Pêche Melba

  • A Polish lady that I had not seen for many years came to visit me.
  • We sat in the garden chatting over coffee and cake.
  • She mentioned a cake she had not had for ages  – Tort Melba.
  • She told me it was based around  Pêche Melba – Peach Melba 
  • However she could not remember the recipe.
  • I said I would look the recipe up and make it for her.
  • I have done and tried several different versions, which will be posted soon.
  • *
  • First here is a little history about Peach Melba.
  • *
  • Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931) – born Helen Porter Mitchell – was an Australian operatic soprano.
  • She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century.
  • She took the pseudonym “Melba” from Melbourne, her home town.
  • In 1892 Nellie Melba was performing in Wagner’s opera Lohengrin at Covent Gardens.
  • The Duke of Orléans gave a dinner party at the Savoy Hotel in London to celebrate her triumph.
  • For the occasion, Escoffier created a new dessert Pêche Melba – Peach Melba.
  • He used an ice sculpture of a swan, which carried peaches resting on a bed of vanilla ice cream and these were topped with spun sugar.
  • In 1900, he created a new version of the dessert at the opening of the Carlton Hotel where he was head chef.
  • The ice swan was not used and the ice cream and peaches were now topped with a purée of sugared raspberries.
  • *
  • Below is an easy recipe for Peach Melba using tinned peaches.

Ingredients

  • Tinned peach halves – 2 per serving
  • Vanilla ice cream – 2 scoops per serving
  • Raspberry sauce – made from raspberry jam
  • Lemon juice – optional

Method

  • An easy raspberry sauce can be made from good (home-made) raspberry jam.
  • Put around 4 to 5 tablespoons of raspberry jam and 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan.
  • Heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon, until you have a pouring sauce.
  • If your jam is very sweet and a little lemon juice.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Allow two peach halves per serving and arrange these on a flat plate.
  • Add two scoops of vanilla ice cream next to the peaches.
  • Pour some raspberry sauce over the ice cream and peaches.
  • Serve any remaining sauce in a little jug.

Apricot Keks

  • I made a lovely apricot and prune keks – fruit cake – several months ago.
  • I still had a lot of dried apricots so decided to make this just with apricots.
  • This time I made it in a 21 centimetre square tin
  • It too was delicious.

  • You have to start this cake the night before.

    Ingredients

    • 385g dried apricots
    • 100ml hot Earl Grey tea
    • 100ml sherry
    • *
    • 115g currants
    • 115g sultanas
    • 115g raisins
    • 50g mixed peel
    • *
    • 150g soft brown sugar
    • 150g butter
    • 2 eggs
    • *
    • 185g plain flour
    • 2 teaspoons of mixed spice

    Method

    • Chop the apricots into small pieces.
    • Place them into a bowl and pour the hot tea over them.
    • Leave until this is cold.
    • Add the sherry, cover and leave overnight.
    • *
    • Add the other dried fruits to the soaked apricots and mix well.
    • *
    • Grease and line all sides of a 21 cm square tin
    • Pre-heat the oven to GM 1- 140°C
    • Mix the flour with the mixed spices.
    • Cream the sugar and butter till well blended.
    • Add the eggs and mix well together.
    • Fold in the flour mixture.
    • Add the dried fruits and mix well together.
    • Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth down the top.
    • Bake for  3 – 3¼ hours.
    • Leave to cool in the tin.

Note

You can use a 24cm tin – and bake for 2 – 2¼ hours.

Lemon Cheesecake

  • This cake is based on  Another Cheesecake.
  • However I baked this without the biscuit base but you can add one if you prefer.
  • A separate lemon sauce was made and poured over each portion when serving.

Ingredients – Cake

  • Around 450g of twaróg or yoghurt cheese (or cream cheese)
  • 3 eggs separated
  • 80g of caster sugar
  • Grated rind from 2 lemons (juice used in the sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons of custard powder

Method – Cake

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM 3 – 160ºC.
  • Use a 19cm, 20cm or 21cm tin loose bottomed or spring form tin.
  • Place a cake liner in the tin.
  • Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar till they are pale and fluffy.
  • Lightly whisk in the twaróg or yoghurt cheese and the custard powder till it is all well combined.
  • Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and then fold them into the mixture with a metal spoon.
  • Pour the mixture into the tin.
  • Bake in the oven for  50 minutes.
  • When the cake is ready switch off the oven and leave it in there for at least 40 minutes.
  • Take out the cake to cool.
  • Once it is cold – take the cake out of the tin by loosening the outer ring or placing the cake tin with the loose bottom on a tin can and sliding the cake tin down.
  • I think this cake is best made the day before you want to serve it – so it is well cooled and set.

