"Visions of Sugarplums...." A Collection of Victorian (and earlier) Traditional Christmas Recipes by Jacqueline Millicent Hayes Preface Many festive recipes, made for generations at Christmastime, have been lost in recent years - casualties of our modern search for speed and convenience. Some would taste strange to our modern palate, while others have a wonderful flavor that they are well worth the extra effort. These include Sugarplums and the other dry-candied fruits. Marzipan and Snapdragon are so easy and so great for family fun, you might wonder why you have not been making them for years. When I started writing the recipes down, I was remembering past Christmases in England, filled with food and traditions. It became increasingly difficult to describe how to make the food, without mentioning some of the lore and tradition that went along with them. I do hope that this expands your insight into what makes an English Christmas so very merry. Some of the recipes are old family ones. Some are drawn from my own collection of very old cookbooks, or have been researched from other very old cookbooks. All are taste tested and approved by my family and friends. I hope you enjoy them. The Recipes Visions of Dessert Candied Whole Fruits Sugarplums were a type of dry-candied whole fruit, considered a very great treat at Christmastime, in the days before canning and freezing made the eating of seasonal summer fruits a possibility in the winter months. They have a taste similar to expensive french candied fruits and can be eaten as an elegant and unusual after dinner treat, in place of those ubiquitous after dinner mints. Many different fruits can be dry-candied, and although they are a little fiddly to make, the intense but delicate flavors far exceed ordinary non-candied dried fruits. If you have a home drier, you can use it for the drying process, although it is not necessary for a good result. Old recipes for candying fruit are rather inexact. Once you start, you will soon see the syrup thickening up around the fruit, and realise at what point to remove it to the drying sheets. Firm, slightly underripe fruit retains its shape best, but do not use unripe or immature fruits that have not yet developed their full flavor. To store your sugarplums, never put them in airtight containers. They will go mouldy. Good candied fruits have a soft delectable chewy texture, because they still retain a small amount of moisture. For best results, pack them in a cardboard box, layered with waxed paper, or in a pretty basket for gift-giving. They will continue to dry very slowly, and will keep as long as conventional dried fruits (if you can resist eating them for that long!). Sugarplums •Thin Syrup •1 pound of plums •1/2 pound of sugar •pint of water •Thick Syrup •2 pounds of sugar •2 tablespoons of water Make a thin syrup of half a pound of sugar and a pint of water. Slit a pound of plums down the seam and put them into the syrup. Poach gently until only just tender, taking care that they remain covered with the syrup, or they will lose their color. Cool, cover and refrigerate overnight. The following day make a thick syrup of two pounds of sugar and two tablespoons of water. Boil until a little dropped in a bowl of cold water makes a thick but soft ball. Remove from heat and allow to become cold. Then carefully drain the plums as completely as possible from the first syrup and place them gently in the second thick syrup. Reheat and scald only until the plums look clear, taking care that they are completely covered in the syrup. Allow to cool again. Then empty them into a shallow ceramic or glass bowl, cover tightly and allow them to develop flavor in the refrigerator for a week. Take them out and spread them apart on dishes or plates. Cover loosely with baking paper, put them in a warm, dry place and turn them every day until dry. If you put them in a very low warming oven, turning them every half hour, at first, then every hour, etc., they can be dried much more quickly. At this stage a home fruit dryer can also be used if desired. Do not discard the thin syrup. It makes a delicious sauce on icecream, either by itself or accompanied by finely chopped sugarplums. You can freeze it until your sugarplums are ready. Alternatively it can be used as the liquid in a cake recipe. You would have to reduce the sugar in the cake recipe accordingly. Sugar Apricots Peel and stone the apricots, leaving them as whole as possible. Put them in a large pan or preserving pan, and to every pound of apricots, add a half a pound of dry sugar. Stir gently, but well. Let them stand for twenty four hours, turning them occasionally. Then bring to the boil and cook quite rapidly, just until the apricots are transparent. Remove from heat and allow to become quite cold. Carefully take the apricots out of the cold syrup and place them separately on plates. Dry either in the oven, as described for sugarplums, or in a home dryer. Sugar Peaches Always use firm, unblemished peaches. Peel and stone them, and then simmer them gently in water until almost tender. Drain well, cover them with their own weight in dry sugar, and allow to stand for two or three hours, turning them very gently from time t o time. Return them to the heat and cook quite rapidly until they are transparent, and the syrup is pretty thick. Cover and let them stand all night. The next day reboil them in the syrup and allow to cool again. Repeat this several times over the next couple of days, until the syrup reduces, and the peaches absorb most of the syrup. When you think they are ready, lay them on plates, and allow to dry, turning them every day. Sugar Pears Sugar pears can be made the same way as Sugar Peaches. Do not core the Pears. Simply peel very thinly, taking