This weekend, Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee – sixty years on the throne. When she was crowned (she became Queen when her father died in 1952, but the coronation was June 5, 1953), Britain was still recovering from the wartime devastation, and rationing was still in effect for many foods. But it was, of course, necessary to create and elegant meal to serve … [Read more...] about Coronation Chicken Salad
Meat Poultry Seafood
Buttermilk Pecan Chicken with Herb Cream Gravy
I am a devotee of the transformative powers of buttermilk. It makes chicken tender and biscuits light. Cakes have a fine crumb and dressings a nice tang. I use buttermilk whenever I can, and I go out of my way to buy the best, farm-fresh buttermilk available. I make biscuits of all sorts, marinate chicken for frying and whip up desserts galore, from Buttermilk Pie to … [Read more...] about Buttermilk Pecan Chicken with Herb Cream Gravy
Blanquette de Veau (Creamy Veal Stew)
Blanquette de veau is a delicious, classic French dish with a real difference. I’ll admit though, I’d never really considered tackling it, because, at first look, it seems a bit complicated. But I recently hosted a book club at my house to discuss the book Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris, a rich, evocative story laced with memories of classic French food. So of … [Read more...] about Blanquette de Veau (Creamy Veal Stew)
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese with Country Ham and Leeks
From the first time I made macaroni and cheese, I’ve used this basic recipe, with the sauce you simply stir up. We were not a big macaroni and cheese family, and never had any version from the box until college, when the hot pot was our main cooking apparatus and I had an ingenious roommate. I think I might have originally found the recipe in a kids’ cookbook, but I don’t … [Read more...] about Creamy Macaroni and Cheese with Country Ham and Leeks
Glazed Canadian Bacon
A few years ago, I was in charge of preparing an Easter lunch for my family. We were a small group that year, and decided on classic Southern brunch food – grits, fruit, ham. But a whole ham would have been more than enough food for our group. We would have had leftovers for years. But most of the smaller hams on the market are pressed hams, and I am not into that. And I … [Read more...] about Glazed Canadian Bacon
