Of Rice and Romans

 Being interested in all things Roman, I was delighted to chance upon an amazing archaeological site in the village of Vieux La Romaine in Normandy, France. Our visit coincided with ‘Les Journees du Patrimoine’  September Heritage weekend and a special ‘Salon de The’ was put on by the members of the ‘Comité de Jumelage de Vieux et Otterton’. A tempting array of savoury and sweet flans were on offer to visitors, all served up with a smile and a cheerful explanation of each dish.  

Most impressive was the famous local Norman speciality -  La Teurgoule – a rice pudding flavoured with cinnamon. It’s absolutely stunning to taste. The ladies explained that they make it in a large pot for special community festivities and the crusty topping is the best bit! Here’s the recipe for a smaller family celebration.

La Teurgoule

600ml/1 pint milk (whole not skimmed)

75g/3 oz pudding rice

2 tbsps sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Knob of butter

Grease an ovenproof dish with butter. Mix the rice, sugar and cinnamon in the dish. Add the milk and stir around. Dot the top with butter. Place in a preheated oven (150C/Mark 2/300F) for about 3-3 ½ hours. Test with a knife to see if the mixture has thickened and is creamy. Allow to cool and serve ‘tiede’ i.e. warm

Meryl says : This recipe reminded me so much of Grandma Abson’s luscious rice pudding slowly cooked in the coal oven range. We loved scraping the crusty bits around the edge! 

If you have ever wanted to imagine life in the Roman Empire, then this place is a ‘must see’. The Head of Archaeology and her small team of experts and volunteers are doing a fantastic job. With 3 major excavation sites, as well as a well designed museum containing a huge amount of artefacts, this location deserves a must see place on the Roman archaeology trail.

It’s Apple day!

Pommes en pate

It’s Apple day on 21 October! This is a relatively new custom which began in 1990 in Covent Garden, London. You can make whatever dish you like, as long as you use apples.

Grandma's favourite apple recipes was Apple Pie but here's one of my favourite French recipes, Pommes en Pate from Normandy. It has ground almonds and a splash of Calvados to bring out the taste of the apples. Grandma loved this one too. 

I use Grandma’s recipe for Shortcrust Pastry and Bramley cooking apples as I prefer their sharper flavour. If the apples are large then you’ll want to serve a half or even a quarter of the dish as it is very filling!

Ingredients

4 apples (peeled and cored)

3 oz/75g ground almonds

2 oz/50g brown sugar (I usually omit the sugar)

1 tsp cinnamon

1oz/25g butter

2 tbsps Calvados (Optional)

Shortcrust pastry

Beaten egg (I brush the pastry to ensure a golden crust)

Peel and core the apples

Place each one in the centre of a 8 inch/20 cm round of pastry. Mix together the ground almonds, sugar (if used) and cinnamon. Fill the hole of each apple with the ground almond mixture, add a splash of Calvados and place a small knob of butter at the top of the hollowed core. 

Wrap the pastry around the apple to cover completely. Cover the join at the top with a leaf shape cut out of spare pastry. Brush the pastry with beaten egg. Place on a baking tray and bake in a pre heated oven at 180C, Mark 4, 350F for 30 minutes. A larger apple may require longer cooking time to make sure it is soft. Serve with ice cream, crème fraiche or custard (crème anglaise!) 

Delicieux!

Enjoy Apple Day! What's your favourite?