care to leave the stalk on if possible, and process them whole. The intense flavor of a good, candied Comice pear is a memorable experience, and was sometimes served as an unusual accompaniment to a high quality English Stilton Cheese. You can add a bowl of fresh walnuts for your guests to shell as they munch. This combination is especially good served with port after dinner, or before dinner as an elegant aperetif. I include the following recipe more as a curiosity than a serious recipe. For a long time I have searched for a recipe for candying oranges. I have seen sliced candied orange, lemon and grapefruit for sale in France, but the difficulties of extracting the bitterness of the peel, while at the same time preserving the fragile fruit from disintegrating, has always eluded me. To Preserve Orenges after the Portugall Fashion "Take Orenges and core them on the side and laye them in water. Then boile them in fair water till they bee tender, shifte them in the boyling water to take away their bitternesse. Then take sugar and boile it to the height of sirop, as much as will cover them. And so put your Orenges into it, and that will make them take sugar. If you have 24 Orenges, beate 8 of them till they come to paste, with a pounde of fine sugar, then fill every one of the other Orenges with the same. And so boile them againe in your sirop: and there will bee marmelade of Orenges within your Orenges, and it will cut like an harde egge." Recipe taken from: Delights for Ladies, to Adorne their Persons, Tables, Closets, and Distillatories, With Bewties, Banquets, Perfumes and Waters. By Sir Hugh Plat 1600 Some other fruits can be candied. Whole tiny, tiny seedless mandarin oranges can be done, because their skins are sweet. However, the skins must be pierced with a skewer to allow the sugar syrup to penetrate. Cherries work well but apples cannot be candied in the usual way, because they turn into a pulp (however, see the shortcut way, below). Imitation Sugarplums and Fruits If you want the elegance, but really do not have the time to candy fruit in the traditional manner, you can cheat. It doesn't taste the same, but still an interesting improvement on plain old dried fruits. Make a heavy syrup in the proportion of two pounds of sugar to half a pint of water. (If you only want to do a very small amount of fruit, reduce the amounts in proportion.) Heat until the sugar is dissolved, then boil rapidly until a little syrup dropped into a bowl of iced water forms a soft ball. (Remove the pan from the heat when you test it. Things can change very fast at this stage!) Dip an assortment of either home-dried, or storebought dried fruits into the syrup, and then spread them on wax-paper covered sheets to dry. Dry either in a very cool oven, turning frequently, or in a warm, dry place. Plumcake and Plum Pudding These traditional christmas foods must be prepared ahead and allowed to mature, in order to allow the full flavor to develop. Although purists might disagree, the Christmas plumcake need only be made a matter of a week or two ahead, chiefly to give time to pour enough alcohol into it before it must be covered with the marzipan and icing! However, plum puddings will taste dreadful if they are eaten too early. The flavors will not have amalgamated properly. The general consensus is that making them about three months ahead is about right for the puddings, and I have done it only 4 weeks ahead with moderate success. However, some people do make them a year ahead, and swear that there is no other way. They must be allowed to ripen like wines. In no other area of traditional English cooking is the secret guarded so jealously as in the making of good plum puddings. Families pass their recipes down. They even pass their actual puddings down! Many times as a small child we were eating five and six-year-old puddings to hushed and respectful acclaim. In Victorian times, puddings were spherical. The uncooked dough was placed in a thickly floured cloth that had been previously wrung out in boiling water. It was then tied into a loose ball, leaving room for the pudding to rise, and dropped straight into a large pot of water that was at a rolling boil. Then they were gently boiled for several hours. The cooked puddings were allowed to get cold, wrapped in clean, dry cloths and placed in a cupboard where the air could reach them. The cloths were changed frequently and the puddings turned and dried. The older they got, the harder and drier they got, and the more hours they needed to be steamed before they were eaten. The hardness of a mature pudding became the butt of many old Victorian Music Hall jokes. In fact there was a famous Victorian monolog in which a particularly prized pudding was used instead of a cannonball to devastating effect at the siege of Mafekin! The inclusion of suet as the pudding fat might seem strange. I have tried making them with butter or other soft fats, and they really do not come out right. Moreover they will not keep, and go mouldy before they have matured. If you ask the butcher to give you a piece of beef suet, you will be surprised at how dry and firm and creamy white it is. You can crumble it out from the sinews with your hands, and you can chop it fine, particularly if it is very cold from the fridge. It really is a very clean, non-greasy stuff to work with and has no smell. It imparts a richness to the finished pudding that nothing else can match. You can even chop it in the food processor, if you include some of the flour in with it. Traditionally, small silver charms were baked in the plum pudding, so it was always eaten carefully. A silver coin would bring wealth in the coming year; a tiny wishbone, good luck; a silver thimble, thrift; an anchor, safe