An English Summer Lunch Makes for Enjoyable Experience

Although the weather may not always cooperate, the English serve wonderful summer food. What do a few gentle raindrops matter when you are confronted by a glimmering bowl of celadon green watercress soup, chicken lapped in apricot curry mayonnaise, baby potatoes with mint from the garden, and a cut-glass bowl of fragrant, deep crimson strawberries?

I enjoyed just such a lunch in the English countryside a few weeks ago. The watercress soup was rich with just the right peppery bite. Watercress is acidic, so it needs blanching before adding to the soup. As an alternative, you could try lemon-sharp sorrel (an acquired taste which is addictive), or milder romaine lettuce. Both make excellent soup.

The chicken with curry mayonnaise was served, I was proudly told, at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London, having been asked to cater lunch for the multinational guests in the procession, discovered unexpected pitfalls. Half a dozen religious dietary rules had to be respected, and the arrival time of guests, depending on the speed of horse-drawn carriages, was vague, to say the least.

National Monument

Cooking facilities in Westminster Hall, a national monument dating to medieval times, were understandably limited and the cooking was to be done by the school students. This simple little recipe for poached chicken with a sweet/spicy mayonnaise was the result.

Equally representative of the very best of British food is potato salad with mint. For the first 20 years of my life, potatoes (green peas, too) were always cooked in summer with a sprig of mint. Its elusive sweetness is perfect with potato salad and provides a subtle alternative to the heady Mediterranean punch of basil, currently so popular.

As for strawberries, I was given a useful tip the other day by British cookery writer Jane Grigson. “Don’t worry when they’re not at their very best, dear,” she said. “Sprinkle them with lemon juice and sugar and chill them several hours. You’ll be surprised.” And she was right.

A Great Match

With the strawberries, wafer-thin spiced ginger cookies are a great match, with or without a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I can still remember when I was a child how a spicy perfume would pervade the house on baking day, and how good the first hot cookies tasted, fresh from the oven.

With such a spread in England, a tall tumbler of Pimm’s fruit cup would be mandatory. Pimm’s is a soothing mixer, usually gin-based and diluted with soda or lemon-lime soft drink. With a potpourri garnish of sliced orange, lemon, peach, strawberry and a sprig of fresh mint, Pimm’s rivals a mint julep any day.

ENGLISH SUMMER LUNCH FOR SIX Cream of Watercress Soup Coronation Chicken With Curry Mayonnaise English Potato-Mint Salad Jane’s Strawberries With Lemon Spice Wafers Suggested drink: Pimm’s cup (bottled and available in some liquor stores.) If not available, substitute gin and tonics.

So much is done ahead for this cold dinner that you can come home half an hour before serving and be ready with ease.

About one week ahead, make Spice Wafers. Store in airtight container.

Up to three days ahead, make soup, then refrigerate.

Up to two days ahead, poach chickens, make curry mayonnaise and vinaigrette, slice tomatoes, then refrigerate.

Up to one day ahead, make potato-mint salad, then refrigerate. Combine strawberries and lemon, then refrigerate. Chill soup bowls.

About five minutes before serving, stir soup and pour into chilled bowls. Remove chicken and potato salad from refrigerator, uncover, then serve.

CREAM OF WATERCRESS SOUP

1 bunch watercress

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, sliced

2 medium potatoes, sliced

1 1/2 quarts chicken or veal stock

Salt, pepper

1 cup whipping cream

Set aside 6 small watercress sprigs for garnish. Blanch remaining watercress leaves and stems by boiling in large pan of salted water 3 minutes. Drain watercress and reserve.

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onion and cook until tender, but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes, stock, salt and pepper to taste and reserved watercress. Cover and bring soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.

Puree soup in batches in food processor or blender, or work by hand through sieve or food mill. Stir in cream. Taste to adjust for seasonings. Season soup highly because chilling reduces flavor. Soup can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

Shortly before serving, stir soup to recombine ingredients. Serve soup in chilled bowls garnished with reserved watercress sprigs. Makes 6 servings.

