A Happy Diabetic welcome

        

Happy Diabetic welcome to all my Divabetic Friends

Stay tuned for some fun and great tasting recipes that are easy to make and serve. Enjoy these Dowton Abbey inspired dishes, show trivia and a culinary tour of England. 

Mr. Carson: Miss O'Brien, we are about to hire a footman, and I have no time to be training hobbledeehoys.

Lady Mary's Crème Brûlée

Mrs.Patmore like to surprise the staff at Downton after a hard day of service with this treat.

Lady Mary's Crème Brûlée

yields 4 individual ramekins/servings

2 cups heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more to sprinkle for topping
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
optional: fresh berries or mint for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add cream and vanilla and gently stir to combine, taking care not to mix quickly so as not to introduce extra bubbles. Place un-filled ramekins in a baking or casserole dish and fill baking dish with hot water until about half-way up sides of ramekins. Pour egg mixture into ramekins.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking every 10 minutes after 35-40 minutes. When done, a knife inserted into the center of the egg mixture should come out mostly clean.

Remove from baking dish and lay onto clean dish towel to dry, set and cool. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.

Place in refrigerator for 1 hour or longer to cool.

Set oven to low broiler setting.

Sprinkle a thin, even layer of granulated sugar over the top of the cooked custard. Completely, but lightly, cover the custard with the sugar. Place the ramekins back into the baking dish and surround by ice and cold water until the water almost reaches halfway up the sides (don’t fill too high with water, as the ice will melt and add to the volume of water). Place baking dish with ramekins under broiler (or use crème brûlée torch) for 2-5 minutes, or until the sugar has melted and creates a golden brown, caramelized crust.

If you don’t want to wait for the custard to cool in the refrigerator and would prefer to have the custard warm, follow the step above without letting cool. This is pretty tasty as well.

:) Mrs.Patmore

Mrs.Patmores Tea Time Scones

Mrs.Patmore loves to make this wonderful traditional scone, cooked just the way Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, and his family like them.

Serve these fine scones with strawberry jam or a berry butter. If you like, add no more than 1/2 cup choppedplumped dried apricots, whole raisins, chopped crystallized ginger or semisweet chocolate morsels to the dough just before kneading. Fresh blueberries, dried cranberries, or chopped walnuts or pecans make this a gem.


Mrs.Patmores Tea Time Scones 
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut
into pieces
3/4 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with solid vegetable shortening.

In a food processor, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and use on-off pulses until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to a bowl.

Alternatively, in a bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Then, using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the milk. Using a fork, mix together until a soft elastic dough forms.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead 5 or 6 times until the dough is smooth. Roll out about 3/4 inch thick. Using a scallop-edged cookie cutter 3 inches in diameter, cut out rounds. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.

Bake the scones until they rise and are golden brown on top, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Makes 8 to 10 scones.

Traditional Dowton Roasted Chicken

Mr. Carson, always a zealotfor standards and style, believes that, post-war, the time is right to returnDownton Abbey to its proper status. The estate's financial troubles may preventhim from bringing staff numbers up to snuff, but he expects the staff conduct toconform to his will. An immoveable standard bearer, Carson may butt heads withhis cohort Mrs. Hughes, but he extends great loyalty to her, as he does to thedowager countess, Violet, and always, to Lady Mary.

It's allabout Mr. Carson... The Butler

"Carson-isms"."Miss O'Brien, we are about to host a society wedding. I have no time fortraining young hobbledyhoys." – Mr. Carson

"Ifhe wants to play their game, he'd better learn their rules." – Mr. Carson

"Tomisquote Dr. Johnson, if you are tired of style, you are tired of life." – Mr. Carson

"Hardwork and diligence weigh more than matinee idol looks in the real world." – Mr. Carson

"Now,just a minute. I’venever been called a liberal in my life and I don’t intend to start now!" – Mr. Carson
                                  TraditionalDowton Roasted Chicken

Serves4-6 

Ingredients

1 mediumchicken, approx. 2.5 -3 lbs

2 onions,roughly chopped

3carrots, roughly chopped

3 sticksof celery

1 tablesp. olive oil

Freshlyground black

Let'sfire up Mrs.Patmores oven:

To Cookthe Chicken:

Set theoven at 400°F

Place thechicken and vegetables in a roasting style Dutch oven. Drizzle with the oliveoil and season well with the pepper. Place in the centre of the preheated oven.After the first ten minutes turn the heat down to Gas Mark 4, 180ºC (350ºF). Roast the chicken forapprox. 1 hour 20, it should be at least 175 degrees. Halfway through cooking,spoon the juices over the chicken and add a couple of tablespoons of water tothe roasting tin to stop the vegetables from burning. To check if the chickenis cooked pierce the thickest part of the leg - the juices should run clear.

Whencooked remove the chicken from the oven, transfer to a carving board and coverloosely with foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Deliciousserved with roast potatoes  in theoven at the same time as the chicken.