Crêpes au Mocha

These are from a Robert Carrier Cookery Card, I think from the seventies. They’re one of the least vile looking candidates in this pack of dessert recipes, and looked to me to be like an easy version of brandy snaps. I decided from the beginning to not bother with the poached pear garnish because I am very very lazy and don’t really like hot fruit much. Here’s the recipe:

 

Savoury Omelette

Now, given the disaster that was the Smoked Haddock Fluffy Omelette you’d think I’d not attempt another souffle style omelette and that’s where you’d be wrong. I really do not learn from my mistakes. This one is from the rather charming 1975 Cassell’s Country Cookbooks – The Cotswolds. Having grown up near the Cotswolds I have absolutely no idea what the cuisine is like there, so snapped this book up and have learned all sorts of interesting things which perhaps I should have already known – each chapter is loosely themed and has a bit of an amble around local history and folklore before tying this in with regional recipes. It’s really nicely done. I’d been reading it on the train home from work, and figured I may as well cook from it, so found something simple and bought the ingredients. I did actually note the beating egg whites thing, but also noted that it doesn’t call for a grill so I reckoned on things working out. I really cannot emphasise enough how little I learn from my mistakes. What was I thinking? Very little, evidently.

Sienisalaatti or Fresh Mushroom Salad

This was from the Time Life Scandinavian cookbook, and was one of my healthy vegetable based dishes for Eurovision. Healthy, plus cream. Of course.

Melon Copenhagen

This is a Marguerite Patten recipe card. I chose it for the Danish aspect of the Eurovision party and was attracted to how entirely disgusting it looked. It turned out to be the most labour intensive of all the dishes made that night, and early arrivals to the party were treated to the sight of me swearing at an assortment of fruit, muttering ‘I hate it already, this is the worse thing ever’.

Chocolate Praline Tartlets

I have had a craving for these for a long time. Really, is there anything about them which doesn’t sound brilliant?

Recipe
(from The Complete Book of Desserts by Ann Seranne, 1952,  Faber and Faber)
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 tablespoon dark rum
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons cream
¼ cup (½ stick) soft butter
¾ cup praline powder
12 baked 2 inch tart shells
Whipped cream

Squash Pie

I roasted half squash a couple of days ago, having used the other half in a stew and, as these were so good, decided to attempt another, similar recipe from the same book, Potluck Cookery by Beverley Pepper (Faber and Faber, 1955).

Eggs a la Dauphine

This was my most elaborate dish for the canape party, and the most challenging to construct. It’s from Francatelli’s Cook’s Guide of 1864, and is another egg dish. Although not strictly a canape the description appeared to be of a dish that could be easily divvied up into individual servings (note the ‘appeared‘!)

Pavé au Chocolat

In which I raid Anne Seranne again and make what it basically a tiramisu but with chocolate instead of cream and filter coffee and cognac, instead of espresso and marsala. This is from chapter 4, ‘Cornstarch, rice, farina, and other creamy desserts’ from The Complete Book of Desserts (1952, Faber and Faber for the Cookery Book Club).

Pavé au Chocolat (Blender method)

6oz semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces
¼ cup boiling water or strong coffee
4 egg yolks
½ cup soft butter [this is translated at the front of the book as 4oz]
4 tablespoons cognac
½ cup cold water
5oz lady-fingers
Whipped cream

Salade Alice

Another recipe I have been waiting for an excuse to make and which I hoped might provide a some variety to the selection at our party, as it’s base ingredients weren’t butter, cheese or white flour.

I feel, however, that Escoffier is probably spinning in his grave. This comes from the Salade Composées (Compound Salads) section of Ma Cuisine (Paul Hamlyn, 1934).

Pantycakes (Pancakes!)

This entry might look like a three-for-one, but in fact, only one of them is any good.

I was attracted to this biscuit recipe because a) very simple b) very quick c) I love brown sugar with pecans. This recipe is from chapter 13 of Ann Seranne’s The Complete Book of Desserts (1952, Faber and Faber for the Cookery Book Club), ‘Small Cakes and Cookies’. I was very optimistic about them, after the success of the macaroons.