Tags
aqua tones, British Country house kitchen, chocolate recipes, Christmas with teal tones, Gosford Park, quilted toile
Cool teal tones wash over every surface in the butler’s pantry
of “Swan House” in Atlanta, massive covered silver platter …
This has such an “Upstairs Downstairs” look about it,
very “Gosford Park”…
If you haven’t already seen this film, its kitchen scenes are my favorite…
You’ll want to soak up every “British Country Manor” interior feature…
and then scurry down to your scullery to order your cooking staff to
whip up these gratifying doses of high grade chocolate. Or if you’ve
benevolently given the staff a few days off, try it yourself.
Molten Chocolate Puddings
5 1/4 oz dark chocolate
3 1/2 oz unsalted butter
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
thick (double) cream to serve
Preheat the oven to 355°
Place the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the chocolate is melted
and smooth. Place the eggs, yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale. Gently fold in flour
and chocolate mixture and spoon into 4 lightly greased 1-cup capacity ovenproof dishes. Bake
for 12-15 minutes or until the puddings are puffed. Top with the cream to serve. Serves 4.
These individual ramekins were purchased from
Sur la Table several years ago when I first tried this recipe…
You’ll want to get at the 8 ounce size. Incredible dessert.
Double Chocolate Cookies
4 1/4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
4 oz unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 3/4 oz dark chocolate, extra, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 320°
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir
until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar for 8-10
minutes or until light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat another 3-4
minutes. Stir the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and melted chocolate. Add the
extra chopped chocolate and stir to combine. Roll tablespoons of the mixture
into rounds. Place on baking trays lines with baking paper, allowing room for
the cookies to spread, and flatten slightly. Bake 10-12 minutes until slight cracks
have formed. Cool on wire racks. Makes 16.
*
Both recipes by Australian based author, food stylist, editor, Donna Hay
who will soon be launching an online shopping site…
Vintage wide teal silk ribbon on blue striped grain sack, scrap of discolored Bella Notte
quilted toile I over-dyed teal and backed with Belgian linen to make a extra long pillow.
This is the time of year I want to back away from the crowds, simplify, order the necessary
gifts online, pull out the recipe books and sewing machine…and stay calm.
Wishing you as much peace and joy, warmth and kindness
as humanly possible in this holiday season.
*
Southern Accents Nov-Dec ’06
Donna Hay magazine
Trish,
Wonderful these pictures! The quality of your images are always so good! And so big! I love that! The kitchen in that movie is gorgeous!
Thank you for sharing!
Greet
You are in my head this week :). I own Gosford Park and love to watch it for the interiors….chocolate is my weakness, ,warm, dark chocolate with cold whipped cream. Your advice for the holidays is well taken….calm and cool, I will remain!
Trish, as for this post, I wanted to look out the windows, taste the goodies, tie a bow, and sit down by the tree and watch the movie. Which I have not seen and cannot understand how this one slipped my attention. I will be watching Gosford Park soon, what a cast. I love the teals.
Lee
Hi Lee. The plot is incidental to the decor….an afterthought for me. Perfect winter rental.
such a lovely post! both recipes look absolutely delicious and adore your photograph of the vintage ribbon as well as the southern accents image of the beautiful christmas tree — wishing you a wonderful holiday season!
xo
Thank you. The problem with my beautiful ribbon is I hate to use it up. There is a life lesson in that, I know.
Fabulous post. Gosford Park is one of my favourite movies. Chocolate and blue are gorgeous together and I adore the oversize bows on the Christmas tree ……..and the angel on top is perfect. I have been searching but cannot find one that I like….
Leeann x
The most wonderful thing about all of your eye candy: reading it does not make me gain weight…until I try those luscious desserts. I adore Gosford Park. Says something about me that I would rather be in the kitchen there than in that Take No Prisoners Drawing Room!
I think it must be the cap and apron, HBD!
A very “cool” post, indeed. You hit all favs for me with this post. The opening shot is one of my all time favorite images ~ I have it marked in one of my Verandas. And teal/aqua…well I have already confessed to being an aqua nut! You mentioned in your post on Bella Notte that you have been known to dye some of these pieces ~ do tell the dying technique sometime if you will ~ looks like a Trish “custom color”. Gosford Park…rich set design…could hardly keep my mind on the story, although that was great, too. As for the chocolate…did you know I was starting a diet today?! Hopefully there are no calories in looking! The flourless cake will be topping my list of what to make the day I go off the diet! I absolutely love your cool and calm approach to the season. ~jermaine~
Hi Jermaine. The toile scrap was originally several shades of caramel (was unevenly dyed)…threw it onto a gray blue dye bath thinking I’d go dark enough to even it out, and stopped at this color. I’ve used Dharma Trading dye (available online) but Rit is good too (they also have an online sight that shows how you can mix dyes to custom color. How can you diet for Christmas!?
Death by chocolate, toile and Belgium linen…..please!
🙂 Laura
Hi Laura….comfort food and cloth…
I was embracing the idea of just having some urns filled with branches and wreaths and boughs around the place until I scrolled down to that tree. That is the ultimate Christmas tree!
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I want to cook Christmas dinner in that kitchen
i esp love the last image!
This double chocolate cookies recipe is to die for