In The Royal Manner (8 page)

Makes: 10

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

225g/8oz plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

100g/4oz light brown sugar

100g/4oz blueberries, thawed if frozen

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 medium egg, beaten

150 ml/¼ pt milk

50g/2oz butter, melted

1 large banana, peeled and mashed

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6

1.
Place 10 paper muffin cases in a muffin tin – the depth needs to be at least 4 cm/1lin. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt and mix in the sugar and blueberries.

2.
In a jug, mix together the remaining ingredients and then pour over the dry ingredients. Mix to form a rough batter, but take care not to over-beat the mixture.

3.
Pile the batter into the muffin cases. Smooth the tops slightly and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Best served warm.

SALMON KEDGEREE

This traditional breakfast dish can be eaten at any time of day and is easily adapted for a buffet or brunch menu.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: approx. 35 minutes

25g/1oz butter

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and finery chopped

225g/8oz mixed while and wild rices

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp mild curry powder

450g/1lb salmon fillet

4 medium eggs

3 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

3 tbsp freshly chopped coriander

150 ml/¼ pt low-fat natural yogurt

100g/4oz cucumber, finely chopped

1.
Melt the butter with the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the rices and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until well coated with the onion.

2.
Pour in 750 ml/1¼pt water, season and add the curry powder. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes until tender and the water has been absorbed.

3.
Meanwhile, preheat the grill to a medium/hot setting. Wash and pat dry the salmon fillets. Season on both sides and place on a grill rack. Cook for 5 – 6 minutes on each side until cooked through. Flake away from the skin into bite-sized pieces and keep warm.

4.
Place the eggs in a small saucepan. Cover with water and boil for 7 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Peel and quarter.

5.
To assemble the dish, drain the rice if necessary and return to the saucepan. Gently fold in the salmon, eggs and 2 tbsp each of the herbs. Season well and pile on to a serving platter. Mix the yogurt, cucumber, remaining herbs and seasoning together and serve with the kedgeree.

HISTORY OF KEDGEREE

Kedgeree is a wonderful example of how the British adapted food from one part of their empire to another.
Khichri
was a hot and spicy Indian dish which combined dhal and rice and was flavoured with several spices including chilli. By the 18th century
Khichri
was accepted as a breakfast dish but with flaked fish instead of the dhal. Later the spices were modified and hard-boiled egg was added.

Placed on the side table in a silver serving dish, no Victorian or Edwardian country house was without it. There are many variations of the recipe: Mrs Beeton added a teaspoon of mustard and two soft-boiled eggs; others suggest cream to keep it moist, and cayenne pepper and saffron are sometimes added to give some heat and colour. It is now a popular supper dish, and is less commonly served as a breakfast dish.

EGGS FLORENTINE-STYLE

A particular favourite of the Princess's, served either on a bed of spinach or encased in a jacket potato. Perfect for a television dinner, a light lunch or supper.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: approx. 10 minutes

2 tsp white wine vinegar

4 medium eggs

50g/2oz butter

450g/llb baby spinach leaves, trimmed Salt and freshly ground black pepper

l tsp ground nutmeg

4 tbsp sour cream

4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

4 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

1. Half fill a frying pan with water and add the vinegar. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and break the eggs into the pan, keeping them apart. Cook gently for about 5 minutes until just set, or cooked to your liking. Remove from the pan using a draining spoon and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan or wok and stir-fry the spinach for 2 – 3 minutes until just wilted. Remove from the heat, season and add the nutmeg. Drain to remove excess liquid.

3. Preheat the grill to a medium/hot setting. Place the spinach in the base of a shallow heatproof dish and arrange the eggs on top. Top each egg with a spoonful of sour cream and cheese. Cook for 2–3 minutes until lightly golden.

4. Transfer the eggs and spinach to warmed serving plates. Season and serve with the chopped tomato spooned around.

FILLED CROISSANTS

If you don't feel like cooking, it's easy to turn a plain croissant into a sumptuous breakfast treat. You can fill croissants with anything you would usually put in a sandwich, but the warmth from the croissant transforms a simple filling into a melting, buttery sensation!

