My friends and I have greatly enjoyed Downton Abbey and after watching seasons one and two we decided to gather for a Downton Abbey themed dinner party. All of the recipes came from The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook written by Emily Ansara Baines. As you will see from the photos, we had a lot of fun together! We enjoyed dressing as up, our place cards had the names of various women living in Downton Abbey, and when it came time to serve each course, we read the description from the cookbook (each of us had chosen one dish to bring). With season 3 already pre-ordered, plans are underway for our next Downton Abbey gathering. We hope you enjoy these recipes and the fun of gathering with friends.
The Menu
Velvety Cream of Mushroom Soup
Velvety Cream of Mushroom Soup
Decadent Duchess Potatoes
Walnut and Celery Salad with Pecorino
Crawley Family Chicken Breasts with Caper Cream Sauce
Creamy Chocolate Mousse
Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce
Velvety Cream of Mushroom Soup
What makes Mrs. Patmore's cream of mushroom soup so irresistible is its luxurious, velvety texture, which, after reading the famous and highly esteemed master chef Escoffier's treatise on French cooking, Mrs. Patmore would know could only be established by forming a delicious veloute - a mixture of a butter-flour roux with chicken stock - as the base.
For Veloute
6 cups chicken stock
2 Tb. unsalted butter
2 Tb. all purpose flour
For Soup
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 pound crimini or porcini mushrooms
2 shallots, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. saffron
1 Tb. brandy
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
Method
1. In a medium-sized pot, heat chicken stock to a light simmer.
2. In a separate pot over medium-high heat, heat 2 Tb. unsalted butter until it starts to froth. Then stir in flour. Continually stirring, allow to cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. Do not let brown.
3. Whisk the warm stock into the roux and let simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently. It should slowly cool down by at least a third and be silky, or velvety, in appearance.
4. While the veloute simmers, make the mushroom base: In a saute pan over medium heat, melt butter.
5. Finely mince the mushrooms and shallots, and add to pan. Then add 1 tsp. salt. Simmer, covered, for
several minutes or until shallots are translucent and the mushrooms lose their water.
6. In a very small dish, stir the saffron into the brandy, then add to mushroom base. Turn up the heat, then stir to combine. Stir until the brandy is nearly gone.
7. Using an immersion blender, puree the mushroom base.
8. Strain mushroom puree through a fine mesh sieve, then add to veloute. Thoroughly stir together the two mixtures, then simmer for 15 minutes.
9. In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks and heavy cream. Then ladle, a little at a time, some of the soup into the cream mixture. This allows you to slowly temper the eggs with the hot stock so nothing congeals. Once you have 5 ladles of soup in the cream mixture, pour it all back into the soup mixture and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes, but do not boil.
This soup was delicious!
Decadent Duchess Potatoes
These bites of potato are little works of art. Daisy would have to spend a great deal of time with Mrs. Patmore to perfect these so they were acceptable for the Granthams' table.
Ingredients
2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. white pepper
3 large egg yolks
2 Tb. melted butter
Method
1. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted cold water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, melt 2 Tb. of butter in a small bowl and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and place potatoes back in the pot over low heat. Allow them to release steam, then add the 2 Tb. melted butter and mash until the butter is incorporated. Thoroughly mix in cheese, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Finally, mix in egg yolks. Mash until the mixture is smooth but do not mash too much.
4. Using a piping bag with a large star point, pipe the potatoes onto a cookie sheet. Drizzle the rosettes with melted butter. Bake the potatoes for 15-30 minutes or until heated through. Then place the baking sheet under a preheated broiler, about 6-8 inches from the heat, and broil until the tops are golden brown.
Crawley Family Chicken Breasts with Caper Cream Sauce
This dish combines the Edwardian love for capers/salty appetizers in a fancy entree. As this is a relatively inexpensive yet still elegant dish to offer, this would be a staple for dinner at Downton Abbey when no guests are present.
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. fresh dill
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4 Tb. unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, diced
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 Tb. dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tb. capers, drained and rinsed
Method
1. Thoroughly season chicken breasts with lemon pepper, sea salt, black pepper, dill, and garlic powder. Then marinate chicken breasts for at least 2 hours in lemon juice.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sugar, and saute for 5 minutes. Then place breasts in skillet and increase heat to medium high. Turn chicken frequently until brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook breasts for 5-7 minutes or until breasts are cooked through. Remove chicken, cover with foil, and keep warm.
3. Increase heat to high, and whisk in wine and heavy cream. Whisk until mixture is reduced to a sauce-like consistency, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, then stir in capers. Pour sauce over chicken breasts and serve.
Walnut and Celery Salad with Pecorino
This dish, while likely enjoyed by the Downton Abbey staff, would be considered too plebian for the aristocrats of Downton due to its lack of fancy French ingredients.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole walnuts
2 small shallots, minced
2 Tb. sherry vinegar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tb. walnut oil
2 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds celery, thinly sliced
4 ounces dry Pecornio cheese, thinly shaved
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Evenly spread walnuts in a medium-sized pie dish and toast for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
2. In a small bowl, combine the shallots with the sherry vinegar. Then whisk in the lemon juice, walnut oil, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the celery and the Pecorino cheese. Add in the dressing, then toss. Serve immediately.
Creamy Chocolate Mousse
Don't let the texture deceive you; this mousse is actually quite filling, especially when compared to most modern mousses found today. Mousse, named after the French word mousse meaning "lather", or "foam", is a delicious and unique option for a dinner party and would be quite popular amongst all the daughters of Downton when they had a particular craving for chocolate
Ingredients
10 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 Tb. dark brewed coffee
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tb. dark rum
1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
1 tsp. sea salt
Method
1. Melt chocolate and butter in a double-boiler over slightly simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove chocolate butter mixture from heat and stir in coffee. Set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks together in a small bowl until extremely thick, about 3-5 minutes. Then whisk egg yolks, vanilla extract, and rum into the chocolate mixture.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the whipping cream with the electric blender until stiff peaks form.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg whites and salt until soft peaks form.
5. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Transfer to one large serving bowl or into individual bowls. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce
This exceptionally sugary chocolate dessert might not look fancy, but it's one of the most delicious Edwardian treats available. From the Earl of Grantham all the way down to Daisy, everyone at Downton Abbey would enjoy this dish. As it's not as beautiful as many of the desserts in Mrs. Patmore's canon, it is likely that this would be reserved for just the family when they have no guests.
For Sauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 Tb. unsalted butter
1 tsp. kosher salt
For Bread Pudding
1 pound French baguette bread, cubed
2 3/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup coffee liqueur such as amaretto
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup high-quality cocoa powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tb. vanilla extract
2 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. cinnamon
6 eggs, lightly beaten
8 oz. high-quality semisweet chocolate, grated
Method
2. Remove sugar from heat, then whisk in heavy cream. Allow mixture to bubble. Stir in butter and salt. Transfer caramel to dish to cool.
3. For pudding: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
4. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, then place bread cubes in dish.
5. In a large bowl, mix together milk, cream, and coffee liqueur.
6. In another bowl, thoroughly whisk together white sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, mixing well.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together vanilla extract, almond extract, and cinnamon into the lightly beaten eggs. Combine the egg mixture into the milk and coffee liqueur mixture and mix well.
8. Add grated semisweet and milk chocolates into mixture, then pour over bread in the pan. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until bread absorbs most of the milk mixture.
9. Place baking pan in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in middle of pudding comes out clean. Serve warm with caramel sauce.
Bon appetit!
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