It was a surprise to discover that Beulah’s honey cake doesn’t actually have honey in it. She always was an international woman of mystery…;-)
…and an excellent cook. If Beulah opted to use golden syrup instead of honey I expect there’s a good reason for it. And there are a lot of dry honey cakes out there.
Actually this is the first time I’ve eaten honey cake when I wasn’t already stuffed to the gills with a holiday meal, which made it far more enjoyable.
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Beulah regularly made this tomato and avocado terrine as a starter for family Friday night dinners when I first moved to the UK. I was dead impressed by how it looked, and wowed by eating it. The subtle differences in the creamy textures of avocado, tomato and dressing. The spiciness of the onion-infused aspic.
After a family member said that they didn’t like it, Beulah never made tomato and avocado terrine again. In fact, when I mentioned it to her a couple of years ago, she had no recollection of the dish. So I was delighted to find the recipe in her clippings file, and to be able to enjoy this delicious retro classic again.
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Beulah wasn’t one to share recipes and never taught her sons to cook. Such a shame… she had so much knowledge to impart.
Beulah’s father had been a high-end caterer, but when I asked if he’d taught her, she said “absolutely not”. Apparently K never entered the home kitchen, aside from a memorable occasion where he made the gravy, producing an enormous vat for the three of them.
This is so different to my mum’s approach. I was expected to help regularly and taught to make specific dishes, and have done the same thing with my girls.
When Beulah asked for ideas of what to do with seven-year-old Nova who was spending the afternoon, I suggested cooking together. I was impressed when Nova returned with a batch of perfect profiteroles and container of chocolate sauce, and even more so when I tried making them myself – they are tricky little numbers.
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July is hardly trifle season, but Beulah’s raspberry-based version has a summery vibe. I have a terrible touch with custard, and despite the extra custard powder it didn’t set as firmly as I would have liked. That quibble aside, it was a hit with everyone and something I’d happily make again – using Swiss roll for the base is a nice twist.
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I haven’t made macaroni and cheese in years. It was in regular rotation when the girls were younger, but we seem to have all forgotten about it.
According to Adam, this version with leeks and bacon is the one he remembers Beulah making. It’s a more grown-up dish with the leeks and bacon adding welcome flavour and complexity. I’m going to add a dollop of mustard to the cheese sauce next time I make it.
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Dried chickpeas take an age to cook, and I’ve always opted to make hummus from tinned or jarred chickpeas. Beulah cooked her chickpeas for hummus in a pressure cooker, and I considered doing that for this recipe, but convenience prevailed.
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Lemon fantasy is the most retro thing I have ever cooked. Adam has fond childhood memories of this dessert, which was a staple along with chocolate mousse at their Friday night dinners. In his words, “the combination of fluffy mousse with the jelly topping seemed like a marvel.”
Lemon jelly proved elusive to track down. Raspberry, lime, mango, blueberry… not a problem. I managed to find a packet eventually, but will be exploring new flavours of fantasy if I make this again. (Which I probably will. I now own a jelly mould, and it is a fun dessert.)
Beulah always served lemon fantasy with tinned mandarin segments and cream, so I did as well.
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I first ate gefilte fish in the UK, and didn’t realise that in most of the world they are poached, not fried. It’s a British-Jewish thing to fry them, apparently. Having tried both, I’m definitely team fried gefilte fish, though I can take them or leave them.
I can recall Beulah serving gefilte fish only a couple of times. As a fish hater she may have opted to buy them in, though that wasn’t her style. I’d usually encounter them on platters at catered Jewish events, where little Lyra (another fish hater) would mistake them for falafel.
This recipe was in among Beulah’s handwritten ones. I was intrigued by the pinch of cinnamon and gave it a go. I don’t think I’ve eaten fresh gefilte fish before – they were delicious, warm, light and sort of fluffy.
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Carrot and raisin salad is another regular in Beulah’s repetoire. She kept things simple and all the flavours coming singing through. (I’d be tempted to add green onion, sunflower seeds, grated ginger and orange juice to the dressing etc)
In general, the ingredients that are straightforward in her recipes, but the technique can be fiddly, at least by my standards. Not with this carrot and raisin salad though – the most time consuming bit is grating the carrots.
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Adam’s parents Freddy and Beulah took several trips to Thailand, where they often stayed in the Mandarin Oriental.
Beulah wasn’t keen on Thai food due to a shellfish allergy, but she did love this salad from the hotel’s restaurant and persuaded the chef to share it with her.
I’m sure they managed a more elegant presentation at the Mandarin 😉
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This is a great, classic baked cheesecake. Not some fluffy, whipped cream concoction where you can barely detect the cheese – this one is dense and silky smooth, and flavoured only with lemon zest so the cream cheese flavour comes through.
The gingersnap crust contrasts beautifully with the filling. When I make it next, I’m going to double the amount and bake it a little longer (until firm).
