The Barbara Pym Cookbook

149 Pages·2013·0.58 MB·English

by  Hilary Pym

The Barbara Pym Cookbook
Hilary Pym & Honor Wyatt
Contents
Introductory Note
A NOTE ON THE RECIPES
STARTERS AND SOUPS
George Armitage settles in to prawn cocktail; Emma Howick and Adam Prince
discuss the slicing of cucumber
SALMON OR TUNA MOUSSE
POTTED HAM
Rollo Gaunt recalls ASPARAGUS MOUSSE
Barbara remembers lunching with Philip Larkin
KIPPER PÂTÉ
Daphne Dagnall and Adam Prince discuss Greek food
DOLMADHES
TSATSIKI
Dulcie Mainwaring reflects on “love apples”
TOMATOES À LA PROVENÇALE
Leonora Eyre welcomes Humphrey Boyce with
CONSOMMÉ MOUSSE
The Harveys introduce
CARROT SOUP WITH ORANGE
On the Greek border, Barbara and Hilary enjoy a comforting
AVGOLEMONO SOUP
MAIN DISHES
Catherine Oliphant speaks of the bay leaf for her
BOEUF À LA MODE
… and Basil Branche reflects on one in a
BOEUF BOURGUIGNON
Belinda Bede prepares dinner for the Archdeacon and considers curates and
chicken;
Mrs. Bone speaks of “The Dominion of the Birds”;
Leonora Eyre also serves “poulet”
CHICKEN WITH TARRAGON
POULET MINERVA
… and Letty partakes of one of Father Lydell’s favourite chicken dishes
POULET NIÇOISE
Belinda Bede speculates on Archdeacon Hoccleve’s Judgment Day meal
DUCK WITH OLIVES
Rupert Stonebird and Dulcie Mainwaring reflect (very differently) on roasts
ROAST DIJON LAMB
Graham Pettifer has high expectations of Emma Howick, perhaps thinking of
PORK CHOPS WITH APPLE
PORK OR VEAL FILLET WITH PEPPERS AND TOMATOES
Mark and Sophia Ainger discuss the proper wine to serve with what might have
been
BEEF CASSEROLE WITH LENTILS
Rupert Stonebird has an experience with
OXTAIL
Leonora and the Italian Conte enjoy
STEAK AND KIDNEY PUDDING
Adam Prince remembers the recipe for Sole Nantua, but Dulcie Mainwaring
fails to recall
TURBOT, HALIBUT, OR SOLE DUGLÉRÉ
Wilmet Forsyth imagines Wilf Bason preparing
SOLE VÉRONIQUE
Mildred Lathbury partakes humbly of
COD FILLETS WITH CHEESE
At the vicarage, Wilf Bason creates a
SOUFFLÉ FISH PIE
A good accompaniment to any main dish is
POMMES ANNA
LUNCH AND SUPPER DISHES
Mildred Lathbury, Emma Howick, and Norman from Quartet in Autumn all make
good use of eggs
PIPÉRADE
… and Letty is convinced to order
OEUFS FLORENTINE
Belinda Bede serves Miss Prior an unsuccessful cauliflower cheese
PAIN DE CHOU-FLEUR
Jane Cleveland and Edwin have mixed reactions to
SHEPHERD’S PIE
Emma Howick realizes that the Greek version of that dish is
MOUSSAKA
Another Greek favourite in the Pym household was
KEFTEDHES
The fish fingers that Phoebe Sharpe imagines the vicar will dine on might be less
acceptable to her than
CURRIED FISH CAKES
Frequent comment is made on
TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE
Spaghetti is the food under discussion in A Few Green Leaves and in An
Unsuitable Attachment, where Penelope Grandison has prepared what may have
been
SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE
Catherine Oliphant and Beatrice prepare
RISOTTO
Mervyn Cantrell introduces the subject of Italian food
GNOCCHI ALLA ROMANA
VENETIAN PANCAKES
Adam Prince considers the authenticity of a celery sauce
HAM AND CELERY AU GRATIN
… and Emma Howick wonders how he will respond to her
FRENCH ONION TART
In An Unsuitable Attachment, Ianthe Broome is credited for her
SAUSAGE ROLLS
TEA
The “golden rules of tea making” are surely followed at Flora Cleveland’s tea,
where she serves
VICTORIA SANDWICH CAKE
Emma Howick wins a bag of
ROCK BUNS
Father Anstruther ruminates on
FAIRY CAKES
Humphrey Boyce offers Leonora a slice of
DATE AND WALNUT LOAF
… and imagines her partaking of scones
SULTANA SCONES
WHOLEMEAL SCONES
Sister Dew provides an excellent
PLUM CAKE
Mrs. Killigrew’s imminent arrival prompts a search for, perhaps, a
PARKIN CAKE
Barbara often made
PLUM JAM
… and she recalls a glorious tea with Lord David Cecil
PUDDINGS AND DESSERTS
Viola Dace and Dulcie Mainwaring discuss marmalade; Barbara offers her own
recipe for
CHEESECAKE
Miss Lord polishes glasses in which to serve
ORANGE MOUSSE
Piers Longridge exclaims in horror over a custard-based dessert
POIRES RELIGIEUSES
Rodney Forsyth and James Cash discuss the appropriate wine to accompany
GOOSEBERRY PIE
“TRIED FAVOURITES”
… taking its title from a cookery book “by turns practical and didactic, “and
also used by Belinda Bede
Barbara’s “strange fancies” during the war
RABBIT WITH FORCEMEAT BALLS
IRISH STEW
KEDGEREE
STEAMED APPLE PUDDING
RAILWAY PUDDING
TRIFLE
Irena Pym’s
QUEEN OF PUDDINGS
The dish that so dismayed Mildred Lathbury when she dined on Mrs. Jubb’s
cooking at the vicarage
“AN IMPROVED”
BLANCMANGE
BAKED CUSTARD PUDDING
Irena Pym’s
“GERTRUDE” CAKE
Belinda Bede imagined just such a
MOCHA CAKE
SUMMER PUDDING
TREACLE TART
BAKED APPLES WITH MINCEMEAT
“A FAVOURITE NURSERY DELIGHT”
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
