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Here is a classic 1930's dessert recipe from Recipes Rare from Everywhere.  I did some research and the modern version of this classic french dessert can be found here.   Make sure you have a good glug of Marsala wine to hand! This version is served warm and sounds like the perfect Christmas dessert or an alternative to mulled wine maybe? This version is provided by one of the junior chefs from the Carlton Club, so it scores highly on the authentic levels!

According to Marguerite, this is a Danish speciality cake that is typically made at Christmas.  I like Christmas, and I love chocolate cake so if anyone feels like they want to make one and send it over to me, my email address is info@diningdevon.com - will be glad to receive one. Just a hint.

The open sandwich has had a bit of a revival recently.  You can purchase open sandwiches to go in some upmarket shops, have a meal in a Scandi restaurant KuPP and you'll see open sandwiches on the menu.  But this is Marguerite Patten's take on this fancy fashionable party food idea.

For the uninitiated, Calvados is an French Apple Brandy  but ultimately any apple brandy will suffice for this recipe.  Make sure its a nice locally produced one, buy local where you can!

I dare you to make this.  I believe it is a cake, not entirely sure why its named after the capital of Australia? But either way, it sounds delicious!

Gosh it has been a while since I shared some classic recipes.  This is one of my favourites, although this version calls for minced liver? I am certain that beef mince would be a good replacement!

COLD LAMB CUTLETS IN JELLY Put a neck of lamb (well trimmed) in a stewpan or earth. earthenware pot with only just enough water to cover, with 1 onion, 4 cloves, I blade of mace. Stew very gently with the above (if possible) for an hour, trimmings to be stewed with it. When done, lift out the meat, let the stock cool, take off the fat, add a pinch of soaked gelatine and a. dessertspoonful of flour. Let them boil in the stock, stirring all the while to keep it smooth. Lay this mixture all over each outlet separately, and let it get cool and firm. Dish up with frills round, a pile of cold vegetables-cut into shape-er with lettuce and tomatoes, etc. Mrs. d’A nson.

If I had to choose a dessert to epitomise the sixties, this would be on the Top 3 list.  The fact that its served in a freaking pineapple just says so much about this dish. LOOK AT ME I CAN AFFORD PINEAPPLES!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I give you Marguerite Patten's American Chocolate Pudding.  It has walnuts, it has cream, it is amazing. Serve it to your friends, serve it to your enemies, serve it to your grandmother.  If you do, you will make friends and influence people when they realise you are brandishing an American Chocolate Pudding.

First post for 2014, well only 5 months late.  But let me make it up to you with Chocolate!

There is nothing better, in my world, that coffee flavoured stuff.  And here is a fantastic little recipe for Coffee flavoured Crepes :) :)

Potatos are a large portion of the British diet.  Yet essentially they are a really boring vegetable, tasteless and a pain to prepare.  Why do we like them so much? Because they accompany most dishes without obliterating the flavour, they make are softly spoken and don't offend anyone.  Which makes me realise that when they become the main focus of a meal, you have to make sure you put plenty of zing in to it. Luckily for us, there are lots of cool potato recipes that do just this.  In this recipe, onions and seasoning provide the backbone of the flavour.

There is a distinct lack of seafood recipes on this blog.  The main reason is that I don't really do seafood, and the idea of it makes me turn a little green. But, I know that the hundreds (HAHAHA) of emails and comments that I get on this blog each week do request that I do a few more seafood related posts.  So here is one... and as we're on a theme of soups and chowders today, this one is quite apt.

The temperature has dropped here in Exeter.  And now is the perfect time to start looking at Soup and Chowder recipes for an instant hot savory fix.

For someone that writes about food, has a general preoccupation with culinary matters and mixes with those who have brilliant gastronomic taste, I have very crude food tastes.  And the idea of Nettle Soup doesn't really do anything for me, despite the majority of people who I have spoken to over the years who have said how nice it is. I encourage you to give it a go.  If it is nice, tell me and it might encourage me even more to go and pick some and see what happens!  Nettles are a free and abundant plant, but be careful you pick from a spot that you know has not been treated with weed killer.

A few notes with this recipe.  First off it needs gelatine, so make sure you inform any vegetarians who you might be offending.  Alternatively you could try using pectin, but the consistency might suffer if you do so it might need a bit of tweaking to make a vegetarian-friendly version. It requires lots of Ginger Biscuits, so by default I am in love with this recipe already just by reading it!

The great thing about Christmas is presents.  Sometimes, however, it isn't that easy to fork out lots of money for presents especially when you know that the stuff you're buying them could be easily made yourself with all that spare time that you might or might not have. Our friend Hannah makes fudge for people, normally different flavours in different wrappings, but all hand made.  It is a sweet idea (literally) that has given me a few ideas myself for Christmas presents. Marguerite Patten is a great lover of sweets and nice things, as well as the staple 'Roast Beef' stuff she has many other books dedicated to sweets and making thereof.

Beef Bourguignon is one of those classic 'childhood' recipes, a staple classic that your mum shows you how to make before you disappear to university and ultimately fending for yourself. It can be slow cooked, or like this recipe, it can be used in a Fondue. This is a party piece, a classic sixties non-cheese fondue.  There is quite a bit of prep, but it'd be perfect for that authentic sixties/seventies feel to any themed occasion.

I have included this one for its pure weirdness.  A Marshmallow covered Christmas Pudding and a Happiness Tree Cake...also covered in marshmallows.