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Category Archives: Main Course

Downton Downtime Comfort Food: Mince and Tatties

19 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Main Course, Season 4

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To all the UK fans

To all the UK fans

All around the world, Downton Abbey fans are longing for more, driving each other mad in anticipation of new episodes.  In the UK the taste of Season 4 is still lingering on the palate and there is great anticipation for the annual gathering of family and friends to watch the Christmas episode.  Of course in  North America fans are craving for Season 4 on PBS.  Some affiliates are rebroadcasting previous seasons while others are gathering fans for preview shows.

To help settle everyone’s nerves and for those who enjoy cheering for the downstairs staff, this week’s dish is servants hall comfort food:  mince and tatties.  Simple and satisfying.

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Halloween Downton Dining Upstairs with Squash Risotto

29 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Afternoon Tea, Main Course, Season 4, Side Dish

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Turnip lantern

Turnips were the first jack o lanterns

We are a few days from Halloween. Did you know that Halloween has ancient origins in Ireland? It was originally called Samhain, and the day marked the end of the harvest season for Celtic farmers. Irish immigrants brought their traditions to America and adapted to their new surroundings. Originally, turnips served as Jack o Lanterns, but pumpkins are so much easier to carve.

This week we recap a couple of traditional Irish served at recipes which would have been enjoyed by Branson’s family, but if you like Lady Mary who really doesn’t really do Halloween, your cook can quickly create a quick and lovely orange squash risotto. Continue reading »

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Tea Tuesday: Celebrate with Chamomile Tea Salmon

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Main Course

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Raise a cup of tea to toast the new Prince.

Raise your cup to toast the new Prince.

Happy days as anglophiles around the world celebrate a royal birth with scones and clotted cream and pots of tea. Today is also a special day for Lord D and myself as we celebrate another year of wedded bliss.

I am safely back at home after an eventful visit with my family out in Western Canada.   While the memories and bug bites will fade, there is much fish in our freezer to remind me of our fishing adventures.  Not too many women would bring a box of fish as carry on luggage, but cooks will go to great lengths to bring home the best for their families and friends, and colleagues.  I had some of the salmon smoked for me at Billingsgate (in Calgary) while it was still fresh, and already shared a taste with my work colleagues (served up with bagels and cream cheese).  Nothing beats wild salmon.  Read on to learn more about efforts to protect the wild fish of the West Coast.

As you may know, Tea Tuesday is a weekly tradition I started, dishing about Downon Abbey, featuring a new “Downton” era recipe. Refer to my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea, helpful in understanding traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends. During Downton Downtime I only post once a week so not all the dishes here will be served at tea, but we can still put the kettle on and share Downton gossip over a nice cup of tea.

Today’s savoury dish is Camomile Tea Salmon.  A wonderful recipe from The Salmon Recipes, a cookbook I discovered on our fishing adventure to Prince Rupert.

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Tea Tuesday: Downton Downtime Downstairs Dining and Fundraising

16 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Main Course

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Afternoon tea in Calgary

Afternoon tea at any Fairmont hotel is delightful, including the Palliser Hotel in Calgary.

I am jetting back today from my “surf and turf” holiday with my family out in Calgary, Alberta.  I spent week one salmon fishing with Dad and my brothers on the west coast, and week two on the family estate (farm), complete with horses and hay, dogs and other working animals.  In our travels we did see the devastation the floods did to the Calgary area, but with help of volunteers come “hell or high water” the Calgary Stampede went ahead, attracting over one million visitors this year.

Going home certainly reminds you of what made you the person today.  Growing up I often found myself in the kitchen preparing family meals, freeing up mom and the others to tend to outside chores.  The result was an early love of cooking. This week was no different, and I reveled in cooking again in my original test kitchen for the family that I love dearly.  Yup, I baked up a couple of pies before heading out into the fields to help bring in the hay.

As you may know, Tea Tuesday is a weekly tradition I started, dishing about Downton Abbey, featuring a new “Downton” era recipe. Refer to my Online Guide to Afternoon Tea, helpful in understanding traditions and recipes to help you host your own tea party with family and friends. During Downton Downtime I only post once a week so not all the dishes here will be served at tea, but we can still put the kettle on and share Downton gossip over a nice cup of tea.

Today’s savoury dish is beef rolls.  A great dish made from your Sunday night beef dinner leftovers.

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Downton Valentine’s Day Man’s Meal: Steamed Lobster Tails in Beer

11 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Main Course, Special Occasion

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The happy couple

Mary and Matthew: the happy couple (Carnival Films)

Happy Days.  American viewers were treated to another double dose of Downton last night on PBS, showing two episodes, S3E7 and 8. With Valentine’s Day coming up this week, it was lovely to see love in the air. Cora and Robert are back on track, Matthew and Mary are settling into married bliss, and  (spoiler alert) Anna and Bates can finally cherish each other now that his name has been cleared.

