Recipes

Biscuits | Cornish Drinks | Cornish Meats | Desserts | Pasty | Potato Recipes | Saffron Cake | Other Recipes

Biscuits

Fairings

  • 4 ozs butter
  • 4 ozs sugar
  • 8 ozs flour
  • 4 tbsps golden syrup
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsps baking powder
  • 2 tsps bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 tsps mixed spice
  • 3 tsps ground ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Sieve together the flour,salt,spices,baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
  • Rub in the butter and add the sugar.
  • Spoon the syrup into a cup, stand in shallow water in a pan and heat gently until soft.Pour the liquid syrup on to the other ingredients and work in thoroughly.
  • Flour the hands and roll the mixture into small balls.
  • Place on a greased baking tray, well spaced out.
  • Bake at 400f, moving the biscuits from the top to the bottom shelf of the oven the moment they begin to brown.

 

Cornish Drinks

Cornish Champagne Cocktail

  • 1 bottle Camel Valley Brut
  • 1 bottle Boddington’s Cornish Strawberry Liqueur
  • 1 punnet Boddington’s Cornish Strawberries
  • This cocktail recipe was sent in to us by Sam Ineson who devised it on a recent holiday here. “A truly Cornish “champagne” cocktail, with a kick like a small pony and an incredible flavour…..every bar in Cornwall should be serving these little beauties…..”
  • Measure 1.5 liqueur glasses of the Boddington’s Strawberry Liqueur into a champagne flute. Top up with Camel Valley Brut. Garnish with a single strawberry. Go on, you know you want to……

 

Herby Beer

  • 1 Handfull Young stinging nettles
  • 1 Yarrow
  • 1 1/2 lbs Sugar
  • 2 Gallons Water
  • 2 Ounces Yeast
  • Boil all ingredients except yeast together – add wild sage for extra flavour.
  • When nearly cold, add yeast.
  • Let stand until next day. Strain through a muslim cloth.
  • Bottle and cork. Make sure cork is very secure.
  • Leave for at least 3 days.

 

Mahogany

  • 2 Parts Gin
  • 1 Part Treacle
  • Blend well together. This is from the 1800s and was drunk by Cornish fishermen.

 

Milk Punch

  • 9 Lemons, cut very thin.
  • 4 Pints Rum
  • 1 1/2 lbs Sugar
  • 5 Pints Boiling water.
  • 2 Pints Boiling milk.
  • Day 1. Steep lemons in 1 pint rum. Keep closely covered.
  • Day 2. Squeeze lemons onto sugar – keep separated.
  • Day 3. Add lemon sugar mixture to remaining rum, boiling water and milk. Stir whilst pouring milk. Cover closely and let stand for 2 hours.
  • Strain through a jelly bag and bottle. This recipe goes back to the 1800s.

 

Negus

  • 1 Dessert sp Blackcurrant jam.
  • 1 Tumbler Boiling water.
  • Mix ingredients. Allow to cool.
  • Good for sore throats.

 

Cornish Meats

Cornish Beef Burgers

  • 1 kilo minced Cornish beef
  • 1 small minced onion
  • 1 small minced clove of garlic
  • 1 small handfull of fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1 small amount of fresh parsley
  • 1 splash Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
  • Mix minced beef, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, fresh parsley, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper.
  • Whizz the ingredients in a processor to combine.
  • Use a burger press to form 4oz burgers, or just mould the mixture in your hands.
  • Serve in homemade baps and enjoy with some Cornish ale or cider!

 

Cornish Cheese, Bacon and Sage Omelettes

  • 8 Rashers Streaky bacon.
  • 6 oz Cornish Yarg or Menallack Farmhouse cheese cut into small cubes
  • 1 Dozen Free Range Eggs
  • 5 ozs Seedless grapes.
  • 4 tsps Sage leaves roughly chopped
  • 1 pinch Salt & Pepper to taste.
  • Grill the bacon until crisp and then cut into 1cm (1/3 inch) strips.
  • For the first omelette, whisk together 3 eggs with some salt and pepper, then stir in a quarter of the bacon, Cornish cheese, grapes and sage.
  • Heat a small knob of butter in a 20cm (8 inch) omelette pan until it foams.
  • Add the egg mixture and cook over a moderate heat until just set, shaking the pan lightly and stirring all the time with a fork so that the uncooked egg from the top can flow underneath.
  • Stop stirring for at least 10 seconds so that the omelette can firm up underneath but it should not brown; the centre should be soft and slightly runny.
  • Cover the pan with a plate and turn out the omelette cooked side up.
  • Keep warm in the oven and repeat steps 2-6 for the remaining three omelettes.

