Interesting article about mother/grandmother recipes in The Guardian
today https://tinyurl.com/y6ou9rgm

Unless they were written down by mother/grandmother and that ancient
written copy kept and followed to the letter each time I thinks it's
almost guaranteed to have evolved into a different dish.

I'd been making Chilli con Carne from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery
Course since it was first published 40 years ago. I knew the recipe so
well that it's decades since I last looked at the recipe in the book.

Then a couple of years ago I was running late so called my wife and
asked her to make the chilli for which the ingredients were already in
the house. When she asked how I said just follow the recipe in Delia's
Complete Cookery Course.

It was completely different to the Chilli con Carne I make! Over the
years my making of Delia's chilli had ever so slowly evolved into my
Chilli con Carne and was no longer Delia's recipe.

Malcolm

On 2021-12-30 6:15 a.m., Malcolm Loades wrote:
> Interesting article about mother/grandmother recipes in The Guardian
> today https://tinyurl.com/y6ou9rgm
>
> Unless they were written down by mother/grandmother and that ancient
> written copy kept and followed to the letter each time I thinks it's
> almost guaranteed to have evolved into a different dish.
>
> I'd been making Chilli con Carne from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery
> Course since it was first published 40 years ago.  I knew the recipe so
> well that it's decades since I last looked at the recipe in the book.
>
> Then a couple of years ago I was running late so called my wife and
> asked her to make the chilli for which the ingredients were already in
> the house.  When she asked how I said just follow the recipe in Delia's
> Complete Cookery Course.
>
> It was completely different to the Chilli con Carne I make!  Over the
> years my making of Delia's chilli had ever so slowly evolved into my
> Chilli con Carne and was no longer Delia's recipe.
>
> Malcolm
I'm sure the almond tarts that I make at xmas, instead of mince pies,
are different from those my mother made. They were certainly a bit
different this year as there was a power failure while I was baking and
my oven's temperature was off. Never buy a Bosch oven!!!!!!

Incidentally, I have an old exercise book with at least 3 generations of
recipes, the earliest written in the most beautiful copperplate hand,
that was started by my ex's great-great grandmother. There are recipes
for brewing beer (and restoring stale beer) mushroom ketchup and many
cakes, but the latter require knowledge of baking with a coal-fired
oven. There are also home remedies and instructions for making stove
blacking.

On Thursday, 30 December 2021 at 13:15:35 UTC, Malcolm Loades wrote:
> Interesting article about mother/grandmother recipes in The Guardian
> today https://tinyurl.com/y6ou9rgm
>
> Unless they were written down by mother/grandmother and that ancient
> written copy kept and followed to the letter each time I thinks it's
> almost guaranteed to have evolved into a different dish.
>
> I'd been making Chilli con Carne from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery
> Course since it was first published 40 years ago. I knew the recipe so
> well that it's decades since I last looked at the recipe in the book.
>
> Then a couple of years ago I was running late so called my wife and
> asked her to make the chilli for which the ingredients were already in
> the house. When she asked how I said just follow the recipe in Delia's
> Complete Cookery Course.
>
> It was completely different to the Chilli con Carne I make! Over the
> years my making of Delia's chilli had ever so slowly evolved into my
> Chilli con Carne and was no longer Delia's recipe.
>
> Malcolm

Isn't that what happens to all recipes, my Christmas pud recipe comes originally from the same book Delia's complete cookery course. However, said pud now has more grated apple and acrrot and a load more brandy in it!!!

