The Sherry Cobbler – A Crazy Gold Rush Cocktail

The Sherry Cobbler is an American cocktail probably first made in the 1830’s.  It was hugely popular in its native land but was, also incredibly popular in Melbourne during the Gold rush years, between 1851 and through to the end of the 1860’s .  Gold brought both a vast increase in the population and in the wealth of the population. And where there are miners and money?  There will be booze.

Sherry Cobbler2.jpg (2)

Nowadays, sherry is seen as an old lady’s drink.  However, this was not always the case.  Back in the 1960’s all the cool kids were drinking it. 

Vintage advert in 1960s magazine dated 1964 for DRY SACK Spanish sherry. Image shot 1964. Exact date unknown.And 100 years before them it was the turn of these boys.

MinersDry Sack sounds more like a painful affliction than something I would want to drink so I used a Fino Sherry for my Cobbler but you can use but you can use whatever you have. The Sherry Cobbler consists of Sherry, sugar, fruit and a little sprinkle of nutmeg.

Sherry Cobbler4Now, I can quite easily imagine our 1960’s poolside pleasure seekers enjoying a Sherry Cobbler or two.  But the miners?  Surely not.  Least of all because you would think all the fruit would get stuck in their beards.  But apparently back in the 1850’s it was the most popular mixed drink in the world.

However, those miners were pretty wily.  Is it a pure coincidence that the Sherry Cobbler, according to this article, was the drink that popularised the use of the straw. Or was it just a solution to fruit in beard syndrome?

Sherry Cobbler3But right from the start I promised you crazy and miners sipping sherry through straws is not crazy.  It’s adorable but not crazy. 

So let’s get crazy.  The Sherry Cobbler is poured over crushed ice.  Except back in the day there was no ice in Melbourne.  We are a temperate climate and Melbourne’s first iceplant didn’t open until 1860.  But dammit if those miners didn’t want their Sherry Cobblers served as the Good Lord intended them.  So, ice was imported from America.  Specifically, huge ice cubes were cut from the frozen lakes in Massachusetts, packed in sawdust and shipped to Melbourne to satisfy the Sherry Cobbler yearnings of the miners.

Not crazy enough?  In a land where there was no ice, how common do you think those new fangled devices called straws were?  Pretty damn non-existent apparently.  So how did those quick witted miners get around that little dilemma?

They used pieces of macaroni as straws.

Yep. For real. 

For serious.

Sherry Cobbler5 (2)

Macaroni.

Can you imagine anything more delightful than the five gentlemen above out on a night on the tiles sipping their Sherry Cobblers through macaroni straws?

The Sherry Cobbler is a lovely tipple too.  It would be a great day drink as it’s not too boozy.   And certainly not a drink just for your maiden aunt

Ditch the macaroni straw though.  It was useless. 

Sherry Party (2)

[yumprint-recipe id=’101′]Unless otherwise indicated, all the facts in the above about Melbourne, ice, straws and macaroni come from a wonderful book called Flavours of Melbourne by Charmaine O’Brien (Wakefield Press, 2008).  This book is awesome.  There will be more recipes from it for sure.

Any errors or omissions and all the hyperbole are mine alone. 

The weekend’s coming – what are you up to?

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Tiny Waldorf Salads

Is there a salad both more famous (and more mangled) than the Waldorf Salad?  I doubt it.  And because, pretty much since it’s inception, people have been mucking around with it, I thought I would put my stamp on it.  As I have a predilection for little food, I shrank my Waldorf Salad into individual serving sizes.

Waldorf Salad1Waldorf Salad – History

The Waldorf Salad was first made at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1896 and was, a huge success.  The original recipe only contained apples, celery and mayonnaise  The grapes and walnuts came later but are now considered integral ingredients.

The Waldorf precedes the other classic “American” salad, the Caesar, by 28 years.

The Waldorf Salad was also immortalised in an episode of Fawlty Towers.  I wonder if this is the only salad to ever have a sit com episode named after it.  If you have not seen this you must.  It is hilarious.  But here’s a taste!

So, celery, apples, walnuts grapes…in a mayonnaise sauce.  Which is pretty much what mine consisted of.

Waldorf Salad2So how did they manage to get it so wrong in the ’60’s?

Well, the top three reasons of what went wrong in the 60’s in general are:

  1. Charlie Manson
  2. Massive amounts of drug taking
  3. Gelatine

Now,Manson may be all kinds of crazy but I don’t think we can blame him for this:

Retro Waldorf via Bon AppetitOr this (even though this is kind of pretty)

california-waldorf-salad-gelatin-mold via bon appetitOr, Good Lord, even this:

Retro Waldorf SaladNope, the blame for that lies squarely with 3).  Possibly with a large dose of 2) thrown in

After those horrors i totally understand why the poor old Waldorf Salad is not nearly as popular today as the Caesar salad. The graphs below show internet interest in the words as search terms.


