Ploughman's Lunch coronation chicken and banoffee pie.

There has been sickness and travel and camera issues.  People are home and getting better, but I do not feel like like playing with the camera, and I do want to get on with the recipe testing.   So I give you two posts in one, sans photos.

With the 50th Anniversary of the Queen's Coronation upon us I thought it appropriate to whip up a batch of Coronation Chicken.  It is a savory/sweet chicken salad variation that works so well it left me wondering why American deli's do not serve it this way.

An internet search reveals that the book's recipe is quite similar to the original, which was made in 1953 by Rosemary Hume of Le Cordon Bleu.  The Ploughman's Lunch recipe differs mostly by the addition of curry paste over curry powder.  The paste has more complex flavors and is a great way to update a classic dish. 

Once again it is the sauce that sets this basic chicken salad apart.  Mayo (I used homemade), apricots, onions, curry, red wine, cream... there is a lot going on here.  Too fancy for a weekday lunch, but as a summer salad it is going to be in heavy rotation.

Lastly, I had to try the Banoffee Pie. Deceptively simple to make, with flavor so deep and rich. The custard is made by baking sweetened condensed milk in a water bath at 425F for two hours. That's it. Smooth, creamy, sticky, perfect.

A google search tells me there is a great deal of history and controversy surrounding the pie. Ian Dowdling appears to be the first to make and serve a slice, but others claim the title as well. Coffee or no coffee? Pastry or graham cracker crust? Whole bananas layered atop the custard, or sliced and mixed it? There are even some new fangled recipes that do not contain the baked evaporated milk center. Are they really Banoffee Pie? Something tells me you could start a pub fight bringing up the subject.

My pie was not pretty but was eaten very quickly. I think I over baked the milk because the consistency was too thick, and it was difficult to spread over the bananas. But the flavor was amazing. With the first bite Husband needed to know the ingredients. He did not believe me when I told him. He continued to ask questions, in between mouthfuls. Every diner in America should have this pie on the menu! The perfect company pie as it can be made ahead and will be a real conversation piece.

I will say it again, Ploughman's Lunch and the Miser's Feast is a book that is worth my precious shelf space. It is fantastic!

Comments

[Toby]

Both of these sound delicious. I'm adding the book to my wish list and I'm going to have to try the Banoffee pie even though I know I will pay the price.

[Christian Christopher]

Banoffee pie is a very popular dessert on the backpacker trail in India, thought possibly to have arrived as early as 1978 or 1979 with the influx of young westerners to the region, who shared their favourite comfort food recipes with the local restaurateurs who catered to them