Named recipes for the coronation of Charles III: everyone can cook at home

Representatives of Buckingham Palace have shared on the eve of the coronation official recipes to help those who wish to feel the taste of royal life.

So, what will King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla and their guests enjoy at the official grand coronation dinner?

Instead of the “coronation chicken” (it was a salad of chicken meat, curry, other spices and mayonnaise sauce) that was prepared for a gala dinner in honor of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, the modern royal family will serve a dish ideal for breakfast, lunch or dinner: a coronation quiche made of light dough with a crispy crust and a delicate taste of spinach, beans and fresh tarragon (that is, tarragon), say the representatives of the palace. This pie can be served hot or cold and goes great with boiled new potatoes and a green salad.

For those wishing to taste royal food, Buckingham Palace offers a recipe for coronation quiche. Ready? In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup flour and a pinch of salt. Add 2 tablespoons cold diced butter and 2 tablespoons lard (or more cold diced butter). With clean hands, rub in the flour mixture until it is rough, gritty and similar to breadcrumbs. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of milk and squeeze the dough into a ball. If you need a little more liquid for cooking, add another half to 1 tablespoon of milk. Cover the dough and refrigerate it for 30-45 minutes.

After the chilled time has elapsed, on a clean, floured surface, roll out the chilled dough thinner into a 9-inch (about 22-23 cm) circle. Transfer the dough to the pie dish, pressing to the edges, and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Line the chilled pastry with parchment paper, then top with the dried beans (to reduce the risk of blisters and ensure the crust is done). Bake for 15 minutes, then remove parchment and beans. Reduce oven temperature to 160 degrees.

In another bowl, mix 1/2 cup milk, 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the partially baked crust with 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Spread 3/4 cup coarsely chopped cooked spinach and 1/2 cup cooked fava beans evenly over the top. Pour the egg mixture over the crust, then use a spatula to gently fold in this “cream” to evenly coat the vegetables and beans. To finish, sprinkle the egg mixture with another 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar, then bake for 20-25 minutes until the center is browned.

Coronation cake is probably the most “democratic” in terms of the set of products and the ease of preparation of dishes dedicated to the new monarch of the United Kingdom. And this is no coincidence. The fact is that in this recipe one can discern a certain socio-political signal.

The idea, concocted by a Buckingham Palace chef, is that people will make a cake at home on the occasion of the holiday. That in the conditions of the crisis of the cost of living for the British looks quite relevant – tasty, easy, inexpensive. And it fits perfectly into the aspirations of Charles III to introduce moderation into royal ceremonies.

* * *

But once coronation banquets cost the British treasury a pretty penny. On the occasion of the coronation in 1821 of George IV, well known for his love of expensive French dishes, £250,000 (equivalent to £27 million in today’s money) was spent on hundreds of dishes served on the table. The first course consisted of 20 dishes – poulard fillet, sauteed chicken with mushrooms, grilled lamb chops in pepper sauce, Spanish quail pie, and so on. This was followed by two other courses of 22 and 31 dishes, respectively. The meal included flounder cooked in champagne, turtle soup, a sugar bowl filled with meringues, and so on and so forth. And the banquet was completed with ice cream, cookies and fresh fruits – melons, grapefruits, plums and nectarines.

In the modern United Kingdom, such a gastronomic revelry would be a challenge to the entire society, which would infuriate even the most loyal adherents of the monarchy. Now the trend is not pomp and a reminder of the power of the British Empire that has sunk into the past, but moderation and multiculturalism. The latest trend is clearly visible in the coronation-2023.

Buckingham Palace recently shared the secrets of several more dishes that are supposed to be served on the occasion of the gala – fried rack of lamb in an Asian marinade, eggplant with yogurt dressing and a strawberry-ginger dessert. With the Hindu Rishi Sunak as the head of the United Kingdom government, Sadiq Khan from Pakistan as mayor, and even the practicing Muslim Hamza Yousaf as the leader of the Scottish nationalists, the Asian accent of the coronation meal is in step with the era.

The author of the coronation rack of lamb was Ken Hom, a well-known chef of Chinese-American origin in the UK. He was made an honorary MBE in 2009 for “services to the culinary arts”.