 

Cornish Ostrich Fillet Steak

  • 1 Pack Ostrich fillet steak.
  • Some Olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp Cranberry Jelly.
  • 1 Tsp Grated, fresh ginger.
  • 1 Tsp English mustard powder.
  • 1/2 Lemon juice and zest
  • 1/2 Orange juice and zest
  • 4 Tbsp Port
  • Some Fresh cranberries to garnish
  • Pan fry seasoned Ostrich Steaks in hot oil for 3 minutes each side.
  • Mix all the remaining ingredients (except the Port) together. Bring to boil whisking well.
  • Add Port and simmer for 1 minute.
  • Pour hot sauce over Steaks and serve.

 

Escallops of Pork with Orange and Marsala

  • 1 1/2 lbs Small thin Cornish Pork Escallops trimmed
  • 1 each Orange, Lemon
  • 2 oz Chilled, diced butter.
  • 12 each Green peppercorns, drained.
  • 2 Tbsp Sifted flour.
  • 1 Tsp Dried, rubbed sage.
  • 1/2 Tsp Marjoram or oregano.
  • 1 1/2 Oz Groundnut or Sunflower Oil
  • 4 Tbsp Marsala (or medium Sherry or Madeira)
  • Some . Soy sauce, salt, pepper and parsley to taste.
  • Put the escallops side by side on a layer of cling film. Cover with second layer of film then flatten with a rolling pin.
  • Grate the orange and lemon rind and squeeze out the juice of both.
  • Crush the green peppercorns.
  • In a shallow bowl, mix together the flour, half the grated orange and lemon zest, sage, oregano or marjoram and green peppercorns. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Flip the escallops one by one in the mixture until well coated.
  • Heat the oil and half the butter in a large frying pan. As soon as the butter starts to sizzle, spread the escallops in the hot pan and cook for 2 minutes over a high heat. Turn over the escallops. Slip half the remaining butter under the escallops and reduce the heat a little.
  • Cover the pan and cook the escallops gently for a further 4-5 minutes.
  • Lift the cooked escallops from the pan and put in a warmed serving dish.
  • Turn up the heat under the pan, add the orange and lemon juice, the zest of the grated zests and the Marsala. Add 100ml (3 1/2 floz) of water and a few drops of soy sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan.
  • Spoon the sauce over the escallops. Snip a few sprigs of chervil or parsley and serve as soon as possible.

 

Hogs Pudding

  • Some Pigs skins
  • Some Fresh pork, lean and fat.
  • Some Bread crumbs
  • Some Thyme, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Clean pig skins, and let them soak in salt and water
  • Mince pork.
  • Add bread crumbs, thyme, salt and pepper.
  • Thoroughly mix all together. Take skins out of water and dry. Stuff the mixture tightly, then tie up each end.
  • Boil until cooked.
  • The Hogs Pudding can be eaten cold, or fried in slices if preferred.

 

Honeyed Shoulder of Wild Boar

  • 4-5 lbs Rolled wild boar.
  • 3 oz Dripping
  • To cover Salt water.
  • 5 tsps Honey
  • 2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
  • Some Raisins, Cloves, Juniper Berries, Coriander, Lovage, Ginger, Mint, Cumin, Celery Seed and Pennyroyal
  • Some Salt & peper to taste.
  • Put the meat into a pan which fits it neatly, just cover with water or stock and bring to the boil, simmer for 1 hour, then lift out joint and put into a roasting tin.
  • Spread the dripping and honey over it and sprinkle with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
  • Make your choice of herbs and spices and strew them over the honeyed joint.
  • Roast in a moderate oven (180 deg c) for 1 and a half hours basting frequently, if necessary moisten with a little of the initial stock.

