Time for apples, the fruit of the season. Meanwhile, I'm reading this wonderful book Jane Austen at Home that explains how Jane's mother cultivated potatoes in Steventon -a vegetable relatively new in the late 1760s, affordable to just a minority. Potatoes were, and still are, used in a pudding together with apples so I browsed some cookbooks in the hope of finding a recipe.
in search of a pudding
Apple pudding is featured in both The Experienced English Housekeeper (1747) and The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (1769) by Elizabeth Raffald and Hannah Glasse respectively but potato pudding was either unknown or not worth talking about until 1805, which is the year Maria Rundell's Modern Domestic Cookery was published. A potato & apple version called Essex pudding appeared much later, in Elizabeth Acton's Modern Cookery, in all its branches (1845). Fourteen years later, The English Cookery book offered a completely different version of the Essex pudding that consisted of two layers: the first was made of preserves and the second of cake. To complicate matters, no pudding from Essex is featured among the 'provincial' recipes in either 18th or 19th century books. While netsurfing, I discovered Jamie Oliver's wonderful Christmas Colchester pudding and the link to Mistress Elizabeth Slany's Book of Receipts & Co. (1715), which is unfortunately accessible only to subrscribers.
the 'kingdom of Essex'
While the origins of 'Essex pudding' remain unclear, the importance of Essex in history is clearly defined. In brief: During the Heptarchy, Essex was a separate kingdom, which later became a part of Wessex. In 991, the battle of Maldon against the Danes was fought there and lost, obliging the Anglo-Saxon king to pay the invaders a considerable sum -the first example of Danegeld. (Much as I would like to elaborate on the wonderful Old English poem describing the battle, 10th century England had nothing to do with potatoes.) The men of Essex were further distinguished in great events, such as the Peasants' Revolt (1381), the Wars of
the Roses (1455-1487) and the Civil War (1642-1651). But the most glorious of all was the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. It was at Tilbury Fort, off the coast of Essex, that Queen 'Gloriana' made her famous speech to encourage the army. By sheer coincidence, 1588 was the year potatoes were introduced to her court by privateers who returned from the colonies -either Sir Francis Drake or (a companion of) Sir Walter Raleigh, both of whom participated in the burning of the Habsburg fleet.
the Queen's speech
There
are six versions of Elizabeth I's speech at Tilbury Fort. Lionel Sharp's was
probably transcribed from the actual words that she uttered, alluding to her feeble body of a
woman and strong heart of a man & king of England, and
therefore considered the original. But the poetic version of James Aske in Elizabetha triumphans (1588) is just as inspiring and very enlightening as to how 'God-chosen' monarchs really addressed their people:
"We will them know that now by proofe we see
Their loyall hearts to vs their lawfull Queene.
For sure we are that none beneath the Heauens
Haue readiers Subiects to defend their right:
Which happiness we coumpt to vs as cheefe.
And though of loue their dueties craue no lesse,
Yet say to them that we in like regarde,
And estimate of this their dearest zeale,
(If time of neede shall euer call them foorth
To dare in field their fearce and cruell foes)
Wilbe our selfe their noted Generall.
Ne deare at all to vs shalbe our life,
Ne Pallaces or Castles huge of stone
Shall hold as then our presence from their view:
But in the midst and very heart of them,
Bellona-like we meane as then to march;
On common lot of gayne or losse to both,
They well shall see we recke shall then betide.
And as for honor with most large rewards,
Let them not care they common there shalbe:
The meanest man who shall deserve a might,
A mountain shall for his desart receiue.
And this our speech, and this our solemn vowe,
In feruent loue to those our Subiects deare,
Say Seriant Maior, tell them from our selfe
On Kingly faith we will performe it there."
another Elizabeth's pudding
Interestingly, Elizabeth Acton had written poetry for quite a few years before switching to cookbooks. Food historians believe that she was urged by her editors to do so, even though her (romantic) verses were already popular. It took Acton nearly a decade to collect the recipes but she hardly gave any information about their origin. Essex pudding, which is rather delicious if made with fresh apples, she only described as both 'good and cheap'. In fact, domestic economy was Acton's principal goal and the main reason behind her cookbook's success. Doubling the quantities and using extra ingredients, such as butter, could turn any recipe into a dish for special occasions if liked.
ESSEX PUDDING
The following recipe is slightly adapted from the 'luxury' version of Acton's pudding.
I n g r e d i e n t s
180g mashed potato 360g mashed apples
180g brown sugar
60g melted butter
6 eggs, separated
M e t h o d
Place the mashed ingredients in a bowl. Beat the sugar with the yolks until very light. Combine the mixtures, using a spoon. Add the melted butter. Whisk the egg whites stiff and fold carefully into the batter. Pour into an ovenproof baking dish or 6 individual ramekins and bake in a moderate oven until firm, approximately 1 hour. Serve warm.
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