The Elements Of A Proper Pie And Mash Shoppe

 No, I don't need the loo, I have enough dosh, and my car is just fine, thank you (....other meanings of pie and mash).  Pie and mash, a staple of a walk down memory lane Cockney style.  A mince pie served with potato mash plastered on the side of the plate and dosed with liquor, a sort of parsley gravy.

  Many times it would be presented with jellied eels.  However, eels are hard to come by in Colorado.  The numbers of eels dwindled on the Thames, as well.  They were over-fished, just as well as they were living, in the time of Vicky, in polluted waters.

Liquor was once made by using eel cooking water, that is how it came by the name liquor, like any liquid from seafood.  If you happen to have eel cooking water, by all means use it instead of chicken stock.  This is the recipe for liquor This is the recipe for liquor listed on the Beeb's cooking website:

 50g/2oz butter, 50g/2oz cornflour, 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock, generous bunch parsley, leaves only, chopped, 1-2 garlic cloves, roasted and puréed, to taste.

For the parsley liquor, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and whisk in the cornflour to make a paste. Gradually stir in the stock, bring to a simmer, then stir in the parsley and garlic and stir until thickened and smooth. 

Chilli vinegar!

A little kicked up from the days of plain malt vinegar.  However, both are traditional choices to spatter on your whole plate.  My version is simple to put together, I got my own clean jar and funneled in the liquid from pepperoncinis. Then, squeeze a few pepperoncinis in, then added my own chillis from my garden, and Bob's your uncle, your own splashy mix.

An easy down to earth meal for the rest of us....Here is pie and mash shoppes in pictures. 

The pie bit can consist of many different fillings, but the most common is beef mince.  A recipe I am saving for later.....Wait for it.....
 
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Hedgehog Cake

In Llangollen, Wales whilst indulging in a cream tea, I spied a sweetie called: 

At:

This place is the starting point to a long boat ride over Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, or a brief canal ride drawn by horses.  Read more about the tours and area in my travel blog :

I'm Ruined - Llangollen and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

 

My version:

First order of the day, dark chocolate (very dark) and naturally coloured and preserved dried cherries. 

Hedgehog cake is a type of Tiffen cake, or chocolate fridge cake.  It has slivered almonds to create the hedgie look.

Prepare a small loaf pan with cling film, lining the pan into the nooks and crannies.  Make sure the cling film is generously overhanging the edges for easy removal.

Melt the following ingredients, in the microwave in a large bowl, at full power for 50 seconds. Check and go another 20 seconds, until melted, but not over done:

350 g / 10.5 oz. dark chocolate

100g / 3.5 oz. butter

150g / 5 oz. golden syrup (pure cane)

Stir until smooth, folding in the butter as you go.

Stir in:

3 oz. slivered almonds

3 oz. dried cherries

250g / 8 oz. broken pieces of shortbread (buy a good quality brand, or better yet make your own). 

Well, I usually go willy nilly with the amounts, depending on my mood.  This gives you a basic idea, however.

 

Easy peasy, pour into the lined loaf pan and refrigerate until firm and cuttable (at least a few hours).  I usually spike a few more almonds into the top of the chocolate for good measure.


To serve, decant by inverting on a plate and pulling at the cling film flaps  (get rid of the cling film), then cut into shards, or chunks and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Not even one spine was harmed in the making of this sweet!

Phew!

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Sticky Wicket Pud

       I'm in a bit of a sticky wicket with my Sticky Toffee Pudding.  Will some people be alright with my little twist to the classic?  Well, if not, it is easily left to the more adventurous.


Armed with my son's home brew and this recipe for Stout Caramel....

       I dared to layer two different caramels and mine is a bundt style cake instead of steamed.....How is that for taking the mick?

Here is your free Wiki description of the origins of Sticky Toffee Pudding:

Origins

Francis Coulson developed and served sticky toffee pudding at his Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel in the Lake District in the 1970s. Food critic Simon Hopkinson claimed that Coulson told him he got the recipe from a Patricia Martin of Claughton in Lancashire. Martin had published the recipe in a compilation that later became The Good Food Guide Dinner Party Book, and first served the dish at her country hotel. Coulson's recipe only differs from Martin's in the sauce. Her son later told Hopkinson that she had originally got the recipe from two Canadian air force officers who had lodged at her hotel during the Second World War. According to Hopkinson, this Canadian origin makes sense, as the pudding uses a batter more akin to that of an American muffin, rather than an English sponge.

I bottled the stout sauce because a little goes a long way.

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Butter and flour a Bundt pan.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates (about 6 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs


Bring dates and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium heavy saucepan with tall sides. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Set aside.

Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend (mixture will be grainy). Add 1 egg; beat to blend. Add half of flour mixture and half of date mixture; beat to blend. Repeat with remaining 1 egg, flour mixture, and date mixture. Pour batter into mold.

Bake 40-45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Invert pudding onto rack.