 

Warm Trout Salad with Orange Dressing

  • 2 lbs Trout, cleaned
  • 1 Tbsp Dry White Wine
  • 8 oz Asparagus or French Beans
  • 4 oz Mangetout
  • 8 oz Assorted Salad Leaves
  • 1 Carton Mustard Cress
  • 4 . Spring Onions
  • 4 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • 4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • 4 Oz Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
  • Pre-heat the oven to 200c / 400f / Gas 6. Lay the trout on a lightly oiled piece of kitchen foil, pour over the wine and wrap carefully. Bake for 40mins.
  • Blanch the asparagus or beans in boiling water for 2-3mins. blanch the mangetout for 30 seconds. Drain and cool.
  • Combine the torn salad leaves, mustard and cress and spring onions in a bowl.
  • Coarsely grate the zest from one orange and combine with the freshly squeezed orange juice. Mix this with Dijon mustard and vegetable oil for the dressing and season to taste.
  • Remove the skin from the trout and flake the fish.
  • Add the asparagus and mangetout to the salad leaves and mix with the dressing. Arrange on a serving plate and pile the trout flakes on top. Serve at once.

 

Desserts

Creamed apples

  • 1/2 dozen Apples
  • 1/2 cupful Cornish clotted cream
  • 1 tbsp Lemon juice
  • 3 tbsps Castor sugar
  • 2 tbsps Boddingtons strawberry jam (or any other flavour you fancy)
  • Bake the apples until soft.
  • Scoop out the insides and pass them through a sieve.
  • Add the cornish clotted cream and lemon juice.
  • Beat in the castor sugar.
  • Serve chilled.
  • Place the strawberry jam on top in the middle just before you serve.

 

Grandmothers Birthday Pudding

  • 1 lb Flour
  • 3 ozs chopped mixed peel
  • 6 ozs Sultanas
  • 6 ozs Currants
  • 6 ozs Chopped Suet
  • Good pinch salt
  • Grating of nutmeg
  • Mix all ingredients well together and make into a stiff paste with milk.
  • Place into a scalded and floured cloth, and tie loosely, plunge in boiling water and boil for three hours.
  • When cooked turn out onto an oven proof dish, cut a piece out of the top as large as a tea cup, place inside 4ozs of coarse brown sugar, one tea cup of Cornish cream.
  • Put in oven for two minutes and serve piping hot.

 

Heavy Cake

  • 1 lb Plain Flour
  • 1/2 lb Echo Margarine (or half butter & half lard)
  • 2 oz Caster Sugar
  • 12 oz Mixed dried fruit
  • Mix the flour and the fat until the consistency of breadcrumbs is obtained. It doesn’t need to be too fine: a few lumps won’t matter.
  • Add the sugar and milk.
  • Mix with water until the desired consistency is obtained. traditionally, this is a firm dough but if you like a gooier cake add a little more water.
  • Transfer to a board, flatten and shape into a rough round about one inch thick.
  • Brush the top with milk, sprinkle with sugar and score the top with a knife to create diamond shapes resembling the pattern of a net.
  • Bake in the middle of the top oven of an Aga – or at 190C in an electric oven – for about 10 minutes until golden.

 

Pasty

Cornish Pasty

  • 1 lb shortcrust pastry
  • 12 ozs raw mutton, beef steak or skirt
  • 4 ozs potatoes
  • 2 ozs turnip
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 tbsps cold water
  • . . seasoning
  • Make the pastry and roll out to about a quarter of an inch thick.Cut into four rounds, using a saucer or a small plate.
  • Cut up the meat into small pieces leaving off any fat or gristle.
  • Finely slice or dice the raw potato,turnip and onion.
  • Mix the meat,onion,turnip and potato together very thoroughly,add salt and pepper and about three tablespoonfuls of cold water.
  • Place some of this filling on one half of each circle of pastry,damp the edges of the latter with cold water and fold over to cover the mixture.
  • Press the edges of the pastry together and crimp it with the fingers to seal.
  • Make two ventilating slits in the top,brush with beaten egg or milk if a glaze is required, and place on a baking tray.
  • Cook in an oven at 450F until the pastry is pale brown, then reduce the heat to 350-375F for about 40 minutes.

 

Potato Recipes

Chervil Cornish New Potatoes

  • 1 lb Cornish New Potatoes, rubbed clean but left in their skins
  • 2 oz Butter
  • 1 Lemon
  • 1 Small bunch fresh Chervil
  • Some Salt & Pepper
  • Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil, add the Cornish new potatoes and simmer until tender (from 7 to 20 minutes depending on size of potatoes).
  • Melt the butter in another pan. Toss in the cooked potatoes, chervil leaves, seasoning and a little lemon zest.

 

Potato Jowdle

  • Cut up enough raw potatoes to fill a frying pan. Cover with water, add a chopped onion, pepper and salt to taste, and fry till soft.

