Tea at the Palace: cookbook review

 


Insight Editions, and imprint of Weldon Owens, sent me a review copy of Carolyn Robb's Tea at the Palace: a Cookbook and it arrived a week ago. I've spent the week pouring over the book and I made three recipes from it as a test. I made a bannock (page 113), potted salmon (page 94), and the strawberry bunting cake from the cover.

All three turned out well and my quickie survey tells me that this is not just a picture book You can actually cook from this, so kudos to Ms. Robb. I decided on the strawberry bunting (sans bunting) from the cover because it's a variation on a Victoria sandwich, my favorite British cake. 


Carolyn Robb served as royal chef to the House of Windsor for 12 years and in this book, she highlights 50 recipes designed to be served at an afternoon tea. As someone who lives in a country without a tradition of afternoon tea, these recipes strike me as the sorts of things I'd serve at a brunch or as desserts. 


The book is divided into 12 chapters, each chapter named for a royal residence and featuring the sort of fare one could expect at a tea in each of the 12 residences.

The recipes are a good overview of the British approach to food so far as variety goes. But at the same time, the techniques required have been altered to make these recipes more accessible. There's no genoise to be found and the puff pastry comes from a grocery store, in other words.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I know that unfamiliar techniques can intimidate some, so it's just as well that Robb doesn't frighten off the uninitiated. I notice that where a British recipe would have called for caster sugar, this book substitutes super fine sugar. That's what it's called in the US sure enough, but that doesn't make it any more available.

As someone who's been down this path, caster sugar and American granulated sugar aren't interchangeable. Caster sugar dissolves almost immediately and creaming butter with it is a snap. Granulated sugar doesn't dissolve as readily and stays gritty which can sometimes pose a problem.

My solution has always been to bite the bullet and buy caster sugar. I always get a one kilo bag of Tate and Lyle from Amazon. If you've never worked with it before, you'll never go back to Domino once you try it.

Anyhow, the descriptions and photos of the royal residences make this book a keeper in and of themselves, but the recipes feature some ideas and foods that just may make it onto your table.

Tea at the Palace: a Cookbook arrives on bookshelves on April 5th but it's available for pre-order now by clicking this link.

Tea at the Palace: A Cookbook
50 Delicious Afternoon Tea Recipes from a Royal Chef
By Carolyn Robb
Weldon Owen | 6.75 x 0.39 x 8.5 in | 160 pages
Hardcover | $25.00
ISBN:978-1-68188-824-8 | April, 5 2022

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