Ingredients – Lemon Sauce

  • Juice from 3 lemons
  • Grated rind from 1 lemon
  • 15g granulated sugar 
  • Potato or corn flour

Method – Lemon Sauce

  • In a small saucepan mix the juice from 2 lemons, lemon rind and sugar.
  • Heat gently till the sugar is dissolved.
  • In a small dish mix the potato or corn flour with the juice of 1 lemon.
  • With the pan still on the hob add the potato or corn flour mixture.
  • Stir gently until the sauce has thickened.
  • Leave to cool before serving.
  • Pour the sauce over each portion of cake.

Tea plates by Elizabethan – Carnaby from the 1960s.

Potato Layers

  • When I made liver with potato topping, everyone said how much they liked the potatoes (as well as the liver of course).
  • So I have made a dish with just the potatoes.
  • It is similar to the French recipe for Boulangère potatoes.

Ingredients

  • 2 onions thinly sliced
  • 150ml of chicken stock
  • 500g of starchy potatoes
  • Butter & sunflower oil for frying
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • Salt & pepper

Method 

  • Butter a rectangular ovenproof dish
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C
  • Fry the onions in the butter & oil mixture till golden.
  • Cut the potatoes into thin slices.
  • Par-boil them for 5 minutes in the milk and water.
  • Remove the potatoes from the liquid.
  • Place a layer of potatoes in the dish.
  • Season as you go along.
  • Place the onions on top.
  • Stir slightly.
  • Finish with a layer of potatoes.
  • Pour the stock into the dish.
  • Cover the dish with foil.
  • Bake for an hour.
  • Remove the foil.
  • Dot the butter on top.
  • Return to the oven for 30 – 45 minutes.

Yoghurt Desserts

  • These desserts are similar to my twaróg desserts. 
  • They are make with packet jellies with the addition of yoghurt.
  • The more yoghurt you add the softer the mixture will be.
  • The variations are endless depending on the jelly flavour.
  • Topping and sauces can also be varied.
  • Leave the mixture to set in a large bowl and then put scoops into individual serving dishes.

Lemon Version

Ingredients

  • 1 packet of lemon jelly
  • 250 – 400ml of yoghurt
  • Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
  • *
  • Toppings
  • Bottled blackcurrants – drained
  • *
  • Juice from the bottled blackcurrants
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons of potato or corn flour

Method

  • Make up 500ml of lemon jelly as per the packet instructions.
  • Add the lemon juice and the rind.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Whisk in the yoghurt and mix till all is blended in.
  • Leave to set in the fridge.
  • Place scoops into individual glasses.
  • *
  • Make a sauce with the blackcurrant juice and the potato or corn flour.
  • Mixed in and then heat, stirring till it thickens.

Blackcurrant version

Ingredients

  • 1 packet of blackcurrant jelly
  • 250 – 400ml of yoghurt
  • *
  • Toppings
  • Chopped tinned peaches
  • Sauce made from raspberry jam and water

Method

  • Make up 500ml of blackcurrant jelly as per the packet instructions.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Whisk in the yoghurt and mix till all is blended in.
  • Leave to set in the fridge.
  • Place scoops into individual glasses.
  • Add chopped peaches.
  • Heat around 80g of raspberry jam with some water to make a thick sauce.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Pour over the peaches.

Ukrainian Salad

  • I bought this jar of salad from my Polish shop.
  • It is Sałatka ukraińska – Ukrainian salad.
  • It was very good.
  • Good to have in as a standby.
  • I wanted to make a similar salad.
  • I looked this up and could not find a recipe similar with beetroots.
  • I noted down the ingredients written on the label.
  • Vinegar and sugar were used in the jar – I used lemon juice and honey.
  • The salad will come out differently each time if you change the proportions of the vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium boiled beetroots
  • 1 onion
  • ½ a small white cabbage or sweetheart cabbage
  • 1 large or 2 medium carrots
  • 1 red pepper
  • Juice from 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons of runny – honey 
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Method

  • Grate the beetroots using a coarse grater.
  • Chop the onion into fine pieces.
  • Shred the cabbage into fine strands.
  • Grate the carrot using a coarse grater
  • Chop the pepper into small pieces.
  • Mix all the vegetables together.
  • Mix the lemon juice and honey.
  • Mix the dressing with the vegetables
  • Season to taste.

