Retro Food For Modern Times

31
Dec
2018

Silence of the Lamb Chops

December 31st not only marks the end of the year but also the birthday of actor Anthony Hopkins. Let’s celebrate both events with a delicious recipe from Zach Neil’s The Nightmare Before Dinner called…well you already know… Silence of the Lamb Chops! This was the very first recipe I wanted to cook from this book because, for me, Silence of The Lambs is a perfect film.

The actors are stunning, the direction is flawless, the script is tight, the cinematography is en pointe. For my mind, Silence of the Lambs has no weak link. Plus…and this one I could be wrong on this one but in my mind, Hannibal Lector defined a new type of movie villain. Intelligent, eloquent, charming…he is a bit Hans Gruberesque….but at the end of the day, however, suave Gruber was, we were all happy when he fell to his death. No one wants Hannibal to die. We’re glad he escapes. And let’s be clear. He is a monster. And therein lies the magic of the Silence of the Lambs.

I had thought I’d taken a million photos of the Silence of the Lamb Chops.

I totally did. It was so good. The chops are marinated in olive oil, garlic, rosemary and apple cider then grilled. They are served with a mushroom and apple sauce which was great. An unusual combination but it worked really well with the lamb. This is then drizzled with a glaze made from raspberry preserves and soy sauce which is again an odd combination but works well. The Silence Of The Lamb Chops is like a flavour explosion. There is the herby, fattiness of the lamb set against the earthiness of the mushrooms and the apple. The sweet and salty raspberry soy sauce acts as a highlight, a little oomph!

I served mine on a bed of mashed potatoes which added a creamy element. If you wanted to though, you could serve it….

Here’s the recipe:

And here’s my only other photo:

So, it’s the end of the year. Time for me say a massive

to you all for reading and commenting and being a part of my tiny corner of the internet. It’s been another amazing year. I think my highlight was Pieathalon in London and getting to share pies with fellow pieathletes Jenny from Silver Screen Suppers and Battenberg Belle.

Stay tuned for 2019, I think it’s going to be just as much fun!

Have a great week And a fabulous New Year.

May all your dreams and wishes come true. Love you lots!

24
Dec
2018

Nakatomi Towers Cocktail

categories: Cocktail, Grapefruit, Movies, Sake

Yippy Ki Yay People of the World! I joined a film club. And, to celebrate, I made a very down low version of Jane Rocca’s Nakatomi Towers cocktail. The original recipe contains fancypants ingredients like Shochu and yuzu but two days before Christmas, I have enough to do without trying to source either of them so we’re going basic. And you know what? My version is delicious!

So, my work team decided to form a film club! One of my work buddies had 12 themes for films and there are six of us, so we each got randomly allocated a theme and a time. Turned out…I was up first. With the theme of “Blockbuster”. It was actually one of the easier themes. I flirted with Home Alone for the seasonality, and Inception because it made the bucks. But when we talk blockbuster and this time of year? There can only be one!

Ah, Die Hard…I had not seen Die Hard for many a year and, truth be told, I was wondering whether it would stand the test of time. It does! I made some popcorn and spent a rainy Sunday afternoon totally absorbed in the antics of John McLaine, Hans Gruber and co. So absorbed that I then watched A Good Day To Die Hard which is the only one of the franchise I own. Don’t do that, it’s terrible. But Die Hard the original – awesome!

Then, during the week, I happened to be flicking through the pages of Jane Rocca’s The Fashionable Cocktail (I can thoroughly recommend it) and I came across the recipe for a cocktail called Nakatomi Towers…and this post was born!

This is the original recipe but the shops at this time of year are a hot mess and even if I was willing to brave the great unwashed, given I have never seen a yuzu in my life, my chances of finding one on the eve of Christmas eve were slim. My tiny local bottle-o had Sake so that was going to sub in for the Shochu and I had a grapefruit in the house. I also don’t see the reason for simple syrup if you are going to add lemonade so we can cut that step out too…It’s Christmas, we’re all busy, let’s not take time consuming steps unless they are absolutely necessary right??

I do like the thought of muddled apricots though!

Okay Hans, sure whatever. Calm the farm down dude. It’s Christmas! Have a cocktail and enjoy!

Let’s get to the recipe shall we? Are we good to go?

Nakatomi Towers

Print Recipe

A delicious cocktail celebrating the blockbuster “Die Hard”

Author: Taryn Fryer

Ingredients

Scale

2 Apricots
45 ml Sake
45 ml red grapefruit juice
Lemonade
Ice Cubes

To Garnish

Apricot slice
Grapefruit wedge
Maraschino cherry

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Muddle the apricots in your shaker.
Add some ice cubes, the sake and the grapefruit juice to the shaker.
Shake it like a polaroid picture.
Put fresh ice cubes into a glass.
Strain the apricot / sake mixture into the glass.
Top with lemonade.
Garnish with a slice of apricot, a wedge of grapefruit and a maraschino cherry.
Take a sip and murmer “Yippy Kay Yay!”

