No matter where I (virtually) turned, everyone wrote Queen Victoria popularized the Christmas tree. But you see, the dear lady did something much more important, she revitalized the warm spirit of Christmas. The Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas tree) had been part of German holiday celebrations for centuries and although the myth is that Albert brought the tree with him, Victoria’s Hanoverian heritage had put table trees in her childhood memories long before her marriage to her beloved German Prince Albert. When Godey’s Ladies Book published their American version of the 1848 London Illustrated News engraving of the royal family around the Christmas tree in 1850 … well suddenly everyone wanted a Christmas tree!
Victoria loved to celebrate Christmas at Osborne. It was a magnificent Italianate palace designed by Prince Albert, and built by Robert Cubitt from 1845 to 1851 and the family spent many Christmases there, tucked away from Court life at Windsor. It was the young couple’s style of family warmth (there were to be 9 children from their 20 year marriage, after all) and caring that changed the face of Christmas. Before them, Christmas was only celebrated by the well-to-do. Everyone else worked that day, as always.
1843 A Christmas Carol
With their influence, many of their subjects broke the shackles of the old Cromwellian Bah! Humbug! holiday and once again honored the spirit of Christmas as immortalized in Charles Dicken’s 1843 A Christmas Carol with family parties and gifts.
I read all about the Osborne House Christmas at Edwardian Promenade. The largest tree went at the foot of the grand staircase at Osborne House but the household tree went into the Durbar room (after it was constructed in 1891--you can read more about Durbar HERE at Art and Architecture Mostly ) where it was decorated with candles, tinsel, ornaments and spices. Large tables were laden with confectionary delights and presents for staff and individual tables were set with gifts for each family member so Queen Victoria could inspect them easily.
Christmas dinner started at 9pm and for that “50 turkeys, a 140-pound baron of beef [both sides of the rump with the back part of the sirloin] that took ten hours to roast over a spit, hundreds of pounds of lamb, dozens of geese, and crate after crate of vegetables, all shipped by train from Windsor. The confectionery chef and his staff spent days crafting 82 pounds of raisins, 60 pounds of orange and lemon peel, 2 pounds of cinnamon, 330 pounds of sugar, 24 bottles of brandy into the Christmas mincemeat.” I would imagine that the Plum Pudding had been stashed away earlier (they were traditionally made on Stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent – Nov 21 this year) so that they would be perfect for the festivities. Some people make the pudding the year before and continue to splash it with liquor from time to time. Nigella Lawson makes hers the day of the celebration so… your choice.
For the royal sweets display, staff might have used pieces from the Minton dessert service, personally chosen by Queen Victoria at the Great Exhibition in 1851 and called The Victoria Dessert Service. Although it was originally 116 pieces (and cost 1,000 guineas), the Queen gave 69 pieces to the Austrian Emperor (delivered by Herbert Minton himself) but kept the rest for herself. She later added plates to the service (she had given the originals to the Emperor!). It is on display in the State Dining Room at Windsor till Jan 1.
1851 Victoria Minton Dessert Set
The amazing Ivan Day did an intimate dessert service at Osborne House using similar Minton pieces with an elegant sterling epergne and gorgeous molded desserts (including a Nesselrode pudding fashioned after a beehive) and colorful jellies that must have made the assembly giddy with delight (you can take classes with him to learn to make these beauties)!
When I looked at good Queen Victoria’s 1896 menu I was torn between "Les Dindes rôties à la Chipolata" (turkey with sausages and chestnuts -- how good does that sound?) or the plum pudding. The pudding won out since I hadn’t made it in ages and I just had a week’s worth of turkey after Thanksgiving. I made this baby 2 weeks before Christmas and it will sit until Xmas day when its’ boozy Scotchy goodness is ready to be devoured after dinner just like Victoria might have done… or Dickens or… well anyone English or English at heart!
Plum pudding or something like it goes back at least to the Middle Ages in England. Lovely Elinor Fettiplace had a recipe that is nearly the same from 1604 save that it was cooked with a technique the Romans used… in a sheep’s stomach instead of a cloth or bowl (it had eggs, flour, suet and the ubiquitous currants and raisins like its modern cousin). I believe that it was during the 18th century that the stomach was replaced by a cloth (sadly, I can’t nail down the exact time) that enclosed the pudding and then was boiled in a large pot, suspended on a pole stretched across the top of the pot. The bowl came in toward the end of the 19th century and is what is most commonly used today… although a few diehards do still use the pudding cloth!