“Here, however tender it may be, the distinctive taste of lamb is nonetheless strong enough to combine oriental and western flavors of sesame oil, mustard and soy sauce with grace and dignity. This recipe is the hallmark of modern Britain. Serve this lamb with fried potatoes and a green salad, ”Ken Hom praises his dish.

For those wishing to experiment, the chef reveals his secrets. First of all, you need to take two pieces of lamb, cleaned of excess fat, 750 g each. Season the meat with salt and pepper and fry in a non-stick pan in peanut oil for 5 minutes, turning often. Let the lamb cool down. Meanwhile, you need to make a marinade of sesame oil, roasted sesame seeds, a tablespoon of sugar, a couple of tablespoons of Dijon mustard, a spoonful of light and two tablespoons of dark soy sauce, two tablespoons of finely chopped garlic and a spoonful of coarse sea salt. Cover the meat with the marinade and let stand for an hour. Preheat the oven to 230 degrees, put the lamb in a baking dish. Add sage leaves.

Reduce the heat to 200 degrees, cover the meat with foil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes if you want the lamb to be more browned and crispy. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let stand 20 minutes.

Skim the fat from the baking pan, add the chicken broth and heat on the stovetop, scraping off the fragrant bits. Add sesame oil, sesame paste and butter to the sauce and mix thoroughly. Cut up the lamb legs, put them on a serving dish and serve with sauce.

Another dish is eggplant “Coronation” – also from a chef of Asian origin. Its author is Nadia Husain, a Bangladeshi-born chef who rose to fame after winning the BBC Cooking Show Britain’s Best Baker.

“Eggplant is often served as a side dish for dinner, but not here,” says Nadia Hussein about her contribution to the coronation meal. “We take these delicious eggplants, soak them in flavor, fry until soft, and then pour over the simplest dressing … It’s like my mom’s dinner coincided with my lunches at school to create this beauty.”

First you need to mix well in a bowl 225 ml of olive oil with three chopped cloves of garlic, a small grated onion, paprika and salt.

Two large eggplants (weighing about 600 g), cut into slices 1 cm thick, should be put on a baking sheet (they may overlap each other, this is normal). Generously brush the eggplant slices with cooked aromatic oil on both sides until all of the mixture has been used. Let the eggplant sit for a while. After that, they must be fried over medium heat in portions on both sides (about 2 minutes on each side). Arrange the fried eggplants on a plate.

For the dressing, combine 200g Greek yogurt, 2 teaspoons curry powder, 2 minced garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons finely chopped mango chutney, and 2 teaspoons whole milk. Sprinkle the dressing all over the eggplants, and before serving, sprinkle the dish with fried onions, raisins and thinly sliced ​​cilantro.

* * *

But what’s a party without booze? On the occasion of the coronation, numerous British pubs, bars and restaurants indulge in special offers related in one way or another to the monarchy.

Since it is believed that King Charles’ favorite drink is a martini, in honor of the coronation, the British Dorchester hotel is going to serve a Sovereign Martini cocktail made from gin, Royal Garden mead, dry vermouth, lavender bitters and flavored with orange.

But for fans of the exclusive on the occasion of the coronation of Charles III, there was something special. On sale will be put up bottles of beer brewed 86 years ago for the coronation of Edward VIII, but remained unopened after the cancellation of the ceremony. As you know, Edward VIII ascended the British throne in January 1936 after the death of his father George V. But in December of that year, before the coronation, he abdicated in order to marry a divorced American Wallis Simpson.

So the “Coronation Ale” brewed to celebrate his coronation was never sold – and was only discovered 75 years later, when work was underway in the cellars of the Greene King brewery in the southeastern English city of Bury St Edmunds in 2011. It has now been decided to auction several cases of beer on May 5, the day before the coronation of King Charles III, to commemorate this event.

“It is astonishing that this beer lay in the cellar for 86 years, as it was originally brewed to celebrate the coronation of Edward VIII on May 12, 1937,” says royal historian Keith Williams. The beer at the time was 12% ABV and was brewed with English hops and barley to give it a rich, fruity flavor.

“We’ve been brewing beer for over 200 years, and creating specialty beers like the 1937 and 2023 Coronation Ales means we can capture moments of history to share with future generations,” says head brewer Jack Palmer.