KING HENRY'S MAIDS OF HONOR

It's believed that King Henry VIII named these lovely tarts over 300 years ago.  Legend has it that when he saw Anne Boleyn and other "maids of honor" eating them, he decided that  the recipe be kept a secret.  Most all secrets have a way of escaping and by the early 1700's they were being sold at a bakery in Richmond, England.  Robert Newens opened the Maids of Honor Tea Room in l850 and relatives from the same family continue to bake and run the tea room today. 

 This information and the recipes were taken from "The Great Tea Rooms of Britain" by Bruce Richardson (now in it's 5th edition) which is sold at Bernideen's.

VALENTINE BUFFET

As part of an effort to survive Winter,

I have pulled out all the Valentine

decorations and have a lot going on.

VALENTINE SUGAR COOKIES- This Will Be Easy!

Sugar Cookies are so easy to bake and are very inexpensive to make yourself.  We used to say "cost pennies" but I am not sure anything just costs pennies now.

  Here is what you will need:

Ingredients: 1 cup of butter softened, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 1/2 cups sugar (decrease by 1 1/2 Tb in high alt)3 eggs, 3 1/2 cups sifted flour, 2 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tsp baking soda (decreased by 1/4 tsp in high alt), 1/2 tsp salt

This recipe will make 24 large cookies or lots more smaller ones!

An assortment of cookie cutters of your choice!  Don't crowd them together on the baking sheet! Cream the butter and vanilla in a large bowl and add the sugar gradually till creamy and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and beat after each. Sift the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and add to the creamy mix to form dough.  Divide into 2 large balls.  Roll out on a floured cloth and sprinkle dough with colored sugar or sprinkles of your choice. I like to sprinkle more inside the cutter on the dough before I pickup the unbaked cookie and put it on the ungreased baking sheet.    Bake in a preheated oven 375degrees for about 7- 8 minutes. 

These cookies are perfect for tea and I chose Harney's Paris Tea to go with the cookies! 

Fannie Farmer's Steamed Fruit Pudding

This winter one of the books I have been perusing is "The Victorian Cookbook" published in l989 by Michelle Berriedale-Johnson.  It is an extensive research about cooking in the Victorian era.  There is a great deal of information about Fannie Farmer.  When we think of her- we think of fudge - a candy shop if you will.  Actually she founded a cooking school in Boston in 1902 and her "Boston Cooking School Cookbook" was a best seller.

The Victorians loved steamed puddings. This book features one of Fannie Farmer's Blueberry Puddings. 

 Many Christmas Plum Puddings included ground suet in the recipes, but not this one. You could serve it anytime of the year- not just Christmas. Pudding molds are available in 1 quart and 2 quart sizes and have lids. In her Martha Stewart's Christmas Recipe Book from 1989, Martha made 300 puddings in bowls over a 3 day period (for her "closest friends and relatives").  

LEARNING FROM JULIA CHILD

  After just spending 2 hours at Barnes and Nobles looking at cookbooks, I realized that I have barely touched the tip of the iceberg in regard to cooking! I certainly haven't cooked my way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking like Julie Powell. Here are 2 purchases I made:

I also couldn't resist Betty Crocker!