If there’s one thing I’m famous for more than another, locally,  it’s my Candlelight Suppers.  Whenever word begins to spread (and it always does!) that Hyacinth Bucket is planning another of her elegant Candlelight Suppers, everybody who’s anybody in our little town is all on pins and needles waiting to see whether one of my engraved invitations will drop through their letter box.  Why, people in The Avenue have been known to rush my Postman when they see him coming down the street – that’s how eager they are!  Yes, I’m afraid it cannot be said that you’ve "arrived", socially, if you haven’t been invited to a Candlelight Supper at The Bucket Residence.  But now you’ve arrived here at Chapter Six:  THE CANDLELIGHT SUPPER, you shall have the delightful privilege of being instructed by Hyacinth Bucket herself in the fine art of producing The Candlelight Supper.  I hope you’re the receptive sort of person who is able to watch and learn.  Because if you aren’t, you won't have a prayer of being the social success I am and probably wouldn't be reading this book in the first place; but if you are, then you should have no trouble following my instructions for duplicating a Hyacinth Bucket moment upon your very own dining room table.  And once you’ve done it, you may rest assured that, like myself, you, too, will be the talk of the town!  So.  Get ready.  You’re in for an exciting time of it – here it comes then – THE CANDLELIGHT SUPPER (!!)
 

[N.B.  I hope you’ve been practising as you go because producing a superlative Candlelight Supper – even one of the All-Purpose variety – is not for the inexperienced sort of cook.  Nor for the faint of heart!  (Richard agrees.)]
 
 

The All-Purpose Candlelight Supper

There are all sorts of reasons for having a Candlelight Supper.  Perhaps your husband’s only recently alarmed you for your Anniversary (Richard got a team of specialists in to do it for me on our “Special Day”) and you want to give a Security and Alarm Warming Candlelight Supper for your neighbours and special friends (in which case, see Chapter Ten: MOMENTS MISCELLANEOUS AND MUSICAL: The Security and Alarm Warning Party, because that’s what I ultimately decided.  I didn’t want my guests falling into their vichyssoises when my dusky pink box with the QE2 siren announced the call to dinner!)

     Another reason for a Candlelight Supper might be that “Boxing Day” has rolled around and you wish to do your duty and invite your family to a Boxing Day Candlelight Supper (in which case, we shan’t go into details here.  See Chapter Seven: THE ORDINARY FAMILY SUPPER because I don't like mixing family and friends at my social entertainments  It's no good suits intermingling with t-shirts!)

    The really best reason for having a Candlelight Supper is when you’ve just bought a little place in the country (Richard and are part owners of a Grade II-listed mansion, Marston Hall) and you want to invite the other residents, including SIR EDWARD, to a country version of your Candlelight Supper, with full silver service and hand thrown after dinner mints. (See CHAPTER TEN: MOMENTS MISCELLANEOUS AND MUSICAL: SIR EDWARD (!!) to see how the superior hostess fetes the Aristocracy).

    Yes, as you shall soon see, if you haven't already, the reasons for a Candlelight Supper can be as unique and varied as your social life – and just as sudden and unexpected!  And so for a busy hostess like myself, it’s important that I have a set menu for whipping up at a moment’s notice.  For this purpose, I have developed Hyacinth Bucket’s All-Purpose Candlelight Supper.  Here’s my menu (with recipes!) so you, too, will be able to entertain your special friends, elegantly, and at the drop of a hat!  (not one of your own of course).
 
 

I’m sure you all know by now the requirements of a well-laid table.  But in case you’ve forgot, let us have a little review:  You should have a dining room with a matching table and chairs, a china cabinet and a sideboard (preferably a genuine antique reproduction in the Queen Anne style but any reputable furniture maker is all right, although I advise against Hepplewhite as my sister Rose had a rather unfortunate experience with a member of that family.)  A damask table cloth (the sort that requires heavy ironing because you don’t want your guests to feel that you’ve not gone all out for their comfort).  There should be matching napkins folded into fan shapes (don’t trust your hubby with this – men haven’t a clue when it comes to folding napkins into anything but boring squares).  You should lay your table with a set of your best best bone.  I have a set of Royal Worcester double-glazed Avignon I save especially for my Candlelight Suppers.  My guests are always impressed with being allowed to eat from my best best china and I designate Richard for the pleasant task of telling them what it is.  It goes without saying you’ll want to use your monogrammed silver cutlery (mine has an “H” on the handles) and of course you must have that without which no Supper can be called "Candlelight":  the candelabra.  Two of them, one either side of your elaborate (but tasteful!) floral centrepiece.

