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Written by Mrs M
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Saturday, 02 April 2011 00:00 |
It’s official, retro dishes are in the ascendant, grins Mrs M with relish. Once again we will be enjoying time-tested old favourites such as chicken kiev, duck à l'orange, Steak Diane, even bread and butter pudding. Bistro and brassiere icons such as vichyoisse, mousse au chocolat, and onion soup are back. What joy to hear that potted shrimps, avocado prawns with sauce Marie Rose, and sardines on toast are in demand again. After years of being intimidated into ordering such weird concoctions as snail ice cream, we are about to taste again the classics of yesteryear. This is certainly a cause for celebration.
Marks and Spencer has reported that chicken kiev, that long forgotten friend, once the height of sophistication, has made a come back over the past year. M & S, the supermarket which first sold the dish as a ready meal, reports that sales are up 25%, claiming that poulet à la kiev is the original British prepared dish. It seems we are returning to childhood delights and 1970s dinner party staples.
Food like fashion is a trend that comes and goes in circles. Even boeuf stroganoff is on the rise. For years no self respecting hostess would have served up such a passé dinner party regular, but now we can look forward a revival of the unpretentious treats of the past.
Chefs who have been thinking hard to come up with new and improbable culinary combinations will have to think again. Bastions of old fashioned cooking like Good Housekeeping have stayed true to family recipes and the likes of trifle and humble fish pie. But mostly we are bombarded night and day with television chefs obsessed with invention and gimmicks, too clever by half.
I for one look forward to the resurgence of the cheese soufflé. What happier sight is there than this masterpiece of a fluffy, cracked golden dome? I haven’t seen a plain cheese soufflé on a menu in years. Let’s hope that spotted dick, blancmange, the queen of puddings, treacle pudding, bubble and squeak, and capon chaudfroid raise their heads again, too.
Yummy, I can’t wait!
— Mrs M
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