Bright lights, big city

I had the good luck at the weekend to be invited to speak at a film festival. Cannes? Sundance? London? No. The festival I was fortunate enough to attend was Screen Bites, a delicious combination of foodie film screening and farmers market.

http://www.screen-bites.co.uk/homepage.html

The drive down to Dorset was great, (M25, M3, M27), until I got to the unlit bits and then it went a bit Pete Tong. I'm afraid this city girl needs at least a dual carriageway and plenty of street furniture to orientate herself properly. I survived and got to the venue for Friday's screening late but relieved. I later discovered that I could have driven there by a brighter and much less complicated route. Thank you Google maps for the tour of the New Forest but next time I'll take a rain check.

Hulse Hall in Braemore was the perfect place to watch "A Private Function." A proper village hall, all wood panelling and Brownie Pack notices. The smells lingering from the food tastings earlier in the evening gave an added sensory depth to the film showing.

A very British movie needs a very British recipe. I imagine you are expecting a porcine recipe of some ilk, given A Private Function's storyline. The Pork Royale dish that Betty the pig was destined for appeared to be Roast Pork, roast potatoes and sprouts.

I did say that I'd be trying to include as many recipes on my blog from the publishing equivalent of the cutting room floor. The editor's waste paper bin if you like. Good recipes that for one reason or another didn't make the final published edition of Movie Dinners.

Yorkshire puddings seem to fit perfectly with A Private Function. I know a Yorkshireman would not serve these with Pork, although Aunt Bessie's is happy to make a version for chicken, but they would approve of the fact that they fill you up and help sop up any gravy.

The film the recipe comes from originally is 84 Charing Cross Road. Another film chronicling life in Post War England.

84 Charing Cross Road

Yorkshire pudding

How many friends have you got? I’m not talking cyber friends who nudge you occasionally and tweet at your witticisms but real flesh and blood friends who will lend you bus fare or possibly a sofa in your hour of need. It takes more than clicking the accept button to form a lasting friendship. Making friends, like falling in love, takes time and effort. Investing this energy pays dividends as a friendship grows and lasts.

Communications between post war London and New York came mainly in written form. Correspondents had no choice but to wait for a response. In the film this waiting heightens the pleasure of receiving a reply. What starts as a business relationship flourishes into true friendship between not only Helene and Frank but also others who are associated with the shop. Like all friendships there are discussions held and gifts exchanged. Food that gladdened the friends’ hearts and stomachs arrived in ration bound Britain and whilst sending spam and powdered egg back in return was not a possibility they sent back a British classic in recipe form.

Given that American biscuits look like scones, muffins are cakes and grits are edible (just) Yorkshire pudding turned out to be very different from the dessert that perhaps Helene’s dinner guests expected. True to her literary form she described the pudding as “a high curved empty waffle.” This recipe is for one large pudding and you will need to share it. Cyber friends do not eat so make sure you cook this for living, breathing ones.

Mise en scene

1tbsp oil or 1 heaped tbsp beef dripping

125g plain flour,

2 eggs,

½ pt milk,

Salt and pepper

It’s all in the edit

Pre heat oven to 250C Gas 9

1. Place a large, deep and very sturdy baking tin in the oven with the oil or beef dripping and wait until the pan is smoking hot.
2. Sieve the flour into a large bowl, break in the eggs, add the milk and whisk until combined. Season the batter well.
3. Light a ring. Take the pan from the oven. Place the pan over the heat and keep hot. Working very quickly, pour the batter into the hot pan.
4. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Do not peek.
5. Serve to at least three of your closest friends and accompany with Roast beef, roast potatoes, vegetables and lashings of gravy. Pork Royale also benefits from the addition of Yorkshire puddings!

Hint and tip

If you can’t cope with a savoury pudding you can serve this as a dessert with cream and either honey or a chocolate sauce. If you are going to do this then don’t use the beef dripping to cook the batter unless you like that slightly meaty overtone to your pudding!