Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
April 21
Saint of the day:
Saint Anselm of Canterbury
Saint Anselm’s Story
Indifferent toward religion as a young man, Anselm became one of the Church’s greatest theologians and leaders. He received the title “Father of Scholasticism” for his attempt to analyze and illumine the truths of faith through the aid of reason.
At 15, Anselm wanted to enter a monastery, but was refused acceptance because of his father’s opposition. Twelve years later, after careless disinterest in religion and years of worldly living, he finally fulfilled his desire to be a monk. He entered the monastery of Bec in Normandy, was elected prior three years later, and 15 years later, was unanimously chosen abbot.
Considered an original and independent thinker, Anselm was admired for his patience, gentleness, and teaching skill. Under his leadership, the Abbey of Bec became a monastic school, influential in philosophical and theological studies.
During these years, at the community’s request, Anselm began publishing his theological works, comparable to those of Saint Augustine. His best-known work is the book Cur Deus Homo(“Why God Became Man”).
Against his will, Anselm was appointed archbishop of Canterbury in 1093, at age 60. His appointment was opposed at first by England’s King William Rufus and later accepted. Rufus persistently refused to cooperate with efforts to reform the Church.
Anselm finally went into voluntary exile until Rufus died in 1100. He was then recalled to England by Rufus’ brother and successor, Henry I. Disagreeing fearlessly with Henry over the king’s insistence on investing England’s bishops, Anselm spent another three years in exile in Rome.
His care and concern extended to the very poorest people. Opposing the slave trade, Anselm obtained from the national council at Westminster the passage of a resolution prohibiting the sale of human beings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anselm_of_Canterbury
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Anselm-of-Canterbury
Prayer:
Visit:
Canterbury, Kent, England
Denomination: Church of England
Previous denomination: Roman Catholicism
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England.
https://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/
Recipe:
Dundee Cake
A Traditional Scottish Fruit Cake but the Queen loves this cake so much
it is served to her everyday during tea....or rumor has it!
Authentic Dundee Cake
Ingredients
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175 g salted butter
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175 g caster sugar or light muscovado sugar
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4 tbsp Seville orange marmalade (or 1 tbsp concentrated Seville orange ‘jam’)
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Finely grated zest of 1 orange, preferably Seville if in season.
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3 free-range eggs, beaten
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225 g plain flour
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400 g sultanas
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30 g ground almonds
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50 g (approx) whole blanched almonds to decorate
Directions:
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Grease and line a 20cm round deep cake tin with baking parchment.
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Preheat oven to 150ºC / gas 2 / 300ºF
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Cream the butter and sugar for 3 or 4 minutes until pale and fluffy using an electric mixer.
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Slowly beat in the beaten eggs a bit at a time, add a little flour to prevent the batter curdling.
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Mix in the Seville orange marmalade and the orange zest.
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Sift the plain flour into the batter then add the ground almonds, and mix well.
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Stir in the sultanas to distribute evenly throughout the batter.
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Transfer to the lined cake tin and level the top with the back of a spoon.
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Make rings around the top of the cake with the whole blanched almonds, placing them lightly.
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Bake the cake for 1 hr 45 mins to 2 hours, a cake tester should come out cleanly if the cake is cooked.
If the cake looks like it’s browning too much, cover with a little foil. Also, if the oven is too hot the cake will crack. -
Allow to cool in the tin for ten minutes then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
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You may notice in this recipe that is no other raising agent except the eggs – no baking powder or self-raising flour, fear not, the cake rises!
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Heat 120g of marmalade and about 50ml of whisky in a saucepan, stirring continuously. When the baked cake is still hot, pierce it several times with a wooden skewer and brush with the orange and whisky glaze. Remove the cake from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool. Heat about 3 tbsp of marmalade with 3 tbsp whisky, press the mixture through a sieve and glaze the cake again.
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The cake will be at its best after resting for several days. Once it has cooled, wrap it foil and store in a cool, dry place.
Tea Time!
Cream Tea: A cream tea is a form of afternoon tea light meal, consisting of tea taken with a combination of scones, clotted cream, and jam.
Elevensies: Morning coffee hour in England
Afternoon Tea: Afternoon Tea is a meal composed of sandwiches (usually cut delicately into 'fingers'), scones with clotted cream and jam, sweet pastries and cakes. Interestingly, scones were not a common feature of early Afternoon Tea and were only introduced in the twentieth century.
Low Tea: This is an afternoon tea where guests are seated in a low armchair with a low side-table on which to place their cups and saucers.
Royal Tea: A social tea served with champagne at the beginning, or sherry at the end.
Celebration Tea: An afternoon tea with a celebratory cake which is also served alongside the other sweets.
High Tea: A meal eaten in the late afternoon or earl evening, consisting of a cooked dish, bread, butter, & tea. Families with servants often took high tea on Sunday to allow the maids & butlers times to go to church & not worry about cooking