    Now you’ve laid your table.  (Have your hubby help you by polishing your solid silver sauce separator and buffing up your cruet. But if your husband is like mine, you’ll want to check his polishing for stray finger marks upon the silver.  And try and ignore his breathing.  It can't be helped.)

    All right.  Got your aprons on?  Oh – before we begin, a tiny word about the wine.  It’s doubtful you’ll be as lucky as I am to have purchased six (6!) bottles of the Dowager Lady Ursula’s Homemade Gooseberry Wine at a country house sale.  Richard and I had the great privilege of not only outbidding everybody else at the sale for this premium wine, but we were invited “in” by his Lordship for a little sampling.  It was his mother, the good Lady Ursula herself, who made this gooseberry wine with her own two hands.  Richard says to remind you that (and I quote) ‘it’s pretty potent stuff and to go easy on it.’  I don’t know why he should worry so.  I thought it quite a lovely wine myself and certainly one worthy of a second glass at dinner.  Still, you won’t be able to buy any for yourself as I bought the last of it.  So just send your hubby out to your local quality vintner and have him do the best he can.

While he’s gone off, let us prepare the various dishes that will stun and surprise your guests at your All-Purpose Candlelight Supper.
 

PRAWN MOUSSE

½ can tomato soup
3 Tablespoons cold water
½ cup mayonnaise
1 pound of small cooked prawns
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
¼ cup celery, finely chopped
¼ cup green pepper, finely chopped
½ package unflavored gelatin
4 ounces of cream cheese, softened

Heat the soup to boiling.  Dissolve the gelatin in cold water and add to the soup.  Mix the cream cheese with the mayonnaise.  Add the soup to this and beat with a rotary beater.  Add the prawns and chopped vegetables.  Pour this mixture into a round mold and chill it.  Serve this on wheat crackers.  There.  What could be simpler than this?
 

Let’s proceed to the FISH COURSE now:

POACHED SALMON WITH HAZELNUTS

Six 6-ounce salmon fillets
8 ounces finely chopped hazelnuts
1 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon chopped shallots
½ cup Francelico liqueur
1 pint whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste

Press the salmon fillets into the hazelnuts, lightly coating the fillets.  Preheat a 9-inch saute pan with butter, and sear the salmon on both sides about 30 seconds each or until light brown.  Place the salmon in a shallow pan half filled with simmering water.  Poach the salmon until tender, about 15 minutes.  Do not boil!  In a saucepan, reduce the shallots and Francelico liqueur by half, add the cream, and reduce by half again, stirring continuously.  Continue to reduce until the sauce begins to thicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Ladle 4 Tablespoons of sauce onto each serving plate.  Place a salmon fillet on the sauce, garnish and serve.  Your guests will rave over this!
 

Now for the MAIN COURSE.  (This will be the really exciting part as you get to start it the day before!)
 

GRILLED LAMB CHOPS WITH PORT WINE SAUCE

18 trimmed lamb loin chops
1 small onion
3 Tablespoons soy sauce (I don’t keep this of course.  I borrow it from Elizabeth.)
3 Tablespoons sesame oil
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon black cracked pepper
¾ pint good quality tawny port
3 ounces chopped shallots
½ pint of rich brown sauce (demi-glaze)

Dice the onion.  Combine in a small bowl with all the other ingredients except the lamb.  Rub this mixture on the lamb chops and store in a covered GLASS container overnight in the refrigerator.  Remove the lamb one hour before you are ready to cook it.  Prepare your grill or broiler.  Grill or broil the lamb until desired doneness.  Remove lamb from the grill or broiler and let it set for five minutes.  Serve with Port Wine Sauce.

