2 types of Pies from our era RECIPE

My dear village people of Amberleigh,

You are cordially invited to attend the Great Hall at Comely Manor, and sit at table with the Viscount Comely and I, this coming Harvest Sunday. In the afternoon at 3 of the clock sharp, please bring all your families. It was an especially good harvest this year, and Lord Joseph will be letting go and then newly hiring his devoted servants and farming workers again as per the usual custom, on Sunday morning. Do encourage your young lads and lasses to be prompt and attend the line up early, we are looking at increasing our staff for new hands in the kitchen this year to help the French Chef Monsieur Anton and Mrs Lawson our family cook. An opportunity of training with two impressive personalities and styles of cooking, which does not come along too often, I may add. There will be positions on offer in the kitchen and in the service of the duties of the household, and grounds.

Mrs Lawson has kindly written out two of her recipes that we favour, so that your offspring may try them out at home in their kitchen surroundings to impress their families first for those with cooking asperations. She will be available to interpret the squiggles every morning between 7 and 9 of the clock, to those that have not the skill yet to read them.
This will also be addressed while under our roof, (as it may well be a live in position), and I believe in all walks of life need the power of the written word, to get by in this ever changing world.

Looking with enthusiasm to your joining with us this Sunday,
come one - come all!

Lady Caroline.

Comely Park Estate

THE SWAP - Make one or both of the items below and share photographs of your cooking our Georgian recipes with one another. Describe to your partner how you fared making either or both, and how it tasted in your families opinion.
You will have two partners to send to, and receive from. This is an EMAIL swap only. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to try our era's food. These era recipes are proving to be very popular. We try and aim for one recipe a month. This savoury recipe was asked for by several of our members, for non meat eaters.

Savoury Recipe

CHEESE & ONION Pie

6oz shortcrust pastry, 1 tablespoon seasoned flour , 2 medium to large onions, 3-4 oz grated cheese, 2 tablespoons of milk

Method: Divide the pastry in half and roll out one part to cover a pie plate. Slice the onions finely, immerse into seasoned flour, place on the pastry bottom, add the grated cheese of your choice and purse, and add the milk. Cover the pie with the rest of rolled out pastry flat on top with three cuts, or cut rolled out paste into strips, and work them like weaving over the top. Bake in hot oven for about 40 minutes, til the onion is tender.
Alternatively, mix the onions with a little white sauce, well flavoured with cheese, sprinkle with grated cheese, and finish as above. Serve hot, as a supper dish, or serve cold for a substantial addition to the Pic Nic fare.

Plain Paste - 4 oz flower, pinch of sault, 2 oz of fat, dripping or butter & cold water to mix,. Seive the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, to make it light, add to it the fat, rubbing with the fingertips only to gently combine the mixture, add the water to form a dough ball. Roll out and use.

Sweet Recipe

CHEESECAKES RECIPE

(Note: these are a lovely tart which is Jewish in origin and are not made with cheese, (in our era "a cheese" was a potted method of combining butter/eggs with fruit pulp.)

Warm 4oz of butter mix it with the same quantity of loaf sugar sifted, grate in the rind of 3 tablespoons of beaten almonds (almond meal), squeeze in the juice of one lemon, add three well beaten eggs, a little nutmeg, and a spoonful of Brandy. Put this mixture into small tins lined with light short crust pastry, and bake.
Cheesecakes can be varied - instead of almond meal, use rind of three lemons grated; or by substituting seville oranges for the lemons and adding a few slices minced candied orange or lemon. Or a combination that suits your taste.

Sweet Paste - put 4oz of fresh butter to a half pound of flour (8oz) add the yolks of two eggs and a little powdered sugar, mix into a paste with tablespoon of water, more if necessary, roll out at once.