THIS BOOK MAY NOT come as a surprise to readers of my sister’s novels, who
often comment on her many references to eating and food: carefully prepared
meals (successful or unsuccessful), restaurant lunches, gourmet dishes, solitary
suppers (actual or in prospect), Sunday family dinners, packed lunches and party
food, teas of all kinds, breakfasts large and small—so that the question arises,
Was she herself a good cook? Did she eat as well as some of her characters? I
admit I never saw her prepare Sole Nantua, so memorable for Adam Prince in A
Few Green Leaves, but I do remember an afternoon spent making ravioli (which
Belinda in Some Tame Gazelle chose to make when she had the kitchen to
herself), and the long, slow cooking of a cassoulet, of duck I think, when she
decided that a tin of baked beans might have had exactly the same result. She
enjoyed cooking in a creative way and liked to write down the menus we had
when people came to eat with us, so I have been able to refer to these in
compiling this book. I have also asked Honor Wyatt to collaborate with me in
making the recipes, because as well as being a professional writer on the subject
(I think her Crisis Cookery could still find a place in many households), she
must have had an influence on Barbara’s interest in cooking when we were
sharing a house together in Bristol during the 1940s. The result is a combination,
I hope, of practical—perhaps overfamiliar, for which I apologize—recipes for
cooks, and useful references or reminders for Pym readers who are more
interested in the idea and the associations of food than the actual preparation of
it. But, as Wilf Bason says, what poetry there is in cooking!
—HILARY PYM
A NOTE ON THE RECIPES
THERE ARE EQUIVALENTS and there are equivalents. In this book the equivalents
between ounces and milliliters, pounds and grams, will work in your kitchen, not
in the lab. Where precise amounts are important, as with baking, we have made
every effort possible to ensure your success. The amounts of some ingredients or
length of cooking time may vary according to altitude, oven temperature
calibration, moisture content of flour, and the like. However, all of these recipes
can be managed fairly easily.
In the British kitchen, tablespoons and teaspoons sometimes refer to
somewhat larger utensils than are used in the United States. Standard measuring
spoon measures are used in these recipes. So, a teaspoon has nothing to do with
the item to the right of your dinner plate, but refers to the specific kitchen utensil
so designated. You will run across a dessertspoon measure in some of the more
traditional recipes. This standard British measure translates to 4 level teaspoons.
Liquid is sometimes measured in glass sizes and teacups in the British
kitchen. As a guide, you can figure a teacup to be somewhat less than a cup, or
about ¾ cup (225 ml). A wine glass measure also equals about ¾ cup (225 ml).
A brandy glass of spirits measures roughly 2–3 tablespoons.
When baking you may be called upon to bake a pie shell “blind,” or
prebake it. To do this, prepare your pastry, roll it out, line the pie tin, crimp the
edges, and chill. To bake it blind, line the shell with foil or greaseproof paper,
weight it with raw rice, beans, or pie weights, and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 10
minutes. Remove the weights and foil, prick the bottom of the shell with the
tines of a fork, then return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes to
brown lightly. Set aside to cool, then proceed with your recipe.
Mixed spice, when called for, can include a selection of your favourite
seasonings. A blend sometimes referred to as Spice Parisienne is recommended.
Combine 1 tablespoon of cinnamon with 1 teaspoon each of ground cloves,
ground ginger, and ground nutmeg. Use as needed.
Mixed herbs are even more a matter of taste. You can purchase one of the
many mixtures commonly available at the market, or you can make up your own
blend. A good basic mixture includes basil, thyme, oregano or marjoram, and
savory. You are encouraged to experiment—add other herbs, adjust quantities—
according to your own preferences.
Several recipes call for cheese. In these cases, use a good cheddar, Gruyère,
or Parmesan.
Starters and Soups
“Ah!” said George, as prawn cocktail was placed before us and white wine
poured into one of the two glasses that stood at every place, and he began to
eat purposefully.
—An Academic Question
Prawn cocktails, smoked salmon, potted shrimps need no recipes here. But the
first course might be a mousse.
SALMON OR TUNA MOUSSE
½ ounce (15 g) gelatin, softened in ¼ cup (75 ml) cold water
8-ounce (225 g) tin salmon or tuna or fresh salmon, cooked
½ cup (150 ml) light cream or evaporated milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice