Pancakes are served traditionally sprinkled with sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice and up and down the country their are two pancake races every year. One is Mom trying to keep up with the kids eating them (I remember we used to eat at least 5 each) and the other is the pancake race.

In a “pancake race” each participant carries a pancake in a frying pan. All runners must toss their pancakes as they run and catch them in the frying pan. This event is said to have originated in Olney, England in 1444 when a housewife was still busy frying pancakes to eat before the Lenten fast when she heard the bells of St Peter and St Paul’s Church calling her to the Shriving Service. Eager to get to church, she ran out of her house still holding the frying pan complete with pancake, and still wearing her apron and headscarf.

I used to dread Pancake Day in the Buckingham Palace kitchens because staff had to have two pancakes each and with 300 staff to feed as well as the Royal table that meant over 650 pancakes. Because of so many, the chefs were taught to use 6 pans at a time and I remember The Queen and her sister Princess Margaret coming into the kitchens one day and watching me make them.

I thought they were going to be impressed that I was using 6 pans at once… until The Queen said ” Isn’t that cheating flipping them over with a spatula ? Aren’t you mean to toss them” So, nervously I put the spatula down and tossed each one in turn, to a round of applause from both ladies and my “Royal Command Performance” over.

Here’s the Royal Family recipe below so that you can be “Eating Royally” on Pancake Day.

English Pancakes

2             cups all purpose flour (8 ounces)
1 1/2             tablespoons granulated sugar (1/2 ounce)
1            pinch of salt
1             egg
2             egg yolks
2 1/2             cups milk (1  UK pint milk)
2            tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2             stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter (2 ounces)

granulated sugar, lemons and oranges for garnish.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the egg and egg yolks, followed by the milk and 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Continue whisking until there are no lumps.  In a separate small saucepan, melt the butter until it is golden brown and whisk into the pancake mix. Leave the batter to rest for about 15 minutes.

Heat an 8 inch frying pan until hot and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, tilting the pan to spread the oil across the bottom. When the oil starts to smoke, pour the excess into a small bowl for later use. Return the pan to the heat.  You now have a sheer coating of oil remaining on the pan.

Pour two tablespoons of the batter into the pancake pan, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Cook until the underside of the pancake is golden brown and then, using a spatula, turn it over and cook the other side. Turn the pancake out onto an upturned dinner plate.  Repeat until there is no more batter, using a bit of the reserved oil if the pan appears to be dry or if the pancakes begin to stick.  Continue to stack pancakes on top of each other on your dinner plate.

When finished, serve the pancakes straight away with the lemon and orange wedges on the side for squeezing on the pancakes and sugar for sprinkling.

If you want to make the pancakes in advance, lightly butter an ovenproof tray and sprinkle each pancake with sugar after you finish cooking it. Fold the pancake in half and then half again arranging them all neatly on the tray. Cover the tray with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Serve with the lemon and orange wedges.  Makes 20 8-inch pancakes

When we cook steaks on the grill we rely on an intense heat that penetrates the meat from the outside and cooks through to the center until our desired temperature is reached. This results in a steak that is caramelized on the outside (good thing) and works through well done, medium well and medium to obtain a perfect “medium rare” in the center… hence the steak house phrase “the middle of the steak is warm, but red” But what if apart from the caramelized brown outsides (Maillard reaction) the whole inside of the steak was cooked to perfection and you didn’t have to worry about residual heat overcooking the steak ? That’s where Sous Vide comes in, and the results are amazing.

I will be experimenting much more with Sous Vide over the coming weeks, so keep checking back

Preparing the steaks for the Sous Vide machine

Steaks immersed into the water bath

After 6 hours in the Sous Vide machine at 134 degrees Fahrenheit and seared on the grill

Steaks cooked perfect all the way through

I remember not long after starting work in the royal kitchens I was sent to Windsor Castle to cook for The Queen and her guests and a private tour was arranged for me and another chef. We had heard that the round tower was haunted and my chef friend was nervous about this part of the tour. As the guide took us from room to room each time David would ask ” Is this room haunted ? ” or ” have you ever seen a ghost in this room ? ”

I could see the guide was getting irritated and as we entered the last room and David once again asked ” have you ever seen a ghost in this room? “the guide replied ” Sir, I can honestly say that in all of the years I have worked here at the Castle I have never seen a ghost” To which David then asked ” Well how long have you been here ? ” … “200 years” said the guide as David turned as white as his chef coat and bolted for the door. Happy times !  Click here for video of the tower and don’t forget to tour the Great kitchen, where I used to rattle pans for Royal dinner.

What would be in your “Royal picnic hamper” ?  I am going to be sharing recipes from the royal kitchens that span 60 years to make YOUR picnic the most authentic. For a start, everyone has to be eating “jam pennies” and “Coronation Chicken”  sandwiches… But check back here soon for all of the recipes to be sure you, your family and friends are all Eating Royally” on the big day !

Over the next few months leading up to the week of June 4th I look forward to sharing with you some royal recipes from Buckingham Palace from the last sixty years,including the Coronation Chicken recipe created in the Royal Kitchens for the Queen’s Coronation and other recipes for you to host your own “Diamond Jubilee watching party” in June.

Over 2 billion people in 54 Commonwealth countries will be celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II this year. It will be only the second Diamond Jubilee in a thousand years of monarchs. No one alive now is likely to see one again and street parties, river pageants and tea parties are busily being arranged.

Here in the USA anglophiles, royalists, UK based companies and ex-pats are also gearing up for Diamond Jubilee celebrations, hosting “watching parties” and corporate themed events. 23 million people in the USA watched the royal wedding and the interest in the Diamond Jubilee will be even higher.

The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II is a celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne and will feature a procession of 1,000 boats afloat the Thames, with millions of spectators aligning the river and millions more tuning in from home around the world.

Important dates…

• The Queen came to the throne on 6th February 1952
• Her Coronation took place on 2nd June 1953
•  On Sunday 3rd June the Big Jubilee Lunch and the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant will take place.
• On Monday 4th June a concert will be held at Buckingham Palace and a network of beacons will be lit throughout the UK and the Commonwealth.
• On Tuesday 5th June a Service of Thanksgiving will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral, which will be followed by a formal carriage Procession.

Makes 8 servings

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic peeled
1 ½  cups pitted prunes
1  3lb  boneless center-cut pork loin roast
5 sprigs fresh thyme
6 fresh sage leaves
4 bay leaves
1/2  cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup Madeira wine
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
1 Tbs better than bouillon reduced-sodium chicken broth
2  Tbs red-wine vinegar
1 cup Marcona almonds
¼ cup unsalted butter – melted
¼ cup flour

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan until smoking. Season the pork with salt and pepper.

Sear the pork loin until golden and remove to a plate. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and sage to the oil and reduce the heat. Cook for about three-four minutes to soften.

Stir in the Madeira wine, water, bouillon and wine. Add the prunes. Rub the pork loin all over with the mustard and then the brown sugar. Place carefully into the center of the pan on top of the onions and broth mix. Place a lid firmly on top of the pan and place in the oven for 1 hour or until the center of the pork reaches 150 degrees.

Remove the pork from the pan to a plate and keep warm. Place the pan with the juices on the stove on high and bring to a boil. Stir together the melted butter and flour and whisk into the broth mix. Bring back to a boil and adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Stir in the vinegar.

Allow the meat to rest about 15 minutes before slicing. Pour the sauce into a large bowl and lay the meat on top. Sprinkle over the almonds before serving.

The Brits love Sunday dinner, it’s a tradition and a “roast” with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings is something that has me looking forward to Sundays. For too long buying pre-cut vacuum packed meat has been the norm in Texas, until just recently when Matador Meat and Wine in Plano opened up. It took me a while to find them, but now you have a Royal Chef in seventh heaven. Matador is owned and run by Matt and Colleen Peterson and if you haven’t met them, then visit the store because it seems they are always there.

Matador is a traditional, old fashioned butchers shop that has behind the counter “butchers” rather than meat wrappers. Want Belly Pork ? Richard or Matt will bring out the whole side of pork on a meat hook and let you choose how much you want. Want Prime Rib, they have it, choice or prime and aged too and tell them how many bones you want cut for your roast and they will cut to order. The sausages are amazing too, not thick, chewy casing like Central market has, not fatty like Wholefoods are… Bliss !

But it’s not just the meat that I love about Matador, they have a wall full of wine too. Wines that come from the smaller vineyards that you can’t find at the larger stores. Mat and Colleen are happy to share their knowledge on the many varieties  and even do tastings on a Tuesday night.

Check out their website Matador Meat and Wine and then if you live local pay them a visit. Introduce yourself to Matt and Colleen and mention my name, they will take care of you  and I promise you won’t be disappointed with the meat or the wine.

Well that’s it from me, my Prime Rib of Beef is ready and my “Fluffy Billows” from the Meyer Winery (a suggestion from Matt) has been breathing enough and is ready for drinking. If you live in the Dallas metroplex and haven’t tried Matador yet then you are missing out…

Cheers !

British Food Fortnight is inviting all schools in the UK to create a special menu featuring recipes that showcase the best of British to be served to The Queen and The Duchess of Cornwall at a reception at Buckingham Palace in June. The competition is the idea of The Duchess of Cornwall ( So that means Steak Dian(a)  is off the menu) and is open to all UK school kids between 10-15.

The top four winning schools will be invited to the Palace in June to see their menus prepared by the Royal Chefs and the kids will then serve their winning dishes at a special Diamond Jubilee reception attended by The Queen.

All the schools have to do is design a menu fit for Her Majesty indigenous to their part of the country (both savoury and sweet) and the dishes have to be able to be transformed into canapés that will be served at the reception.

So, where to start ?  By asking a former Royalchef who rattled pans in her kitchens for eleven years of course !  Well obviously the food has to be local produce but it might help if you can throw in a few of The Queens’ favorites ingredients too.

Canapes at the palace have to be “bite size” (just in case you have popped one in your mouth just as Prince William turns to say hello to you.) and you can swallow it quickly. So that rules out traditional dishes like Cornish pasties which would end up being all pastry and no filling when reduced so small.

What dishes would I prepare for the Queens Diamond Jubilee if I was still in the Buckingham Palace kitchens ?  Watch this space

THIS ?
OR THIS ?
OBVIOUSLY the latter if you happen to be a Dallas school kid !

The royals have a family birthday cake recipe that dates back to Queen Victoria and written by her chef Gabriel Tschumi who rattled pans in the royal kitchens as long ago as 1899. It’s a recipe that I fine tuned for Queen Elizabeth II and made for her twice a year. (Her Majesty has an official birthday in june and real birthday in April each year)

But it’s not just the Queen who gets to enjoy this decadent chocolate treat. Every member of the royal family requests “the” Chocolate Birthday Cake too. And every cake looks the same because the chefs never write a name on the cake… just “Happy Birthday”   Never Happy Birthday Your Majesty or even Happy Birthday Queenie !

Here’s the recipe, try it for your next birthday or just as a luxury dessert treat… after all, everyone loves chocolate… and Eating Royally !

“The” Chocolate Birthday Cake

Makes about 10 portions.

The sponge;

6 egg yolks

2 eggs

4 oz granulated sugar

2 oz flour

1 oz Dutch cocoa powder

2 oz melted butter

The topping and filling;

1 pint heavy cream

1 lb ghirardelli dark chocolate

1) At least 6 hours before baking the cake prepare the filling. Melt 8 oz of the chocolate and bring to the boil ½ pint of the cream.

2) Pour the cream onto the chocolate and whisk it until smooth, then refrigerate until set.

3) Turn on the oven to 350 degrees and set a pan (large enough to hold a mixing bowl) half full of hot water on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Line an 8 inch sponge tin with parchment paper and grease.

4) In a mixing bowl add the eggs, yolks and sugar and whisk together. Place over the bowl of hot water to allow the mixture to heat up.

5) Sieve the flour and cocoa and set aside.

6) Whisk the egg mixture until it doubles in volume and then fold in the butter and flour mixture. Spoon the mix into the cake tin and bake for about 20 minutes until the sponge springs back when pressed.

7) Remove from the oven onto a cooling wire and make the topping while the sponge cools.

Melt the remaining 8 oz of chocolate and bring to the boil the remaining ½ pint of cream. Pour the cream onto the chocolate and whisk it until smooth and then set aside off the heat.

9)  Slice the sponge into three discs and spread the filling onto the bottom two discs and reassemble.  Add the remaining chocolate mix to the hot topping and whisk in.

10) Place the sponge back onto the cooling wire and ladle the topping over the sponge allowing it to run down the sides. Cool the cake for at least 2 hours before decorating with chocolate and serving.