Recipe: Edwardian/Victorian Riparian Feast Recipes

Dear Linda B.,
Tried to post and got bounced (my error!). Here are lots of ideas and recipes and I do hope that these bits and pieces will assist you if you decide to use this theme. Been doing a bit a thinking whilst typing and reckon that between a lovely leisurely meal, some soothing music and, perish the thought, a quiet glide on the water, your guests should have a lovely time. If you do have some lavender, toss some blundles in a heat proof container and light, then render to a smudge (low smoking) for a lovely scent, plus keeping some of the critters at bay. A big thankyou, too, to Betsy for allowing this much information to flow through her board.
Lady Primrose Lemon Tea Bread
1/2 cup butter (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp. lemon extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Lemonade concentrate
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Beat in buttermilk and lemon extract. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees in a greased-and-floured loaf pan until light golden and the center is lightly baked. Brush with lemonade concentrate.
Remove from pan and cool. Top with Honey Butter or Clotted Cream if desired.
HONEY BUTTER
1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Blend ingredients. Keep refrigerated.
CLOTTED CREAM
1/2 pint whipping cream
3 Tbsps confectioners' sugar
1 Tbsp sour cream (Do Not use fat-free sour cream)
Whip all ingredients together until stiff. Keep refrigerated.
Lynda Dowling's Lavender Lemonade
Sunset Magazine, June 1998
Prep and Cook Time: 45 minutes
Notes: 'Hidcote' lavender turns lemonade rosy pink. Other varieties turn it a paler color. Avoid piney-smelling lavenders, such as spike.
Yield: 6 cups; about 6 servings
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup (a generous handful) fresh or
1 Tbsp dried lavender blooms stripped from stems
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
5 cups water
Ice cubes
Lavender springs for garnish
1. Combine sugar with 2-1/2 cups water in a medium pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add the lavender blooms to the sugar water, cover and remove from heat. Let stand at least 20 minutes (and up to several hours).
3. Strain mixture and discard lavender. Pour infusion into a glass pitcher. Add lemon juice and another 2-1/2 cups water. Stir well and watch lemonade change color.
4. Pour into tall glasses half-filled with ice or refrigerate until ready to use. Garnish lemonade with fresh lavender sprigs.
(If you can concentrate this lemonade recipe, you can use the lemon tea bread recipe to make a real lavender tea bread. Sorry, I thought I had a lavender tea bread recipe already.)
Lemonade Poke Cake
General Mills, Inc.
1 pkg lemon cake mix with pudding
1 can (6 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 container purchased icing or a glaze made with lemonade
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare and bake cake according to package directions for a 13x9x2- inch rectangular pan. Cool 15 minutes. Stir together lemonade concentrate and sugar. Poke warm cake with fork at half-inch intervals, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking. Drizzle lemonade mixture evenly over cake. Refrigerate cake until cold. Spread cold cake with frosting. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cake.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft.): Follow High Altitude directions on cake mix package.
(This is a great one for a lavender or other colored lemonade)
I'm including this next one on general principle, that being if you have or can get an ice cream freezer, it's a very easy recipe with as many variations as there are flavors of fruit nectars. The two recipes following are from the same source.
Sunrise Sherbet
The Martha Stewart Cookbook
Makes Approximately 1-1/2 pints
2 cups peach or apricot nectar
2 Tbsps fresh lime juice
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
Combine the ingredients and chill thoroughly. Freeze the mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.
Ricotta Ice Cream
Makes about 1-1/2 Quarts
Comment: This wonderful ice cream does not require an ice cream maker; simply mix it and freeze for an hour.
4 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup honey
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream, whipped stiff
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar and honey until pale yellow in color and tripled in volume, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Stir in vanilla, ricotta cheese, milk and whipped heavy cream; continue beating for 2 minutes until smooth and thick. Spread the mixture evenly on a parchment-lined 9X13-inch baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 1 hour.
Four-Fruit Sherbet
Makes 1 Generous Quart
1-1/2 cups ripe strawberries, hulled
1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 tsp. grated orange zest
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 cups cold milk
Place the strawberries in a medium bowl along with the banana and fruit juices. Using a fork or a potato masher, crush them together to make a coarse puree.
Stir in the zests, sugar and milk; mix well.