Kind of makes me wonder why I am bothering to post on Waldorf when it’s so unpopular.  Next week – Caesar Salad! And hit city!

The thing is, Caesar salad  is often awful and the Waldorf salad tasted good.  It’s crunchy and crisp and sweet and nutty.  Nothing wrong there.  The buttermilk dressing I used adds a little tang without being too cloying.  It’s delicious.  And easy to make.  And healthy.  And it’s fun to wrap up the main ingredients in a lettuce leaf like a salady sang choy bau.

What more do you need?

Go and make one now.  You already know how….it’s celery, apples, walnuts grapes…in a mayonnaise sauce.

Pop it all into a lettuce leaf, wrap it up and enjoy!

Waldorf Salad5

[yumprint-recipe id=’98’] Have a wonderful week!

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Cheery Cherry Sangria

This post’s name came from the fact that I totally read the name of this recipe incorrectly.  More than once.  I swear, the first four times looked at it I  thought it was called Cheery Sangria.  I even wrote it that way on my “meal” planner.  Cheery Sangria.  It was only when I was writing the ingredients on my shopping list that I paused.  “Oh.  It has cherries in it.  That’s cute, they made a pun.”  Well, it turns out, they didn’t.  But I did.  And we all know how much I love that!  So, technically what we’re drinking today is CHERRY sangria.  But you know what?  It brought a touch of the sun and warmth of Portugal into a totally cold, wet and grey Melbourne winter day so I think Cheery Sangria works just as well!!

Yes, I’m back from holiday.  And determined to make Sangria my drink of choice for this summer. It’s just so good!!! Wine and fruit and a little bit o the hard stuff….it really doesn’t get much better.  Mind you, summer has to come first.  And at the moment, it seems a long time away. 

The best Sangria I had overseas was in Portugal – a teeny cafe in Faro.  Here I am drinking one….

SangriaThe Portuguese,they are a people after my own heart. They have a cherry liqueur called Ginja which is commonly drunk for breakfast.  Speaking of which…when the breakfast buffet contains both Portuguese egg tarts and sparkling wine, I know I have found my people!

Sangria 5

Cheery times!  And cheersy times!!!  But now onto some cherry times.

The cherry sangria I made is pretty hearty.  It has loads of strong, spicy flavours which made it suitable for a cold winter’s day.  I also totally forgot to add the cinnamon stick but that would have only made it even better!  The gorgeous deep red colour is also so pretty and warming.  I also used cherries and sparkling wine to remind me of the Portuguese breakfast drinks of Ginja and cava!

But let’s start with some fruit.  Limes, blood oranges and, of course cherries make for a tasty and colourful combination!

Cherry Sangria2Then add some tequila for a kick, grenadine for sweetness and a teeny taste of Tabasco for spice and muddle the fruit to get some juicy, fruity flavours.  (Pre-muddle is also when the cinnamon should have been added).

Sangria3Top with orange juice and some sparkling red wine…and voila…cherry sangria!

Sangria4Salud!

 

[yumprint-recipe id=’97’]Sangria6

 

Have a great week! 

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Cattle Country Salad for Cowboy Day

Go west they said.  I took their advice and not only went  west but a whole heap north as well to end  up in the UK for this year’s Cowboy Day.  I will be spending the actual day in the most haunted town in Britain! Maybe a ghost cowboy just like this one will appear on the day….

Spooky huh?

Something that is not at  all spooky is the  Cattle Country Beef Salad Salad l made to celebrate Cowboy day.  But first, this is the first time I am writing, editing,  and posting entirely via phone so let’s put any weirdness in this post, beyond the regular  weirdness down to that and I will re-edit, format as required once I get home!

Cattle Country Beef SaladWe don’t have cowboys in Australia.  We have cattlemen.  Who live in cattle country which is where this salad comes from.  Actually, it comes from Rosemary Mayne-Wilson’s Salads for All Seasons but you know what I mean.

So what all goes into a Cattle Country Beef Salad?

  1. Beef of course.  I suspect originally this would have been leftovers from the Sunday roast but I just bought from slices of roast beef from the supermarket. 
  2. Then there’s apples.  Because we all know one a day keeps the doctor away and you don’t want to get sick while you’re out riding the range.  
  3. There’s celery because…I dunno. What use is celery?  I like the taste of it but….oh that’s right.  Celery keeps the cattlemen skinny.  Because no one likes a tubby cowboy.  Specially the horses they ride around on all day.
  4. Spring onions.  To put a spring in their step.  

That was about it for the original ingredients.  I also added some mixed leaves because I had to use them before I left for the UK the following morning.  I also added some chunks of a lovely vintage cheddar.  Which also had to be used but cheese also makes anything taste better and this was no exception.