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Place croissants on a baking sheet and heat for 5 minutes. Serve warm with one of the following fillings:

•   Melt a 50g/2oz caramel chocolate bar over a low heat with 4 tbsp double cream until runny. Beat together 100g/4oz medium-fat soft cheese with the same amount of fromage frais and then spoon into four split croissants. Top each with a few slices of banana and then drizzle with the chocolate caramel.

•   Whisk 300ml/lpt whipping cream until peaking and then sweeten with 2 tbsp softened strawberry jam and add a little vanilla essence. Fold in 100g/4oz chopped strawberries and divide between four split croissants. For a less calorific version you can replace the cream with yoghurt or fromage frais.

•   Fill each croissant with a few leaves of rocket (Arugula), 2 slices of Parma ham and 4 slices of fresh mango. Sprinkle each with a few shavings of Parmesan cheese and top each with 1 tbsp mango chutney.

MAUNDY THURSDAY

On Maundy Thursday the Queen performs a ceremony which can be traced back to Christ's action at the Last Supper when he washed the feet of his disciples (John 14, 5) telling them ‘A new commandment I give unto you, k That ye love one another.’ The Latin word for command is
mandatum,
hence the name Maundy.

The custom of washing the feet took place in the monasteries when the abbot washed the feet of the monks. It was also the regular practice for the feet of the monarch to be washed at the Royal Court.

Today the Queen distributes Maundy money to an equal number of men and women appropriate to her age. Each person is presented with a purse containing Maundy Money. These have a monetary value in pence - one, two, three or four pence pieces totalling the age of the sovereign. The coins are legal tender, but the majority are kept as treasured possessions. If they are sold, their antiquarian value far outweighs the monetary one.

The ceremony had always been held in Westminster Abbey, but in 1953 this was closed for the Coronation so the ceremony was transferred elsewhere. From that time, Westminster Abbey has alternated as a venue with another cathedral. The Queen and the clergy carry posies, a reminder that they were once carried in the belief that they would ward off the plague. The clergy wear white garments and cam-a towel over one shoulder, the last reminder that the ceremony's origins lie in washing the feet.

EASTER

Easter is the most important of all the Christian festivals. Who would have thought that the death of a carpenter's son from Galilee nearly two thousand years ago would have had such a profound influence on mankind, and today we are still celebrating his life which for many unites the world.

When we think of the Last Supper, we are reminded of a celebration around one table, where Christ's most trusted friends gathered to share a meal together. So whether your celebrations this Easter are a formal lunch, a special tea or a casual buffet, your dining table will be the central element for your meal and gifts.

Cover your table with a white linen or embroidered cloth, over which you could spread a smaller lace or crocheted ‘runner’ down the centre of the table. Make a centrepiece of spring flowers either in a planted display or as a fresh arrangement of cut flowers.

For many, the main gift at this time of year is an egg. It symbolizes a new life and is a sign of a new beginning, as winter is over and spring flowers bloom.

In China, an egg was given as a temple offering after the birth of a child; in ancient Greece and Rome, it was placed in tombs with the dead to indicate the continuance of life after death. As such, it was adopted by Christianity as a symbol of the resurrection of Christ.

Painted eggs have been traditional gifts for many years all over the world – red eggs were thought to he particularly auspicious is they depicted fire and an increasingly powerful sun. Christianity accepted eggs of this colour as representing the blood shed by Christ on the cross. Coloured eggs were known as
pace
eggs. In 1 290 the household accounts for Edward I record a request for 450 to be coloured and given at Easter.

In Victorian England, hard-boiled eggs were painted and rolled down the hills in country villages to symbolize the stone which was rolled away from Christ's tomb.

The first chocolate eggs seem to have been made in France, and the custom first came to England in the 19th century, when the Victorians decorated eggs with velvets and satins at Easter. The British chocolate makers, Frys, produced their first chocolate egg for sale in 1873, Cadbury in 1875, and Rowntree in 1904.

Towards the end of the 19th century, Carl Faberge, the Russian Imperial Crown Jeweller, designed a range of elegant ornamental eggs encrusted with precious jewels. The eggs were given by members of the Imperial Family as Easter gifts. Inside the eggs were hidden surprises like delicate representations of seasonal flowers and miniature portraits of the Royal Family. Many of these eggs are housed in museums in Russia, but it is Queen Elizabeth who owns the largest private collection of Faberge eggs in the world.