Beulah always served her cheesecake garnished with frosted grapes, so I’ve included the recipe for those here as well.
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Beulah loved bubble and squeak, but the family were less keen. She would have appreciated the practical common sense of the recipe as a way to use up leftover veg.
I followed Beulah’s recipe rigorously, but were I to make it again I’d add a beaten egg or some grated cheese to the mixture to help bind it together. The outside crisped up nicely, but it was still quite soft in the middle. Though maybe it’s meant to be that way?
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Photos can’t do justice to the marvel that is Beulah’s sticky toffee pudding. Of all the wonderful dishes she made, this one is the most beloved. As long as I’ve lived in the UK, Adam has been “chasing the dragon” in restaurants and pubs across the UK trying to recreate that first hit of his mum’s version, without success.
This recipe was a closely guarded secret, though Beulah did disclose that her version did not include dates (spoiler, she used apricots). So it was a happy moment when I discovered it on a piece of paper tucked underneath recipe cards in her little file box. Sharing it here is a fitting tribute to her culinary talents.
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Vichyssoise was the third soup in Beulah’s standard repertoire, which she served chilled in the summer months. It’s taken time for me to appreciate cold soup – aside from gazpacho, which I could live on – but I’m coming round. This hit the spot on a hot evening, with a green salad served alongside.
Beulah’s vichyssoise recipe calls for cream or soured cream. I opted for a mix of cream and crème fraiche.
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Adam’s parents Freddy and Beulah ate regularly at Trattoria Trevi, an Italian place on Ballards Lane until it closed, reopening a few months later as a Turkish restaurant.
They were immediate regulars there as well and the Durum became a place for family birthdays and celebrations. Beulah always ordered kisir followed by fried liver or lamb chops. This kisir is based on their recipe.
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Summer pudding is a classic British dessert. Beulah made the first one I ever ate, and given her cooking prowess I assumed it was a MasterChef level dish. I was surprised to learn it has only three ingredients — berries, sliced white bread and sugar.
This picture looks like a crime scene but it tastes delicious. I hope to take a better one next time I make it…;-)
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Baked apples are an underrated dessert in my opinion. They take minutes to prep, are can be served hot or cold, and are healthy to boot. A splash of liqueur (hazelnut works well) before baking, or serving (or both) is a nice touch.
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Along with Omy’s coffee cakes, marmalade tea bread was Beulah’s signature bake. She was a marmalade lover and I always gave her a jar or two from my annual batch.
Otherwise a typical fruit cake, its distinctive, sweet-bitter tang and slightly sticky texture reveals the presence of marmalade. I’d always assumed it was a called a tea bread because it was served with tea, but it turns out the fruit is soaked in strong black tea overnight.
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Chopped egg and onion was a mainstay of Shabbat dinners for Adam when he was a child. He says it’s the combination of cooked and raw onions that made this dish special.
Beulah’s classic chocolate mousse recipe doesn’t call for cream or sugar (aside from what is in the chocolate). On my first attempt, I failed to notice the water added to the chocolate in the bowl. That certainly makes a difference – you need a pourable chocolate mixture to fold the egg whites into, not a thick, Marmite-like paste.
Adam says, “In my memory, these were famed across north London. I can picture mum melting Menier dark chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. You could smell it before you could see it, and when you saw it your hope that chocolate mousse was indeed on the menu was realised.”
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The recipe for these flourless coffee cakes comes from Adam’s German grandmother Lottie.
It’s a simple one, aside from the beating and folding. With only four ingredients and no leavening agent, Omi’s coffee cakes rely on the egg whites for their light, airy quality.
Out of curiosity I searched online, but couldn’t find another recipe like them. The closest was bocca di dama, but made bite-sized and left undecorated.
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This recipe offers a fresh take on my go-to tomato soup. Basil is added at three points – sautéed with the onions, simmered with the tomatoes,stirred in just before serving – and its sweet, peppery flavour shines through.
At family meals, Beulah usually offered a choice of soup – chicken soup with kneidlach and tomato soup with basil for the vegetarians. (Though it was pretty common for people to park their principles for the evening so as not to miss out on Beulah’s chicken soup.)
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I’m a sucker for lemon desserts, and have yet to meet one I don’t like. That said, Beulah’s lemon mousse is near the top of the list.
On family occasions, she always made two or three desserts, in sufficient quantity that people could try them all. While her chocolate mousse and sticky toffee pudding were the fan favourites, when lemon mousse was on offer I always went for it, at least for round one… 😉
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Crumpets crisped in curry butter then topped with a poached egg is a winning combination. Adam’s mum made it for Lyra when she stayed a few days with her. After Lyra reported how delicious it was, we started making it as well.
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For family gatherings, Adam’s mum Beulah often served an array of salads and cold meats. This potato salad with grain mustard always featured.
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This heat wave has put me right off hot drinks. If I don’t have a coffee by 9am, that’s my caffeine fix out for the day. Maybe that’s what made me think of coffee jelly – one of many culinary novelties I experienced while living in Japan.