Port Wine Sauce:  Reduce port by ½.  Add the shallots.  Strain out the shallots and add ½ pint brown sauce to the port.  Whisk together and heat through.  Serve with the lamb.
 

MINTED POTATOES

3 pounds of peeled King Edward potatoes
2 Tablespoons butter
½ cup minced fresh mint
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Quarter and slice the potatoes.  In a large saucepan, boil the potatoes in water until tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain.  In a large saute pan, melt butter and saute the mint with the lemon juice for one minute.  Add the potatoes and toss to coat.  Reheat and serve.
 

CARROTS DU BUCKET (an old family recipe!)

4 large carrots
3 Tablespoons honey, slightly warmed
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons parsely, minced
1 Tablespoon apple juice concentrate
¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted
¼ cup clarified butter

Steam the carrots until tender but still firm.  Grate the carrots.  Mix all the ingredients.  Reheat by sauteing in clarified butter.  (Be sure to have your husband tell your guests that these aren’t any ordinary old carrots.  These are “Carrots du Bucket”!)
 

CARAWAY BRUSSEL SPROUTS

1 ½ pounds brussel sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
1 pints of chicken stock
¼ cup butter, melted
1 ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon caraway seeds
½ teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons butter

Cook the sprouts in chicken stock until just tender, about 7 minutes.  Drain well.  Toss the sprouts with melted butter, lemon juice, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper.  Place in baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs.  Then dot with butter.  Broil until the bread crumbs are crisp and golden brown.
 

Now.  Allow your guests to take a little breather and chat amongst themselves whilst you and your hubby clear away the Candlelight Supper things.  Because you’ll want everyone all refreshed and ready to enjoy your DESSERT COURSE.
 

PEARS IN RED WINE

4 Anjou pears
1 pint red wine
6 ounces sugar

Cook the wine and sugar in a saucepan over a low heat.  Peel the pears, leaving them whole and with their stems on.  Put them in the wine when it boils and cook for 20 minutes, still over a low heat.  Strain the pears and allow to cool completely before slicing them thinly.  Arrange the slices in a fan-shape on a dish.  (This is a lovely dessert that will produce “oohs and ahhs” from your guests – and even before they eat it!)  You may offer your guests a little selection of cheeses to accompany your PEARS IN RED WINE if you wish.  It’s entirely up to you.  I always like to surprise my special guests and so sometimes I include the cheese and sometimes I don’t and I never know myself which it's going to be until I do it or not -- that's how spontaneous I am as a hostess!

    There you are then.  You’ve done it:  Hyacinth Bucket's All-Purpose Candlelight Supper.  You can follow this up in your lounge with  coffee and PETIT FOURS (not from the Wholesome Bakery; See Chapter Ten: MOMENTS MISCELLANEOUS AND MUSICAL for my own superlative PETIT FOURS recipe) and let your guests sit back and relax whilst you present them with the musical entertainment without which, no Candlelight Supper is complete, All-Purpose or not.  My guests generally respond well to selections from “Songs of Norway”.  They’re always ready to leave when that’s over and that’s good because you’ll want to get the dishes done before turning in for the night so as to be ready bright and early the next morning for tomorrow's brand new cycle of Chapter Two: BREAKFAST FOR THE FAMILY.  (See Chapter Two: BREAKFAST FOR THE FAMILY.)
 
 

The Candlelight Supper with Guest of Honour

Now we’ve got you organised with your All-Purpose Candlelight Supper  for those delightfully sponanteous occasions that spring up regularly in the life of every active hostess.  So I shall instruct you next how to produce a Candlelight Supper to which someone important is invited.  I am an authority on the subject as I once sailed aboard the QE2.  I wrote ahead to the Captain with a list of my dietary requirements and, in return, sent him an invitation to one of my Candlelight Suppers.

    Besides, there’s hardly an important person in our little town (besides myself) who hasn’t been invited to one of my Candlelight Suppers.  The two Miss Pillsworths (their father was The Colonel Pillsworth) have been invited often and in fact it was the elder Miss Pillsworth who bestowed upon me the title of  "Candlelight Queen".  I always make sure to include that when telephoning our local newspaper to report my most recent Candlelight Supper success.  (One of the Miss Pillsworths -- I can never remember whether it’s the elder or the younger -- is allergic to naked flame so I have to be very careful where I put her when she is the Guest of Honour.)

