Hello, darlings!
It’s an absolute pleasure to present Miss Windsor’s spin on a frightfully decadent and regal recipe fit for a QUEEN – Chocolate Queen Pudding!
I recreated this palate teasing, chocolaty kind of luxury Bread Pudding to celebrate our sovereign’s “official” birthday of Trooping the Colour, which takes place on Saturday the 8th of June 2019.
I must say darlings, my beloved grandmother Josie and Her Majesty The Queen both entered this magnificent world during the year 1926 – known as the roaring ’20s! And suffice to say, both ladies are of the greatest personage and have many things in common, one being they are “chocoholics” of the incredibly ardent and incurable kind (Oh, I say!).
Therefore, with chocolate firmly in mind, I scoured the discoloured and rather frayed pages of my 1935 edition of the Radiation Cookery Book and stumbled upon this mouth-watering recipe, which I jazzed up a tad with a smattering of spice and a zing of lemon and orange zest.
In fact, this particular cookery book was a generous gift bestowed upon Miss Windsor by her darling friend Sir Brian of Church Street, London.
Now, for those who are wondering what the heck is the Radiation Cookery Book, well it’s simply a cookery book that accompanied the “Regulo” controlled New World Gas Cooker. And for those who are familiar with gas cookers/ovens, especially folks in Great Britain, the term “gas mark” (i.e gas mark 5) derived from the term “Regulo mark” – and there you have it!
Darlings, Miss Windsor must admit she is a tad bit envious that her beloved Queen Elizabeth II celebrates two birthdays each year. The first being her “actual” birthday on the 21st April – this year she turned the grand old age of 93! Then on the second Saturday of June, Her Majesty commemorates her official birthday in the form of a public celebration – a parade known as Trooping the Colour, a tradition since the reign of King George II.
“I say, Miss Windsor, could you kindly reveal a few details about this vibrant celebration,” of course, my dears! In a nutshell, Trooping the Colour, as a birthday parade, commenced its royal journey due to the infamous British weather – which I’m sure most of you are well accustomed to!
Conflicting records dictate, that King George II was born in October or possibly November, but thankfully all agree the same year of 1683. Of course, the weather in Great Britain is absolutely dismal during these months, and obviously hindered His Majesty’s wish to celebrate his birthday with a jolly good royal “knees-up” of a public parade.
So, for the first time in 1748, the King of England planned a joint celebration of his birthday with an annual military parade of Trooping the Colour, which possibly dates back to the reign of Charles II (17th century). Apparently, the British Army would line up and display their regimental flags known as “colours”, then officers/soldiers would march between the ranks of troops and familiarise oneself with their regiment, which was imperative for the battlefield.
Nevertheless, the summertide military parade combined with King George II’s birthday certainly kicked off a tradition that our darling sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II still follows today. And since 1987 Her Majesty prefers to observe the parade from the comfort of her royal carriage, as opposed to inspecting troops from horseback, which of course, was always conducted in a ladylike pose of “side saddle”, whilst sporting her full military regalia.
Okey dokey darlings, without further ado, please hotfoot into your kitchen and prepare for some culinary magic of bygone days – regal style, of course!
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!
Miss Windsor x
ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MISS WINDSOR – EXCEPT FOR THE QUEEN & GRANDMOTHER JOSIE!
Miss Windsor’s Chocolate Queen Pudding
Ingredients
- 210g (2 & 1/3 cups) brown bread crumbs
- 80g (1 cup) grated dark chocolate
- 30g (just under 1/4 cup) caster sugar – for the pudding mixture.
- 90g (1 cup) caster sugar – for the meringue.
- 1 pint (20 US fl oz.) whole milk
- 2 eggs yolks
- 2 egg whites – for the meringue.
- zest of a lemon
- zest of a small orange
- optional: grated nutmeg
Instructions
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Darlings, please wash those grubby little mitts of yours in readiness for some "regal" culinary action!
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Preheat your oven to 140*C / 120*C Fan / 275*F / gas mark 1.
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Prepare your breadcrumbs by whizzing the brown bread in a coffee grinder or similar kitchen implement!
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Grate the chocolate using a cheese grater – be careful not to shred a finger or two!
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Transfer the breadcrumbs to a large mixing bowl.
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Now, reach for a large saucepan and pour in the milk, followed by the grated chocolate.
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Bring to the boil, then remove from the hob and sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and stir.
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Allow the mixture to cool completely.
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When the mixture has cooled, pour in (30g / just under 1/4 cup) of caster sugar.
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Add 2 egg yolks, zest of a lemon and orange, and some grated nutmeg, then merrily stir together with a wooden spoon.
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Grease your pie dish and gently pour in the mixture – set to one side.
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Using an electric whisk, beat the egg whites until stiff n’ dry, then fold in the remaining caster sugar.
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With a pallet knife gently spread the meringue over the top of the pudding, then place on the middle shelf of your oven and bake for approximately 1 & 1/4 hours.
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Your pudding is ready when the meringue has risen and browned a little.
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Darlings, serve this scrumptious pudding on your best bone china vessel. Miss Windsor opted for an elegant dish by "Spode" – just perfect for Her Majesty The Queen’s dining table!
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GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!
Beautiful plating Miss Windsor ! Love it!
Hello, Mitzy!
Thank you for popping by again!
Your approval is always welcome.
Good day,
Miss Windsor X
Thank you for letting us know about the “New World” Gas Cooker! If not for the early year, one would think of microwaves. We don’t use/have “gas marks” in the states, but then, we count/measure “funny” anyway! 🤣
Hey there!
Welcome to my world of food history!
You are most welcome. I’m glad I was able to teach you something about British food history. And yes, the term “Radiation” associated with a “New World” Gas Cooker, does indeed sound like the first microwave oven!
Please do pop back soon.
Cheerio for now,
Miss Windsor X
Hi,
fab recipe – but I’m a bit too late, as it was the queen’s official birthday yesterday!
Gonna try this one day soon.
Who’s your friend – Sir Brian?
Hello darling!
Yes, please do give this recipe a jolly good go!
If you’re a fan of chocolate, just like the Queen, then you’ll fall head over hills with this beauty!
Cheerio for now,
Miss Windsor X
This looks yummy – I’m also going to spend an afternoon reading your recipes and your blog!
Hello, darling!
A pleasure to meet you here!
I’m chuffed to pieces that you approve of my recipe and that you’ll spend some time reading my recipes and blog.
I do hope you had a thoroughly good time here.
Cheerio for now,
Miss Windsor X