harbor, etc. By Victorian times, only the silver coin remained, but there is evidence that the custom is reviving. In England these tiny charms can still be bought by families who make their own puddings, although they are never found in commercial ones. It is traditional for every one who lives in the household to simultaneously hold onto the wooden spoon, help stir the batter for the pudding, and make a wish. Plumcake (Christmas cake) •2 cups raisins •1 cup golden raisins •1/2 cup dried currants •1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped •1/2 cup candied cherries, chopped •1/2 cup candied peel, orange and lemon •1/2 cup sliced almonds •1 cup plus 1T enriched flour •2 cups butter •1 cup soft brown sugar •1/4 cup sugar •1T molasses •grated rind of 1 orange •grated rind of 1 lemon •1/4 t each of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves and mace •1t vanilla essence •5 eggs (up to 8 eggs in the north of England) •1/2 cup sherry or brandy •peach or apricot wine for soaking cake •round 10" baking pan, 4" deep Total baking time 5 1/2 hours. Mix together the first seven ingredients in a bowl. Pour on the sherry or brandy and mix well. Cover with clingfilm and leave for at least 3-4 hours, preferably overnight. This will allow the fruit to soften and swell, taking on some of the flavor of the alcohol. Now, prepare your baking pan. Butter it all over the inside, and then cut parchment paper to size, and press in place to cover the inside of the pan. Since the cake must bake for a very long, slow time, you must protect the sides and top of the cake from overbaking before the inside is cooked through. Cut thick brown paper strips (a grocery bag will do nicely) and tie them double thickness, around the outsides of your pan with string. Overlap the top of the pan by 3 or 4 inches. Cut a piece of paper to tuck in the top to protect the top of the cake from browning too soon. It must not actually touch the top of the batter, even when the cake rises, so make it big enough to be held up by the sides of the paper. Arrange your oven shelves to accomodate the baking pan with its paper cover. Do not allow the paper to touch the sides or shelves. Preheat your oven to 135°÷140° degrees. In another (large) bowl, or food processor, cream well together the butter and sugars. Add the molasses, the grated rinds, spices and vanilla. Then add the beaten eggs alternately with the flour. The batter should be soft but not liquid, and should drop from the spoon in a soft mass. Add the fruit mixture and stir to distribute evenly. Pour into your prepared pan. Bake in oven for 1 1/2 hours at 135°÷140° degrees. Then reduce heat to 120° degrees and bake for a further 4 hours. Remove the paper protecting the top of the cake 1 hour before it is done (unless the cake is already too brown, in which case you should leave it on), and test by inserting a skewer gently into the center of the cake. If it comes out just very slightly crumby, but not sticky, it is done. This long, slow cooking allows the full rich flavors of the cake to develop. Allow the cake to cool in the pan. Turn the pan upside down on a rack after the first ten minutes of cooling, to keep the cake moist. When it is completely cold, (this could be the next day), remove the pan and the parchment paper very carefully. Stick the cake all over with a skewer, and spoon in the apricot wine. Allow it to soak into the cake for a few minutes. Then turn the cake over and do the other side. Leave loosely covered for half an hour, then wrap in clean waxed paper and store in a tin in a cool, dry place. Over the next few days (or couple of weeks), you can repeat the wine soaking process a few times. The cake can be eaten as it is, but is usually covered with a layer of marzipan that is rolled out, cut to size and glued on with apricot jam. After the marzipan is on the cake, care must be taken to not let the marzipan dry out, or it will lose some of its rich flavor. It should be iced immediately with Royal Icing, or is rolled out, cut to size and glued on with apricot jam. After the marzipan. Plumcake is best made a couple of weeks before Christmas, as the longer it sits, the more the flavors develop. It will keep for a least 6 months in an airtight tin. This is an old family recipe, going back to at least Victorian times. Royal Icing •1 eggwhite •2-4 cups confectioner's sugar (depends on size of eggwhite) •lemon juice Beat the eggwhite in the food processor until foamy. Sift in the confectioner's sugar, and add a little lemon juice for flavor. Beat until it forms stiff peaks. Spread on top of the marzipan on the plumcake. A palette knife repeatedly dipped in very hot water will smooth the icing, or the top can be peaked roughly like snow, and decorated with snow babies, miniature pine trees, sprigs of holly or santas. A ribbon or cake frill is usually tied around the sides of the cake to give a festive appearance. Sometimes my family would cover the top and sides of the cake with a lattice pattern of silver ball cake decorations, which is probably a leftover remnant of the medieval practice of gilding the marchpane for special occasions. Yes, they really did cover marchpane (and gingerbread) with incredibly thin layers of gold and silver leaf on feastdays, which they ate as part of the decoration. This is where we get the expression "that takes the gilt off the gingerbread"! Christmas plumcake is often eaten in England with a slice of very mild cheese such as Cheshire or Wensleydale. The flavors complement one another very well. The cake is rich and should be eaten cut thin. Monterey Jack cheese is probably the closest American equivalent, though it has a much softer texture than the firm but crumblier English ones. Marchpane and Marzipan Marchpane