    I have, several times, invited Mrs Councillor Nugent to a Candlelight Supper, along with her worthy husband.  For some reason, they’ve never been able to come.  But I shall persevere because I wouldn’t dream of letting her be the last remaining important person in town who hasn’t had the good fortune to attend one of Hyacinth Bucket’s Candlelight Suppers.  My goodness me, no.  Perhaps I should develop a Fancy Dress Candlelight Supper in her honour.  She seems to like dressing up.

    Mrs Fortescue is another lady I have invited to attend my Candlelight Suppers.  She is the relative of a baronet.  And we are most fortunate, Richard and I, that of all her acquaintances blest with their own transport, Mrs Fortescue has chosen us to escort her into town whenever she needs to go there.  I really must make it a point to get her to one of my Candlelight Suppers before the year is out, poor dear. Strange as it may sound coming from a person closely aligned with the aristocracy, Mrs Fortescue seems to have developed no appreciation for dining by Candlelight.  I think subdued lighting makes a statement, myself.  But Mrs Fortescue says she likes to see what she’s eating, which defeats the whole purpose of a Candlelight Supper!

    Another eminent lady I have invited to my Candlelight Supper is Mrs Donoghue.  (She is a Proctor’s Pickle; her family is very highly placed in condiment circles.)  We once met whilst Richard and I were on our way to the Mayor’s Fancy Dress Ball and she was practically bowled over by our costumes.  She would’ve been more stunned than that had I been dressed as Marie Antoinette as I’d planned.  But Richard couldn’t get our proper costumes and so we had to make do.  Fortunately, we made up for it later on when I appeared as Queen Henrietta in the Church Pageant and Richard was my King Charles.  What a striking couple we made together!  Everybody said so.

    There is one socially unfortunate woman I must warn you against who has been marked off my Candlelight Supper list permanently – and I suggest you do the same:  Lydia Hawksworth.  She was quite objectionable at my last Candlelight Supper.  She had the impudence to say in a loud voice, ‘I think kiwi fruit are so lower middle class, don’t you?’  No.  I don’t.

    I have developed two sample menus for you for your Candlelight Supper with Guest of Honour:  one when you’ve got a Major sitting on your right (Better yet: put him on your left, unless you’re left-handed, and then you may wish to put him on your right for safe keeping whilst you're eating; in any event, you should keep the Major at arm's length!) The other sample menu, even more spectacular than the first if such is possible, is for the Candlelight Supper to which you invite the Director of your local Amateur Operatics Society [N.B. You’ll want to prepare a stellar evening’s musical entertainment for this one!]

So.  Are you ready?  Aprons on?  Oven lighted?  Here we go:

When You've a Major on Your Left
 
 

I first developed my recipe for Vichyssoise when Richard and I were looking at country property.  We had a difficult decision to make.  ‘Richard,’ I asked him one morning at breakfast (See Chapter Two: BREAKFAST), ‘ Would you like thatch?’  Richard is a thoughtful husband but he’s sometimes a little too thoughtful.  He can be very slow on the draw some mornings.  He said, ‘Thatch?  I usually have cornflakes.’  Well that decided the question as far as I was concerned.  ‘Richard,’ I said, ‘When we’re entertaining and I’ve laid one of my executive tables, the last thing I want is bits of straw falling into people’s Vichyssoises!’  We didn’t buy thatch.  We bought Marston Hall.  But here is my straw-proof recipe for Vichyssoise:
 

VICHYSSOISE

3 medium leeks, minced
1 medium onion, minced
2 Tablespoons butter
4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced very fine
4 cups clarified chicken stock*
1 to 2 cups of heavy cream
¼ teaspoon mace
salt and white pepper
chopped chives or – Watercress!