 

Potato Pudding

  • 3 lb Self-raising flour
  • 2 1/2 lb Raw suet, grated
  • 5 lb Potatoes, peeled and grated
  • Some Stock (preferably made from fresh bones from your butcher)
  • 12-14 Cloths (for boiling your puddings)
  • Some Salt and pepper
  • Make up your stock in a large pot and put to one side.
  • Thoroughly mix together the flour and the grated raw suit in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper.
  • Mix in the grated potato until you eventually end up with a large dumpling (you may need to add a little water if it is too dry or flour if too wet).
  • Divide the dumpling into 12-14 smaller dumplings and tie them up in the cloths.
  • Boil in your stock for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  • Leave to cool and then remove the cloths.
  • When cold slice and grill them until golden brown, you can even bake them in the oven.
  • This is a lovely substitute for potato and very tasty with cold meats especially on Boxing Day. (Mary Hart, Truro).

 

Saffron Cake

Saffron Buns

  • 450 gm Strong white flour
  • 100 gm Soft margarine
  • 15 gm Fresh yeast
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 40 gm Caster sugar
  • 280 gm Dried mixed fruit
  • 1 pinch Saffron
  • 1/2 cup Lukewarm mix of milk and water
  • Crumble saffron in a cup and pour on a couple of tablespoons of hot water.
  • Place flour in bowl and rub in margarine. Add rest of dry ingredients.
  • Make a well in the centre of the bowl and crumble yeast into it. Sprinkle one teaspoon of sugar on the yeast. Add a couple of tablespoons of warm milk and water mix. Then draw in mixture from the outside to cover the yeast. Cover with a damp cloth and leave for 10 minutes.
  • When the yeast starts to bubble, add cooled saffron and enough lukewarm milk and water to mix to a soft sticky dough. Put in a warm place, covered with damp cloth, until doubled in size.
  • Place tablespoons of mixture on baking tray, lined with parchment, and spacing well. Return to a warm place to allow to rise.
  • Bake in a hot oven (210C) for 10 minutes until nicely brown.

 

Saffron Cake

  • 1/2 gram Saffron
  • 2 lbs flour
  • 1 lb butter
  • 4 ozs sugar
  • 1 lb mixed dried fruit
  • 1 oz yeast
  • 2 ozs candied peel
  • 1 pinch salt
  • Cut up the saffron strands, add a little boiling water (about half a cup), and leave to infuse overnight.
  • Rub the butter in the flour, add the salt, sugar, finely chopped peel and mixed fruit.
  • Pour a little warm water over the yeast and one teaspoonful of sugar in a basin. When the yeast rises, pour it into a well in the centre of the flour. Cover it with a sprinkling of the flour. After about 10 minutes the yeast rises through this. Then mix the whole by hand into a dough, adding the saffron water and any extra water that might be needed to keep the dough pliable.
  • Leave in a warm place to rise for a little while. Bake in a cake tin for about one hour at 350 f.

 

Other Recipes

Basic White Loaf

  • 1kg strong white flour
  • 10g yeast
  • 20g salt
  • 20g sugar
  • 500 – 600ml water
  • 1. One of the first artizan bakers we got to know in Cornwall was Linda Tonkin who, between 2004 and 2006 won Waitrose Supreme Champion Baker, Gold Great Taste awards and Silver Taste of the West awards. Linda now has the Blue Mango restaurant in Tavistock (www.bluemango.org.uk) and still offers bread making classes. This basic recipe of hers will provide success for any cook.
  • 2. Put all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and give a good stir.
  • 3. Add half of the water.
  • 4. Keep folding the mixture, adding more water a little at a time, until it all comes together in a large lump (the dough).
  • 5. Tip out onto a floured working surface (removing a small piece for comparison purposes) and begin kneading. To do this, flatten the dough gently and bring the edge furthest from you over and towards you. Then turn the dough 45 degrees and repeat. Keep doing this until you acheive a springy, silky textured dough.
  • 6. When the dough is fully kneaded, shape it into a rough ball and place in a floured bowl large enough to accomodate the dough rising to double its size. Leave for about an hour for the rise to take place.
  • 7. Pre-heat oven to 230C/450F/gas mark 8.
  • 8. With the dough having doubled in size, tip it onto a clean floured work surface and gently press the dough into a rectangle and fold. Continue this for a few times (this is to release some of the large air bubbles in the dough).
  • 9. Divide and weigh the dough then shape each half into a ball, put on a baking tray, dust the top with flour, score it, cover and leave to rise again for about an hour.
  • 10. Your oven will now be nice and hot. Test that your dough is ready to bake: pick the tray up and give it a shake – if the dough wobbles it is ready. If not ready, repeat after 10 minutes.
  • 11. Bake for 10 minutes then lower the temperature to 200C/375F/gas mark 6 for about 30 minutes.
  • 12. Remove from oven. Try to avoid the temptation to eat before the loaves have cooled down unless you enjoy indigestion!!

