Smoking Bishop Tweetcipe

A number of years ago I attempted to cook a full semi-accurate Victorian Christmas meal. I couldn’t find a goose in all of Galveston so I cooked a traditional American turkey to go with Waldorf celery boats, savory tartlets, green peas, potatoes á la maitre d’hôtel, mincemeat pie and sugar plums. My family and I also drank a number of cups of Smoking Bishop over the course of the day. The drink is mentioned in “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, and interestingly, the recipe has been around since the 1600s – long before Charles wrote his now famous Christmas story. It’s such a good cold weather drink; it shouldn’t be limited to just the holidays.

From Historical Foods Newsletter:

Smoking Bishop

6 large oranges
2 large lemons
½ cup of brown sugar (demerara)
1 bottle (750ml) red wine
1 bottle (750ml) ruby port
8 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground mace

The day before: bake the large oranges and lemons in the oven on a shallow baking tray (with a lip to contain any leaking juice) on a low heat at 120°C until they are pale brown (after about an hour and a half). If any liquid leaks from the fruit when baking pour this from the tray into the bowl with the fruit and wine.

After the fruit has baked in the oven stud the oranges and lemons with one of the cloves pricked into each, place into a large bowl, add the ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and mace. Add the sugar and pour in the wine – but not the port or the cinnamon sticks. Stir gently for a few minutes. Cover and leave in a warm place overnight or for 24 hours.

The next day: cut the baked oranges and lemons in half and squeeze all the juice into the spiced wine in the bowl. Do not worry about adding in the pulp and pips; this will be strained through a sieve next.

Pour this wine, fruit and spice mix through a sieve into a large saucepan, using the back of a spoon to press out the juice from the pulp in the sieve. Then add the cinnamon sticks. Heat the wine to a high simmer for 5 minutes, then turn down the heat under the saucepan and add the port. Heat the liquid very gently for 20 minutes (so as not to boil away the alcohol). In the last two minutes turn up the heat to a medium simmer and get the Bishop ‘smoking’ hot with vapors rising.

A Dickens of a Christmas

Charles Dickens was a foodie. I believe this to be true, because of the way he describes his culinary experiences. He wrote eloquently of Christmas dinner in “A Christmas Carol”:

There never was such a goose. Bob said he didn't believe there ever was such a goose cooked. Its tenderness and flavor, size and cheapness were the themes of universal admiration. Eded out by apple-sauce and mashed potatoes, it was a sufficient dinner for the whole family; indeed, as Mrs. Cratchit said with great delight (surveying one small atom of a bone upon the dish) they hadn't ate it all at last! Yet every one had had enough, and the youngest Cratchits in particular were steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows.

Unlike the Cratchits and their contemporaries of Britain’s Industrial Revolution, we are blessed with running water, separate bedrooms, trash service, and child labor laws. However, this is an economically challenging time, and a Victorian meal can inspire something simple, frugal, and memorable.

The centerpiece of a traditional, Victorian, Christmas Dinner would be a large foul. Goose is what Dickens describes, but turkey would also be traditional. I believe a perfectly roasted chicken would also suffice. The bird could be stuffed with the sage and onion dressing the youngest Cratchits enjoyed, or since we all probably prepared that for our American Thanksgiving, perhaps a dressing that features nuts and dried fruits to tempt the palate. In 1843 London, apples and prunes would have been likely choices for the dressing. If you’d like something a little more contemporary, try using dried currants and pine nuts.

Side dishes would include the ever-popular mashed potatoes. (Definitely not traditional, but mascarpone cheese sure makes them creamy!) Dig into your Commonly Supported Agricultural (CSA) basket and roast some of those seasonal root vegetables (probably parsnips and rutabaga, maybe some carrots). The spicy bitterness in winter greens perfectly complements the decadence of goose, so remember your mustard greens or Brussels sprouts. (They are also power foods, so you can feel good about your celebratory indulgences.)

In the 19^th century, the clever Mediterranean vintners were fortifying their wine with distilled alcohol, so their wine could survive the arduous journey by sea to England. Madeira would therefore be an authentic beverage choice. In fact, the more well traveled (and arguably mistreated) the Madeira, the better it is said to taste.

The obvious dessert would be plum pudding. While the flavors and texture can be foreign to us, the preparation is endearing (every family member takes a turn in stirring while making a wish, and some stir from east to west to honor the journey of the Magi). Serve it with a sprig of holly on top for tradition. Light the brandy on fire for dramatic presentation. Suet is typically difficult to find, unless you have access to a butcher, so you may have to substitute coconut oil or very cold butter, but it won’t be quite as light. You can also add some cocoa powder if you have someone in your family who defines dessert by chocolate!

Until next time, eat well!