As my regular readers know, I don’t blog only about Jane Austen and the Regency period. So my contribution to the Summer Banquet Hop is not “period correct.” It’s more current and personal.
Does anybody remember progressive dinners? I’m not sure if people still do them. But it used to be that a group of friends (from church or whatever other group) would get together and, instead of eating a whole dinner at one home, they would all progress course by course from one home to another – appetizers at the first place, maybe soup at the second, then salad, the main course, and finally dessert.
That’s what this Summer Banquet blog hop is all about, except you can visit in any way you wish, and there’s no guarantee you’ll get your banquet in a logical order. One thing’s for sure, though; I’ve got the dessert course covered, and it all starts with a dozen eggs.
“Mrs. Bates, let me propose your venturing on one of these eggs. An egg boiled very soft is not unwholesome. Serle understands boiling an egg better than any body. I would not recommend an egg boiled by any body else; but you need not be afraid, they are very small, you see – one of our small eggs will not hurt you.” (Mr. Woodhouse, Emma)
One of my all-time favorite desserts is creme brulee, and a few years ago my family established serving it for Easter as our new tradition. It’s not that difficult to make. Here’s my recipe:
Heat 1 pint whipping cream over low heat until bubbles form around the edge of pan. Beat 4 egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until thick (about 3 minutes). Beating constantly, pour heated cream in steady stream into egg yolks. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and pour into 6 custard cups. Place cups in a baking pan. Add about 1″ boiling water around them. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove from water bath and refrigerate until chilled (at least 2 hours). Sprinkle each custard with granulated sugar. Place under broiler until sugar topping is melted and browned. Refrigerate briefly to set. Serve.
Here are the ones I made this Easter. And, yes, they were delicious! If you triple the recipe like I do, so you have enough to share with your family or friends, you will use a total of 12 egg yolks.
But what on earth are you supposed to do with all those leftover egg whites? The elegant – and yummy – solution presented itself when I discovered that making an angel food cake requires exactly that: one dozen egg whites! Together the two desserts make a perfect pair.
Heat oven to 375. Stir together 1 cup cake flour and 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar. Set aside. In large mixer bowl, beat 12 egg whites (1 1/2 cups), 1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, and 1/4 tsp. salt until foamy. Add 1 cup granulated sugar, a little at a time, beating on high speed until meringue hold stiff peaks. Gently fold in 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. almond extract. Sprinkle flour/sugar mixture, 1/4 cup at a time over meringue, folding in gently. Fill batter into ungreased tube pan. Bake 30-35 minutes. Invert pan onto funnel and let hang until cake is completely cool.
Now turn your masterpiece into strawberry shortcake or anything you like.
So there you have it – my favorite trick to turn a dozen eggs into two delightful desserts. I hope you’ll give it at try!
Now, be sure to visit these other blog hop spots to meet some interesting people and discover more tasty treats:
Hop Participants
- Random Bits of Fascination (Maria Grace)
- Pillings Writing Corner (David Pilling)
- Anna Belfrage
- Debra Brown
- Lauren Gilbert
- Gillian Bagwell
- Julie K. Rose
- Donna Russo Morin
- Regina Jeffers
- Shauna Roberts
- Tinney S. Heath
- Grace Elliot
- Diane Scott Lewis
- Ginger Myrick
- Helen Hollick
- Heather Domin
- Margaret Skea
- Yves Fey
- JL Oakley
- Shannon Winslow
- Evangeline Holland
- Cora Lee
- Laura Purcell
- P. O. Dixon
- E.M. Powell
- Sharon Lathan
- Sally Smith O’Rourke
- Allison Bruning
- Violet Bedford
- Sue Millard
- Kim Rendfeld
Join me as I weave together my passion for writing and my love of all things Jane Austen. Please also look for me on Facebook.
Shannon Winslow's "Jane Austen Says..." 
Some good ideas what to do with the fresh laid free range eggs which we buy in the village (I used to have my own hens, but after moving I haven’t got around to having a henhouse built yet!
Go for it, Helen! Thanks for your comment.
