CAULIFLOWER CAKE
1 small cooked cauliflower, 1 cupful breadcrumbs, 1 cupful milk, 1 oz (30g) butter, 2 eggs, 2 0z (60g) cheese, seasoning, brown breadcrumbs.
Warm milk and dissolve butter in it. Add breadcrumbs and stir till they have swollen. Sprinkle the grated cheese in, add seasoning and the beaten yolks of eggs. Cook gently for a few minutes, then remove from fire. Divide the previously cooked cauliflower into sprigs and add to the mixture (a sharp-edged spoon is the best tool for this). Pour into a tin which has been greased with butter and dusted with brown breadcrumbs and cook in the oven at about 400F (200C) until firm.
YORKSHIRE GOOSE PIE
Make a raised crust (hot water crust pastry) and form the pie the size you wish, of an oval shape. Have ready a goose, a turkey, a fowl and a boiled tongue skinned and trimmed. Also 2 or 3 pigeons. Open birds up the back and bone them entirely, mix a seasoning of salt, pepper and mace to be used as you proceed. Season birds well within and without, then place tongue within the fowl, over this fold the goose, then the turkey. Place the whole in the midst of the raised crust and fill it up round with pigeons, boned hare and other game, all well seasoned. Close interstices with sausage meat. Some cooks use hard-boiled eggs, but they are apt to taint before the rest of the meat. In a very large pie the hare is better omitted for the same cause. When all the meat it tightly fitted into the crust, put over it 3 lb (1.5Kg) butter, cover, brush over with egg and ornament it to your taste. Blind folds of buttered writing-paper round the pie, send it to a brick oven and bake for 6 hours – or 6 hours at home at 300F (150C). When cut, the cover is usually removed entire so that it can be replaced to preserve the meat. Savoury jelly may be poured over the meat after it is baked. This pie is carved by cutting thin slices down.
YORKSHIRE SECRET CAKE
Roll rich puff paste into rounds the size of a breakfast plate and 1/2 inch (2cm) thickness. Strew thickly over 1 lb (500g) currants, with a little chopped candied lemon which has been well steeped in rum or brandy. Over this place another round of paste. Unite it closely round. Cut it into quarters, but leave them close together and bake immediately. Serve each cake on a plate, without separating the quarters, either hot or cold.
YORKSHIRE PUDDING
6 oz (170g) plain flour, 2 eggs, 1/6 pint (100ml) water (barely) 1/6 pint (100ml) milk (barely), 2 oz (60g) lard or dripping, 1 teaspoonful (level) salts.
Put flour and salt in basin. Add eggs with 1 tablespoonful fluid. Mix to a smooth paste. Slowly add rest of liquid. Beat well. Leave for 1 hour. Put fat in tin (10 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches – 27cm by 27cm) in a very hot oven. Add 1 teaspoonful lemon juice or vinegar to batter. When fat is smoking, pour batter into it and cook for 15 minutes. When using whole-wheat flour use an extra egg. Finely chopped onion in Yorkshire pudding, served with mustard sauce is good.
CHRISTMAS CAKES
Christmas Cake: Mrs May, Southfield House, Wakefield
7 lbs. flour, 2 lbs. dripping, 1lb. currants, 1 lb. sultanas, 1 lb. large raisins, 2 lbs. sugar, 1/4 lb. mixed peel, 1 lemon rind and juice, 1 quart of new milk, 4 eggs, 3d. yeast, a little grated nutmeg. Prepare as teacakes, when risen, add fruit, etc. and set to rise in tins.
Christmas Cake: M. Greenwood, Mytholmroyd.
1 lb. of flour. 1/2 lb. currants, 1/2 lb butter, 1/2 lb. sugar, 2 oz. lemon peel, 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder, 3 eggs, 1/2 pint milk. Mix the baking powder thoroughly in the flour, then rub in the butter. Add the sugar, currants, and lemon peel, beat the eggs and mix them with the milk. After mixing them all together, bake in a paper-lined tin in a moderate oven.
A Good Christmas Cake: Mrs. J.J. Howcroft, Lilac House, Streethouse.
1/2 lb. butter, 1/2 lb. of sugar, 1 lb. flour, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1 lb. raisins, 1/4 lb. sultanas, 1/4 lb mixed peel, 2 oz. of almonds, rind of lemon, 6 eggs, 1 teaspoonful baking powder, 1/2 teaspoonful vanilla flavour. Prepare the cake tin carefully by lining with greased paper, and see that the oven is hot. Cream the butter and sugar together very thoroughly, and beat the eggs; add these and a little flour alternately. Stir in the flour and flavouring and baking powder. Add a little milk. This recipe is improved in colour by adding 2 tablespoonfuls of treacle in a little warm milk.