Note: On chilly day, this soup is excellent hot.

CORONATION CHICKEN

WITH CURRY MAYONNAISE

2 (3-pound) chickens

1 onion, quartered

1 carrot, quartered

2 stalks celery, sliced

Bouquet garni of 2 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf and 6 parsley stalks

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon curry powder

6 tablespoons tomato juice

6 tablespoons red wine

3 tablespoons apricot jam

2 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or tarragon

Salt, pepper

Paprika

1 1/2 pounds Italian plum tomatoes, sliced

Truss chickens and place on backs in deep pan. Add quartered onion, carrot, celery, bouquet garni, peppercorns and enough water to cover birds. Bring to boil, skimming surface occasionally. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer until chickens are tender and no pink juice runs out when thigh is pierced with skewer, 45 to 60 minutes. Let chickens cool to tepid in liquid, then drain.

For curry mayonnaise, heat 1 tablespoon oil in saucepan. Saute chopped onion until tender, but not brown. Add curry powder and cook gently 2 minutes. Add tomato juice and red wine. Simmer until reduced by half. Stir in apricot jam. Let mixture cool, then strain, pressing well to extract liquid. Stir mixture into mayonnaise. If necessary, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water to thin mayonnaise until it just coats spoon. Taste to adjust for seasonings.

For vinaigrette, whisk together lemon juice, 1/2 cup oil, oregano and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chicken, mayonnaise and vinaigrette can be refrigerated up to 48 hours.

Not more than 30 minutes before serving, remove trussing strings from chickens. Carve each into 6 serving pieces, discarding skin. Arrange chicken along 1 side of serving dish. Coat with mayonnaise and sprinkle lightly with paprika. Arrange tomatoes overlapping along other side of dish and spoon over vinaigrette. Chill dish until serving time. Makes 6 servings.

Note: For successful poached chicken, start with cold liquid and make sure it simmers gently. Keep liquid to use for stock in another recipe.

ENGLISH POTATO-MINT SALAD

2 pounds potatoes, unpeeled

1 large bunch mint, tough stems discarded

6 parsley sprigs, stems removed

2 cloves garlic

Salt, pepper

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

Place potatoes in saucepan with cold salted water to cover. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with skewer, 15 to 20 minutes. Do not overcook or potatoes will crumble when tossed with dressing. Drain potatoes. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut in 1/2-inch slices.

Meanwhile chop mint, parsley and garlic together as finely as possible. Place in large bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk in vinegar, then olive oil. Taste to adjust for seasonings. Salad must be well seasoned because potatoes are bland.

Add warm potatoes to bowl. Toss with dressing. Potato salad may be refrigerated 1 day before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Note: Firm, waxy boiling potatoes hold their shape better than baking potatoes.

JANE’S STRAWBERRIES WITH LEMON

2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons sugar, about

Toss strawberries with lemon juice and sugar. Taste berries and add more sugar, if necessary. Chill strawberries at least 4 hours and up to 1 day before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Note: Lemon juice works wonders on even under-ripe strawberries.

SPICE WAFERS

1 1/4 cups flour, about

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Dash ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons sliced almonds

Sift flour with ginger, allspice and cinnamon onto work surface. Make well in center. Add butter, brown sugar and baking powder. Work to paste with fingertips. Using pastry scraper or metal spatula, gradually work in flour to form large crumbs. If dough seems dry, add 1 tablespoon water. If sticky, work in a little flour.

Press dough into ball. Knead 1 to 2 minutes, pushing away with heel of hand and gathering up with scraper until it peels away easily in 1 piece. Press dough into 6x3x1-inch block. Wrap, then chill 30 minutes or until firm enough to slice.

Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Sprinkle each wafer with few sliced almonds, pressing down lightly. Bake at 400 degrees 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer wafers to rack to cool. Remove wafers from baking sheets as quickly as possible. They will become crispy as they cool. They can be stored 1 week or more in airtight container. Makes 40 to 50 wafers.

Note: With refrigerator dough on hand, you’re ready to turn out cookies at a moment’s notice.