Another Father’s Day has come and gone. Our son, Master James, dined with us as Lord D proudly prepared his famous grilled roast beast (steak) feast. Celebrated around the world, Father’s Day started at church, much like Mother’s Day did. Check out my quick history on Father’s Day. While it is now celebrated in the UK, Father’s Day did not take off in that region until the 1970?s so sadly Lord Grantham did not enjoy that “special day” of recognition for his fatherly duties.
Also this weekend, Queen Elizabeth celebrated her public “birthday”, although her official birthday is in April.
This week’s treat is a sinfully light chocolate frozen yoghurt. Start enjoying now as we lead into Garden Party season. Lord D loves his chocolate and this delicious frozen yoghurt allows him to has his cake and eat this too.
Downton Dish
Summer is close at hand so you may already have other distractions to keep your Downton cravings at bay. Here is some news to help carry you through Downton Downtime until we meet again for Season 4:
- For Pinterest Fans: Behind the Scenes photos in Season 3
- Exec. Producer Gareth Neame paints us a picture: what to expect in Season 4
- While Thomas ever find love? Some thoughts from the actor who plays him
- Downton Cast hit Hollywood: This week’s appearance at Television Academy Event.
- Dowdy Daisy: Daisy’s Sophie McSera in talks to play an ugly step sister in Cinderella
- Is there no justice? The one character we all wish dead won’t meet that fate in S4.
Abbey Cooks Entertain: Garden Party Season is Upon Us
With 220 Downton era recipes, you will want to get this book for recipes for the famous Downton dishes from Season 1-3. I also presented a whole chapter on Garden Parties. Experimenting with ices (ice creams and frozen yoghurts) was my favorite part.
This 432 page ebook sells for only $7.95. Book sales help offset my costs in food, equipment and time to keep bringing you new dishes each week. You can only get a signed copy here on my site. If you don’t have an eReader I would suggest the PDF version which allows you to print recipes as you go, if you wish.
Ices were the Showcase at Garden Parties
Ices (frozen desserts) were a staple at garden parties. Simple ices made of summer fruits were fancied by Edwardians, often frozen into elaborate metal moulds representing the shape of the fruits themselves. I find it an amazing feat since they did not have the convenience of our conventional freezers.
The estate dairy provided plenty of whole milk and cream so that the country house cook could also create a variety of rich ice creams to offer guests. You can recreate the same effect of moulded ices using simple silicon moulds in interesting shapes. Freezing your mixture into popsicles also counts, but feel free to simply serve your ices in small dessert bowls.
I break my own rule here about cooking without electricity. You can make ices
without an ice cream maker by simply placing your mixture into the freezer to let
set, and mixing it every hour or so, but it is time consuming and the consistency just isn’t the same. Ice cream makers aerate the mixture to give it a full rich taste, and do the work in as little as 20 minutes. Modern electric ice cream makers are compact and take all the time and labour out of the old hand cranked versions.
Tips on Making Lower Fat Frozen Desserts
Most of the recipes I provide on this site have been lightened to some extent, and in the case of ice creams, use milk or yoghurt in place of cream and eggs.
If you have a family recipe you want to make healthier here are a few tricks which help keep the same creamy consistency:
• Add 1–2 tbsp. cornstarch for every quart of mixture; it serves as a thickening
agent;
• Add 1–2 puréed frozen bananas; it will help provide a creamy texture;
• Replace the cream with fat free evaporated or coconut milk; it will help provide
a creamy consistency;
• Drop in 2–3 tbsp. of vodka or other alcohol into your mixture; it has a lower
freezing point will helps prevents ice crystals from forming.
Sinfully Light Frozen Chocolate yoghurt
Sinfully Light Frozen Chocolate Yoghurt
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sugar (or sugar substitute)
- 3 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 (12 oz.) can fat free evaporated milk
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 cup plain non fat yoghurt
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine cornstarch and sugar in a saucepan, stir in the milk and chocolate chips and melt over medium heat until thickened. Keep stirring to prevent burning.
- Remove the mixture from the heat, and stir in the plain yoghurt, cocoa and vanilla. Refrigerate until chilled.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturing instructions which typically is 20 minutes.