RMW suggests using a French dressing for this.  Make it really punchy by being HEAVY on the mustard.  The flavours in here are strong enough to deal with it. 

Cattle Country  Beef Salad 2This was yummy!!!! Quick simple delicious.  That’s an all round winner for me!  

Here’s the original recipe:

Okay, I’m trying to keep this short and sweet because posting off the phone is doing my head in.  

Many thanks to Greg from Recipes for Rebels for inviting me to participate in the cookalong again this year.  It is always a so much fun to be a part of something like this.  Plus, he”s one of the most awesome people on the internet so should just be thanked in general 

 I dont have my regular sign off this week but just look what can happen when bloggers get together.  For an explanation of why Battenberg Belle, Jenny Hammerton and I are wearing cowboy hats and clutching a meat cleaver, a melon baller and a hammer respectively, you’ll need to head over to Silver Screen Suppers but in the meantime, have a great Cowboy Day everyone!  

Bombay Potato Snacks

Let’s talk about what makes the best snacks the best.  They are crunchy, salty, crispy, fried, spicy, sweet, creamy, fresh or sour right?  So, what if you could combine all of those tastes and textures into the one dish?  Wouldn’t that make it THE. BEST. SNACK.EVER?  Yes. It would. And the only thing that stops me from claiming this for these Bombay Potato Snacks is that there is a little bit of work involved in making them which is kind of contrary to the idea of the snack….however, persevere with me.  They’re worth the effort!  And also very pretty!

Bombay Potato Snacks 2I probably should have cropped this photo a lot more.  However, I really liked the shadows of the plants on my kitchen windowsill.  And you have to take your little pleasures where you find them right?  And for you pernickety people, there’s a cropped version down below.

So, Bombay Potato Snacks.  First time I made this, I totally forgot to strew the Bombay mix (or Sev as it is called in Sri Lanka over the top).  Doh!  It was actually still pretty tasty but you know…really just a potato snack which is totally not enough for all of you delightful and snack hungry RFFMT readers.  Cos you all deserve the bomb!  Eh?

Bombay Potato Snacks 3Okay.  Even by my standard of bad puns, that last one was just a little bit too shit.  So, let’s quickly forget it ever happened and talk potatoes.  In this case oven roasted with a bit o’ salt and cayenne pepper but you could totally pan or deep fry them should you so desire.  Once baked or fried, arrange them on a place.  I chose to place mine in a circle.  Then, add a dollop of Greek Yoghurt, and top that with a dollop of Indian Chutney.  I chose to use a home-made Mango Salsa Chutney from Kylee Newton’s wonderful book The Modern Preserver but you could use your favourite bought chutney.

Bombay Potato Snacks 4We’re then going to sprinkle a little bit of tomato salsa over the top of all of this – tomato, red onion, chilli, coriander, mint, lemon juice to add some freshness and zing and pow!

Bombay Potato Snacks 5And then, if this is not already tasty enough, we’re going to top this off by just throwing a handful of Bombay Mix all over the top!  That is five layers of awesome on your plate.  This is not just a Yeah! dish.  This is a HELL YEAH! dish!

And totes vegetarian for those who care about those things.  You could also very easily make it vegan by swapping out the dairy yogurt for a soy or coconut yogurt.  Actually, vegans please make this.  And give it to your non-vegan friends and defy them to say that this vegan dish is not as tasty AF.

Bombay Potato Snacks 6Serve this on a platter and let your guests dig in.  Or…eat it all by yourself.  I won’t judge you.  I promise. I may have even done that myself.

We’re doing Indian in Tasty Reads in April and May…and also there was an awesome Indian inspired Shepherd’s pie made on My Kitchen Rules this week, which I am totally going to adapt to my own tastes so stay tuned for more Indian inspired dishes in  future.

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Bombay Potato Snacks

Ingredients

Scale
  • 5 large potatoes cut into 1cm slices
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
  • 100 ml Indian Chutney of your choice – I used a home made mango chutney
  • 125ml Greek yoghurt

Salsa:

  • 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
  • 1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 red chilli, chopped, seeds removed (less or more depending on your love of heat)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200C.
  2. Place the potato slices, the salt, cayenne pepper and oil in a large plastic bag and toss to coat.
  3. Place the slices in a single layer on a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes, flipping them over half way through.
  4. Remove from tray to a wire rack and allow to cool.

For The Salsa:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve

  1. Spread the potato slices around the platter.
  2. Add a dollop of Yoghurt into the middle, top this with a dollop of chutney.
  3. Sprinkle the salsa over the top.
  4. Top with the Bombay mix.
  5. Eat. Enoy!

Next up though, we’re slipping and sliding, stepping and stomping into the letter S from The A-Z of Cooking.  And for once, the heading is not completely random.  Leave a comment if you’d like to have a guess at what it might be!

It’s your week…make it fab!

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