Long before strawberries meant cream and sugar, cooks treated fruit with vinegar to make it last and to wake up a heavy plate. Pickled strawberries are that old idea, made fresh. Here is the history, and an easy way to make them at home. Great food has a history, and the … [Read more...] about Pickled Strawberries: An Old Larder Trick Worth Reviving
Holiday/ Special Occasion
Dover Sole: The Fish That Ruled the Edwardian Table
Long before salmon and sea bass took over the menu, one fish sat at the top of British dining. Dover sole was the mark of a serious kitchen. Here is its story, and a simple way to cook it at home. Great food has a history, and few dishes carry as much of it as Dover sole. For … [Read more...] about Dover Sole: The Fish That Ruled the Edwardian Table
Chive Blossom Compound Butter: Make It Once, Use It All Summer
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
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
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