*For clarified chicken stock (you used this already in your CARAWAY BRUSSEL SPROUTS so you should know how to make it by now; but in case you don't here's how you do it) blanch 4 lbs of chicken parts (the parts you don’t otherwise want to eat; but be safe and get them from your quality butcher).  Drain, discard the water and bring the chicken slowly to a boil in 4 quarts of water to which you have added 8 white peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon thyme, 6 whole cloves, 6 parsley stems, 1 medium diced onion, 3 diced celery stalks, and 1 medium diced carrot.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours or until reduced by half.  (Have your hubby keep on eye on this as he can gauge a half chicken stock reduction as well as the next person).  Strain the stock.  You can (and should) make this ahead and keep it stored in your refrigerator for just such an occasion as this.

    Now you’ve got your clarified chicken stock made, saute the leeks and onions in the butter for 3 minutes.  Add the potatoes and 4 cups of the clarified chicken stock.  Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Put them through a sieve.  Add the cream to the consistency desired, along with the mace, salt and pepper.  Serve with chives sprinkled on top – or if you really want to impress – serve with Watercress! (Remember what you learnt about the rarity of Watercress? 'Cook to impress -- garnish with Watercress' is my motto.)

[N.B.  Serve your Vichyssoises in individual soup bowls.  The Major is never safe around a tureen.  Trust me.  He was seated next to me once at what would have been an otherwise very elegant affair and, whilst attempting to sample my plums, he managed to turn over the entire contents of the soup tureen onto the front of his trousers.  Thank heavens it was a cold soup!  You may serve your Vichyssoises either hot or cold, depending upon your mood of the moment.]
 

SESAME BROILED WHITEFISH

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon lemon juice
2 whole whitefish
3 Tablespoons sesame seeds
½ lemon, cut in wedges

Turn your broiler on.  Combine the melted butter with the lemon juice in a measuring cup.  Rub the fish, inside and out, with salt to taste and the butter-lemon juice mixture.  Broil 5 inches from the heat source for 5 minutes, basting once or twice.  Turn and broil 4 minutes.  Brush with butter, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Broil 1-2 minutes more until seeds are golden brown.  Serve with lemon wedges.
 
 

ROAST PHEASANT

(Only do this from October to January as that’s when it’s pheasant season.  You don’t want roasting pheasant that’s “out” of season.  Trust me.

1 brace pheasant, plucked, drawn, and trussed (I am reliably informed that H. M. does her own, but I always get mine from the Major.  He’s a great shooter and always manages to produce the odd brace of pheasant during hunting season.  It’s why I invite him to be Guest of Honour at my Candlelight Supper.  Otherwise, I should be very wary of having the Major.  And if he were a sergeant, he wouldn’t step a foot past the door!  (I always send Richard down to the Major’s for my pheasant as, reliable though he is on the hunting field, the Major cannot be trusted when I am within arm’s reach of something he wants to give me.)

8 rashers streaky bacon
8 juniper berries, crushed
water
½ teaspoon dried thyme

Place the pheasant in a roasting tin into which you have poured  ½ inch of water.  Scatter the juniper berries and thyme in the water.  Cover the breasts and legs with the bacon and cover the whole thing with foil, sealing the edges.  Roast at 375 degrees for about an hour.  Place the pheasant on a warmed serving plate and serve.
 
 

POTATO CROQUETTES

Now you might think, having served Vichyssoise as a SOUP COURSE, you would not need to serve potatoes with the MAIN COURSE.  You do.  You always need potatoes.  I don’t know what you’d call it but you certainly cannot call it Better-Class British Cookery if you do not serve potatoes with each and every meal.  Here is how you make very elegant POTATO CROQUETTES – a perfect compliment to ROAST PHEASANT.

1 ½ lbs. Baking potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed
2 eggs
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves (extra for garnish!)
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
flour as needed
butter as needed
plain bread crumbs for dredging (Remember the excess bread from your fresh breakfast loaf your hubby brought you from the Wholesome Bakery?  Here’s a place you can put it to use!)

Combine the potatoes, eggs, nutmeg, parsley, cheese, salt, and pepper.  Add enough flour (you may not need any!) to allow the potatoes to hold their shape.  Mold into little patty-shaped cakes.  If time allows, refrigerate for 1 hour.  Place the butter in a large, deep skillet and turn the heat to medium high.  When the butter melts, dredge the cakes in bread crumbs and place in the pan.  Cook until brown on one side, about 5 minutes.  Turn and brown the other side.  Garnish and serve at room temperature.
 
