On the Naming of Dishes, Part 3.

July 25 ...

My story on Matrimonial Cake the other day prompted a reader to ‘come out of lurkdom’ with a lovely alternative idea about the name of the dish. Laurie said ‘According to some sources, they're supposed to be a metaphor for marriage because they have a rough top but a sweet filling and a firm base.’ Thankyou Laurie!

I am reminded of other dishes with a ‘paired’ ingredients. I remember ‘blanks and prizes’ (broad beans and bacon), and thought of ‘thunder and lightning’ (black treacle and clotted cream) – which hardly need recipes. The I came across this.

Siamese Twins.
Prepare some choux paste, and put it into a forcing bag with a plain pipe. Force it out in two rounds, each about the size of a walnut, join the two together, brush over with whole beaten-up egg, and bake in a moderate oven for about half an hour; they should then be a pretty golden colour. When baked, put them aside till cold, then glaze over with a maraschino glacé. When this is set, put some cream prepared as below into a forcing bag with a small rose pipe, and force a little rose shape on the top of each ball. Dish up on a dish paper or napkin, and serve for dinner or luncheon sweet, or any cold collation.
Maraschino Glace. To ¾ lb. of Marshalls’ icing sugar add two tablespoonfuls of maraschino syrup, one tablespoonful of warm water, and six or eight drops of sap green. Mix together, just warm over the stove, and use at once.
Cream for Siamese Twins. Whip till quite stiff half a pint of cream, and sweeten it with 2 oz. of caster sugar, then add a few drops of vanilla essence, a few drops of Silver Rays (white) rum, and six or eight drops of carmine. After this is added, draw a fork through the cream, which will give it a marbled appearance and make a very pretty effect.
Menus for Every Day of the Year. M. Jebb Scott.

Any other ‘pairs’ you can think of?

Quotation for the Day …

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. By a small sample we may judge of the whole piece.
Miguel de Cervantes.