was the medieval precursor of Marzipan. A wonderful amalgam of sugar and pulverized almonds, it was pounded in a mortar and rolled out into a sheet, then crisped and given a toasty flavor by being baked in the oven. A food processor or blender speeds things up tremendously. I find that a blender does a better job of compacting the processed almonds into the firm mass that you would expect from a pestle and mortar. Sometimes it was iced, using a mixture of ordinary sugar and rosewater (not confectioners' sugar). The icing was baked onto the marchpane, forming a crispy, crunchy coating. Other times cookie cutters were used to cut out shapes of animals. The problem with it was that it could only be used in flat sheets and crumbled away very easily. By the Victorian era, marzipan was made by the addition of an egg and sometimes brandy or sherry , resulting in a much more malleable sweetmeat that would hold its shape. Three-dimensional animals could be made, marzipan fruits and cake decorations. Marzipan was often used to stuff sugarplums and other candied fruits, filling the hole vacated by the pit. Sometimes in the larger fruits like peaches, an almond was wrapped in marzipan first, and then tucked inside. Homemade marzipan is as different from the dry, sawdust-like, boxed commercial "marzipan fruits" as you can imagine. It is soft, succulent, and intensely flavorful - especially when improved with a good dash of brandy. To Make a Marchpane "Take two pounds of Almondes beeing blanched and dryed in a seive over the fire. Beate them in a stone mortar, and when they be small, mix with them two pound of sugar being finely beaten, adding two or three spoonfuls of Rosewater, and that will keep your almondes from oiling. When your paste is beaten fine, drive it thin with a rowling pin, and so laye it on a bottome of wafers. Then raise up a little edge on the side, and so bake it. Then ice it with a little Rosewater and sugar, and put it in the oven againe. When you see your ice is risen up and drie, then take it out of the oven and garnish it with pretty conceits, as birds and beasties, being caste out of standing moulds. Sticke long comfits upright in it, cast bisket and carrowaies in it, and so serve it. Gild it before you serve it. You may also print off this marchpane paste in your moulds for banquetting dishes." Recipe taken from: Delights for Ladies, to Adorne their Persons, Tables,Closets, and Distillatories, With Bewties, Banquets, Perfumes and Waters. By Sir Hugh Plat. 1600 Marzipan •1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar •1/2 cup sugar •2 cups blanched almonds •2 T brandy or sherry (or more, as needed) •Lemon juice can be substituted for the brandy, but the flavor will not be the same. If you do this, you should use the almond extract. •1 extra large egg •1 tsp almond or ratafia extract (optional). Set blender running and slowly add almonds, about half a cup at a time. As they form a stiff paste in the bottom of the blender, stop and scrape them out into a bowl and continue until all the almonds are ground and in the bowl. They should be as fine as fine breadcrumbs. Break up any stiff mass that has formed, and add the sugar. Rub the mixture through your hands, or with a pastry blender until uniform. Remove any large pieces of unground almond. Then sift in the confectioner's sugar and stir well . In another bowl beat the egg with the brandy and add the almond extract if used. Set the bowl over a pan of hot water, or cook in a double boiler, beating until the custard thickens slightly. Pour the custard onto the almond mixture in the bowl, and work the two together. It may take a little time for the sugar to dissolve and the oils in the almonds to emerge, so that the whole can be worked into a smooth workable paste. If there really is not enough liquid, you can add more brandy. It should mould easily. If it is too soft to form a ball, you can add more almonds and sugar. It is important at this point to wrap the ball of marzipan tightly in wax paper or cling film to stop it drying out. Marzipan can be rolled out, using confectioner's sugar on the board and rolling pin, to stop it sticking. It can be modelled into fruits or animals, which can be painted with food coloring. If the finished models are brushed with eggwhite, they will not dry out. They can be hung with ribbons on the Christmas tree, or served as petit fours after a meal. Alternatively, marzipan can be rolled into a circle and used as a topping for cakes. (The traditional British Easter cake, called a Simnel Cake, is a light, lemony fruit cake, flavored with candied orange and lemon peel. A layer of marzipan is placed in the baking pan after half the batter has been poured in, and is baked in the cake, forming a sort of built-in sticky-gooey filling half way up the baked cake. When the cake has cooled, then the rest of the marzipan is used to "ice" the cake, and marzipan chickens, eggs and nests are glued to the cake with eggwhite or sugar syrup. The whole is then browned under the broiler.) For the traditional English Christmas cake, a circle of marzipan is glued to the top of a moist plumcake with apricot jam. Sometimes the sides of the cake were marzipaned, too. The cake was then usually covered with a layer of white icing and decorated with small santas, fir trees, snow babies, etc.. Sometimes, though, the marzipan was simply topped with a few marzipan fruits, whole almonds, etc, brushed with a sugar syrup glaze, and browned lightly under the broiler. Making the Christmas marzipan was always a family affair, the children looking forward to the fun of stuffing the candied fruits and modelling the marzipan as much as the adults. Plum Pudding •1 cup flour •2 cups grated suet •1 cup brown sugar •1 cup