things to like about british cooking
Recently, Kirstin and I went to England and Wales. We always have fun there, and always marvel in how good British cooking actually is. Yes, some of the old standards are heavy on the creams and fat and low on taste, but some of it is truly marvelous.
As they say, you can scoff at British cooking, but you shouldn't forget that essential beers (bitter ales), cheeses (Cheddar, Stilton, Wensleydale), sauces (Worcestershire), and baked goods (Sally Lunn buns, pasties, scones) are part of the lexicon thanks to the Brits.
So with that, a couple of great websites:
The Great British Kitchen - a one-stop for British recipes
eggbaconchipsandbeans - a tribute to the English fry-up
culinary mischief: mormon funeral potatoes
Just to let you know now: I'm not Mormon. But part of the reason I'm around to write this is due to the LDS Church, so I'm cooking a Mormon recipe for a pot-luck party this weekend. I've chosen funeral potatoes due to their almost cult-like status amongst those who know just a little bit about the LDS culture.
What are they? They're essentially a scalloped potato casserole. I've seen a few recipes that all differ a little - some call for diced frozen potatoes (a.k.a. homefries), others call for thawed hash brown potato shreds. All call for a cream soup base - celery, mushroom, or chicken. All have a cornflake "crust," and all feature sour cream.
This is not health food, and the recipes advise the cook to steer clear of low-fat variations on the ingredients, as they don't "gel" as well as their full-fat brethren.
I'll post the recipe I use on the site once I cook the stuff - as well as photos, if I'm not dead from the cholesterol.