Victoria Palooza

Since the Season 4 Finale of Poldark in November, I've been feeling a bit deprived of quality television. Sure, we've found some good old movies to watch, but there's nothing like a gripping drama series to keep you on your toes from week to week. Finally, with Season 3 of Victoria, we'll have something to look forward to every Sunday evening. :) To celebrate the season premiere, I put together a special, celebratory Palooza, like I did for Poldark. A smashing table setting, a hearty meal, and an elegant dessert, all inspired by the show!

The Table and Menu

"Game Pie"

The reason for the quotes is that I baked this pie using not game, but rather domestic meats (beef, pork and turkey). Last year when I made this same pie, I learned a few important things about the seasoning. A traditional game pie, made with meats such as pheasant, rabbit, boar, or moose, calls for sweet ingredients like orange, cranberry and red currant jelly. These sweet flavors counteract the stronger "gamey" taste of wild meat. When paired with milder domestic meats, the sweet, fruity ingredients actually become overpowering. That's what happened to me last year. The pie was by no means bad, just not as savory as desired. (See, we all make mistakes. Live and learn, as the saying goes.)

I pulled out the recipe again this year, red pen in hand, to make some serious changes. I decided to cut all the sweet ingredients in half, and increase the pepper and garlic slightly. Also, for ease of serving, I made individual pies in ramekins rather than a full size pie, which proved tricky to cut last time. They turned out perfectly!

Here' the link to the real Game Pie recipe from BBC Good Food.

Victoria Sandwich Cake

What could be more appropriate for the Season Premiere of Victoria than a Victoria Sandwich Cake? I've seen this classic 2-layer a few times on the Great British Baking show, and thought it would be a simple but elegant choice for the Palooza. Then my own homemade strawberry jam and a simple whipped cream to fuse the layers. Top it all off with a lacey dusting of powdered sugar and we've got an exceptionally Victorian dessert. :)

Here's the recipe from King Arthur Flour.

The Show

So many new faces on this season! How will I ever remember them all? And what a dramatic premiere last night! As always, I am on the edge of my seat for next week's episode. :)

Be sure to check out the the special features on the PBS Masterpiece website, linked here.

Photo credit: PBS.org

'Til next time,

Eva