With Nouse’s 60th Anniversary this month, it only feels appropriate to stir up some nostalgia and take our palates back to the 1960s! Post-war Britain saw a rise in flavour and decadence compared to the rationing throughout the previous decades; to pay homage to the chefs of the past, I will provide student-friendly recipes for select dishes of the period. Three delicious courses to try, an opportunity to practice your cooking skills while away from home: Prawn Cocktail, Toad in the Hole and Black Forest Gateau.
Prawn Cocktail
Ingredients
4 tbsp Mayonnaise
2 tbsp Ketchup
2 tbsp Tabasco sauce
Juice 1/2 lemon, plus wedges to serve
1/4 iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 spring onions, chopped
400g cooked king prawns, shelled
Paprika for dusting
Method
1. Mix the Mayo, Ketchup and Tabasco in a mixing bowl until well combined. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and black pepper.
2. Divide the shredded lettuce among the glasses. Sprinkle over the chopped chives and spring onions, then top with the prawns and sauce. Dust each portion with paprika and put a lemon wedge on the side for squeezing. Serve straight away.
The traditional recipe calls for Wine Glasses or Coupes but a bowl will do fine if you’re making this for fun.
Toad in the Hole
Ingredients
2 tbsp Sunflower oil
8 Sausages, About 450g
150 g Plain flour
Pinch of Salt
3 Eggs
200 ml Semi-skimmed milk
50 ml Water
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C.
2. Add the oil and sausages to an oven-proof dish make sure to coat everything with the oil. Then place the dish in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Whisk flour and salt with the eggs until you have a smooth, thick paste.
4. Add a third of the milk, whisk until smooth, add the rest, along with the water and again whisk until totally smooth.
5. Remove the dish from the oven and then pour in the batter around the sausages.
6. Return to the oven and reduce the temperature to 200°C. Cook for 30 minutes. Serve immediately when crisp and golden.
Don’t open the oven until at least 25 minutes have passed or you’ll risk having a flattened meal!
Black Forest Gateau
Ingredients
175g salted butter plus extra for the tin
200g dark chocolate, broken into chunks
300g plain flour
375g golden caster sugar
25g cocoa
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs
200g natural yogurt
To assemble
425g can of pitted cherries
100g morello cherry jam
4 tbsp juice from a can of cherries
500ml double cream
3 tbsp icing sugar
1 small punnet fresh cherries (optional)
Method
1. Heat the oven to 180C and boil your kettle. Then grease and line the base of your cake tins. Put the butter and 75g chocolate in a small pan and gently heat, stirring, until completely melted.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda with a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and yoghurt together.
3. Scrape the melted chocolate mixture and egg mixture into the dry ingredients, add 100ml boiling water and mix with a whisk until the cake batter is lump-free.
4. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25 mins, swapping the tins around after 20 mins if they’re on different shelves. To test they're done, push in a skewer and check that it comes out clean.
5. Prick the cakes a few times with a skewer. Mix the 2 tbsp reserved cherry juice and the kirsch (or more juice) and drizzle over the cakes. Cool the cakes.
6. Mix the remaining drained cherries and jam. Pour 200ml of the cream into a small pan and heat until just below the simmering point. Chop the remaining chocolate and put it in a heatproof bowl, pour over the hot cream and stir until melted. Set aside until spreadable.
7. When the cakes are cool whisk the remaining cream and the icing sugar together until softly whipped. Spread over two of the cakes, then spoon over the jammy cherries. Stack the cakes together. Spread the chocolate cream over the third cake and sit on top of the other cakes. Pile the fresh cherries in and around the cake and serve.
