Tis the Season to Bake...

RHYS BOWEN: I have to confess that although I am addicted to the Great British Baking show, I am not the world’s most enthusiastic cook. I still truly believe that I should have been born a generation or so earlier so that I could have Mrs. Patmore in the kitchen and good food would magically appear on my table.

But this time I year I have to do a certain amount of baking, because it’s the family tradition and they expect it. Two things were passed down from my mother: mince pies and sausage rolls. They are both so yummy and delicious that I don’t mind the intensive work to make them. (I’ll share a secret. This year my daughter Clare and granddaughter Mary Clare will be at the house and I’m planning to use them in a production line to make things go quicker).

Christmas food is complicated these days by family dietary preferences and needs. One member is lactose free, gluten free, doesn’t eat red meat. Two are pescatarian but also lactose free. That means they won’t eat sausage rolls and my pastry dough can’t be made with butter. And I have no idea what’s going to happen with the Christmas turkey. Has anyone tried a fake turkey for vegans?  If not it will have to be vegetables and stuffing. Oh wait… gluten free one can’t have ordinary stuffing. I’ll have to make some from toasted gluten-free bread for her.

Sigh.

It was so much simpler in my childhood. Everybody ate what was on the table. When I tell the younger family members what we ate I get rolled eyes and exclamations of “Yuck”.

Okay, it was the post-war years in Britain. We were still rationed until 1953, so we ate a lot of offal: liver, kidneys but also heart, tongue, sweetbreads. I really liked them. I still do like lambs liver although I can’t quite bring myself to eat kidneys any more, now I know exactly what they do. And I’ve always drawn the line at brains. I was a student in Germany and my land lady cooked me the most delicious vol au vent. “This is so good,” I said, “What is in it?”

“Calf brains,” she said. And strangely I could hardly swallow the rest of it.

Our baking was always done with lard—animal fat and boy, did it make the pastry taste good. Our steamed puddings including the Christmas pudding, were made with suet (hard bits of animal fat). In the past mincemeat was really made with meat, and during my lifetime with animal suet.

And now I’m on the subject of disgusting things to eat: dripping toast.  We took the fat run by the roast beef or lamb and spread it on toast. I suppose in those days one needed that amount of fat to stay warm in unheated houses. And it also tasted good.

So do share: what was the most disgusting thing you grew up eating (and enjoying?)

Here are my Christmas recipes to share:

Mince pies:

Crosse and Blackwell’s mince meat (you’ll find it in better supermarkets at this time of year)

Your favorite pie crust recipe (I make mine in the Cuisineart) and add a spoonful of sugar to it.

Cut out circles for muffin pans and smaller circles for lids. Half fill with mince meat (too much and it bubbles over).  Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 425 until dough feels crisp to touch (about 15 minutes?)

Sausage Rolls.

In the US I buy Jimmy Dean sage sausage meat.

Either use the same pie crust recipe or buy sheets of puff pastry. Both are good.

Make rolls with sausage meat. I make mine about 2 inches long so they are appetizer sized.

Bake at 400 degrees until done

( I don’t like to give times as ovens vary so much. Mine is slow)

Do you still bake for Christmas? What are your specialties.