 

DEVILED CAULIFLOWER

This is an especially appropriate dish when the Major is sitting at your right (or left) as Guest of Honour.

1 lb cauliflower florets
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 ¼ Tablespoon all purpose flour
½ cup plus 3 Tablespoons milk
½ bay leaf
dash of ground nutmeg
2 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon breadcrumbs (Here are those breadcrumbs again – you may wish to have your hubby bring you two fresh loaves from the Wholesome Bakery on the day you’re planning a Candlelight Supper)

Place the cauliflower in a steamer basket over boiling water.  Cover and steam for 5 minutes or until tender.  Drain, rinse under cold water, drain again, and transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Combine 1 ¼ Tablespoons melted butter with flour in a heavy saucepan over medium low heat.  Whisk about 3 minutes or until bubbly.  Gradually whisk in the milk.  Add the bay leaf and nutmeg and whisk often until the mixture simmers.  Cover partially and simmer 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Stir in mustard, Worcestershire and salt and pepper to taste.  Discard bay leaf (HINT: Bay leaves are always discarded no matter what you’re cooking! One wonders why you use them in the first place but that is neither here nor there; the fact is, you do.)  Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and stir until well coated.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the cauliflower and drizzle with the remaining butter.  Bake 35-40 minutes until the cauliflower is heated through, the sauce bubbles at the edges and the breadcrumbs are golden.
 
 

RED CABBAGE AND APPLES

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 ½ lbs red or white cabbage, finely shredded
1 tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon mace
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
¼ cup dry red wine
½ cup water

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan or skillet over medium heat.  Saute the cabbage, stirring frequently, until it begins to wilt.  Add the remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.  Increase the heat to medium high and boil 10-15 minutes or until the cabbage is tender and most of  the liquid has evaporated.
 

As with your All-purpose Candlelight Supper, you will want to clear away the dinner things, staying well out of reach of The Major.  And then you may serve the DESSERT COURSE.
 

MANCHESTER TART

½ lb puff pastry (you’ve bought this and have it on hand, remember?)
3 Tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
4 ounce white breadcrumbs (Yes I think you’d best have hubby bring you two loaves – perhaps even three!)
½ pint milk
1 ounce melted butter
1 ounce caster sugar
2 eggs, separated
4 ounces icing sugar

On a lightly floured board, roll out the pastry and use it to line a 10-inch deep flan dish.  Spread the jam over the base.  In a mixing bowl combine the breadcrumbs, butter, caster sugar and egg yolks and mix well.  Pour the mixture over the jam and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gradually whisk in the icing sugar.  Remove the tart from the oven and spread the meringue mixture evenly over the top of the tart.  Place in a cool oven until the meringue turns a light golden brown.

There you are then.  Serve coffee with your DESSERT COURSE if you’ve got a Major as Guest of Honour at your Candlelight Supper.  There’s no need for musical entertainment as you won't want to take The Major into your lounge and prolong the evening.
 

When You've Got the Director of Your Local Amateur Operatics Society on Your Right

My best best ever Candlelight Suppers are the ones to which I invite my dear friend and neighbour, Emmet Hawkesworth (no relation to that awful woman by the same name as I’ve already said before).  Emmet is the director of our local Amateur Operatics Society.  As such, he is very artistic!  I’m dying to get him together with Sheridan at my dining room table.  They’d have so much in common. Sheridan's artistic.  Emmet's artistic. And of course I have a deep natural appreciation of all things artistic myself as I reminded Richard the day we were preparing to attend a Cheese and Wine at the Art Gallery.  ‘Why do people look so stunned at my Candlelight Suppers, Richard?’ I asked him.  A question for which Richard had no ready answer.  I expect his mind was overwhelmed with thinking of all the possibilities.  Dear Richard.  I am lucky to have such a thoughtful husband, even if he is rather slow to respond.

