Merry Crustmas one and all!

With Christmas well and truly over, presents tidied neatly away and the tree starting to look a little shabby, Fanny Cradock moves swiftly onto making pies, naturally. They are simply a must for the New Year, and super for using up any old bits and bobs of scraps that happen to be left lying around after the festivities. Of course, for Fanny that means rabbits, lamb kidneys and pigeons. Things are a little different in my kitchen though, so it's chestnuts, cranberries and some spring onions for me. Not sure what Fanny would think. Fanny whizzes all her various animal parts up into a wonderful raised pie crust, so I'm sure I can too...

Fanny makes her hot water crust 'paste' with self-raising flour of course, milk, water and pure lard. She calls it English Raised Pie Paste. She gives an alternative fancier French Raised Pie Paste (Pâté à Foncer) which replaces the lard with butter, however she warns very strongly that under NO circumstances should a lard replacement be used if making the English version. She probably wouldn't approve of my vegetable fat based lard substitute Trex in that case. For probably read definitely.

Fanny mixes the water with the milk, and melts the 'lard' gently in it until it reaches boiling point. It's then flung into the sifted flour and beaten vigorously until it comes together into a smooth, thick paste. Fanny then kneads it until it is even smoother. The English version is kneaded on a wooden board, while the French demands a marble one. Not sure what the Veggie version should be, so I just use the counter. Either way it should be used immediately otherwise it will become hard and cold, just like Fanny herself, some bolder than I might suggest. Keeping it warm is key, in contrast to other pastry which must be kept cool. Fanny rolls her out on top of the cooker while the oven is on.

Fanny fills her pies with pâté and hard boiled eggs. I try to recreate the pâté by blitzing up the chestnuts, spring onions and cranberries before mixing in a perfectly ordinary egg. Fanny makes a large raised pie, but I have a lovely 'individual' baking tray thingy so I line them out with the still warm hot water paste, pop in some pâté, place half a boiled egg in the centre, pack round more pâté and seal on a lid of pastry with a little brush of milk. Obviously with a little leaf fashioned out of pastry scraps on top too. Above all garnish and presentation.

Fanny bakes her pie in a low oven for a long time, until it looks crisp and brown. My little individual ones take around 45 minutes before coming out, cooling slightly and then being unmoulded. Fanny leaves hers until the next day in the refrigerator all ready to serve to unwelcome guests popping round uninvited between festivities. The finished pies are lovely, the hot water crust is so crisp and tasty, easy to make and I am sure versatile. Many pies to come. After all, not a rabbit, pigeon or lambs liver in sight. Merry Crustmas one and all.

A Slice of Cheer for New Year

Fanny fills the fifth installment of the partwork with all sorts of fruity citrus recipes. She is so keen on them, that she claims she could fill an entire book, but is careful here to introduce just the basics for every course and every kind of meal. After all, citrus fruits are almost as versatile as eggs and as easily obtainable throughout the year! They are also 'gay to look at', Fanny tells us, and as such are immensely decorative for garnish and presentation, her most favourite of mantras. Citrus fruits delight the eye and titilate the taste buds before any of Fanny's masterpieces have even been sampled. Fanny loves the fact that her citrus recipes can be virtuous and bursting with vitamin C without all the dreary associations of cookery books who list the vitamin and calorie content of everything. Fanny finds this depressing. So, it seems apt to adapt one of her culinary marvels using the humble orange just in time for Hogmanay. 

Fanny's idea is to serve redcurrant jelly in a surprising way with venison, lamb or hare - which is clearly not something I'd be doing. As it's party season I am switching it up and making an alcoholic version with some of the homemade Cranberry Vodka I've had maturing for a few weeks. It's really just some fresh berries pricked all over and plonked in a bottle with the booze, but seems like it would make a much more sophisticated vodka jelly shot. First up I need to hollow out an orange - Fanny has Peter show us how in a pic-strip - which involves slicing off a very small lid and carefully scooping out the flesh.

It's quite tricky not to break the skin, but using a teaspoon I soon have a hollow skin ready and waiting. Time for the jelly. In place of Fanny's suggested redcurrant jelly, water and gelatine, I use a bottle of Sprite Zero I have in the fridge (which seems appropriately citrus packed), my cranberry vodka and some vegetarian Agar flakes, which are made from seaweed. The flakes need to be dissolved in theSprite and heated until just boiled, before simmering for a few minutes and adding the vodka. Maths and science were never my strong point at school, so I am hoping my calculations are good enough to get it to set. 

Once mixed, it needs to be poured into the hollowed out orange and left to set. Agar flakes can set at room temperature, so just a case of waiting... Thankfully after about an hour it has cooled and set really firm, just as Fannys redcurrant version had. The orange can now be cut into segments ready to serve.

I think these make really fun jelly shots for a party, or even just a night in by yourself, as Fanny says they look so gay (in the way Fanny meant it) and decorative but unlike Fanny's version, they also have an adult kick. Perfect to start off the New Year celebrations, with a cocktail or two and good enough to leave you feeling somewhat virtuous and vitamin conscious still, right? Happy New Year!