breadcrumbs (stale bread dropped in blender) •2 t cinnamon •2 t nutmeg •1 t ginger •1/2 t ground cloves •1/2 t mace •juice and grated rind of an orange •juice and grated rind of a lemon •2 T cornsyrup •4 eggs •1 cup ale or beer •1 grated carrot •1 cup grated apple •1cup finely cut candied peel (mixed orange and lemon) •2 cups raisins •1 cup currants •1 cup sliced almonds •1/4 cup chopped dried apricots •1/4 cup chopped pitted prunes Mix all the ingredients together, cover and let stand for 12 hours in the refrigerator. Then stir again. Don't forget to make a wish! Divide the mixture between 3 or 4 small, deep earthenware bowls which have been greased with butter (3-4 cup capacity). If you do not have 3 or 4 bowls, the puddings can be steamed one or two at a time. The remaining batter will come to no harm if left to stand another day, until you have freed up your bowls again. Cut circles of waxed paper about the size of large dinnerplates. Fold a pleat across the diameter of each one. Then cover your pudding bowls with the circles of paper, tying them around the sides with string. Tie them so that the top of the paper domes up slightly, and you can ease the pleat slightly open. This gives the puddings space to rise. Snip a couple of tiny slits in the top of the crease to allow the steam to penetrate. Steam them for 4-6 hours. You can do this by filling a saucepan with a couple of inches of cold water, putting in your pudding, making sure that the water is not going to bubble over into the pudding. Then cover, bring to the boil and simmer very gently . Two puddings can be done at once if you have a steamer that sits on the top of your pan. There are two things that can go wrong with your pudding. Never let it boil dry: the bowl may crack and the pudding will go as hard as rock on the bottom and never revive. Never pour cold water into a hot pan with a hot earthenware bowl in it. The bowl will crack. Always add boiling water to top up the water. Check your puddings regularly as they boil. When you get tired of boiling them, take them out and allow them to cool. When cold, remove them from their bowls, sliding a knife around the edge to loosen them if necessary. Wrap them well in clean, dry paper, put them in a cardboard box with the top on loosely, on a shelf in a cabinet, and allow them to go on drying. Never store them in an airtight container, and never wrap them in aluminum foil or clingfilm, or they may go mouldy! Check them from time to time, turning them and giving them clean paper if necessary. Steam or boil your pudding for at least a further 2-3 hours on the day it is to be eaten. Turn the pudding out onto a large shallow dish. A soup plate is excellent for this, if you intend to set the pudding on fire. The pudding is traditionally set on fire to be carried to the table. Although I will describe how it is done, I cannot accept any responsibility for mishaps with this procedure! Heat half a cup of brandy or rum in a small pan. When it is warm, set it alight, and pour the flames very carefully over the pudding. Put out the lights, and carry the flaming pudding to the table. Now you can either blow it out, or wait until it extinguishes itself. If you care to propose a toast to the pudding, I am sure that all would join you in wishing one another a Very Merry Christmas. Serve the pudding with hard sauce or a rum flavored custard. A small pudding will easily serve six. Christmas Eve The tradition in my part of England was that the Christmas Tree was not set up until Christmas eve. Candles were clipped into tin candleholders which fastened to the fresh, green tree, and they were lit on Christmas Eve, and occasionally on Christmas Day , only, when the family assembled to sing carols round the tree. (This would be considered a terribly dangerous practice, nowadays. Christmas trees have a very high oil content, and can go up like tinder: especially when the tree is very dry. The little electric lights are much safer.). Sprigs of holly and ivy were tucked behind the tops of pictures and mirrors, and over the tops of doors. A bunch of mistletoe was hung high in the hallway, and it was the tradition for a man to claim a kiss from any woman whom he happened to catch "under the mistletoe". (Christmas hosts always had a habit of standing directly under the mistletoe to welcome guests!) Mistletoe was connected with the Druid fertility rituals. Each of these customs probably goes back to pagan times. Bringing the greenery into the house was traditionally connected with the winter solstice and the shortest day in the year. It was supposed to represented the continuity of green things throughout the winter, until the return of Spring and the growing season again. It is still considered bad luck in England to take the Christmas greenery back out of the house after Christmas and throw it away. Otherwise "out would go all your luck for the coming year." We would burn ours on the dying embers of the fire on twelfth night, when all the Christmas decorations were taken down. Originally, I think you were supposed to keep it until Springcleaning Day, on the first day of Spring (21st March!). Mulled Ale or wine would be drunk last thing on Christmas eve. Ale was mulled by heating a poker in the fire until very hot, and then plunging it into your (pewter) jug (or tankard) of ale. Sometimes spices and the puree of baked apples was added for special occasions. This was called lambswool. Lots of variations on lambswool can be made. Our family love it when made with hard cider (if obtainable), or even apple juice with a dash of cranberry. Ginger ale is good, too, with a pinch of ground ginger added with the other spices. Hard Sauce •1 cup butter •1 cup confectioner's sugar •1/2 cup sugar •2-3 T brandy or rum