Classic Recipes - Retro Food For Modern Times

Category: Classic Recipes

28
May
2023

May 2003 – The Letter P

categories: Chicken Liver, Classic Recipes, Crab, Steak, Super Food Ideas

Welcome friends to Twenty Years Ago today, where we find out what the good people of 2003 were eating via a magazine of the time and a self-imposed challenge by which to deliver a menu. Today’s magazine was Super Food Ideas from May 2003 and the challenge was to build a menu that featured the letter P.

But first, let’s set the scene by having a quick peek at what was hot in May 2003. The Matrix Reloaded was number one at the office followed by X2: X Men United and Bruce Almighty. Topping the Australian music charts through that same month were “In Da Club” by 50 Cent, “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake and “Bring Me To Life” by Evanescence. Also, sneaking up on those charts was another favourite of mine, “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes so for my mind, May 2003 had some pretty good music and some fairy average films. In book sales for the month, The Da Vinci Code was #2 and The Devil Wears Prada was #8.

So, pop some JT on your speakers and open that bottle full of bub, because we are going to party like it’s your birthday with a menu featuring the letter P.

The Menu – May 2003

Chicken Liver Paté – To Wake You Up Inside

There were actually a few options for the starter – the paté which I chose, a prawn cocktail and some mini potato cakes with smoked salmon and creme fraiche. I literally eeny meeny miny mo’ed these three recipes to choose one. The pate was easy to make and was quite delicious. It was a little grainier than bought patés but that probably says more about my food processor than any real flaw in the recipe.

Chicken Liver Pate Recipé:

Pepper Steak – To Rock Your Body

The pepper steak main was delicious! And another classic to go with the very traditional starter! And although I am trying to limit my consumption of red meat, this is likely to go on high rotation!

Pepper Steak Recipe:

Pecan and Date Syrup Pudding

I was soooo disappointed that I didn’t have time to make this. I even bought all the ingredients but, the weekend I had planned to make it, I also realised we had most of a bag of apples that were getting a bit old…so apple pie it was. However, as I said I have all the ingredients so this pudding may make an appearance in the coming weeks.

Pecan and Date Syrup Pudding Recipe:

My Nigella Moment – Chilli Crab

For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in either because I made it and it was really good, or I just didn’t have time to make it but it was the most appetising thing in the mag!

I mean…who does not love a Chilli Crab. I mean…who does not love Chilli Crab. We had the most memorable chilli crab in Malaysia. We went on a tour to see the fireflies where part of the tour was dinner. The restaurant looked pretty basic – plastic plates and cups, definitely catering to the tourists going to see the fireflies so we were not expecting much. Then they brought out the chilli crab!!! It was amazing. So fresh and tasty. It was divine. So expectations were high on this one. Could I do our memories of chilli crab justice?

I am not going to blow my own trumpet to say this was as good as our Malaysian meal. For a start, it was not followed by cruising down the river watching fireflies, it was followed by a night on the couch watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall which was this week’s film club choice! BUT…this was AMAZING!!!! A seven-nation army couldn’t hold me back from this one!

Chilli Crab Recipe:

Oh my gosh, Super Food Ideas delivered on the P recipes! This was a great month of eating for me culminating in that chilli crab…possibly the best month yet! And the pudding still to come!

So tell me, if you were making a menu featuring the letter P, what would you make?

And have a great week!

09
Apr
2022

Upside Down Cake

categories: 1970's food, 1970's recipes, Books, Classic Recipes, United States of America, World Cooking

Welcome to the best of March! I have been dying to share this recipe ever since I made it over a month ago. I held off because after tasting it I thought it would take something absolutely amazing to top it. Whilst my tastebuds would have rejoiced had this been the case, the pineapple upside-down cake from Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery was last month’s winner. It also made me realise that this is my favourite cake. You can take your chocolate cake, your red velvet and even your Victoria Sponge, I will choose Pineapple Upside Down Cake over pretty much any other type of cake ( the one exception would be Sri Lankan Love Cake).

Why do I like it so much?

It’s delicious!!!!
It has a delightful retro charm both in look and taste
It’s happy – the bright yellow pineapple and glossy red cherries can brighten a gloomy grey day
The half circles of pineapple look like they are smiling at you and the whole pineapple rings look like bright flowers

Upside Down Cake – The Recipe

Other Favourites of The Month

Reading

The best book I read in March was Turns Out, I’m Fine by Australian comedian Judith Lucy. I am a big fan of her work in general and this one did not disappoint. Lucy tackles relationship breakup, money issues, death of loved ones, aging and menopause, women in comedy, activism and many other things in her typically frank, funny and vulnerable way. This was a joy to read and really, who doesn’t want to know how not to fall apart? (Added bonus is that she reads the audio book).

