Friday, December 01, 2006

Diplomatic Drinks and Dessert.

Today, December 1st …

There is a possibly apocryphal story that says that the ‘Declaration of the Three Powers’ in Iran was signed over a martini on this day in 1943. In this story, Stalin’s response to FDR’s offer of the drink was “Well, all right, but it is cold on the stomach.” Churchill was presumably offered one too, but his answer is not recorded – perhaps he refused and opted for his favourite tipple of brandy.

There is a long tradition of diplomatic decisions being negotiated or signed over a drink or dinner. A spectacular early example was the meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I of France at “The Field of the Cloth of Gold” in 1520, which almost emptied the coffers of both countries, although in the end achieved very little. Patrick Lamb, the chef to Queen Anne (1702-14) claimed that England’s “credit and esteem with foreign ministers” was founded on its impressive court banquets, and half a century later the Talleyrand (France’s Prime Minister) was in no doubt as to the importance of feeding well those with whom one wishes to negotiate.

Times have changed however, and the modern voter expects less conspicuous consumption to accompany the work of its elected representatives. There was a war on too, at the time of our story, so an even closer approximation to austerity would have been expected. FDR’s presidency was merely “the four martinis and lets have an agreement era”. At the tail end of the Vietnam conflict Nixon, Kissinger, and Chou En-lai signed the Shanghai Communique in 1972 over mai-tais. No-one so far has seen fit to blow the whistle on this cocktail diplomacy, but in that event, may I suggest a move to Pudding Diplomacy?

The martini has been called “America’s gift to the world”, although its exact origin and exact composition continue to be hotly debated. An equal mystery, but one less hotly debated (pudding cooks being more sanguine folks than cocktail drinkers perhaps) is the exact origin of “Diplomat Pudding”, or “Pouding à la Diplomate”. Its roots seem to be French, but the reason for its name is, to use dictionary-speak “obscure”. I welcome any suggestions or information, but in the meanwhile I offer a recipe from an American cookbook of 1893. It is “La Cuisine Française. French Cooking for Every Home. Adapted to American Requirements” by François Tanty. M.Tanty’s spelling and recipe clarity do leave something to be desired, but he could be expected to know about dinner-table diplomacy, as his qualifications are given as: ‘Late “Chef de Cuisine” of the Emperor Napoleon III and of the Imperial Family of Russia. Late proprietor of the “Grand Hotel” and the Restaurant Dussaux at St. Petersburg. Purveyor to the French and Russian Armies. Member of the Imperial Order of the Red Cross (Russia).’

Poudding Diplomate.

Proportions: For five persons.

Raisins: Malaga 2 oz. Sultana 2 oz. Corinth 2 oz.
Lemon or orange peel 2 oz.
Lady Fingers* ¼ lb.
Eggs 5
Cornstarch 1 tablespoonful
Milk 2 glassesful
Rum 1 or 2 tablespoonsful
Sugar 4 tablespoonsful.

Preparation:
1st In a cake-mould put a row of dried grapes (if possible, Malaga, Smyrna, or Corinth), and dices of preserved orange peel, then a row of lady fingers, then a row of grapes and so on, the last row being a row of lady fingers. Don’t fill the mould.
2nd. Make a sauce with 5 eggs, 1 tablespoonful corn starch, two glassesful milk, 1 or2 tablespoonsful rum, 4 tablespoonsful sugar, and mix the whole.
3rd. Pour this sauce in the mould, put in a bain-marie and bake in an oven (not too warm).
4th. Knock out the pudding on a dish and serve with a Sambayon [sic] sauce.

Sauce Sambayon.

Proportions: For five persons:

Yolks 2
Starch ½ tablespoonful [presumably he means Cornstarch]
Sugar 2 tablespoonfuls
Rum 1 tablespoonful
Cream 2 glassesfulTime - 10 minutes.

Preparation:
1st. In a sauce pan beat together 2 yolks, 1/2 tablespoonful corn starch, 2 tablespoonsful sugar, 1 tablespoonful rum, 2 glassesful cream till thick enough, and warm but don't allow it to boil.
2nd. Pour on the pudding.

*Lady fingers: may mean the dry plain cake used in trifle, or a variety of banana (in Australia); or okra; or a delicious nut, honey and fillo pastry similar to baklava.
In this recipe, please use the first. Okra would not be good.

Monday’s Story …

A Fighting Punch.

A Previous Story for this Day …

Raffles hotel in Singapore opened on this day in 1887, and was the subject of our story “Liquid Lunches” on this day in 2005.

Quotation for the Day …

The rat stops gnawing in the wood, the dungeon walls withdraw, the weight is lifted ... your pulse steadies and the sun has found your heart, the day was not bad, the season has not been bad, there is sense and even promise in going on. Bernard de Voto; In praise of the martini, The Hour.

12 comments:

  1. Could 'diplomat pudding' be the same thing as 'cabinet pudding?'

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  2. Yes, sometimes. It is also sometimes called "chancellors pudding" or "pouding a la chanceliere". It is also similar to Newcastle pudding. Sometimes. There is a fair bit of licence as to the names of these things. Part of the fun I guess.

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  3. Now my mind is swimming with all the varieties of lady's finger and their implications in pudding. Maybe the continuing heat has addled my brain...

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  4. Okay, the OED says the origin of 'cabinet pudding' is thus:

    "Cabinet pudding, a pudding made of bread or cake, dried fruit, eggs
    and milk, usually served hot with a sauce;

    "1821 W. Kitchiner Cook's Oracle(ed. 3) 430 Newcastle or Cabinet
    Pudding. Butter a half melon mould, or quart basin, and stick all round with dried cherries, or fine raisins, and fill up with bread and butter."

    "1822 L. E. Ude French Cook (ed. 7) 348 Cabinet Pudding or
    Chancellor's Pudding."

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  5. I wonder (a) what the connection with politics is, whichever name is used, and (b)what makes a cook give a different name to an existing recipe, thus making it very difficult for the rest of us!

    Some of these variations seem to be served hot, some cold.

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  6. To make it more confusing, Kitchener has his "Newcastle or Cabinet Pudding" as a variation of Newmarket Pudding.

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  7. I can't find any political connection. Perhaps it was served at some diplomatic function because it's more delicate than an English boiled pudding like spotted dick, and thus, considered more refined?

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  8. I haven't been able to find any political connection either. I suspect a chef for an important function tweaked the standard recipe for a bread-pudding/trifle and re-named it. There are so many variations of it. Let's keep an eye out for an earlier recipe than the one I used - I suspect it will be in a French recipe book somewhere.
    Janet

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  9. Isn't La Cuisine Française from 1803, not 1893?

    Nene

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  10. The edition on the Feeding America site is definitely 1893, which would fit with his qualifications. There are probably other books with the same or similar title though? Another project. Lets keep in touch on this one.

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  11. Nene Adams said...
    Isn't La Cuisine Française from 1803, not 1893?

    Actually, I have a French edition from 1680 and an "Englished" edition from 1653. So the book is very old, and had many editions and was the basis for many other books. Some of it was "borrowed" wholesale for the Dictionnaire Portatif de Cuisine in 1767.

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  12. Hello Carolyn; This particular book is 1893. It is available at the Feeding America site. M.Tanty supposedly trained under Careme; his book would have been written when he was at least in his 80's, in America, for American readers.

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