Allow the butter to come to room temperature. Cream in the sugars, then carefully add either brandy or rum, beating in between. Add as much liquor as you can without allowing the butter to separate out. When it will not take any more, chill thoroughly. Hard sauce should be eaten very cold. Lambswool •4 pints ale •2-3 large apples. •1 cinnamon stick •3 cloves •sugar to taste Bake the unpeeled, cored apples in 175° oven for about 40 minutes, until very soft. (Or microwave for about 4 minutes, turning occasionally). Press down on the outsides of the appleskins with the back of a fork to squeeze out all the pulp. Discard the skins and fluff the puree with a fork. Meanwhile, heat the ale with the cinnamon stick and cloves. Add the apple puree and sugar if needed. If desired, it can be put through the blender, but remove the cinnamon and cloves first. Lambswool is also good at Halloween. Mulled Wine •3 large oranges •1 bottle sparkling wine or hard cider •1/2 cup Blackcurrant syrup •1/2 t ground mace •1/2 t ground ginger •1 cinnamon stick •9 cloves •Gin or vodka to taste (optional) •sugar to taste •2 or more cups fruit juice (optional) Stick 3 cloves in each orange and place the oranges whole in a pie pan in a 175° oven for about 20 minutes, until the oranges are hot, and the oils in the skins and in the cloves have been released. Then slice them in a bowl, because the juices will run. You can hold them still with a carving fork. Meanwhile, heat the wine or cider (add fruit juice here if using) with the mace and cinnamon. Add the blackcurrant syrup and the oranges and cloves and continue heating. Sweeten to taste, then add the gin or vodka. Note: this mulled wine is very concentrated, unlike our modern-day punch, especially if it has been fortified by the addition of the gin, which gives it a wonderful kick. It is very comforting on a cold day, but do try it in small glasses first: it is potent. If you are making it for a party, or simply find it too powerful, add fruit juice. Diluted frozen lemonade is good. 7-up is good, so is orange juice. I have even added a fruity herbal iced tea! You can add up to the approximate equivalent of the quantity of wine in the recipe. Hot rum toddy •1 glass rum •3 glasses water •brown sugar to taste •walnut-sized piece of butter Heat all ingredients together in small pan. Serve hot in expresso cups. Serves 4. This was my great grandmother's favorite "warmer" on cold, snowy evenings, in the 1890's. Christmas Day In medieval England, the first meal of the day on Christmas morning was traditionally Frumenty, or Furmenty, as it was sometimes spelled. Frumenty It is possible that the reason that Frumenty is no longer eaten, is that it has been usurped by rice. Rice pudding has replaced the sweet version, while variously flavored or plain boiled rice has become one of the standard accompaniments to meat dishes. Festive Frumenty Christmas frumenty was a sort of porridge made from wheat and milk, dressed up for the occasion by the addition of a few scrapings of cinnamon and nutmeg. Sugar or honey could be added as a topping. It makes an interesting change from the more usual oat meal. The wheat was pounded in a mortar to crack it open. An easier method would be to buy cracked or kibbled wheat (bulgur wheat). •1 cup cracked or kibbled wheat •3 cups milk •mace, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc., to taste •sugar or honey Cover the wheat with about 3-4 cups of boiling water the night before, cover and let it soak overnight. Alternatively, you can bring your wheat to the boil, cook for about 10-15 minutes, and then cover closely and let it sit to swell and soak up the water for about 20-30 minutes. Then add the milk and cook gently until the wheat is very soft and has absorbed most of the slightly thickened milk. Add cinnamon and/or nutmeg etc., to taste. If desired, the frumenty can be sweetened by adding sugar now, or you can observe the tradition and serve in bowls, handing sugar or honey separately. Another way you can serve frumenty is to treat it like a hasty pudding. Sprinkle the tops of the unsweetened bowls of frumenty with sugar, and brown them until crisp under the broiler. Then each mouthful of the nutty, creamy mixture is accompanied by a crunchy caramel-like topping. Plain Frumenty Frumenty was often served as an accompaniment to meat or venison, in which case it would not contain milk, cinnamon or sugar. The wheat was cooked in meat or vegetable broth, and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. Herbs such as savory, bay, dried marigold or saffron were added. You would still need to presoak the wheat, using either method, unless you buy preprocessed bulgur wheat. Christmas Dinner Christmas dinner was usually eaten in the middle of the day by the ordinary folks. Eating the main meal of the day in the evenings was an upper class custom. Whenever it was eaten, though, it was a very elaborate affair, and the actual eating took a long time. There was no set menu, but the emphasis was on variety. Stories of the excesses of medieval banquets are now folklore. A swan would be boned and stuffed with a whole boned goose, inside of which would be a capon filled with larks. This would be accompanied to the table by dishes of rabbits, quails, sucking pigs, ducklings, sweetbreads, etc. Occasionally, a sallet (salad) was mentioned, which very often meant mixed, cooked vegetables, not just fresh greens, but the great emphasis was on meats. Even as a child in the 1940's, such was the traditions of the family that we never sat down to a Christmas dinner with less than two main meats. Goose was the traditional Christmas celebration bird, but turkeys had made it to England and were being eaten also, by Victoria's time. Our family usually