Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A Smoking Bishop for the Workhouse Boy

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Last night I went to the Drinking With Dickens event at the Dark Horse Tavern in Society Hill, Philadelphia.  This was the kind of pleasant eccentricity I live in the city for.  There were a few brief readings and several pleasant toasts.  Cups of smoking bishop and wassail were quaffed.  And carolers (shown above in a photo taken by Don Lafferty) sang era-appropriate holiday songs.

Mostly, though, people chatted and enjoyed each other's company.  It was, I trust, the sort of evening that the workhouse boy who made good would have enjoyed.


And because you're curious . . .

 Here's the recipe for smoking bishop:

6 Seville oranges
1/4 pound sugar
1 bottle dry red wine
1 bottle port
cloves

Bake the oranges in the oven until pale brown and then place in a warmed earthenware bowl with five cloves pricked into each.  Add sugar.  Pour in the dry red wine, but not the port.  Cover and leave in a warm place for about a day.  Squeeze the oranges into the wine and pour it through a sieve.  Add the port and heat but do not boil.  Serve in warmed goblets.  Drink hot.

Above:  My thanks to Don for letting me post his photo.

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7 comments:

Unknown said...

Squeeze into the wind???

Michael Swanwick said...

Marianne already caught that typo and corrected it. I mention this so that everybody will know that your comment made perfect sense when you made it.

Don Lafferty said...

I attend a lot of events in the hopes that they might be as memorable this one turned out.

Bravo to Edward Pettit, Janine Pollock, and the Free Library of Philadelphia for the exquisite dose of throwback holiday cheer, and my first Wassail and Smoking Bishop.

Unknown said...

Michael,
The oranges- peeled before baking?

Rgds

Jim Braiden

Michael Swanwick said...

Roast the oranges as they are. Unpeeled.

Unknown said...

Thanks Michael

Unknown said...

Thanks Michael