My love affair with my British life and their food By Julie Nobles Woodcock
Springtime in England is scenic and picturesque as the days become longer and the start of beautiful flowers opening in bloom. With spring and summer approaching, I look forward to a few simple indulgences such as a nice cup of early morning coffee with a scrumptious muffin, a book or magazine and definitely a bit of American comfort food. Being an American transplanted into the British world, I am quickly learning that food and life here can be quite an adventure. I do admit that living abroad is fantastic and even so, there are times when I find myself longing for familiar situations and of course memorable foods that were a part of normal everyday American life. I am sure that we all have our“what we miss most”lists of the things, activities, places, and people from America. I miss my family, driving on wide roads, glasses full of ice, all day Sunday shopping, mixed water taps and of course American comfort food. I am sure that all of us Americans remember our most-loved comforting foods, those particular delicacies that trigger thoughts and signify spring break times or summer vacation events. American mixes and cooking shortcuts have always been my back up when cooking but these are not at times as easy to locate here. I 26
American In Britain
am finding with a bit of ingenuity that simple substitutes are easily reproduced in order to refresh memories and satisfy the palette. It was a total shock when I discovered that my English kitchen fan-assisted oven setting of 200 degree Celsius was quite different and definitely not the same 200 degrees Fahrenheit, as I was familiar to in America. Because of these differences, I began writing myself cooking notes for future reference and techniques when preparing my American recipes. Having a few of my immediate notes at hand in the kitchen makes baking much simpler for me. My collected details take some of the guesswork out of calculating those recipes from Fahrenheit settings to my British Celsius fan-assisted oven settings. My notes include what works, as well as information to myself regarding the oven temperatures that did not really bake as productively as I expected. I found that baking sponge cakes, muffins, and most bread recipes requiring an oven setting of 325 degrees Fahrenheit will bake nicely in a fan-assisted oven set at 160 Celsius; shorten the cooking time by approximately 10 minutes. American recipe for a denser cake or muffin batter (i.e. blueberry muffins, fruitcake, breads or cakes with nuts, cakes heavier than a sponge type)
which required a setting of 375 degrees Fahrenheit can be baked in a fan-assisted oven at 190 degrees Celsius, also less cooking time than the initial recipe suggest. I find that the less cooking time “rule of thumb” for me is generally 10 minutes less than most instructions indicate for most of my American recipes as they were initially intended to be cooked in a Fahrenheit oven. A simple basic table offering a quick solution: 90°C (200°F), 150–160°C (300–325°F), 180– 190°C (350–375°F), 200–230°C (400–450°F). I have collected a list of shortcuts that work nicely for substituting some familiar American products. My list was created by trial, perseverance and determination in most instances. British biscuits work fine for most cookie crumb crusts. One of my favourite American simple deserts specifically requires a Graham cracker crumb crust, which I have easily been able to replicate by substituting the British biscuit (cookie) Digestives. They have a similar texture when crumbled, are comparable in flavour to the graham cracker taste, and work well forming a delicious crust. As a reminder of home, occasionally I would like the Sunday roast to include a bit of American style stuffing. My usual state side shortcut for stove top stuffing mixture is