 

Cornish Clotted Cream

  • 1 litre (min) Jersey or Guernsey cow milk (to produce best results)
  • Pour the fresh unpasteurised milk (at least 1 litre to get a worthwhile amount of cream) into a bowl or shallow pan, and allow to stand for about 12 hours to allow the cream to rise to the top.
  • The milk is now to be scalded. This is done by putting the bowl containing the milk into a saucepan of lightly boiling water. The milk should heat up gradually to about 70 – 80 degrees C when the surface of the cream will start to wrinkle. Keep gently heating like this for an hour. Do not let the milk boil, or let water into the milk.
  • Transfer the bowl or pan of milk to a cool place and leave overnight with a maximum ambient temperature of 5 degrees. Years ago, the farmhouse would have a coolroom with slate tables for this purpose.
  • In the morning, the cream will have formed a hard clotted crust with thick smooth cream underneath. This can all then be spooned off.

 

Cornish Sandwiches

  • 2 Spoonfuls Spoonfuls of damson, whortleberry or blackberry jam
  • 2 Spoonfuls Cornish clotted cream
  • 8 – 9 Little Scones, very fresh but cold
  • Rub the jam through a sieve
  • Split the scones and remove part of the soft inside
  • Spread a little jam on each half of the scone, and a teaspoonful of thick cream on the lower half of each
  • Press each scone together
  • These are best prepared only a short time before they are to be eaten

 

Cornish Splits

  • 1 lb Plain Flour
  • 1 oz Butter
  • 1/2 oz Yeast
  • 1/2 oz Caster sugar
  • 1/2 pint Warm milk
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • Cream the yeast and sugar together until they are liquid
  • Add warm milk
  • Sieve the flour and quarter teaspoonful of salt into a basin
  • Melt the butter gently, add it and the yeast mixture to the flour and mix all into a dough which should be kneaded until smooth.
  • Put the dough into a basin in a warm place for about 3/4 hour to let the dough rise.
  • Knead again and divide into small round cakes and place them on a greased baking tray.Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for a further 3/4 hour.
  • Bake in an oven pre heated to 180 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, when the base of the splits should sound hollow when tapped.
  • Split and butter them. Serve very hot
  • Alternatively, leave until cold, then split and butter them, or split and eat with cream, jam or treacle.
  • Splits eaten with cream and treacle or golden syrup are known as “thunder and lightning”

 

Cornish Strawberry Shortcakes

  • 6 oz Cornish strawberries
  • 1/4 Pint Cornish double cream
  • 3 Tbsp Sugar
  • 1/2 oz Butter
  • 2 Large Good quality freshly baked scones
  • 1 Tbsp (or extra to taste) Grand Marnier or other orange-flavoured Liqueur
  • Slice the strawberries lengthwise
  • In a bowl, gently toss the strawberry slices in the sugar and set aside for as long as possible
  • Put the scones on a baking try and put to warm in a low oven
  • In a second bowl, whip the cream with the liqueur until the cream is standing in soft peaks
  • Remove the warmed scones from the oven, split each in half widthways and spread two bottom halves with butter
  • Arrange a thick layer of strawberry slices on top of each buttered scone half. Cover generously with cream
  • Put the two unbuttered scones halves on top, cover with another thick layer of cream, strawberry slices and more cream (if there are any left)
  • Arrange any remaining strawberry slices decoratively around the shortcakes and serve immediately

 

Hot Cross Buns

This is a recipe we picked up on one of Baker Tom’s baking classes (www.bakertom.co.uk). Easy to make, hot cross buns are the classic Easter treat.

