Okay, so I spent the day yesterday making lists. The listing process revealed to me that I unfairly associate certain foods with British cooking because they were things I only learned to like or became familiar with during the year I lived just outside of Manchester--things like pate, beets, blue cheese (thank you, Stilton), Harvey's Bristol Cream Sherry, kirsch, sausage rolls,, and the swedes John reminded me of. I made a list of English dishes I remember like Cock-a-Leekie soup, colcannon, fish & chips in newspaper, beans on toast. And I made a list of things called English, authentic or not: English cucumbers, English peas, etc. And then I went shopping to see what just looking at food inspired.
Before leaving home, I did decide to do a roast Capon as my protein. I have one I ordered fresh from D'Artagnan a year ago, and it's been in the freezer for a year. I promised myself I'd cook it during this holiday season and I never got around to it. It just makes sense to use it now. And it will be a Downstairs course, as upstairs they'd be having pheasant.
While describing that decision to Bob, he took one last stab at trying to change me back to roast beef by mentioning Beef Wellington. Which was a lightning rod moment--not beef wellington, but beef-less Wellingtons! This is how I'd use the pate! Stuff it in a mushroom cap and bake it wrapped in puff pastry. Little individual appetizer pastries for serving with champagne!
I also decided that I'd do potato gallettes as the starch on my main course plate to serve underneath the sliced breast meat, and in fact I'd already bought potatoes for that purpose but that went straight out the window the second I saw a package of crumpets. What about, I said out loud, startling the woman standing next to me, a savory crumpet bread pudding? I've never made a bread pudding with crumpets, but why not? This would fit the 'Downstairs' nature of the course, too: the crumpets would have been leftover from m'lady's breakfast! This is when I have the most fun cooking--no recipes, no road map, just creating. So here's my menu:
Appetizers:
Beefless Wellingtons
Beans on Toast (slivered green beans and smoked salmon moistened with vinaigrette on toast points of English Muffin bread)
Salad course:
Golden and Chiogga beets in champagne aspic with "limey"-stone lettuce, watercress vinaigrette
Main course:
Pretend-It's-Pheasant Roast Capon
Cream Sherry Gravy
Crumpet and leek bread pudding (flecked with diced swede)
Mushy pea quenelle (crushed English peas, grated lemon peel, white pepper, cream)
Radishes sautéed in butter with mint
Dessert:
Toffee POM-poms (the bonbons, renamed)
