Downton Abbey Cooks

Great food has a history

Holiday/ Special Occasion

Chive Blossom Compound Butter: Make It Once, Use It All Summer

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There is a short list of things worth keeping in your freezer at all times. A log of compound butter is on it. Ten minutes of work in May and you have something useful through August. That is a trade-off worth making, especially when the ingredient that makes this version … [Read more...] about Chive Blossom Compound Butter: Make It Once, Use It All Summer

Claret Cup: The Victorian Drink for People Who Knew Better Than to Rush

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Champagne cup was a gesture. Claret cup was a commitment. It was the drink of long summer afternoons, served cold and refilled without ceremony. If a champagne cup was what you served when you wanted to impress, a claret cup was what you served when you wanted your guests to … [Read more...] about Claret Cup: The Victorian Drink for People Who Knew Better Than to Rush

Champagne Cup: The Drink That Kept Edwardian Parties Going All Afternoon

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Before the cocktail hour, there was the cup. A jug of champagne, cupped on a warm afternoon, was as essential to Edwardian entertaining as the guest list. If you have ever wondered what the guests at a Downton Abbey garden party were drinking while they stood on the lawn making … [Read more...] about Champagne Cup: The Drink That Kept Edwardian Parties Going All Afternoon

Beaten Biscuits: The Southern Staple That Almost Disappeared

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Before baking powder, there was muscle. Beaten biscuits are what Southern cooks made when they needed a biscuit that lasted for days, and they are worth every minute of effort. Beaten biscuits are not like any biscuit you have made before. They are dense, pale, and crisp. They … [Read more...] about Beaten Biscuits: The Southern Staple That Almost Disappeared

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