Pancakes on the BBC

American readers of this blog may be unaware that today is Pancake Day in the UK. It's kind of a big deal. It is, of course, Shrove Tuesday, on which day many countries celebrate by eating rich food before entering Lent the next day. In Britain, this means thin, crisp-edged pancakes served as a dessert, often with lemon and sugar.

For more on pancakes round the world, have a look at this slideshow on the BBC website, which features comments from Reaktion's author of Pancake: A Global History, Ken Albala. You can find out more about the book here (in the UK) or here (in the US and Canada).

Shaken, Stirred and Straight

The Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, Providence, interviewed Vodka author and historian of Russia Patricia Herlihy about the history of vodka, and found out some of her tips for drinking it. This video is from their website at www.watsoninstitute.org.

   

Cheese Author Interviewed by BBC

Hannah Briggs of the BBC consulted our own Andrew Dalby, author of Cheese: A Global History, when writing this piece on new evidence that's been uncovered in Poland that reveals more about mankind's oldest methods of cheese-making. If you'd like to know more about the history of cheese and cheese-making – including that seasonal staple, the mighty stilton – why not pick up a copy of his book to add to your Christmas stocking?

Cocktails: A Global History reviewed by World Radio Switzerland

If you missed it, you can listed to the review online here.

BBC Radio 4 - Hot Dog Revisited

Bruce Kraig, the author of Hot Dog in Reaktion's Edible Series, appeared on BBC Radio 4's Food Programme in the episode 'Rethinking the Hot Dog'. If you missed it, you can listen here.

Cocktails in the Village Voice

Read all about it here. Joe Carlin will be giving a talk at Harvard University
Schlesinger Library on the evening of December 4th - you can see the details on our Events page.

Lemon Panna Cotta

Recipe by Toby Sonneman, author of Lemon: A Global History, now available in all good bookshops! 

·      1 envelope gelatin

·      1 cup sugar

·      1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

·      1 cup lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)

·      2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest from unwaxed lemons (organic if possible)

·      1 cup non-fat Greek-style yogurt

1.     Sprinkle gelatin over ½ cup of cold water in a small bowl. Let it soften until there are no dry spots, about five minutes.

2.     Combine sugar and ½ cup of water in a saucepan and brink to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

3.     Turn off the heat and add the gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved.

4.     Add the cream, lemon juice and lemon zest. Let cool slightly.

5.     Put the yogurt in a mixing bowl and whisk it to loosen it.

6.     Add the cream mixture, little by little, gently stirring after each addition to break up the lumps. Do not over-stir as it adds air bubbles.

7.     Pour the mixture into 4-6 small glasses, teacups or ramekins. Tap them on the side to remove air bubbles. Cover each with plastic wrap, and chill until set – six hours or overnight.

This recipe is adapted from one for Meyer lemon panna cotta by Marlena Spieler. Meyer lemons, which are sweeter, are popular in California but are hard to find in the UK.