    I shall never forget the first Candlelight Supper to which I invited Emmet.  I had given my pianoforte pride of place in my house beautiful lookalike lounge with the genuine antique reproduction Queen Anne corner cabinet (an exact replica of one at Sandringham house!).  I was prepared, you see, to assuage the artistic muse – one never knows when it will strike at The Buckets!  And I was practising "Rose of England" whilst Richard cracked the ice for our FRAPPE MINT JULEPS.  My sister Rose chose that moment to pop in unannounced just as Emmet and his sister Elizabeth were making their way to my front door.  I don’t usually mix friends and family at my Candlelight Suppers – unless it’s my sister Violet (large house, sauna, room for a pony) and her husband Bruce.  He’s a turf accountant and a Rotarian and is quite respectable as long as he remembers to dress properly for my Candlelight Suppers, which is to say:  not as Maid Marian.  My Candlelight Suppers are casual but not that casual.  Lounge suit and tie are de rigueur for gentleman and skirts that go well below the knee for the ladies.

Here is my menu (and recipes!) for:
 
 

FRAPPE MINT JULEPS

For your FRAPPE MINT JULEPS you will need a husband or other similar willing helper to crush your ice.  Meanwhile, you should have washed and dried a sprig of fresh mint and dipped it in powdered sugar.  Then combine 2 teaspoons sugar syrup and 6 medium mint leaves (bruising the leaves gently as you go).  Stir all this together.  Then pour in a large jigger of whiskey (bonded bourbon is the best for this!) and stir it all over again.  Pack your crushed ice into a chilled glass (you should have been chilling this in your refrigerator from the start) and strain into it the mixture you’ve just been stirring.  Take a spoon and churn the whole thing up and down.  Add more ice to within ¾ inch of the top of the glass.  Then add 1 pony of whiskey (I hope you’ve got a brother-in-law like mine.  Bruce is a fount of information when it comes to jiggers and ponies.)  Repeat the churning procedure like last time.  When the glass begins to frost, decorate it with the sugar-dipped sprig of mint, insert a long straw and serve.  Repeat this procedure with as many glasses as you have guests.  It’s a good way to keep your husband occupied whilst you are preparing your musical entertainment of the evening.  HINT:  “Rose of England” always goes over very well with my own special guests.  Emmet loves it!
 

SALMON WITH DILL BUTTER

4 salmon steaks
3 ounces melted butter
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of lemon

Preheat your grill to medium.  Brush the salmon all over with a little of the melted butter and season with black pepper.  Grill the salmon for about 3-4 minutes each side, until the flesh comes away from the bone when a sharp knife is inserted.  Do not overcook!  Meanwhile, over a gentle heat, reheat the melted butter and stir in the dill and lemon juice.  Remove the salmon onto a serving dish.  Pour over it the dill butter and garnish with twists of lemon.
 
 

CROWN ROAST OF LAMB

This is good for Easter Dinner and so if you choose it on that day then you can invite the Director of your Local Amateur Operatics as well as your Vicar (and his wife)  and thereby kill two (possibly three) birds with one stone!  Efficiency, as we’ve already established, is paramount in the life of a busy hostess.  Of course, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, we’ve already served lamb chops at our All-Purpose Candlelight Supper.  But this Crown Roast is a much more elegant way to put them all together and you’ll want to do it for those special occasions when you’ve got a Guest of Honour who wants impressing.

2 best ends of lamb (12-14 cutlets), trimmed
1 small onion
1 stalk celery
2 Tablespoons sunflower oil
grated rind and juice of ½ lemon
3 carrots
1 ounce sultanas
3 medium cooking apples
6 ounces cooked long grain rice
1 ½ Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
8 ounces cider

Bend the lamb around to form a crown and secure with skewers and string.  (You may need your husband to help you with this as it is best accomplished under the supervision of your ladylike precision in combination with his manly strength.)  Twist foil around the exposed bone-ends and stand the crown in a roasting tin.  Peel and finely chop the onion, carrots, and celery.  Peel, core and finely dice the apples.  Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and celery until soft and transparent.  Add the carrots, sultanas, and apples and continue cooking.  Mix in the rice, lemon rind, juice and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper.  Press the mixture into the centre of the crown and then brush the meat and stuffing with a little oil.  Roast at 375 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours.  Remove the meat from the roasting tin and pour off any fat, leaving the juices.  Add the cider to the tin and cook gently, stirring with a wooden spoon.  Season and boil up into gravy and serve separately in your solid silver sauce separator, which I hope by this time, you've been able to buy for yourself.
 

