The Coronation Quorn is similar to the chicken version which was apparently created for the coronation in June 1953. I have to admit its 'back-cover blurb' lacks a certain something, as it's served at room temperature and can look a bit of a mess. But its appearance doesn't do it justice, if that helps. I loved it, and John ate every scrap. Turns out his resistance to Quorn chunks dates back to when he was very young, and the family ate stewing steak which had gristle. Reminds me of the charming little boy in 7-Up who said he wouldn't get married because 'Supposing she served me greens. Well I don't like greens.' Such a fascinating series, but I digress.
To check I hadn't forgotten any key ingredients, I first checked the recipe on http://www.cookvegetarian.co.uk , which is 'Cheat's Coronation Quorn'. But all was well. The recipe below serves 2-3, but the Jubilee Dessert would serve 2.
Ingredients
3 tbsp good oil
1 large onion, peeled & coarsely chopped
1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp sesame seeds
300g pack Quorn chunks, defrosted if frozen
2 tbsp mayonnaise (light version is fine)
1 tbsp strong curry paste (approx)
Method
1 Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and fry gently for 7 mins.
2 Stir in the sugar and cook gently for a further 7 mins, stirring from time to time.
3 Meanwhile, place the flour and sesame seeds on a medium plate and mix them. Use this
to coat the Quorn pieces on all sides.
4 When the onion is done, remove it from the pan into a medium bowl..
5 Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil in the pan and fry the Quorn pieces gently for about 10
mins, turning so that all sides of the cubes are browned. Add to the bowl.
6 Add the mayo and curry paste and mix gently (so the cubes don't break down but are
evenly coated). Taste at that point, and add more mayo if too spicy, or paste if too
mild.
The cucumber and crusty French stick went well with this. To get the frilly edges to the slices of cue, cut a single chunk enough for 2-3 people. Then use the tines of a tough fork to score heavily down the rind lengthwise before slicing thinly. There's no waste, unlike methods which involve cutting out triangles lengthwise down the side.
This looked very fine, but as it doesn't have a solid base it couldn't be served in neat portions. Tasted great, all the same. I could have made it on parchment on a square plate, then cut through the dessert and parchment with scissors and serve like that! Confess I needed to find a clear pic of the Union flag to make sure I got the white stripes right.
Ingredients
150ml double cream
70g strawberries
60g blueberries
Method - if possible, use a square plate with flat part more than 20cm along each side.
1 Whip the cream until it is just stiff. Spread it on the serving dish to a square with sides of
about 20cm, smoothing the top flat and tidying the edges.
2 Wash and pat dry the strawberries. Slice thinly and arrange on the cream to match the red
in the Union flag.
3 Wash and pat dry the blueberries and put in place for the blue parts of the flag.
A cuttable base would have been good, such as a sweet pastry square, or a base made from crushed digestive biscuits mixed with melted butter and chilled before topping. Even a square of simple sponge cake would be nice too - more or less the ingredients for a Victoria sponge!
And a last thought - is someone going to invent a replacement for the Vic Sponge and call it an Elizabeth sponge? I just might have a crack at that.
Oh do have a go at an Elizabeth sponge (am trying to imagine the twitter hashtag: #lizspong doesn't look quite right somehow ...)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Yes, I have my food thinking cap on. Your hashtag would be OK, but I might favour #E2Rsponge!
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