Welcome to Foodie Fridays! No new recipe today but I promise another one will be coming up soon! I’m here today with another cookbook review, also from a TV show (the last one was by a contestant on a TV show; close enough): The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook!
The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook, Expanded Edition
By Emily Ansara Baines
Genre: Food/Cooking
Pages: 304
The cookbook is divided into two parts, first with Part 1 as “Dinner with the Crawleys.” The introduction
Let’s be real here–I’m not a fancy person, but this section was amazing because I adore food (I am the collective food receptacle for all my friends when they can’t finish their meal), so…not gonna lie, a 7-course meal sounds kinda amazing.
Chapter 1 – Hors d’oeuvres varies
Smoked Salmon Mousse, Grilled Oysters with Lemon Garlic Butter, Potatoes with Caviar and Creme Fraiche, Mushroom Vol-au-Vent, Caviar Cucumber Canapes…
Chapter 2 – First and Second Courses: Soups and Fish
Unsinkable Cream of Barley Soup, Regal Brown Windsor Soup, Lady Mary’s Spicy Mulligatawny Soup, Baked Cod with Parmesan Bread Crumbs, Daisy’s Mustard Salmon with Lentils…
Chapter 3 – Third Course: Elegant Entrees
Lobster Thermidor, Seafood Crepes with Mornay Sauce, Edwardian Chicken Tikka Masala, Highland Haggis at Duneagle (in case you ever wanted to learn how to prepare haggis on your own… I’ll probably pass on that one though! :P)
Chapter 4 – Fourth and Fifth Courses: Juicy Joints and Succulent Steaks
Seven-Hour Leg of Lamb, FIlet Mignon with Foie Gras and Truffle Sauce, Guard of Honor Lamb with Meat Sauce, Classic Beef Wellington (can’t wait to try out that one! <3), Mrs. Patmore’s Perfect Pork Roast…
Chapter 5 – Sixth Course: Resplendent Roasts, Gorgeous Game, and Accompanying Salads
Roasted Veal Chops with Rosemary Basil-Butter, Roast Quail with Fig Sauce, Crispy Roast Duck with Blackberry Sauce, Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Toasted Walnuts, and Pears…
Chapter 6 – Seventh Course: The Necessary Vegetable
Decadent Duchess Potatoes, Red Wine-Braised Red Cabbage with Apples, British Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts, Baked and Buttery Balsamic Asparagus with Sea Salts, Mrs. Patmore’s Easy Roasted Parsnips…
Chapter 7 – The Finishing Touch: Sweets and Desserts
Dark Desires Chocolate Cake, Sir Anthony’s Apple Charlotte, Traditional Bakewell Tart, Fancy French Meringues, The English Trifle, Raspberry Meringue Pie…
Chapter 8 – Tea at Downton Abbey
Classic Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches, Sweet Cream Scones, Clotted Cream, Sybil’s Ginger Biscuits, Dainty Petits Fours with Buttercream Fondant, Anna Bates’s Chocolate Crumpets…
(The last 2 sections in Part 1 reminded me of a lot of different creations I’ve seen (in some variation) on the Great British Bake Off!)
Part 2 is “Sustenance for the Staff.” On regular days, this section is most likely where I’ll be experimenting out of because on the whole, they require less ingredients/time/effort.
Chapter 9 – Hearty Breakfasts to Start the Work Day
Kipper, Fried Egg, and Rosemary Potatoes Surprise, Working-Class Porridge, Not Your Typical English Breakfast American Johnnycakes…
Chapter 10 – A Quick Lunch Between Business
Classic Cornish Pasty (I had these for the first time in Arizona [of all places] this year!), Yorkshire Pudding, Spicy Pub Fish and Chips, Pub Grub Bangers and Mash, Downstairs Toad in the Hole, Bubble and Squeak…
Chapter 11 – Downstairs Supper
Split Pea Soup, Classic Steak and Kidney Pie, Stubborn Oxtail Soup, Rejuvenating Beef Stew, Shepherd’s Pie, Chicken, Leek and Caerphilly Cheese Pie for St. David’s Day…
Chapter 12 – Desserts for the Servants’ Sweet Tooth
Treacle Tart, English Eccles Cake, Meatless Mince Pie, Pineapple Upside Down Cake for a Topsy Turvy World, Mrs. Patmore’s No-Knead Sally Lynn Bread with Warm Honey Butter…
Verdict?
Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who’s…
- A fan of Downton Abbey
- Loves entertaining
- Has more time on their hands to cook.
Part 1 has a lottttt of fancy recipes that I’d personally be scared to attempt on my own (I gravitate more toward easy/quick/healthy/cheap recipes). Part 2 has “recipes for the common person” (aka me), so I’ll likely be trying out those recipes more unless it’s a really special occasion!
There are 150+ recipes in this cookbook! Each recipe includes a short introduction, serving size, ingredient list, and instructions, plus a short blurb on “etiquette lessons,” “times gone by” (historical fun facts/factoids), and suggested pairings. There’s a standard US/Metric Measurement/Conversion table at the back too!
- Do you watch Downton Abbey?
- October is National Apple Month! What are your favorite recipes using apples? I’ll be linking up some of my old favorites in the linkup!
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I saw this book at Barnes and Noble. It looked so cute and fun. I love the show.
http://moosmusing.com
I may need to start watching it! :P
This looks like such a fun cookbook! I used to love Downton Abbey (although I boycotted the show when they killed my 2 fav characters, haha… I should really catch up tho!) so this is right up my alley. Thanks for sharing! :)
Aww, I’m sorry! I hate when that happens! :[ I’ve heard pretty good things about the series but have yet to actually watch it yet. Sometime soon, perhaps!
I’ve never watched Downton Abbey, but this looks like a great cookbook. Lots of details and interesting recipes.
-Lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Review: A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
Yes indeed! :D! I can’t wait to start cooking again!
These meals look amazing! And what a fun theme, too! Love this idea for a cookbook!
Agreed! I need to figure out what to make first!
I am a huge Downton Abbey fan and I love cookbooks! I am putting this on my Christmas wish list!!!
Yay! I hope you get it! :]
This is such a fun idea for a cookbook!
It really is! :D I can’t wait to try out the recipes!