CRISPY SAUTEED POTATOES WITH ROSEMARY

1 ½ to 2 lbs. waxy red or white potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ to 1 inch cubes
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a pot of salted water, bring to a boil, and simmer until nearly tender, 10-15 minutes.  Drain well.

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a 12-inch non-stick skillet for 3-4 minutes.  You can use more oil (for crisper potatoes) or less (for less fat).  Add the potatoes and cook, tossing and stirring from time to time (not constantly) until they are nicely browned all over, 10-20 minutes.  Add the rosemary and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.
 

GLAZED CARROTS

Next to my COTSWOLD CREMES (See Chapter Three: COFFEE)  these GLAZED CARROTS are Emmet’s favourites of all the things I’ve ever put before him at my table!

1 lb. Carrots, peeled and cut into ¼ inch slices
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained and juice reserved
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Place the carrots in a steamer basket over boiling water.  Cover the saucepan and steam 8-10 minutes or until the carrots are tender.  Drain the carrots and return them to the saucepan.  Stir in the next 4 ingredients and salt to taste.  Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is heated throughout.  Combine the cornstarch with 1/2 cup pineapple juice.  Stir into the carrots.  Simmer, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens.

If you have a Guest of Honor like my dear friend Emmet, just watch his face when he takes that first spoonful!  His eyes will glaze over almost as delightfully as they do when you’re entertaining him musically.  Hence the name:  GLAZED CARROTS.
 

ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON-HERB SAUCE

3 cups clarified chicken stock (you’ve made that already, remember?)
1 ½ pounds thin asparagus spears, trimmed
1 Tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin – do not invite your sister Rose to a dinner where you serve this!)
1 ¼ cups chopped green onions
1/3 cup minced shallots
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
½ teaspoon grated lemon peel
½ cup diced seeded red bell peppers

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in large pot.  Add the asparagus; cook until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.  Using tongs, transfer the asparagus to a  large bowl of ice water.  Reserve 1 cup of the stock in a small bowl.  Drain the asparagus; pat dry.  Heat 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 cup green onions, the shallots and sugar.  Saute until the onions and shallots are tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in reserved 1 cup of stock, 1 Tablespoon oil, mustard, lemon juice, thyme and lemon peel.  Simmer until slightly thickened and liquid is reduced to 1 ¼ cups, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cool to room temperature.  Arrange asparagus on a  platter.  Spoon the sauce over.  Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup green onions and bell peppers.
 

STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE

When your hubby gets you the two loaves of fresh white bread from the Wholesome Bakery prior to breakfast, have him pick you up a ready made sponge.  Because, by the time you’ve prepared all the above for your Candlelight Supper to which you invite the Director of your Local Operatics Society, you’ll have no time for baking a cake!  Save yourself for whipping the cream.

Whip until stiff:  1 cup whipping cream.  Fold in 1 to 3 Tablespoons sifted confectioners’ sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla.  Put this all over your cake and chill it in the refrigerator for 6 hours.  Remove the cake, and very carefully, using a spoon, place whole strawberries atop the cake in a graceful pattern.  Use your fingers to ‘tamp them down’ (lightly!) You can do this whilst your hubby’s polishing the silver.  Return your STRAWBERRY CREAM CAKE to the refrigerator till time to serve it – with coffee – for THE DESSERT COURSE.  After which, you may guide your special guests (giving the Guest of Honour his seat next to you on the piano bench) into your lounge for the musical entertainments!

There you have it then.  Candlelight Suppers enough to stun your special friends for days to come (if you mix and match the vegetables).

(For ordinary suppers for the family, including my famous Boxing Day Candlelight Supper, which really is anything but 'ordinary' thanks to a certain socially unfortunate relative of mine (by marriage!) please turn the page to Chapter Seven:  The Ordinary Family Supper)