For the buns:

  • 14g of fresh yeast or 7g of dried yeast
  • 400g of bread flour
  • 200g warm milk ( Tom’s Tip – weighing the milk is more accurate and gives more consistent results and use it at room temperature)
  • 55g sugar
  • 5g salt
  • 6g mixed spice (You can buy it ready mixed or blend your own with cinnamon and nutmeg)
  • 50g softened butter
  • 50g mixed peel
  • 100g raisins
  • 1 egg

For the cross

  • 50g flour
  • 50g water

For the glaze

  • 30g sugar
  • 30g water (Tom’s Tip 2 – you can use orange juice instead of water for your glaze to give a zesty dimension to the buns)
  • 1. Place the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and mixed spice into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  • 2. Add the mixed peel and raisins and then make a well in the middle of the mixture.
  • 3. Mix the milk and egg and place in the flour mix. Mix all the ingredients to form a sticky dough and knead well for 8-10 minutes until it forms a dough which is no longer sticky.
  • 4. Rest for an hour (the dough, that is, not you!) covering it with a tea towel or cling film.
  • 5. divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and mould into round balls.
  • 6. Pre-heat ven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. In the meantime, place the buns on a baking tray and leave to rise for about an hour to 90 minutes.
  • 7. To make the cross, mix the flour and water to form a paste resembling double cream. Pipe crosses onto the buns.
  • 8. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20-25 minutesuntil golden brown.
  • 9. While the buns are baking, start making the sticky glaze. Boil the water and sugar in a saucepan for 3 minutes until it thickens. Glaze the hot cross buns and enjoy.

 

Jam Tarts

  • 6 ozs Short crust pastry
  • 6 Tablespoon Boddingtons Strawberry Jam
  • Put the pastry on to a lightly floured board and shape it with your hands into a neat round.
  • Roll out the pastry ,put an 8 inch pie plate on top to see if you have the correct shape.
  • When you have a sufficiently large piece of pastry, fold this over the rolling pin to support it as it is lowered into the plate or tin.
  • Press the pastry down. Trim round the edge of the pastry with a knife. Be careful that you do not stretch the pastry or cut in towards the centre of the plate or tin, or you will not have a neat edge.
  • Spread the jam in the centre of the pastry but do not spread it to the edges or it may bubble over during cooking and burn.
  • Decorate the edge of the tart.
  • Bake in a moderately hot oven (400-425f. Gas Mark 5-6) for approximately 20 minutes. When the pastry looks golden brown it is cooked.

 

Kiddley Broth

  • Several Small Onions
  • Some Squares of bread
  • Some Butter, salt and pepper to taste
  • Boil onions
  • Strain and put the liquid into a basin with bread cut in squares; butter, pepper, and salt to taste
  • Eat very hot
  • Sometimes called Kettle Broth

 

Mince Pies

  • 1 lb Sultanas
  • 1 lb Currants
  • 1 lb Figs (raisins)
  • 1/2 lb Best Beef Suet
  • 1 lb Demerara Sugar
  • 1/2 lb Mixed Peel
  • 4 ozs Blanched Sweet Almonds
  • 1/2 oz Allspice
  • 2 lbs Peeled and chopped Apples
  • Mix all the ingredients together, then put through a mincing machine.Add a wineglassful of Rum or Brandy. Tie up and store in a cool place till needed.
  • The Cornish Christmas Mince Pie used to be made oblong in shape, in imitation of the manger where our Saviour was laid.

 

5 thoughts on “Recipes

  1. I have family roots in Cornwall & have been browsing the recipes with interest.
    However, I noticed that in the recipe for Cornish Beefburgers, there is no cooking time indicated.

    1. Hi Sally: a very good question! Cooking time will depend on quite a few variables: how thick the burger is; how lean the mince is; whether or not the person eating it likes it really well cooked, medium or rare (apparently, many of our chums in the USA seem to like it this way), and the intensity/temperature of the barbecue heat. I would not advise eating a burger rare unless you are very sure of where the meat came from and how it was processed – for example, whether it was minced at home from diced beef or a steak. My preference is to cook through thoroughly on the grill, turn often, and make sure it is cooked all the way through (that is, there is no pink meat inside): and I eat beef I rear myself. Then again, I don’t like a steak or even a roast on the pink side! However, with mince it is always sensible to err on the side of caution as if you are buying it in then there is a slight risk of bacteria if it is consumed raw or semi-raw which you don’t get with unprocessed meat.

  2. How interesting that around christmas time when we didn’t have a mincemeat pie I explained to my grown children that when I was a child my grandmother used to make me something called kiddley broth from her homemade stale bread and she also made mincemeat pie from scratch. I now have proof that I wasn’t making it up as they suggested.

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