The Creative Hostess Oxford Cookbook

I have never been to Oxford and possibly one day I will. Until then finding this cookbook in E-town will have to do. I put this book in the same category as the one done by the The Terrace Times Cookbook on London. Compact, full of tidbits and facts and all tossed with some interesting recipes. 

This book is a nice little memento of one's visit to Oxford and I can only imagine why it ended up at Goodwill. It's wildly out of date and certain recipes are a bit extravagant. The chances of coming back from Oxford and cooking up some of these recipes was possibly unlikely therefore making this book strictly a memento. A faded discarded memory... until I found it.

The majority if not all of the recipes come from Oxford restaurants and hotels circa 1981. Whether those places are still in existence remains to be seen. The drawings are quaint and done by Geraldine Marchand. The recipes are divided into three chapters. Super Starters, Main Dishes and Desserts and Teatime Treats. Recipes to note are the Munchy Munchy Salad Dip, Jerusalem Artichoke Mousse, Chicken Veronica, Zabaglione al Marsala and the Petti Di Pollo Reale.  

Note: I did google some of the restaurants and hotels; the Turf Tavern, the Opium Den, The Nosebag, The Old Parsonage Hotel and the Isis Hotel, for which most of these recipes are derived from and surprisingly found that they are still up and running with a majority having a four out of five star rating. I will share the Turf Tavern's Special Dessert recipe with notes and quotes.


Turf's Special Dessert
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This unusual jam and curd tart is a popular pudding at the Turf Tavern, an old inn much frequented by the student population. 

250g/ 8 oz Shortcrust pastry
3 tablespoons Raspberry Jam
3 tablespoons Lemon Curd
125g/4oz ground almonds
125g/4oz cooked flaky or puff pastry*

1. Line a greased 20 cm (8 inch) flan tin with shortcrust pastry.
2. Mix together the jam and the lemon curd and spread over the bottom of the flan.
3. Sprinkle over the ground almonds.
4. Cover the cooked, crumbled flaky pastry and bake in a moderate oven, 180ºC, 350ºF, gas mark 4, for 25-30 minutes. Serves 6. 

*This ingredient may not be readily available to the home cook. Lightly crushed cornflakes give it a comparable result.

"The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday - but never jam today." 
- Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll, 1832-1898  

AND...

I will also share the Lemon Chicken dish.

Lemon Chicken Cantonese Style 
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This light and pretty dish from the Opium Den may be served as part of a Chinese meal or with vegetables.

4 Chicken breasts 
4 tablespoons Flour 
1 Egg, beaten 
Oil for frying 
1 Lemon, squeezed
2 teaspoons sugar
1 Egg white
4 slices of lemon

1. Slice the chicken breasts into thin slices (5mm, 1/4 inch)
2. Put 3 tablespoons of the flour on a flat plate. Beat the egg in a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. 
3. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg, then into the flour and deep fry in oil. Transfer to a warm plate and keep warm.
4. Whisk together inn a bowl the lemon juice, sugar, 300ml (1/2 pint, 1 cup) hot water and remaining flour, making sure the flour is properly dissolved. Pour into a sauce pan and heat until boiling, stirring all the time, until the sauce has thicken. Adjust sweetness to taste.
5. Just before serving, stir in the egg white so that it forms strands. Pour over the chicken and top with lemon slices. 

If I ever make it to Oxford let alone one of these places I will let you know! - JW