Christmas Cake: A. Sykes
2 lb. flour, 1 1/2 lbs. butter, 12 eggs, 2 lbs. currants, 1 3/4 lbs. sugar, 1/2 lb. citron peel, 1/4 lb. lemon peel, 1/2 lb. of ground almonds, 1/2 teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, 1/2 teaspoonful of cream of tartar.
SAVOURY DUCKS
1 1/2 lb (750g) stewing steak, 1/2 lb (250g) cow’s liver, 2 lb (1Kg) onions, 1 small white loaf of bread, 1 teaspoonful sage, pepper and salt.
Stew the meat and liver for 1 1/2 hours, then pass through mincer with raw onions and bread, add the sage and seasoning and knead well together. Make into small rolls, dip in flour and place in a baking tin containing hot fat. Bake for about 1 hour browning on both sides.
SOMERSET LIVER ROLL
1 1/2 lb (750g) liver, 1 sliced onion, 1/4 pint (150ml) milk, 4 oz (115g) mashed potato, salt, pepper.
Slice the liver and fry with onion and chop when fried. Make gravy with flour and milk, and add the liver, onion, potato and seasoning. Mix thoroughly and shape into a roll. Put into baking tin with some dripping and bake for 45 minutes.
SOMERSET RABBIT
Put alternate layers of grated cheese and chopped onions in a pie-dish, top with cheese and breadcrumbs and bake in a medium oven till cooked.
NORFOLK MILK PUNCH (1827)
Cut the peeling of six Seville oranges and six lemons extremely thin. Pound it in a stone mortar. Add thereto a pint of brandy, and let it remain about six hours; then squeeze the juice of six Seville oranges and eight lemons into it. Stir it well, and pour into it three more pints of brandy, three pints of rum, and three quarts of water. Make two quarts of skimmed milk boiling hot; grate a nutmeg into it; mix it gradually with the other ingredients; add a sufficient quantity of fine loaf sugar to sweeten it, (about two pounds.) Stir it till the sugar is dissolved. Let the mixture stand twelve hours, then strain it through a flannel bag till it is quite clear. It is then fit for use. It has been said, that if this Punch is bottled oft’ and well corked, it will keep in any climate, and for any length of time. The bottles it is put into must be perfectly dry.
MANX BROTH (I.O.M.)
2 0z (60g) pearl barley, ½ lb (250g) shin beef, 1 lb (500g) marrow bones, 1 tsp sea-salt, ½ small turnip, 1 carrot, 1 parsnip, 1 leek, 2 stalks celery, a sprig of thyme, a sprig of parsley, seasoning.
Put the pearl barley into a bowl to soak overnight, covered in a little water. Next day dice the meat and place with the marrow bones in 2 pints (1.2 litres) water and the salt. Bring up to the boil and simmer gently for 1 ½ hours (90 minutes). Meanwhile prepare all the vegetables and dice them quite small. Add to the meat broth, with the soaked pearl barley, and top up with more water. Add the thyme and parsley and simmer until the vegetables are tender (30 min approx). Taste and adjust the seasoning, take out the marrow bones, the thyme and parsley sprigs and serve in soup or broth bowls.
CABBAGE SOUP (I.O.M.)
2 oz (60g) split peas, 8 oz (240g) streaky bacon, knob of butter, 2 pints (1.2 Litres) boiling water, 1 white cabbage, 1 large onion, 1 large carrot, 2 sticks of celery, sea-salt, pepper. Optional, some grated hard cheese, slices of bread to toast.
Put the split peas in a bowl to soak overnight. Next day remove the rind from the bacon and cut into small pieces. Fry them gently in a tall saucepan, in a little butter, until the fat starts to run. Prepare the onion, carrot and celery, dice them small, and fry gently in the bacon fat and butter for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, chopped small, the soaked peas (with the water) salt and pepper to season. Add the boiling water and simmer gently for 2 hours with a lid on. Taste and adjust the seasoning at the end, then serve. Optional: pour over toasted bread slices in a soup plate and add some grated hard cheese.
GRILLED HERRINGS WITH PARSNIPS (I.O.M.)
4 herrings, 4 parsnips, 1 beaten egg, 2 oz (60g) breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, salt and pepper to season.