I admit to having never eaten creme brulee. With only two people in our household and only one (me) who eats desserts I rarely make any because I end up eating the lot
Sounds like you need to have a few friends over for tea to help you eat up the creme brulee! But maybe you’d better stick to the single batch (6 serving). 😉
I loved doing progressive dinners. We did one for Halloween where we all dressed up in a certain decade’s fashion and each house stop was decorated up and featured a different decade even the food.
Your creme brulee recipe sounds delish! Thanks!
Yay! I’m glad to hear progressive dinners are still around. I think it’s a fantastic idea. Hope your creme brulee turns out, Sophia!
“Cream brulee” always brings to mind those lines from My Best Friend’s Wedding about cream brulee and Jello.
Julianne: Well, he’s sort of wondering why you haven’t told your parents that the wedding’s off.
Kimmy: Well, I’m still hoping for a miracle, I suppose. I mean, how could he think that my father and I would do such a thing?
Julianne: Only a minor insight, you understand. Maybe Michael couldn’t commit to this marriage so he created a delusion, produced an unconscious, psychosomatic manifestation of… I’m better with food. Okay, you’re Michael, you’re in a fancy french restaurant, you order… creme brulee for dessert, it’s beautiful, it’s sweet, it’s irritatingly perfect. Suddenly, Michael realises he doesn’t want creme brulee, he wants something else.
Kimmy: What does he want?
Julianne: Jello.
Kimmy: Jello?! Why does he want jello?
Julianne: Because he’s comfortable with jello, jello makes him… comfortable. I realise, compared to creme brulee it’s… jello, but maybe that’s what he needs.
Kimmy: I could be jello.
Julianne: No! Creme brulee can never be jello, you could never be jello.
Kimmy: I have to be jello.
Julianne: You’re never gonna be jello. Now you have to come clean with your parents, because if you’re waiting for that “Do you take this man” part, it’s considered poor form.
Hahaha! Thanks, Regina. I’d forgotten about that scene. I’ll have to watch it again now.
…and I did (watch it again last night), waiting for the creme brulee scene. What fun!
I love creme brulee! I’ve never been to a progressive dinner but it sounds like fun. Maybe I’ll organize one this summer. Thanks for the recipe and the idea.
Excellent! I hope you do organize a progressive dinner. Maybe you can host the dessert course. Hmm. What will you serve, I wonder. 😉
Now we’re talking! I am a sucker for creme brulee! Love it! And angel food cake, especially smothered with fresh Central CA Valley strawberries and whipped real cream is to die for. Oh man! Think I may need to buy more eggs and go hunting for a roadside berry seller tomorrow!
Great post, Shannon….. even if I did gain two pounds just reading it. 😉
Thanks for your comments, Sharon.
Yeah, these aren’t exactly low-cal options, are they? Sorry. 🙂
Your recipes reminded me again how wonderful it would be if I could keep some chickens. But even if my husband didn’t object, I doubt any coop would long withstand egg- or chicken-raiding visits by the local coyotes, snakes, and ground squirrels.
ShaunaRoberts [at] nasw [dot} org
Reminds me of the chicken thieves in Emma – not people but varmits in your case, though. We had a bear turn over our garbage cans twice in the last month, so I can relate.
Thank you so much for the great recipes!
Glad you enjoyed them!
What a clever, efficient, and delicious use of a dozen eggs!
Thanks, Tinney!
Angel Food cake is a household favorite around here, but those egg yolks always end up giving me grief! LOL I may have to give creme brulee a try!
I know. It feels criminal to just throw them away. Now you don’t have to. Here’s a tip, though. The whites keep better than the yolks, so make the creme brulee first!
What enticing receipes. I am going to try y our creme brulee as I love this dessert and seldom eat it but it is yummie! Your angel food cake looks delicious.
Hope it turns out for you, Sylvia. Thanks for the comment!
You made me hungry – very hungry! I will definitely try your creme brulee recipe, mine doesn’t always cooperate.
Good luck, Anna. Hope it turns out!
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