Lady Charlotte's Desserts

The next variation which their visit afforded
was produced by the entrance of servants with
cold meat, cake, and a variety of all the finest fruits in season;
but this did not take place till after many a significant look and smile
from Mrs. Annesley to Miss Darcy had been given, to remind her of her post.
There was now employment for the whole party
-- for though they could not all talk,
they could all eat;
and the beautiful pyramids of grapes, nectarines, and peaches
soon collected them round the table.
Pride and Prejudice (Chapter 45)

~*~

Pink Reims Biscuits Squares
by Trish Deseine

Note by Lady Charlotte: I really recommend this recipe, it’s simple, quick, yummy and always a success ! Reims Biscuits are of course easy to find in France, but I wasn’t sure if it would be the case in America. I found some to buy online here.

250g Pink Reims Biscuits
3 tsp of sugar
1 egg
125g softened butter
3 tsp kirsh
Icing sugar for decorating

Mix the biscuits until powdered.

Add sugar and egg to a pan until melt.

In a bowl, soften the butter until creamy.

Add the sugar-egg mix, the biscuits’ powder, and the kirsh.

Mix with your hands until it becomes a paste.

Spread the paste on a baking dish or a plate, cover with cling film and leave in the refrigerator for an hour.

Cut small squares in the paste and decorate with icing sugar or other.


~*~

Buttered Apples
From Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management
Apple marmalade
6 or 7 good boiling apples
1/2 pint of water
6 oz. of sugar
2 oz. of butter
a little apricot jam.

Pare the apples, and take out the cores without dividing them.

Boil up the sugar and water for a few minutes, then lay in the apples, and simmer them very gently until tender, taking care not to let them break.

Have ready sufficient marmalade made, and flavoured with lemon, to cover the bottom of the dish.

Arrange the apples on this with a piece of butter placed in each, and in between them a few spoonfuls of apricot jam or marmalade.

Place the dish in the oven for 10 minutes, then sprinkle over the top sifted sugar; either brown it before the fire or with a salamander, and serve hot.


~*~
For more regency recipes:

The Jane Austen Centre

Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management

Food and Drink in Regency England

Here is a great blog where you can find intriguing informations about the Regency Period:

Jane Austen’s World

And here are two cookbooks related to the regency period and Jane Austen:

Jane Austen and Food by Maggie Lane

The Jane Austen Cookbook by Maggie Black

*guest post and sketch created by Charlotte of The Book on the Hill

Thanks Charlotte!