On Thursday, 30 December 2021 at 15:59:16 UTC, Graham wrote:
> On 2021-12-30 6:15 a.m., Malcolm Loades wrote:
> > Interesting article about mother/grandmother recipes in The Guardian
> > today https://tinyurl.com/y6ou9rgm
> >
> > Unless they were written down by mother/grandmother and that ancient
> > written copy kept and followed to the letter each time I thinks it's
> > almost guaranteed to have evolved into a different dish.
> >
> > I'd been making Chilli con Carne from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery
> > Course since it was first published 40 years ago. I knew the recipe so
> > well that it's decades since I last looked at the recipe in the book.
> >
> > Then a couple of years ago I was running late so called my wife and
> > asked her to make the chilli for which the ingredients were already in
> > the house. When she asked how I said just follow the recipe in Delia's
> > Complete Cookery Course.
> >
> > It was completely different to the Chilli con Carne I make! Over the
> > years my making of Delia's chilli had ever so slowly evolved into my
> > Chilli con Carne and was no longer Delia's recipe.
> >
> > Malcolm
> I'm sure the almond tarts that I make at xmas, instead of mince pies,
> are different from those my mother made. They were certainly a bit
> different this year as there was a power failure while I was baking and
> my oven's temperature was off. Never buy a Bosch oven!!!!!!
>
> Incidentally, I have an old exercise book with at least 3 generations of
> recipes, the earliest written in the most beautiful copperplate hand,
> that was started by my ex's great-great grandmother. There are recipes
> for brewing beer (and restoring stale beer) mushroom ketchup and many
> cakes, but the latter require knowledge of baking with a coal-fired
> oven. There are also home remedies and instructions for making stove
> blacking.

When I moved to France I had to get used to cooking on a log fuelled Aga type cooker, oh my I dished up many odd meals, one needs a degree in engineering to use one of these.

On 2022-01-04 5:18 a.m., Judith in France wrote:
> On Thursday, 30 December 2021 at 13:15:35 UTC, Malcolm Loades wrote:
>> Interesting article about mother/grandmother recipes in The Guardian
>> today https://tinyurl.com/y6ou9rgm
>>
>> Unless they were written down by mother/grandmother and that ancient
>> written copy kept and followed to the letter each time I thinks it's
>> almost guaranteed to have evolved into a different dish.
>>
>> I'd been making Chilli con Carne from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery
>> Course since it was first published 40 years ago. I knew the recipe so
>> well that it's decades since I last looked at the recipe in the book.
>>
>> Then a couple of years ago I was running late so called my wife and
>> asked her to make the chilli for which the ingredients were already in
>> the house. When she asked how I said just follow the recipe in Delia's
>> Complete Cookery Course.
>>
>> It was completely different to the Chilli con Carne I make! Over the
>> years my making of Delia's chilli had ever so slowly evolved into my
>> Chilli con Carne and was no longer Delia's recipe.
>>
>> Malcolm
>
> Isn't that what happens to all recipes, my Christmas pud recipe comes originally from the same book Delia's complete cookery course. However, said pud now has more grated apple and acrrot and a load more brandy in it!!!

I no longer make xmas pud or cakes but when I did, I always soaked the
fruit in sherry overnight. I used a hypodermic to inject the cakes with
Grand Marnier or Cointreau during the maturing period:-)

On Tuesday, 4 January 2022 at 15:54:19 UTC, Graham wrote:
> On 2022-01-04 5:18 a.m., Judith in France wrote:
> > On Thursday, 30 December 2021 at 13:15:35 UTC, Malcolm Loades wrote:
> >> Interesting article about mother/grandmother recipes in The Guardian
> >> today https://tinyurl.com/y6ou9rgm
> >>
> >> Unless they were written down by mother/grandmother and that ancient
> >> written copy kept and followed to the letter each time I thinks it's
> >> almost guaranteed to have evolved into a different dish.
> >>
> >> I'd been making Chilli con Carne from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery
> >> Course since it was first published 40 years ago. I knew the recipe so
> >> well that it's decades since I last looked at the recipe in the book.
> >>
> >> Then a couple of years ago I was running late so called my wife and
> >> asked her to make the chilli for which the ingredients were already in
> >> the house. When she asked how I said just follow the recipe in Delia's
> >> Complete Cookery Course.
> >>
> >> It was completely different to the Chilli con Carne I make! Over the
> >> years my making of Delia's chilli had ever so slowly evolved into my
> >> Chilli con Carne and was no longer Delia's recipe.
> >>
> >> Malcolm
> >
> > Isn't that what happens to all recipes, my Christmas pud recipe comes originally from the same book Delia's complete cookery course. However, said pud now has more grated apple and acrrot and a load more brandy in it!!!
> I no longer make xmas pud or cakes but when I did, I always soaked the
> fruit in sherry overnight. I used a hypodermic to inject the cakes with
> Grand Marnier or Cointreau during the maturing period:-)

I don't make a cake a good friend does and she injects it also. Puds I do make in October and I make an extra one to eat next year! I pour over a good glug of cognac before sealing for the year.