This is a combination of many recipes that I’ve done over the years… the scotch makes it a little earthier. Using it was a happy accident. I had run out of brandy when I was all ready to make it once upon a time, and substituted scotch… and scotch it has remained. I recommend the peaty goodness of an Islay scotch (Lagavulin is my favorite!). It makes the dried fruit really dark and delicious and does spectacular things to the orange marmalade. May I suggest a genius ancient idea for leftover pudding? Slice it and stick it under your spit to catch meat drippings (or save them to soak up meat juices) as they did in the old days… what a flavorful treat that would be (I can’t wait to try it!!). Use the final alcohol warmed and set aflame for the special presentation of the pudding. Often, people turn out the lights to better see the flaming dessert… quite a bit of Christmas drama. Oh, and if I may say... I spent years avoiding suet in my pudding (called it bird food).... now that I have a grass-fed supplier in Grazin Angus Acres... well it makes all the difference... what I was missing!
Plum Pudding with Lagavulin Scotch
6 oz shredded suet from Grazin Angus Acres
6 oz raisins
8 oz currants
1/3 c Scotch (Lagavulin or any peaty Scotch will work well)
1 c cider
1 quince, peeled seeded and grated
3-4 c breadcrumbs
1 c flour
4 eggs from Grazin Angus Acres in Union Square NYC
1 t grated nutmeg.
½ t ground mace
½ t ground cinnamon
½ t salt ( I used a smoked salt)
1 c.milk (or a little more)
1 ½ c light brown sugar (demerara)
½ c Candied lemon peel, chopped (I took the peel of 2 lemons and cooked it in sugar syrup [1 c sugar to ½ c water] for 1 hour over a slow flame until peel is soft and translucent, drain, sprinkle with sugar and let dry)
1/3 c bitter orange marmalade
½ c Citron peel (this is available at Market Hall Foods made without corn syrup)
You will need a 6c pudding bowl/basin or mold, lightly buttered.
Sauce:
4 egg yolks, beaten well
1/3 c brown sugar (demerara)
¼ c scotch
1/2 lemon (zest only)
½ c cream
grated nutmeg
50ml 2 oz scotch
holly with berries.
Marinate the raisins and currents in the scotch and cider for at least a day.
In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and spice well together, mix in the milk a little at a time, then add the rest of the ingredients including the liquid from the raisins and currants, stir thoroughly. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave for two hours (or overnight). Uncover the bowl, mix thoroughly once more, if the pudding mixture is a little wet add in some more plain flour and stir.
Butter a pudding bowl or mold, pack within 1½” and cover it with a center-pleated piece of parchment, cover that with a pleated piece of foil and tie both securely. The pleats will allow for expansion… there will be a little. You will have enough left over for 1 or 2 small custard cup size puddings. They are cooked in about 3 hours instead of 6
Put the pudding in a steamer with a rack on the bottom (or an upturned plate or crumpled foil) so the pudding doesn’t sit on the bottom of the pot.
Pour boiling water ½ way up the pudding and steam slowly at a low simmer for 6 hours… taking care to check that the water level stays constant. Add boiling water when needed. Remove from water, cover with new paper and refrigerate till ready to use. When ready, repeat the process and warm for 2-3 hours till heated through. If you are making it the day of, steam for 7 hours.
To make the sauce: warm the cream, sugar, lemon zest and scotch till the sugar melts. Add the yolks and under low heat, stir constantly until thickened... taking care not to curdle the eggs.
Then soak the pudding with some scotch and store. Put holly in the top of the pudding, warm the last scotch and light for a little Christmas drama!
To make the sauce: warm the cream, sugar, lemon zest and scotch till the sugar melts. Add the yolks and under low heat, stir constantly until thickened... taking care not to curdle the eggs.
Then soak the pudding with some scotch and store. Put holly in the top of the pudding, warm the last scotch and light for a little Christmas drama!
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This is another lovely drink from 1869's Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks and it's a great one for holiday celebrations.
Trinidad Punch
2 c rum (I used Haitian Barbancourt)
3-4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
½ vanilla bean or 1 t vanilla
4 c coconut milk
½ c sugar
lime for garnish
Warm and combine coconut milk and chocolate and sugar till melted. Add the vanilla and rum. I did add more chocolate… the original is 1 ounce.
May be served warm or cold and is delicious both ways.
Thanks to Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday!
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