Sauce:

1 1/4 cups  brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring sugar, cream, and butter to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

It just needs some ice cream, custard, or a dollop of whipped cream.

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Is This Something Like Harry Potter Sauce?

We chose brown sauce on our luxury sausage rolls last time.  Well, as promised we will make a homemade version of the fruity, savory sauce.  It is quite dear to buy stateside and you lose out on undesirable additives with the homemade version.  The major brand HP is widely available (with perhaps, in some cases, a different recipe).  The other major brand Daddy's is less available, but not unheard of, in specialty stores.

Can you bare a bit of brown sauce history?  Many a Brit will ask for brown sauce on a bacon butty (that is if they aren't in the red sauce camp). Here is a basic run down of where this sauce originated.   There are many brands , including off brands; HP, Daddy's, Branston and Heinz has a version, just to name a few.   The original idea is that the sauce originated from Harry Palmer, a gambling addict who sold his recipe for "Harry Palmer's Famous Epsom Sauce" to cover his debts.  Somewhat muddled in a not official history is the claim that A Nottinghamshire grocer concocted the recipe in the 1870's. He registered the name HP Sauce in 1895, claiming that Parliament had started serving it.  Hence the depiction of the Parliament buildings on the HP (Houses of Parliament) bottles.  The sauce has been also known as Wilson's gravy, as the PM at the time Harry Wilson supposedly loved the stuff and dosed everything edible with it.  The motorway near Brum had a pipeline over it carrying malt vinegar within the factory in Aston. Doom for the workers in Brum and the original recipe came with buy out of HP by an American company.

For the preparation of the homemade version!


 The savory side:

1/2 c. malt vinegar
 1 tbsp. mustard
 3 tomatoes, chopped
 1 tsp. onion powder
 1 tsp.  garlic powder
 2 anchovy fillets (not shown)

 The sweet elements:

 1/3 c. dark brown sugar
 1/4 c.  molasses


The fruity bits:

 3 tbsp. tamarind pulp
 1/3 c. pitted dates, roughly chopped
 2 apples, roughly chopped


Just a word about tamarind:

A long bean that is brown in colour, with a tangy, fruity flavour.  This pod grows on trees that originated in Africa.  It is rich in vitamin B and calcium.  It is said that tamarind helps with stomach complaints. It is used ina wide range of cuisines and food products, everything from Pad Thai to candy to beverages....Oh, and of course, sauce!

A bit of spice:

1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne

It is a given you need some salt and pepper, a couple of dashes each.


Bang all this in a large pot.  Cook and reduce for an eternity (30 minutes).  Using a hand blender, whiz up into a lovely smooth, dare I say sauce?  Cook and reduce another 15 minutes., or until the consistency you desire.  Adjust seasoning and strain. You can keep this in a rather large bottle/jar in the refrigerator.

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How Many Likes Can THIS Sausage Roll get?

Can it get more "likes" than Cheryl Cole?  This luxury version just could do. 

        

You have to fight, fight, fight for the sausage roll....

Sausage rolls are a very popular snack, or quick lunch in Britain.  They are a best seller at Gregs, where you can buy them in 4s, or singles.  They come in a long tube of pig in pastry, or mini party size.  I have seen quite a few twists to the original at fayres, farmer's markets, or speciality stores.  The twists I've seen include; black pudding, Branston pickle, curry spiced, venison, or with different cheeses.  I'm sure the list of versions is much longer.

To start my version you will need loads of sage, a couple sprinkles of dry garlic, and dollops of mustard.  The ingredients don't have to come from Sainsbury's, but the pork from a local butcher cannna be beat!  You will need puff pastry, make some, or buy some.

For a good snack for 2 to 4 people, preheat an oven to 200 c.

270 g. sausage meat

2 tablespoons dried sage

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons English mustard

2 large rectangles of puff pastry

Egg yolk wash

Nigella seeds for sprinkling

Salt and pepper

Mix the meat with seasonings and the mustard.  Incorporate the mustard completely, the best way is with your sausages (fingers).

Have your egg wash at the ready.  Now roll the pastry thinner with a pin and dock it all over with a fork.  Form the sausage into equal tubes to place on the centre of the pastry, longways. Bring the edges up and pinch all along, as shown. Turn the roll over and place the seam on the bottom. Trim any excess pastry, reserve.  Dock the top with a fork, and pinch the ends down. Then, using a sharp knife make large slashes on the bias along the roll, as shown.  Brush on your prepared egg wash, sprinkle with seeds.

I didn't have any greaseproof paper at the time so I used foil. It sticks a little, but it is manageable. Needs must!  Place you uncooked rolls on a baking sheet lined with paper, or foil. 

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

There you go! Serve hot, or cold with your choice of sauce.

The excess pieces of pastry will not be wasted, not on your nelly!  You can roll them out, sprinkle with cheese. Cut and twist into straws. Bake for a little impromptu side to a salad.

Brown, or red sauce?  Well, the next installment will be a recipe for homemade brown sauce.

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