Foody heaven as Fortrose winds back the clock
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LOVINGLY handwritten recipes from two centuries will be appearing on the menu of a go-ahead Black Isle eatery in the weeks to come, it has emerged.
As reported last week, dishes inspired by the 1810 Cookbook, put together by the great-great-great grandmother of Fortrose woman Verity Walker, were the focus of foodie fascination at a special gathering on Friday.
Local gourmets and visitors from afar came together at The Anderson Restaurant in Fortrose to get a taste of upper-class dining from over two centuries ago.
Chef Anne Anderson selected a dozen recipes from the 1810 Cookbook, a facsimile of a real 202-year-old family recipe book published last year as a fundraiser for the classical music “BIM” events in the Black Isle.
Anne combined these recipes into a luxurious five-course menu featuring items such as fragrant White Herb Soup with “Sally Lunn” bread, tender Scotch Collops (veal escalopes), succulent Fish Cakes (unusual to modern palates as made without potato) and a delicious duo of desserts, Duchess Puffs with Lemon Cream and Burnt Cream with Rosewater and Almond Sauce.
Verity felt that the whole evening did Jane Winnington-Ingram, her great-great-great grandmother, proud.
Anne Anderson said: “I love a challenge like this and it is great to use fresh local seasonal ingredients in combination with the Cookbook contributors’ own handwritten recipe notes. Anyone who couldn’t get a table on Friday will still find some 1810 Cookbook menu items pop up on our menu, which changes daily, over the next few months."
Fortunately for her diners, Anne did not turn her hand to any of the remedies which also feature in the 1810 Cookbook, which include combinations of camphor, brandy, laudanum and turpentine, then used to treat cholera.
Sales of the 1810 Cookbook itself were brisk, and overall the evening raised £165 towards the next BIM classical music weekend in Fortrose, which will take place in November 2013.
You can find out more about the project at the North Kessock (last Saturday) and Culbokie (third Saturday) community markets, which the BIM Projects fundraisers attend - with their mouthwatering “Scone to Heaven” stall!
