Food fit for a king

In my last post I wrote about food celebrations for the Queen’s coronation in Kate Atkinson’s Behind the Scenes at the Museum. This post carries on the royal theme, but with a focus on what the monarch eats.

And for the first time ever I’m writing about a book which I haven’t read (and when I started writing this post hadn’t even been published).

Today sees the publication of Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light, the long-awaited final volume in her trilogy of novels about Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to Henry VIII between 1532 to 1540, when he was beheaded on the king’s orders.

The first two novels – Wolf Hall (published in 2009) and Bring up the Bodies (2012) – both won the Man Booker prize, so hopes are high for this latest one.

The main narrative of Wolf Hall takes place between 1527 and 1535 and documents Cromwell’s rapid rise to power as Henry VIII’s trusted adviser, overseeing the King’s divorce from Katherine of Aragon and his subsequent marriage to Anne Boleyn.

In Bring up the Bodies -which unfolds over 1535-36 – Henry is growing tired of Anne and her inability to provide him with a male heir. He turns to Cromwell to help him end his marriage – and Cromwell obliges by finding evidence to convict Anne of treason. At the end of the novel Cromwell seems secure in his position as Henry’s chief adviser.

The Mirror and the Light covers the last years of Cromwell’s life – he was executed in 1540 – when he fell from Henry’s favour after broking the disastrous fourth marriage with Anne of Cleves, a marriage that was annulled after six months.

Whilst I wrote above that I was writing about this book, that isn’t really true –  I don’t yet own a copy and have no idea what food may or may not be mentioned in it. But I know that Henry VIII is in the book, and my recipe is for Maids of honour, which are associated with the king – and which would provide a delicious treat to accompany the reading of this new novel.

Maids of honour are small puff pastry tarts with a sweet curd cheese filling, which date back to the time of Henry VIII. The story goes that Henry was introduced to them by Anne Boleyn, who at the time was lady-in-waiting to Katherine of Aragon. She was sharing a plate of them with her maids of honour in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, and Henry was so taken by them that he took the recipe and kept it locked away. One version of the story has it that this was the moment he also fell for Anne – and since Henry, from portraits of him, appears to have been a man with a healthy appetite (for both food and women!), then perhaps the events were linked.

You can substitute other jam – or lemon curd – for the apricot jam I’ve used. Curd cheese is commonly found with the ‘exotic or foreign foods’ in the supermarket (rather than in the cheese section), and since much of the curd cheese supermarkets stock is imported from Poland, I imagine you will also find it in Polish speciality food shops if you have any near you.

HENRY VIII’S MAIDS OF HONOUR
Ingredients (makes 12):
200g ready-made puff pastry
225g curd cheese
40g caster sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
30g ground almonds
1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
Apricot jam
Icing sugar, sieved

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C / 180C fan / Gas mark 6.
Roll out the pastry to 3mm thickness (unless you have bought ready-rolled), then using an 8cm cutter cut out circles and place them in a greased cupcake or muffin tray.
Combine the cheese, sugar, lemon zest and ground almonds in a bowl. Beat together the egg and egg yolk, add to the cheese mixture and mix thoroughly until everything is combined.
Spoon ¼ teaspoon apricot jam into the bottom of each pastry case. Then fill each one about two-thirds full with the cheese mixture.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes until the filling has puffed up and is golden-brown in colour.
Place on a wire rack to cool – the filling will slightly sink – and dust with icing sugar before serving.