There’s so much to like about Fergus Henderson’s book “Nose to Tail Eating“. I love the whole waste-not-want-not idea of using every bit of the animal. He also writes simply, yet beautifully and very wittily. Take this comment for example :

Some Briny Thoughts
Your brine bucket (made of a non-corrodible substance) kept in the fridge, will become a nurtured friend, whose characters hould improve with time and should give delicious results. Think of a corned beef sandwich. Your bucket makes a very useful holding tank if you are trying to amass some of the less readily available piggy parts – ears or tails, for example.

I too want a brine bucket friend! Unfortunately, the only thing I had managed to cook from the book thus far was “Warm Pig’s Head” salad. Even then, the pig’s head that I ordered, arrived sans ears and tongue – the best bits, really, so I felt a bit cheated out of the whole experience.

Anyway, the book sat on my shelf for awhile after that, and it was a passing comment in another blog that revived my interest it. Flicking through it again, I somehow got really hooked on the idea of making Eccles Cakes. Never having eaten one before, I had to look it up and apparently it is a buttery pastry filled with sweetened currants, originally from the town of Eccles near Manchester. Other recipes I have seen around, use mixed peel as well as currants in their filling. The citrusy flavour of the peel is something I would definitely like to add, should I make these pastries again in the future.

But for now, I stuck to the recipe as closely as I could. The puff was dutifully made and rolled out, the filling mixed together and cooled, and finally, each circle was assembled. After brushing the tops of the pastries with egg white and sprinkling lightly with sugar, they were shipped off to their fiery conclusion, to the strains of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”.

I quite liked the end result. Two of these in a paper bag would certainly satisfy any mid afternoon hunger pangs. Still, I can’t help but feel that these flaky numbers are merely my version of Fergus Henderson’s version of what Eccles Cakes should be like, so I can’t wait til I get a chance to try the real thing out when B and I go overseas in September.