin weighted with marbles as suggested in my cartoon above.
4. Leave in a cool place COVERED for 24-36 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. Strain through some muslin and add the citric acid to taste, probably a teaspoon a litre but test it out.
6. Bottle it or freeze it.

Other things to do with elderflowers:

Make the flowers into fritters

Use the cordial for drizzle cake

Mix the cordial through rhubarb and cream

Make fragrant jelly and entrap the flowers within it

Elderflower ice cubes

Store the flowers in your sugar jar

Eggnog

 

Keeping it Simple with Venison on Dartmoor

Also on Instagram and twitter as: anteggsoup

The Devonshire Dairy and tales of Ice Cream.

Parmesan ice cream is extremely rich, creamy and very naughty, I love it, but the savoury flavour is not to everyone’s taste. Serve the ice cream in this recipe at the end of a meal with slices of hard, green pear or drop a scoop into gazpacho and add a sprinkle of chopped green chilli.

The 18th century recipe works but be careful not to over-heat the cream or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs! More modern recipes separate the egg yolks into the mix first and then fold in beaten egg white at the end.

Lucy is at The Devonshire Dairy, 36 The Square, Chagford,Devon  TQ13 8AH she is always welcoming.  www.thedevonshiredairy.co.uk  The dairy maybe closed in the depths of winter so check the website for opening times.

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I also publish on Instagram and twitter as @anteggsoup, please follow me and I’ll follow back.