Pour the mixture into ice cube trays (I use heart shapes) and freeze until firm. (The mixture can also be frozen in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.)
For the life of me, I cannot find my recipe for lavender ice cream, so included these colorful sherbets. I hope this will help.
Moist Chocolate Cake(English)
Cake:
3 oz Drinking chocolate (powdered cocoa)
4 oz self-rising flour
6 oz Margarine
6 oz Caster sugar (superfine)
3 eggs, well beaten
1 Tbsp Hot water
Filling:
2 oz Margarine
2 oz Drinking chocolate
4 oz Icing sugar (confectioners')
Water or milk to mix, if required
Glaze Icing:
6 oz Icing sugar
2 oz Drinking chocolate
2 Tbsps Water to mix, approx.
Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans. Sift together flour and drinking chocolate. In a bowl, cream margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour mixture to prevent curdling. Fold in remaining flour and chocolate mixture and stir in hot water. Put mixture into pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 25 minutes or until surface springs back when pressed lightly. Remove cakes from pans and cool on a wire rack.
Buttercream Filling: Mix all the ingredients together until smooth and light. Spread on one cake and sandwich together.
Icing: Add water to sugar and drinking chocolate to form a thick paste and coat top of cake before serving.
GLAZED IRISH TEA CAKE
Yield: 10 Servings
Cake:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tsps. vanilla
2 large eggs
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1-3/4 cups cake flour
1-1/4 tsps. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup dried currants (raisins, etc.)
2/3 cup buttermilk
Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tsps. fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, with rack in center of oven. Generously grease a 9-inch (7-cup capacity) loaf pan. Dust with flour; tap pan over sink to discard excess flour. Cut piece of parchment paper or waxed paper to fit bottom of pan. Set aside.
Cake: Use mixer to cream butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating each until fluffy. Add cream cheese. Mix until well combined. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Put currants in small bowl. Add 1/4 cup of flour mixture to currants. Stir currants until well coated. Add remaining flour to batter, alternating with buttermilk. Mix until smooth. Use wooden spoon to stir in currants and all of the flour. Stir until well combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Smooth surface with spatula. Bake until well-browned and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour, 25 minutes. Cake will crack on top.
Let cake rest in pan for 10 minutes. Use flexible metal spatula to separate cake from sides of pan. Carefully remove cake from pan to cooling rack. Spread glaze on warm cake. Let cake cool completely. Cake can be stored 3 days at room temperature in foil; frozen up to 3 months, wrapped airtight
Glaze: Combine sugar and lemon juice in small bowl. Stir until smooth.
Currant Tea Scones
Gourmet, November 1997
Yield: 4 Scones
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 tea bag
1/2 cup dried currants
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter
6 tablespoons half-and-half plus additional for brushing dough
Preheat oven to 400 F and butter a baking sheet.
Pour boiling water into a small cup and steep tea bag 2 minutes. Remove and reserve tea bag and stir in currants. Into a bowl sift together flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add to flour mixture, blending with fingertips until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps. Squeeze liquid from tea bag into cup and discard bag. With a fork stir 6 tablespoons half-and-half into flour mixture until just combined and a sticky dough is formed. Stir in currant mixture.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a 5-inch round. Transfer round to baking sheet and with a pastry brush lightly coat with additional half-and-half. Sprinkle dough with remaining 1/2 teaspoon sugar and with a knife score 1/4-inch deep into quarters.
Bake scones in middle of oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden, and transfer to a rack to cool. Break scones along score marks and serve warm or at room temperature.
Cranberry and Pumpkin Pie Spice Tea Cake
Bon Appetit, December 1992
Yield: 8 Servings
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter (2-1/2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup plus 3 Tbsps sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1/2 cup ground blanched almonds
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
1-3/4 cups sifted unbleached all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsps. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup dried cranberries or currants
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 F. Using electric mixer, beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add yolks and egg 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in almonds and vanilla.
Mix fresh cranberries and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Combine flour and spice in medium bowl.
Stir fresh and dried cranberries into butter mixture. Add flour mixture and stir until well combined. Spoon batter into ungreased 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Smooth top. Bake until top of cake is golden and dry and center of cake is firm, about 55 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely.
To serve, sift powdered sugar over top of cake. Remove rim from pan and transfer cake to platter.