While the harvest season has those on tenant farms working to bring in crops, it has those in London enjoying fresh produce and an opportunity for seasonal dishes. From pumpkin or squash soup to roasted corn, the imagination might take a cook anywhere with such bounty. Fruits included pears, grapes, nuts, strawberries, cherries, melons, green apricots, gooseberries, currants, nectarines, and peaches. But one of the staple fruits named when looking up dishes for the Regency is apples, also known as pippin when the trees in the orchard or found in nature have not been grafted. As it is impossible to avoid recipes including them, even when one is looking for something of a more orange or lemon flavor. As this is apple-picking season, I decided I would compile some recipes.
For me, as I have been known to drink beverages both savory and sweet, mead and cyder (cider) come readily to mind. Orchards were planted around England during the 16th and 17th centuries. Canals delivered most of the harvests.
Apples are one of many versatile fruits and were used in main course dishes such as pork, and still are. Apples can be used as a sauce, but I have also used slices and baked them with a pork roast and have used apple and cranberry juices to slow-cook a roast for a Sunday dinner. The recipe for the one from the Regency can be found here: Pork and Apples – Jane Austen articles and blog.
And apples take the cake in desserts. I plan to try this apple and orange tart recipe this harvest season! Yes, I have a jar of honey from my mother set aside just for this savory treat. It is from the Elizabethan era, but a recipe such as this would stand the test of time.
A Sixteenth Century Apple and Orange Tart – Culinary Historians of NY (culinaryhistoriansny.org)
But one of the most surprising treats I found is called Anna Austen’s Apple Snow. The light and fluffy dessert, similar to a meringue, looks like snow! Anna Austen’s Apple Snow – Jane Austen articles and blog
I hope you are inspired to try one of these recipes to make the table look all the more festive this harvest season!
Sources for Apples Here, There, and Everywhere!
Hilden, L.A. “Food and Drink in Regency England” L.A. Hilden Author of Fantasy, Time Travel, and Historical Regency, June 21, 2012 Food and Drink in Regency England – L.A. Hilden (lahilden.com)
Boyle, Laura “Pork and Apples” Janeausten.co.uk, January 10, 2000, Pork and Apples – Jane Austen articles and blog
Boyle, Laura “Anna Austen’s Apple Snow” Janeausten.co.uk, June 17, 2011, Anna Austen’s Apple Snow – Jane Austen articles and blog
Culinary Historians of New York “A Sixteenth Century Apple and Orange Tart” Culinary Historians of New York ©2024 A Sixteenth Century Apple and Orange Tart – Culinary Historians of NY (culinaryhistoriansny.org)
Leave a Reply