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May I invite you to Aunt Agatha's Cuisine?
This site is a tribute to P.G. Wodehouse. It is meant to grow as more recipes relating to Plum's books, in particular the famous dinner prepared by Anatole in The Code of the Woosters, are found or re-created. You can find the recipes re-created by Albert Roux in Anatole's Cuisine.
Have a cocktail before you tuck into something more substantial.
Aunt Agatha
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1 1/4 oz dark Rum
2 oz orange juice
3 drops of Bitter
Pour the rum and orange juice into a rocks glass half-filled with ice cubes. Float the bitters on top, garnish with an orange slice, and serve.
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The Bénédictins Blancs are mentioned in the menu of the Dinner that will live in Legend and Song as described in The Code of the Woosters. After thorough study and ample deliberation with our French connoisseurs, and a real Benedictine monk (not to be confused with Bénédictine, the liqueur), we have been able to re-create the original recipe, we think.
Bénédictins Blancs
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Serves 6
125 gr butter
4 eggs
150 gr almond powder
100 gr flour
175 gr powdered sugar
2 sachets vanilla flavoured sugar (15 gr)
1/2 sachet baking powder
4 tablespoons Bénédictine
Melt 100 gr butter in a bowl over a bain-marie. Remove from the heat, add the powdered sugar and the vanilla flavoured sugar, mix with a whisk and, whisking continuously, add the eggs one by one.
Then, still whisking continuously, dredge with the almond powder, the flour and the baking powder, then add the Bénédictine and continue whisking until you have a consistent dough.
Preheat the oven at 200°C.
Grease a cake mould with the rest of the butter. Pour the dough in the mould and put in the oven for 1 hour. To prevent the cake from colouring too fast cover with foil during baking.
Leave to cool before taking the cake out of the mould.
Serve the cake wedges with warm Crème Anglaise. Sprinkle with some grated bitter chocolate.
Crème Anglaise
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1/2 liter milk
1 vanilla pod
6 egg yolks
120 gr castor sugar
Bring the milk with the split vanilla pod to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave for 10 minutes.
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and creamy. Bring the milk to the boil again and pour onto the cream, whisking continuously. Cook over low heat, stirring continuously with a spatula, until the custard thickens slightly. Serve warm on the side.
The Crème Anglaise goes well with many cakes, gateaux or desserts.
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L'Étoile au Berger
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(also on Anatole's menu)
Serves 4 to 6
500 gr crème de marrons (chestnut cream, see recipe below)
35 cl liquid crème fraìche
4 eggs
2 spoons maizena
1 sachet baking powder
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 starshaped cake mould
Heat the oven to 175°C.
Mix the maizena, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix together the crème de marrons, the very cold liquid crème fraìche, the eggs, sugar and the mixture of maizena, baking powder and salt. Mix until you get a creamy dough.
Slightly butter and sprinkle with flour the cake mould and pour the dough in it.
Put in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes. The pastry should rise uniformly. Pierce the pastry in the centre with a needle; when it comes out clean it is ready.
Leave to cool before taking out of the mould.
Crème de Marrons
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Peel the chestnuts (1 kilo). Cook them for 30 to 45 minutes. Mash them and rub them through a fine strainer.
Warm 150 ml whipping cream with a split vanilla pod and 150 gr sugar.
Add the chestnut purée. Reheat while constantly mixing over low heat.
Add 50 gr butter.
If it is too thick, add some whipping cream. Take out the vanilla pod and leave to cool.
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Illustration: Paul Cox
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