Cut off the heads, scale and clean the herrings, wash and pat dry. Make three cuts about an inch (2.5cm) apart on each side of the herrings, cutting down to the bone. Dot the herrings with a little butter and grill them under a very hot grill until crisp and brown – give each side 3 minutes. Clean and trim the parsnips, cut the parsnips lengthwise then into quarters. Brush over a little beaten egg and coat them in breadcrumbs. Fry the coated breadcrumbs in the butter and vegetable oil in a hot frying pan – until golden and tender. Serve the parsnips with the herrings and garnish with the chopped parsley.
MANX KIPPERS (I.O.M.)
Part of the herring catch from Isle of Man fishing boats was traditionally turned into the famous Manx Kipper. The process of curing is simple, the herrings are split, cleaned, washed and put to soak in highly salted water – after soaking each herring is hung up and smoked over wood shavings. At no point is any food colouring or food dye introduced, keeping the kipper silvery brown instead of mahogany. Properly smoked Manx Kippers are often sliced thin and eaten raw, with lemon juice and brown bread and butter. Often for breakfast they are grilled with a dab of butter and crisped up and eaten with fried tomatoes.
MANX KIPPER SALAD (I.O.M.)
Salad: 6 good sized Manx Kipper fillets, ½ lb (250g) new potatoes, 2 tomatoes (quartered) 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 lettuce hearts. For The Dressing: 3 tbsp of vegetable oil, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tbsp grated onion, 1 tsp English mustard, salt and black pepper to season.
Place the kipper fillets in a bowl and pour over boiling hot water to cover. Leave until nearly cold (1 hour) – drain, then tear or slice the fillets into strips and place into a bowl. Put all of the dressing ingredients into a screw top jar and shake vigorously, then leave. Cook the potatoes, cut them into cubes when still warm, then mix them with the Manx Kipper strips. Open a large lettuce leaf, place this onto a plate, and into this leaf place some of the kippers and potatoes. Sprinkle over some broken up hard-boiled egg and a few tomato quarters. Shake over a little of the dressing and serve.
BAKED COD WITH BACON (I.O.M.)
2 thick cod fillets, 10 rashers of streaky bacon, 1 oz (30g) butter, sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper to season, handful of parsley (chopped fine).
Cut off the rinds of the bacon, discard, cut the rest of the streaky bacon up into small pieces. In an oven proof dish place half of the bacon on the base, then lay in the cod fillets. Sprinkle over salt and pepper to season, then cover over with the rest of the bacon. Sprinkle over a little more pepper and dot over the butter in places. Bake uncovered in an oven at 375F (190C) for 35 minutes. Strain off the liquid into a bowl, and add in the chopped parsley to serve over the fish.
MANX SODA BREAD (I.O.M.)
Much of the risen breads, cakes and scones in the Isle of Man use a combination of bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar, and buttermilk.
8 oz (225g) white flour, 8 oz (225g) wholemeal flour, ½ tsp sea-salt, 1 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 oz (30g) sugar, a little buttermilk to bind.
In a mixing bowl sieve together the white flour, salt, cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda – then add in the wholemeal flour and sugar. Gently mix everything together, evenly, then add just enough buttermilk, gradually, to make a light bread dough. Knead it gently until silky and smooth. Press the dough into a greased loaf tin, leave for ten minutes then bake in a hot pre-heated oven at 425F (220C) for about 45 minutes.
BRAISED RUMP STEAK (I.O.M.)
1 lb (500g) rump steak, 10 slices streaky bacon, 2 onions (peeled and sliced), 2 tomatoes, (sliced).
In an oven-proof dish lay half the streaky bacon slices, then add the steak, cover with onion and tomato slices. Cover the dish and bake in an oven for 4 hours on a low heat 250F (130C) – this long cooking time will make the steak very tender. Serve with new potatoes.
MUTTON HOT-POT (I.O.M.)
2lb (1Kg) middle neck mutton (or lamb chops), pepper and salt to season, 1 tbsp flour, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 large onions (peeled and sliced), 2 lb (1Kg) potatoes (peeled and sliced into thick rounds), 1 pint (600ml) of beef stock.
Cut the mutton (or chops) into large cubes. On a plate sprinkle over the flour, dried thyme, salt and black pepper, then coat the meat in this flour all over. Peel and slice the potatoes and onions – put half of the potato and onion slices into the bottom of a deep casserole dish – then add the meat – cover with the rest of the onions and potatoes. Season the casserole then pour in the beef stock. Cover the casserole dish and place in an oven at 325F (170C) for 2 hours (120 minutes). For the last 20 minutes remove the casserole dish lid to brown the top layers.