I’m not tucking into coffee jelly all day long, but it makes a great summer dessert…
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Crustless quiche is a staple weekday meal round here. Broccoli and cheese is my usual filling, but anything goes.
I sometimes fry some bacon or chorizo with the onion, or add strips of ham or smoked salmon.
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Rich and flavoursome, long, slow cooking reduces the sherry and vinegar to a sticky glaze.
We’ve been making this Delia Smith classic for years, and it came as a surprise to discover I hadn’t yet added it to the site.
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Ratouille is a classic French vegetable stew of aubergines, peppers, courgette, onions and tomatoes, served as a side dish or with pasta.
I’ve tried a number of recipes for ratatouille over the years. Some insist that each vegetable is cooked separately before being layered together, but I’ve found that to be an unnecessary amount of faff.
The main thing is to cook the vegetables in the correct order, avoid overcooking, keep the seasonings simple, and allow the ratatouille to rest before eating at room temperature (or reheating).
Peanut butter was a lunchbox staple when I was growing up in Canada — peanut butter and jam sandwiches, peanut-butter-filled celery sticks, peanut butter cookies…
With the rise of nut allergies and “nut-free” schools, peanut butter has fallen off the menu, and these peanut butter and jam thumbprint cookies are now a weekend treat.
Pav bhaji is one of those dishes you need to try for yourself to discover how satisfying it is.
I first encountered pav bhaji at a street food market. After doing a complete circuit of the food on offer, I opted for what looked to be a curry sandwich.
The bun (pav) was toasted, buttered and warm. The curry (bhaji) was thick, mashed — almost spreadable — and topped with red onion, coriander leaves, and a pat of butter.
It was utterly delicious and spot-hitting. Continue reading
My husband loves carrot halwa and always orders it when we go for an Indian meal.
I agree that it’s less sweet than many Indian desserts, which counts in its favour. But having tasted his portion any number of times, I never once regretted ordering the kulfi.
This all changed when we started making carrot halwa at home… Continue reading
Penne a la vodka was all the rage when I first moved to London. After ordering it in restaurants, I had a go at making it myself.
There wasn’t an internet to refer to, but it wasn’t complicated to work out what was in it – tomatoes, onion, garlic, chilli, cream… and vodka.
For some reason, I had the idea that the vodka should be set alight like the brandy on a Christmas pudding.
I’d cook down the tomato sauce, then pour the vodka over top and set a match to it. Blue flames would dance impressively across the surface and die down, after which I’d stir through the cream. Continue reading
According to my daughter, these courgette fries are like “vegetarian calamari”. I know what she means.
While no one would confuse the texture of squid with courgette, they are similarly satisfying in flavour and crunch. And being baked, they are reasonably healthy as well.
I first ate them at a Vancouver restaurant called Las Tapas that I adored, and have been making my own version ever since.
Shakshouka – eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce – is one of our favourite Sunday brunches. It’s a good, quick supper too, and something I’ll think to make when feeding two.
When that’s the case, I preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and make the sauce in my cast iron frying pan. After cracking the eggs over the sauce, I pop the frying pan in the oven (uncovered) for about five minutes until the eggs are cooked through.
Lightly cooked green beans and peas on a bed of fresh peashoots with walnuts and a miso-sake dressing makes a fresh, healthy lunch.
I go with whatever combination of beans I have to hand – mangetout and podded edamame are both good and give an interesting visual and texture contrast. Continue reading
Chocolate pear puddings are a good recipe to have up your sleeve when you hadn’t been planning to make dessert, but pester power prevails.
They’re quick to make, use basic store cupboard ingredients, and are definitely more than the sum of their parts.
Other soft fruits work as well – I’ve made these puddings with raspberries and bananas when I was pear-less and they were just as nice.
I have two spinach soups in my repetoire – this soothing, mellow one with leeks, potatoes and a splash of cream – and a spicier, Asian-influenced soup with citrus and ginger.
Making Japanese curry from scratch for the first time was the high point of my week.
I discovered Japanese curry when I lived in Tokyo after finishing uni, and became an instant convert. I love the thick, slightly sweet taste of the sauce, and the way it sticks to the vegetables like a thick coat of paint.
What makes Japanese curry unique is the roux, which is sold in thick bars. I’ve always lived where Asian ingredients are easy to come by, and usually have a packet of Japanese curry in the cupboard.
You fry, then simmer, your veg, meat or tofu to the point of tenderness, dissolve a chunk of roux in the pan and instant curry goodness ensues. Continue reading
I adore kung pao chicken – the hotter and more mouth numbing it is, the better I like it. However, the rest of the family don’t share my tolerance for hot food.
To make kung pao chicken the whole family can enjoy, I use a few dried chillies for base heat when cooking, remove the girls’ portions, then stir through additional fresh chillies for the grown-ups.
