Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
June 23
Saint of the day:
Saint Audrey (Etheldreda)
Patron Saint of throat complaints
The Story of Saint Audrey (Etheldreda)
Around 640, there was an English princess named Ethelreda, but she was known as Audrey. She married once, but was widowed after three years, and it was said that the marriage was never consummated. She had taken a perpetual vow of virginity, but married again, this time for reasons of state. Her young husband soon grew tired of living as brother and sister and began to make advances on her. She continually refused. He eventually attempted to bribe the local bishop, Saint Wilfrid of York, to release Audrey from her vows.
Saint Wilfrid refused, and helped Audrey escape. She fled south, with her husband following. They reached a promontory known as Colbert's Head, where a heaven sent seven day high tide separated the two. Eventually, Audrey's husband left and married someone more willing, while Audrey took the veil, and founded the great abbey of Ely, where she lived an austere life. She eventually died of an enormous and unsightly tumor on her neck, which she gratefully accepted as Divine retribution for all the necklaces she had worn in her early years. Throughout the Middle Ages, a festival, "St. Audrey's Fair", was held at Ely on her feast day. The exceptional shodiness of the merchandise, especially the neckerchiefs, contributed to the English language the word "tawdry", a corruption of "Saint Audrey."
Prayer:
Visit:
19 Egremont Street, Ely, Cambs, CB6 1AE
CB6 1 Ely, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
Phone+44 1353 662759
St Etheldreda's is a Roman Catholic parish church in Ely, Cambridgeshire.
It is part of the Diocese of East Anglia within the Province of Westminster. The church contains
the shrine and relics of Æthelthryth, including her hand.
Recipe:
Moelleux aux Groseilles
This Red Currant Cake is perfect for English tea time.
Ingredients
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150g fresh redcurrants (with extra on stalks for decoration)
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1 large free-range egg (separated)
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100g butter
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100g caster sugar
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250g SR flour
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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2 tablespoons milk
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Icing sugar
Directions
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Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. Grease and/or line a 8" (20cm) round cake tin or a bundt pan.
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Strip the redcurrants from their stalks and scatter them over the base of the greased cake tin. Whisk the egg white until it holds peaks, and set to one side.
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Beat the butter and sugar together with a hand-held whisk, or in a food mixer, until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and mix well, before adding the flour, baking powder and salt, loosening it with the milk as you mix it.
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Add the beaten egg white to the cake mixture, folding it in gently with a large metal spoon, try not to over mix it.
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Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin and level with the back of a spoon; bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake has risen, is golden brown and a springy to touch.
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Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes and then gently invert the cake onto a wire cooling rack, so the bottom with the redcurrants is on top. Allow to cool completely before placing the cake onto a serving platter.
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Sprinkle icing sugar over the top of the cake and decorate with the fresh red currants.
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Serve cut into slices with crème fraîche or pouring cream.
Note: This light and airy French sponge cake recipe has a seasonal topping of juicy red currants and a dusting of icing sugar. Serve in thick slices with crème fraîche or cream for a delightful summer dessert.