I really like the kind of funkiness the sake brings to the Nakatomi Towers. It works really well against the sweetness of the apricots, the tanginess of the lemonade and the bitter of grapefruit. For a cocktail that I “dumbed” down the flavours are quite complex. And not heavy on the booze so if you want to have more than one it’s….

So tell me… What movie would you have chosen given the theme “Blockbuster”?
And where do you stand on Die Hard being a Christmas movie?
For the record? In my opinion – it’s a movie set at Christmas, not a Christmas movie. But let the debate begin!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

18
Dec
2018

Semolina, Coconut and Marmalade Cake

categories: Cake

I’ve been reflecting on the comment I made in the post on the Stuffed Monkey about how I don’t like the taste of orange peel and, to be honest, I feel it made me sound like a big baby. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I actually don’t like the taste of dried orange peel but….and it’s a big but…(not a big butt, I’m no Sir Mix A Lot) I thought that in the general spirit of pushing myself out of my comfort zone that is this blog, I should try things before dismissing them. And my last recollection of dried orange peel comes from Hot Cross Buns from back in the days when I was kissing tv screens. Which is all a very long way of saying that I made Yotam Ottolenghi’s Semolina, Coconut and Marmalade Cake.

And it was delicious.

Who knew marmalade was actually quite nice? I bought one that was full of peel too! They don’t call me a dare devil for nothing! Yes, you’ll lfind me and my newly found tolerance for slightly bitter jam living right over there on the edge!

The recipe for this cake came from Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Jerusalem. The recipe can be found here:

Semolina, Coconut and Marmalade Cake

I should mention here that this is a syrup cake. Which means that once the cake is baked you add some sort of syrup to it. In this case it is an orange blossom water flavoured syrup. HHowever,one thing that was very different in this cakes to other syrup cakes I have made is the technique off applying the syrup. In previous recipes that I have made you usually stab the cake all over with a skewer and pour the syrup over. In the Ottolenghi version you kind of paint the syrup into the cake.

This seemed daunting at first. There was a lot of syrup. And initially ,I thought it was going to take forever. And you know, I have things to do! In the end ,the slow painting of syrup onto cake became quite meditative.

This is a good cake to make if you need time to ponder an issue…like does God exist? Should I buy those shoes? And what exactly is semolina anyway?

So, fear of marmalade conquered. I have a bit left in the jar, maybe in the not too distant future, I will tackle my dislike of bourbon enough to make these babies!

Bourbon and Marmalade Glazed Drumsticks

Although, come to think of it, I’m not that fond of drumsticks either.

In the meantime though, I feel like I have earned the title Lady Marmalade. Except that song was about a hooker so I may have to rethink that title!

Have a great week!

11
Dec
2018

The Nine Cocktail

categories: Books, Cocktail

The Nine is a delicious cocktail from “The Nightmare Before Dinner” the book I mentioned last week in the post on Beetle Pie. The book features recipes from Beetle House, Zack Neill’s Tim Burton inspired restaurants located in Los Angeles and New York.

Tim Burton + food? You had me at hello! 😍

I love a sour cocktail and The Nine is the best blend of sweet, sour and apple flavours.

And it’s a great colour! An almost iridescent green. You can almost imagine it glowing in the dark. It doesn’t (I checked) but it looks as if it might! This is a fun cocktail As is the book it came from!

If you like your food to come with a pun (and I think by now we all know that I do!) or you are a fan of Tim Burton, or you want to dine at Beetle House but can’t afford the flight to New York or L.A, then this book is for you! Or the film buff in your life! Christmas is coming peeps….

The Nightmare before Dinner begins with Sauces and Dips for the Recently Deceased – my favourite being the Veruca Sauce! To be used only when you “want an Oompa Loompa now, Daddy, now”…or, probably more commonly, to put over chicken, fish or veggies as it is a delicious sounding honey butter garlic sauce.

And with all due respect to Tim Burton – there will only ever be one Verucca Salt. (And just so we’re clear? It’s not his version)

The next chapter is caled The Nightmares Before Dinner. This contains recipes for items like Hallowpeno Honey Cheddar Cornbread, Charlie Corn Bucket and Beetle Bacon Bread….just listen to this mouthwatering description

“It’s a hearty sundried tomato and bacon “pizza” with a sweet balsamic reduction, soft mozzarella cheese and crisp scallions”

Here’s the picture from the book:

How I good does that look? Let me tell you a little secret into my obviously maladjusted childhood. When I was a child, apparently I would kiss the tv screen whenever my favourite handsome boy of the moment would appear. This picture kind of made me want to lick the screen…

I didn’t!!!!! I swear I didn’t!

And let’s never talk about any of this ever again.

The next chapter, Soups and Salads for The Living contains, of course, a Giant Peach Salad. The Macarbre Mains section has an Edward Burger Hands, a Shrimpy Hollow and my very, very favourite….ah no. I’m saving that one for a special occasion.

But the Edward Burger Hands sounds delish! And a lot easier to eat than this meal!

I won’t take you through all the chapters because I think you should have a taste for the book now.

See what I did there? A taste for the book?