Cookbook

My favourite cookbook for the month is not actually a cookbook The Alcorithm is about how to let your favourite flavours expand your palate. It reminds me very much of one of my other faves, Niki Segnit’s Flavour Thesaurus. I have only just started reading the Alcorithm but I am already fascinated.

The Alcorithm

Watching

I watched Pieces of Her on Netflix and I am mid-way through Bad Vegan and The Girl from Plainville. All of which I either enjoyed or am enjoying We are watching Se7en for film club this week. Is it weird to say that such a gory movie is probably in my top ten films ever? I am fairly sure that there will be people in the club who do not share my passion but that is what makes these discussions so interesting.

I didn’t do a lot else this month apparently – I have been trying to get to the gym more so my viewing time has been significantly cut back. I am on the lookout for some good streaming series to get stuck into and some new pods to listen to – please let me know if you have any recommendations!

Have a wonderful week! And please, let me know, what is your favourite cake?

28
Nov
2021

The BLT – An American Classic?

categories: Bacon, Classic Recipes, Sandwiches, United States of America

I was very surprised recently to learn that what I thought was a quintessentially American sandwich was actually British in origin!!! Taste Atlas says that the BLT first appeared in British cookbooks in the 1920’s but that it only gained popularity in the U.S.A in the post-war period. It further surprised me to learn that the BLT was, in 2019 ranked as the UK’s favourite sandwich but only came in 6th in the United States!

I guess though, for anyone who is new to Earth…first, hi, welcome, glad you found me! Second, BLT stands for bacon, lettuce, tomato being the three key ingredients of this sandwich.

I LOVE a BLT and it’s avocado-ey cousin the BLAT.

I was hoping to find a classic BLT in the American chapter of Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery. Not that I need an excuse to make one. However, I was simultaneously delighted and horrified to see their idea of a BLT. Here’s their recipe:

The GHWC BLT – The Pros

You will notice that Good Housekeeping calls it a Bacon, Tomato and Lettuce Sandwich. Which if you look at my picture above is actually my preferred way of layering. I don’t understand why you would go to the bother of getting nice bread and toasting it, only to have the tomato making it all soggy and gross half way through eating it.

My preferred version – from the top-down: toasted bread, bacon, tomato, lettuce mayo, toasted bread. So, thank you Good Housekeeping for getting the order correct!

An potato chips and pickles on the side are always a good idea!

I am ambivalent about whether or not you have a double or single decker BLT. I do think though that the second piece of bread requires either another condiment or another dab of mayonnaise. My preferred option is some Dijon Mustard.

I made my BLT on holiday and we only had some very hefty olive sourdough which normally would not be my choice for a BLT. This was a very heavy bread so double decking my sandwich was not an option – the bread would have overpowered everything. (The olives did make a tasty, if not traditional, alternative!).

The GHWC BLT – The Con

In the words of Amy Winehouse, what kind of fuckery is this?

Who puts processed cheese on their BLT?

You may as well just take a dump on it.

A little bit of Brie, some vintage cheddar? I”m here for it.

Processed cheese?

A Few BLT Questions For You

Do you love a BLT? Or do you prefer a BTL?

Double or Single Decker?

What’s your preferred bread?

Iceberg or fancy lettuce?

What degree of crisp of the bacon? I like my bacon so crisp it is snappable!

Mustard?

Avocado?

Other additions? (If you say processed cheese, you’re dead to me)

Is the BLT the best sandwich ever? Or only the 6th best?

If not your number one, what is better?

Leave your answers in the comments!!!

Have a great week!

21
Mar
2021

Oysters Kilpatrick

categories: Bacon, Classic Recipes, Oysters

I made Oysters Kilpatrick recently because I thought they might make a nice Irish-themed edition of Name Plates for St Patrick’s Day. I should have probably done some research before cooking them because, despite their Irish-sounding name, Oysters Kikpatrick are not Irish! And they may actually not even be called Oysters Kilpatrick!

So, if they are not Irish, where are they from? These yummy bites of seafood heaven were created by the chef of the Palm Court Restaurant in San Francisco’s Place Hotel, Ernest Arbogast. He named the dish after Colonel John C. Kirkpatrick, who managed the hotel from 1894 to 1914. Kirkpatrick was also not Irish coming from American and Scottish stock.