had a ham and either a large capon or turkey. Sometimes roast pork and/or roast beef was substituted for one or other. Lamb, for some reason, was never eaten at Christmas, possibly because, of course, it was the traditional meat for Easter. After the bird had been stuffed, usually with chestnut stuffing and sausagemeat stuffing, it was then covered completely with strips of bacon to keep the breast moist. Nowadays, aluminum foil does this job, but does not impart the same flavor to the meat. A string of attached sausages would be draped around the bird about half an hour before the end of cooking. These were used as decoration when the bird was served. This all sounds very wasteful and overlavish, but in the days of very large families (both my parents grew up in families of 10 and 12 children, respectively), things really did get eaten up. The difference was that there were also a dozen people eating the leftovers, too! A large ham was always a favorite, because of its excellent keeping qualities. My mother's mustard sauce for accompanying the ham was much requested. Our family always kept the appetizer course very light, and this was the thing that could sometimes vary from year to year. Our favorite was potted crab or potted shrimp, with wafer thin toast, and a small glass of dry sherry. Potted crab or shrimp •2 cooked crabs (or 1 can crab plus 1 6-oz-pkg imitation crabmeat) or 1/2 lb salad shrimp plus 1 can shrimp •1/2 cup soft butter •2-3 anchovies, finely chopped and mashed with a fork •tiny pinch (between 2 fingers) of ground mace •cayenne pepper Extract all the edible parts of the crabs, and tip into food processor. Alternatively, drain the canned crab and place with the imitation crabmeat in the food processor. Add the finely chopped and mashed anchovies and butter. Process in short bursts until you get an even-sized, well mixed mass that still has some texture to it. Do not make too smooth. Add mace and cayenne carefully until your potted crab has a subtle hint of these spices. Pack firmly into a small serving dish, or pate dish, and run a very thin layer of melted butter on the top, cover and refrigerate. Before serving a tiny sprinkling of cayenne on top of the butter looks pretty. This recipe can be varied. Sometimes I make the potted crab, but add a small can of drained whole tiny shrimp, to give a more interesting texture. Glaze for Baked Ham •3T brown sugar •1 heaping t dry mustard powder (or bottled dijon will do) •apple or orange juice concentrate (frozen) •whole cloves Stir together the sugar and mustard powder, making sure any tiny lumps in the mustard are pressed out with the back of a spoon. Mix to a paste with a small amout of apple juice. Bake the ham according to the directions on the wrapper (usually about 25 minutes to the pound at 175°). About 45 minutes before it is cooked, take out the ham from the oven and remove the skin, if any. With a sharp knife score diagonal cuts abou t 1/4 inch deep across the whole width of the ham, at about 1 1/2 inches apart. Then do it again in the opposite direction, until the surface of the ham is divided in to diamond-shaped sections. Stick a clove into the center of each diamond "windowpane" . Then smear the thick glaze mixture over the whole surface and finish off the cooking. Mustard Sauce •1/4 cup butter •1T unbleached flour •1 cup water •1/2T wine vinegar •2T cream or milk •1t Dijon mustard •1t English mustard •salt and pepper to taste. Melt the butter in a small pan. Then add the flour and stir until smooth. Add the mustards and then the water and vinegar, beating until smooth. Cook until it begins to thicken. Now stir in the cream or milk, reheat and serve. This sauce is also good with poached salmon. Chestnut stuffing for Roast Turkey •16oz chestnut puree •4 strips bacon •grated lemon rind •walnut-sized knob of butter •salt and pepper Cut the bacon up fine, and fry in skillet. Beat the softened butter into the chestnuts. Add the fried bacon and the grated lemon rind. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place in the smaller cavity of the bird. This is a variation on my grandmother's recipe This recipe makes a smallish amount of smooth, rich but delicately flavored stuffing, which is a wonderful contrast to the sausagemeat, or sage and onion stuffings in the larger cavity of the bird. Originally it was made by my grandmother from whole ches tnuts, pierced and baked in the oven until they split and their shells could be loosened and removed. Then they had to have their inner skins removed by dipping them in boiling water and scraping off the skin with a sharp knife. After this they were b oiled for an hour in milk with the butter until very soft, and mashed. The above recipe tastes almost the same, and is so much quicker. Bread Sauce •1/2 cup fine white beadcrumbs •1 cup milk •1 small onion •1/8 cup butter •2 cloves •6 peppercorns •tiny pinch of ground mace •cayenne pepper •1/4 cup cream Slice the onion roughly and place in a small, covered saucepan with the milk, cloves and peppercorns. Simmer gently until the onion is soft. Remove the cloves and peppercorns, stir in the breadcrumbs and blend the whole thing until smooth in the blender . Return to the pan, add the butter and cook over a low heat until thickened. Gradually add the cream, stirring until it is the consistency of mayonnaise. Carefully add tiny amounts of mace and cayenne. The sauce should just contain a hint of these sp ices: they should not dominate the delicate, creamy flavor. Add salt sparingly. A skin will form on the top of this sauce, so press a piece of clingfilm onto the surface until you are ready to serve it. Reheat it gently, stirring well, if it has gone c old. Serve in a sauceboat as an accompaniment to turkey or goose. Note: