August Newsletter

The Angel Centre are still unable to give a date for the re-opening of the meeting rooms. Unfortunately, our AGM will have to remain on hold for at least another month

29 August – cancelled

Nobody – but nobody – in this club will be old enough to remember Bartram’s Brewery (called “The Bridge Brewery” owing to its location). Though doubtless there are members who can recall parents or grandparents talking of it. So where was it? On the river near the bridge. On the bank opposite the castle. The two toffs, just to the right of the horse’s head, were the brothers William and George who took over the Bridge Brewery in 1850 from Anthony Harman, who had it built in 1816. William Bartram died in 1882, aged 71. His son, Reginald Henry, carried on the business (with uncle George) until 1902 when it was taken over by the Dartford Brewery and demolished in 1905. Look at the colour print – you’ll get a better idea of where it was. And what’s there now? Welcome to the beer garden of the “Humphrey Bean”. 

Greengages are beginning to appear on supermarket shelves.

GREENGAGE WINE, TV Times - Make your own Wine

4 lb greengages                      1 gallon water

1 teasp pectic enzyme            4 lb sugar

Madeira yeast                         Nutrient

Halve the greengages, remove the stones and crush the fruit. Place fruit in a fermenting bin and pour on the boiling water. When cool add pectic enzyme, then leave to soak for 4 days, stirring daily. Strain and add sugar, yeast and nutrient. Leave in a warm place for another week, then pour into a demijohn and top up to neck with water, if necessary.  Fit an air lock. Ferment and rack in the normal way.

NB For a drier wine reduce the sugar by 8 oz and use a Burgundy yeast.

Another pleasant gin based cocktail.

Negroni

30ml gin

30ml Martini Rosso vermouth

30ml Campari

Orange wedges to garnish

Fill an old-fashioned gin glass with ice. Pour in the ingredients and gently stir. Garnish with the orange wedges.

Rose petals again! This is a lovely dessert with a hint of Middle Eastern flavours.

Lime, Polenta, Pistachio & Rose Cake, Daily Telegraph

300g butter, plus extra for greasing

1 tbsp plain flour

400g caster sugar

4 eggs

300g ground almonds

3 limes

150g fine polenta

1 tsp baking powder

100g pistachios kernels, roughly chopped

10-20 scented rose petals.

Remember to use roses that haven’t been sprayed. Do not wash the petals – just shake any creepy-crawlies out! Alternatively, dried petals can be used.

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Butter and lightly flour a 23cm springform cake tin.

Bring 100ml water to the boil with 100g of the sugar and boil together for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

In a stand mixer beat the butter and the remaining sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time with the mixer still running, making sure they are fully incorporated.  Turn the machine to a low setting and add the almonds.

Finely grate the zest of all three limes and add it to the sugar syrup. Juice the limes and add the juice to the cake mixture.

With the mixer still on a slow setting, add the polenta, baking powder and a good pinch of salt to the cake mixture. Pour the mixture into the tin and sprinkle over 75g of the pistachios.

Bake for about 45 minutes, checking at this point and covering with foil if the nuts get too brown; the cake will be golden coloured on top and a small knife inserted in the centre of the cake should come out clean. If it is not yet ready, return to the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then prick the cake with a fork or skewer and pour the lime syrup evenly over the cake and allow to cool in its tin. Remove from the tin and sprinkle over the remaining pistachios. Tear the rose petals and scatter over to decorate.

Rose cream

300ml double cream, chilled as it will thicken quicker

50g yogurt

1-2 tsp rose water, added to taste

20g icing sugar

Put the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until it reaches soft peaks. Serve with the cake.

Daily Telegraph: Forget about pairing champagne with smoked salmon or foie gras and serve it with the humble radish instead.  Dr Jacques Puisais, a renowned French chemist who headed a state analytical laboratory for many years, has made this amazing discovery. He has spent over half a century researching which foods go best with different wines. Dr Puisais, now 93, has convinced experts of the virtues of serving radishes with champagne. Didier Depond, the head of Delamotte, readily concurs, stating: “They have all the virtues. They cost hardly anything and they don’t make you fat.” Dr Puisais explained the science to the Daily Telegraph: “Radish gives you a stimulation that is similar to champagne. The piquant taste of the radish is recorded in your brain so that when you then take a sip of champagne, the champagne tastes less piquant and more fruity.” Interestingly, Dr Puisais also has strong opinions on the type of champagne glass and advocates the “coupe” in preference to the flute. He says: “Try it if you don’t believe it affects the taste.”

Daily Telegraph: According to a study run by the Penn State Sensory Evaluation Center IPA fans are greater risk takers than lager drinkers. The purpose of the study was to explore the link between strong flavours and personality traits. Blind tests offered samplers Budweiser, a lager-style beer with low bitterness, Founder’s All-Day IPA Session Ale, a fairly bitter ale and Troeg’s Perpetual IPA as the intensely bitter option. Scientists found that those attracted to the more bitter taste of IPA craved new sensations and displayed more risk-taking behaviour than the more cautious drinkers of lager. These results added to previous research which found links between favouring spicy food and having a more adventurous personality. On a more serious note researchers hope to use their findings to promote the consumption of more healthy bitter food and drink, including vegetables and green tea. 

The River Medway on a summer’s day is a delight.