Note

  • Tastes good straight away but can be kept in the fridge for several days as well.

    Twaróg Dessert

    • This dessert is one I make when I do not wish or have time to to make a layered torcik. 
    • The jelly and twaróg mixture is left to set in a bowl and scoops are then put into individual serving dishes.
    • The more twaróg you use the softer will be the mixture.
    • As I do not really like to drink milk using twaróg ensures I get calcium in my diet.
    • The flavours and fruits used here are just an example – use the flavours of jellies that you like as well as the fruit.

    Ingredients

    • 1 packet of lemon jelly
    • 250 – 400g of twaróg , yoghurt cheese or cream cheese
    • Juice and rind of 1 lemon
    • *
    • Toppings
    • Bottled blackcurrants – drained
    • Grated chocolate or chocolate flake

    Method

    • Make up 500ml of jelly as per the packet instructions.
    • Add the lemon juice and rind.
    • Leave to cool.
    • Whisk in the twaróg and mix till all  is blended in.
    • Pour into a large bowl.
    • Leave to set in the fridge.
    • Put scoops into individual glasses.
    • Add the toppings.

    Hasselback Potatoes

    • Leif Elisson in 1953 was a trainee chef at the Hasselbacken restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden and invented these potatoes à la Hasselbacken.
    • I first came across them about two years ago on a stitching/craft week.
    • One of the ladies there made these for dinner.

    Ingredients

    • 2 medium sized starchy potatoes per person
    • 2-3 tablespoons of olive or sunflower oil
    • 1 tablespoon of salt – flakes are good
    • 1 tablespoon of butter

    Method

    • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C.
    • Have a baking tray ready.
    • Keep the skins on the potatoes, remove any blemishes.
    • Place the potato in the bowl of a large wooden spoon.
    • With a sharp knife cut even slits in the potato.
    • The side of the wooden spoon prevents cutting all the way through.
    • Place the potatoes on the baking tray.
    • Open up the fan a little.
    • Brush lightly with the oil.
    • Sprinkle on the salt.
    • Bake for 45 – 50 minutes.
    • Spoon any oil on the tray back over the potatoes.
    • Add a dab of butter onto each potato.
    • Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes.

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    Notes

    • You could microwave larger potatoes for around 10 minutes before cutting.
    • You can sprinkle the cut potatoes with dried herbs.
    • You could use spray oil.

    White Bean Potato & Sorrel Soup

    • Spring is upon us, though it is still cold.
    • Sorrel started to grow in my pots a few weeks ago – the first green to grow in my herbs.
    • I saw this recipe, which used rocket and thought I could use sorrel.
    • It is delicious.

    Ingredients

    • 1 onion – finely chopped
    • 2 celery sticks – finely chopped
    • 300g salad potatoes – eg Charlottes – cut into small pieces
    • 1 litre chicken stock – can be from concentrate, cube or powder
    • 1 can white beans – butter, cannellini or haricot – drained
    • 50 – 100g sorrel leaves – chopped
    • 50g of butter
    • Salt & pepper

    Method

    • In a heavy based saucepan melt the butter.
    • Add the onions and celery and cook on a low heat.
    • Stir occasionally and cook for around 10 minutes.
    • Add the potato chunks and season with salt.
    • Cook for about 5minutes.
    • Add the chicken stock.
    • Simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
    • Check with a knife that it slices easily through the potatoes.
    • Add the beans and cook for around 15 minutes.
    • Season to taste.
    • Add the chopped sorrel, stir well and serve.

    Served in Royal Doulton – Burgundy 1959 – 1981

    Caraway Biscuits 2

    This is an old English recipe for caraway biscuits.

    Compared to my first recipe for caraway biscuits it has a higher butter content and fewer caraway seeds. (you can always add more).

    Ingredients

    • 270g plain flour
    • 225g butter
    • 200g granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds
    • 1 egg – beaten

    Method

    • Pre-heat the oven to GM2 – 150°C.
    • Flour two baking trays.
    • Rub the butter into the flour so you get fine breadcrumbs.
    • Stir in the sugar and caraway seeds.
    • Mix in enough of the egg to form a soft dough.
    • Roll the dough out to 1cm thickness.
    • Use an 8cm cutter to cut out the biscuits.
    • Re-roll the cast of dough and make more biscuits.
    • Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until light golden brown.
    • Leave on the tray on a wire rack.