leftover very cold bread sauce makes an excellent creamy substitute for mayonnaise in turkey/cranberry sandwiches. I have on occasion made an extra batch just to use in sandwiches. This is my great grandmother's recipe. The above sauce may sound a little strange, but is a wonderful foil to the more robust flavors on the table, and was always a fast favorite never omitted at a traditional Christmas dinner. A typical menu would have at least five or six different vegetabl es. There would be potatoes, both roasted and "new". (New potatoes were the baby first harvest of the new crop of the King Edward variety, steamed. The closest equivalent would be tiny red parsleyed potatoes, but they do not have the same flavor). Cele ry, braised in the oven, carrots, cauliflower with cheese sauce, and always, roasted parsnips and brussel sprouts with chestnuts. Roasted Parsnips •1/2 a parsnip per person •vegetable cooking fat, such as crisco (not butter flavored) Peel the parsnips, using a potato peeler. Cut off and discard the tops and bottoms and slice each parsnip vertically in half. Put into a pan of boiling water and cook for six or seven minutes. Meanwhile, in a shallow roasting pan, melt 3-4 T crisco and allow to become very hot in the top of the oven. Drain the partially cooked parsnips and allow to steam for 20-30 seconds to get rid of loose moisture. Carefully spread the parsnips in the roasting pan and sprinkle very lightly with salt. Turn so that all sides are covered in the oil. Bake for about 45 minutes, turning a few times until browned and crispy on the outsides and soft and succulent inside. Potatoes are roasted in the same way, but take a little longer: 10 minutes to pre-boil and about an hour to roast. Brussel Sprouts with Chestnuts Toss together hot, whole canned chestnuts (gently, or the chestnuts will break) and steamed brussel sprouts. Top with black pepper. Brussel sprouts will cook more evenly if a deep cross is cut up into the stalk bases. Not having enough burners on the stove was never a problem for my grandmother. She had a stack of steamer pans, four high, in which she could cook four different vegetables at one time, one above the other all on one burner. I often think back enviously , as I juggle my pans from one burner to the other! The main course was followed up by the Christmas pudding with hard sauce, and then, if anyone could manage it, by stilton cheese and tiny crackers, port wine, marzipan petit fours and sugarplums. We usually ate mid afternoon at Christmas. The table would be decorated with a snowy white cloth and candles. Christmas crackers, which were invented in England in Victoria's time, would have been placed, one at each person's plate. They were pulled in turn with the person sitting next to you. The cracker comes apart with a sharp snap and a faint smell of firecrackers. Out falls a colored tissue-paper hat, which the owner must wear, a motto or excruciatingly bad joke, which the owner must read out in turn,snowy white cloth and candles. Christmas crackers, which were invented in England in Victoria's time, would have been placed, one at each person's plate. They were pulled in turn with the person sitting next to you. The cracker comes apart with a sharp snap and a faint smell of firecrackers. Out falls a colored tissue-paper hat. High Tea In the evening, a very late High Tea was served. In our family it was very informal, with cold ham and turkey, salads, bread and pickles, followed, at last, by the appearance of the christmas cake, eaten with thin wedges of cheshire cheese. Tea was usua lly drunk at this meal, although in England, Tea is the name of a meal eaten at around five o'clock, and is an abbreviation of the full name: High Tea. It is not merely the name of a beverage. Therefore, it is not considered too strange to drink coffee with high tea, if that is what you wish. Afternoon tea is a much more relaxed affair, with crumpets around the fire in the afternoon, as the name suggests. It is far more usual to only offer tea as the beverage at afternoon teatime. However, for more formal evening gatherings, what was known as a "cold table" was served. This consisted of the cold turkey and ham with maybe some cold "raised pies" and potted and devilled meats, together with a substantial array of homemade pickles an d chutneys, salads and breads, with herbed butters and flavored cheeses. Orange and lemon "cheescakes" (not a cheesecake as we know it today, but tarts filled with buttery, tangy lemon and orange curd), almond cakes, jellies or a trifle would follow. A cold table makes excellent party food, and this will be the subject of a future recipe collection. Christmas Night This was a time for sitting around the fire, singing carols and playing parlor games. A "munchie" Christmas game, dating from medieval times is Snapdragon. The thin blue flames are actually not that hot, but since the possibility of disaster is clearly present, I describe this recipe purely to satisfy curiosity. If you try it, it must be at your own risk. I cannot accept responsibility for accidents. Snapdragon Mix a few of as many different kinds of dried fruits as you have and heap them on a shallow dish. Warm them in the oven or the microwave. Heat a half a cup of brandy in a small pan, and when it is warm, set it alight and carefully pour the flames onto th e warm fruit. Put out the lights and set it on a low table in front of the fire. The idea is to try and snatch handfuls of fruit out of the dish while the "dragon" snaps his flaming breath. Alternatively, you can blow out the flames and eat the warm, brandied fruit. By this time, most people are ready to go to bed with a nice, hot rum toddy, wishing one another a Very Merry Christmas "and to all, a Good Night".