Oh, and yes, you read that correctly. Oysters Kilpatrick is named after John Kirkpatrick. How and why the change to Kilpatrick came about seems to be lost in history. Also, there are plenty of places that call the dish Oysters Kirkpatrick. Initially, I thought there might be variations due to geography but I found two restaurants in the same city serving them but one was Kirk and one was Kil…

Just to further confuse the issue there are several sites on the interwebs that call this an Australian recipe!!!

Seriously, is this the most confounding recipe ever? First, they’re not Irish, second, it has two names! What is going on? Choose a lane, Oysters Kilpatrick!

Oysters Kilpatrick – The Recipe

If the name is confusing then the ingredients also seem to change at will – oysters, bacon and Worchestershire sauce are the mainstays but to these can be added:

- Balsamic Vinegar
- Barbecue sauce
- Chorizo instead of bacon, shallots and Brandy (Ooh, la la..so.fancy!)
- Tomato Ketchup (I do NOT endorse this!)
- Cheese (Errgghhh…as much as I usually love cheese that one can go get shucked!)

I used Matt Preston’s recipe which contains Soy Sauce which is also not a conventional addition to Oysters Kilpatrick. However, seeing as everything else is confusing about this recipe…why the shell not? It was an absolute pearl of a recipe!

Have a great week my friends! And if you make these Oysters Kilpatrick, make sure you share them around. You don’t want anyone to think you are shellfish!

And tell me – what’s your preferred name? Kilpatrick or Kirkpatrick?

10
Jan
2021

Classic Sausage Rolls

categories: Classic Recipes

Sausage Rolls are a classic Australian finger food – served everywhere from children’s parties to cocktail functions to picnics in the park to game day snacks. In fact, there is hardly an event where a sausage roll would be inappropriate and many where things could be improved by their existence! At the very least handing around a plate of them might shut that annoying guest or relative up for a moment or two while they scoff one down! They can also be found at every bakery for lunchtime or anytime snack!

For the win, they are also a breeze to make and are also very economical. There are hundreds of fancy sausage rolls recipes out there (chorizo and pink peppercorn, lamb and harissa, even the unpronounceable n’duja gets a guernsey!) but for the sake of this post, I am keeping it utterly simple and sharing the classic recipe I return to time and again!

In terms of condiments to serve your sausage rolls, for my mind, it can only ever be ketchup!

Classic Sausage Rolls – The Recipe

My version of sausage rolls is based one I found in Anneka Manning’s 101 Dishes to eat before you Die(t). Over the years, I have altered it to suit my tastes, lessened the amount of egg and breadcrumbs, pre-sauteed the onions, increased the amount of sage added some seeds to the top. If you would like the OG recipe please let me know, I will send it through!

Classic Sausage Rolls

Print Recipe

A classic bakery sausage roll. Serve with plenty of ketchup!

Author: Taryn Nicole
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 36 1x
Category: Party Food

Ingredients

Scale

3 sheets frozen puff pastry

1 egg, lightly beaten

500g sausage meat

1 onion finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs

3 tbsp Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp thyme, finely chopped

1 tbsp sage,finely chopped* (minimum, I really like a sagey sausage roll so generally add more)

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tbsp olive oil

Sesame seeds, poppy seeds or a mix (optional)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Line two cookie sheets with baking paper.

Saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent. Allow to cool.

Mix all the other ingredients except the pastry and the egg together.

Once the onions are cool, stir them into the meat and herb mix.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Cut the pastry sheets in half and lightly brush the edges with some of the beaten egg.

Pipe or spoon the meat mixture down the centre of each piece of pastry then fold over, overlapping the edges and placing the join underneath.

Brush the rolls with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sesame or poppy seeds if using. Cut each roll into 6 pieces.

Place the rolls onto the cooking sheets and bake for 15 minutes. Recduce the heat to 150C and bake for another 15 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Technical Note

For some weird reason about half of my posts have changed status from “posted” to draft. Rather than bombard people with 140 posts all at once, I will be reposting these through the year. As I do I will label them all as “REPOSTS” so if you do not want to read old content you can simply delete it from your inbox. My apologies for this, I have no idea why it has happened and I can’t think of another way of getting them back out there!

I’m heading back to work this week…which for me will be settling back down at my dining room table to start my tenth month of working from home!

I hope whatever you are doing that you do it fabulously!

Have a great week!