22 Apr 2018

St George's Day Classic

On April 23rd, we celebrate the country's patron saint for St George's Day. Patron saints are chosen as special protectors or guardians over all areas of life. But do we actually know the meaning behind George? Here's some history (you may need a tub of Gookie Dough for this one).

(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons) 

The Story 

George is believed to have been born in Turkey and lived during the third century. His parents were Christian and after his Father died, his Mother took George to live in Palestine where she was originally from. George then became a Roman soldier and protested against how Rome treated Christians poorly. Due to standing up for himself, he was put in prison and tortured and was eventually executed. Many people say that George slain a dragon. This story became popular due to a book called 'The Golden Legend'. Legend has it that George came to a city called Silene where there was a dragon. People of the city were feeding the dragon sheep but they then ran out. 

People from the town had to be sacrificed to the animal and when the King's daughter was selected, there was uproar. George came across the princess and she told him what was happening in the town. The dragon turned up and George is said to have fought with the dragon and brought it down. The princess led the defeated dragon into the city and George told them not to worry and put their faith in God. This made the town turn to Christianity. King Edward III made St George the patron of the knights and its badge so St George remains an important symbol in knighthood throughout England. 

Bread and Butter Pudding 

(Image credit: Sainsbury's) 

Transform a stale loaf into a comforting traditional dessert which will scream celebration of St George. You will need:

250ml full-fat milk 

300ml double cream

One vanilla pod halved and the seeds scraped or one teaspoon of vanilla extract

Three large eggs plus one egg yolk 

Three tablespoons of golden caster sugar

Eight slices of day-old crusty white bread

50g of slightly salted butter

75g mix sultanas and currents 

Zest of half a lemon

Two tablespoons of demerara sugar 

Method

(Image credit: Countryrange.co.uk) 

Firstly, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. To make the custard, heat the milk, cream and vanilla just below boiling point. Then whisk the eggs and yolk with the caster sugar in a jug. Slowly pour the warm mixture, including the vanilla pod, over the eggs, stirring constantly until smooth. 

Lightly grease an overproof dish which is approximately 20 x 25 x 5cm. Cut the crusts off of the bread slices and butter both sides of the bread and cut into triangles. Lay half of the bread slices in the bottom of the dish and ensure they overlap slightly. Mix the dried fruit with lemon zest and sprinkle half of the mix over the bread. Layer the rest of the bread and sprinkle the rest of the fruit. 

Remove your vanilla pod from the custard and pour the custard over the pudding. Soak for 30 minutes or longer. Sprinkle the demerara and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and puffed. Gorgeous. (Recipe credit: BBC Good Food)

How's that for a British classic? Happy St George's Day! Slay those dragons with class and indulge in our Red Velvet Gookie Dough to show off your patriotism.