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Its Burnt Toast for Downton Abbey Characters

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in *About the Show, Main Course, Season 3

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No family is what is seems from the outside.

No family is what it seems from the outside.

America is settling in nicely to Season 3 of Downton Abbey. I freely admit that I am an avid Downton fan, and even during the frantic stress of finishing my cookbook, the opening theme for the show never, ever ceases to give me peace and calm. Thank you John Lunn for your brilliant contribution to TV soundtracks. I could actually manage to play “Damaged”, but generally love listening to the music. I am not sure I can get used to the theme song with lyrics, but buy it and judge for yourself. I haven’t gone so far as to download the Downton Abbey ring tone- I am afraid I would jump for a TV remote and not my cell phone.

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Add Some Downton Touches to Your Holiday Table

19 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by in *About the Show, Breakfast, Brunch, Main Course, Special Occasion

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gourds and candles make a lovely Thanksgiving table photo: Hudson Grows

Across America, experienced cooks are finalizing their Thanksgiving dinner menus, and double checking their order for fresh turkey.  Less experienced cooks are summoning up the courage to take on their first big meal, excited about starting new family traditions of their own, but nervous about how it will all come together. The rest are finalizing their travel plans or still scrambling to find a spot at a dinner table somewhere.

Thanksgiving is a North American holiday so the Dowager may well ask “What is a Thanksgiving Dinner?” The British don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the same way.  Instead, harvest festivals are held across the UK during the month of October, but there is no big holiday meal.  In Canada our Thanksgiving holiday is held the second Monday in October, presumably since our growing season is shorter.  It has nothing on American Thanksgiving as I learned from living in the US.  As an outsider, it occurs to me that it has greater significance as a time to gather family and friends than Christmas.  For that, America, do give thanks this holiday weekend.

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Downton Downtime: In Remembrance With Boeuf Bourguignon

12 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by in *About the Show, Main Course, Season 2

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In Season 2, Downton pauses to remember the fallen soldiers of World War I (@ITV).

The 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month signifies the end of World War I. In the United States it is observed as Veteran’s Day, a day aside to pay tribute to celebrate living veterans who served in the military. In May, Americans remember those soldiers who passed in the service of their country on Memorial Day.

Across the British Commonwealth, November 11th is known as Remembrance Day, a day to remember and give thanks to all those men and women who were killed during the two World Wars and other conflicts. This also gives us the opportunity to give thanks to those veterans for their service to our country.

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Downton Abbey: As Comforting as a Good Meatloaf

29 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in *About the Show, Main Course, Season 3

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Downton Kitchen App.  Where do you indicate more Downton Abbey episodes?

Another Downton Day has come and gone in the UK, and sadly there is only one more episode left in Season 3.  Will fans host lavish finale parties in celebration or mourning?  Who’s to know for sure, but the show has inspired a new found interest in cuisine from that era.  So if you wish to host a finale party or a Downton themed costume party, you may find my online guide to be helpful in your planning. Otherwise, check out the 100+recipes here or or Downton’s Eat Drink & Be Merry Pinterest site to help bring Downton into your own home.

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Downton Day: The Basics of a Making a Great Roast Chicken

22 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in *About the Show, Main Course, Season 3

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Mrs. Patmore is at it again (ITV)

Downton Abbey fans across the UK have come to call Sundays “Downton Day”, the day of the week to enjoy new episode of Season 3.  Don’t fret US fans, January 6th is drawing closer and by that time, UK fans will be pining for Season 4.

S3E6 is a great episode for those who love Mrs. Patmore, Daisy, and how food can play an important part in people’s lives.   I  came away with specific dishes to prepare for Downton fans, and affirmation that the role of more experienced cooks is to help others, particularly those eager to learn.   This dovetails nicely into what to cook for a casual Downton Day Dinner.

Families used to sit down to Sunday dinner, and some to try to keep this one day of the week for gathering for a great meal.  I do like to serve meals which are hearty, yield leftovers for the rest of the week, but also those which are easy to prepare.  Fuss on Saturday nights, relax on Sundays.

accidents happen, just pick up and carry on (ITV)

My advice to those who want to learn more about cooking: like everything else, practice makes perfect, but cooking doesn’t have to be perfect the first try, and you learn from your mistakes.  Downton Abbey kitchens have seen their share of mishaps; some which were rescued–dropped chicken, broken hollandaise–others were harder to disguise: salty pudding and burnt souffle.  Pick up and move on.  And my advice to tasters?  Give gentle, but truthful feedback, otherwise we won’t learn  as cooks.  It is in your best interest:  otherwise you will be continually served food that you don’t like or which is improperly cooked.  Isobel is a great example of how to encourage and be supportive.  When Lord D approves a dish (he had a national culinary magazine in a past life) I know I can share it with you.

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