Oh…Kay. moving swiftly along…the final chapter is how you can put together the various meals to have themed parties. It also offers suggestions for table and room decorations so you can really set the scene!!!! Here are both the menu and the scene suggestions for an Edward party!

The joy of The Nightmare before Dinner lies in that it is seriously good food and cocktails that don’t take themselves to seriously. Hmmm…sounds kind of like the ethos of this here blog…no wonder I like it so much!

Here’s the recipe for The Nine:

Now, let’s all make ourselves The Nine and jump in the line…..

Day -O….

Many thanks to Net Galley and Quarto Publishing for the ARC of The Nightmare Before Dinner.

Have a wonderful week. I”m going to binge on Tim Burton films. Speaking of which…what’s your favourite?

Mine is an absolute four-way tie between Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.

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28
Nov
2018

Beetle Pie

categories: Pie

Beetle Pie? WTF is going on at RFFMT? Is this the month of disgusting sounding food? Well, maybe…but I also just got sent a copy of The Nightmare Before Dinner: Recipes to Die For: The Beetle House Cookbook by Zach Neil and couldn’t wait a year for Hallowe’en to share a recipe with you.

And as with last week’s Stuffed Monkey, the yumminess of the Beetle Pie is directly proportional to the yechhhh factor of its name. That is to say….it’s totally delicious. Let me convince you by unpacking it into its component parts:

Chocolate wafer crust
Pistachio custard filling
Blackberry jam topping
Whipped cream and fresh blackberries to garnish

Yeah, baby!

There are so many things to talk about this week. I really want to tell you about the book that contained the Beetle Pie recipe but that will have to wait. Because while researching this post I came across an absolutely bonkers tale from history involving a very different type of beetle pie.

So buckle in….because we are taking a trip in the way back machine all the way to 1863.

1863 was a huge year in history. In America, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. The Red Cross was founded in Switzerland. And, in London, the first tube train ran between Paddington and Farringdon. And some five miles away from Paddington, in Brixton, Mrs Elizabeth Wilton baked a pie for her neighbour’s coachman, Edward Gardiner.

The relationship between these neighbours was…..strained. Mrs Wilton liked to have German bands (and Negro singers) playing loud music in her house a few times a week. This was not appreciated by the neighbourhood in general and her sickly, elderly neighbour specifically. Words were exchanged. And sometimes more than words. On one occasion, Mrs Wilton was seen throwing bricks at the neighbour’s windows! She was feisty!

She was also batshit crazy! One day, she baked the German band a pie. They took it to the local pub to eat. However, the pie was not filled with apples or rhubarb or cherries. Or anything normal. Because this was a pie baked by Elizabeth Wilton who was as mad as a box of frogs.

The pie filling was a pair of ladies knickers!

Not to be outdone, one of the band members then donned the knickers, returned to Mrs Wilton’s house and danced in front of her door for a while.

I imagine that dance looking a little like this:

Loud music? Brick throwing? Underwear pies? Revenge door dancing? It’s 1863 people! Calm the hell down and go catch one of those newfangled tube trains. We won’t be needing your kind of mad arse white trashery until we invent reality tv in about 120 years!

But all this is merely to set the context under which the hapless Edward Gardiner received his pie.

Now, I don’t pretend to know anything about the life of coachmen in 1863 but from what happened next, I’m guessing it was hungry work. Or maybe, they didn’t get paid a lot so hunger was par for the course. Or maybe Edward Gardiner was just not too quick on the uptake. Because despite the lingerie pie precedent, it took him a good “six or seven mouthfuls” of Mr’s Wilton’s pie before he realised that

It tasted revolting
It was filled with black beetles and,
“A nasty stuff resembling mustard, but it was not mustard.”

The “nasty stuff” was later discovered to be gamboge, a yellow tree sap used as a laxative.

Not So Fast Eddie eventually took what was left of the pie to the local police station. Where the sergeant claimed to have never seen “anything more filthy or disgusting” and that he had to open all the police station windows to get rid of the “intolerable stench”.

Let me just repeat. The sergeant took one whiff. Eddie G? Six (or seven) mouthfuls…

The next day, Mrs Wilton turned up at the police station bearing…..yep…you guessed it. A freshly baked pie!

Which upon examination was found to contain a painted toy pear.

Which was found to be full of black beetles!

Later, in court, Mrs Wilton admitted having made the original beetle pie “as a lark”.

The judge agreed that it was a practical joke and not meant to cause injury and she was released from custody.

A few months later the irrepressible Mrs Wilton was back in the police station. This time she was charged with knocking off a policeman’s hat whilst being drunk in public.

I love this woman!!!!!😍😍😍

There is no record of whether she baked the charging officer one of her very special pies!

I hope you loved the story of the utterly eccentric Elizabeth Wilton and her black beetle pies as much as I did!

I found the entire story on The Skittish Library. It’s a fabulous site, why not pop over and see what other delights Estelle has to offer!

And make a beetle pie in celebration of Elizabeth Wilton and her pie making badassery from 1863!

Have a great week!

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