David Liss spellbinds readers with a tale of adventure and duplicity in “The Twelfth Enchantment,” Random House, August 2011.  

Combining Regency Era history with early Gothic-style literature, Liss has penned an easy-flowing novel of polite society, modernization, Gothic horror, and romance rivaling the likes of Jane Austin and the Bronte sisters.

When a beautiful stranger, aka the notoriously rakish poet George Gordon, Lord Byron, appears on her lawn babbling nonsense about gathering the leaves just before he throws up pins and passes out, Lucy Derrick knows beyond doubt that she must help this possessed man. Orphaned and of polite society but with no inheritance, arrangements have been made for Lucy’s betrothal to mill owner, Mr. Olson. She is constantly berated and abused by her uncle and his insufferable housekeeper. But Lucy is a young woman with a keen sense of right and wrong, as well as emerging magical powers.  Lord Byron’s scandalous appearance on her lawn sets in motion a series of supernatural events pitting the heartless industrialization of the world against those who would save humanity from such a bleak and pitiless fate. Lucy defies social convention to find the truth and fulfill her own destiny.

Only after several strange encounters does Lucy understand that “gather the leaves” means collecting certain pages of an alchemical document that can help her combat revenants, faeries, Luddites, ghost dogs, and save her niece from the horrific changeling that has seized her. Aided by a beautiful and independent woman, Mary Crawford, Lucy stumbles through one adventure after another, not fully knowing who to trust or which side to be on, but using her uncanny powers to sense what is true.  She can clearly see that industrialization is ruining London, with its thick cloud of black soot smothering the city.  William Blake, poet and engraver, helps Mary clarify her mission to save her niece and save England from enslavement to a soulless mechanization. This is a thoughtful romance-novel-cum-supernatural-thriller that will leave you spellbound and ready to read more of Liss’ writing. He also authored “The Devil's Company” (2009), “The Whiskey Rebels” (2008), and “A Conspiracy of Paper” (2001).

There were many benefits from agricultural industrialization during the Regency Era, including improved diet and greater access to a variety of foods for the common man.  

French and Italian cooking were also beginning to have greater influence in England during the Georgian and Regency periods.  Here is a modern take on the traditional Regency roast beef dinner sans pig's feet, suet, or other stringy animal bits. All recipe ideas from The New James Beard, Knopf, 1981.



POT ROAST OF BEEF

In 1804, Scottish physician Dr. Alexander Hunter published the first British recipe for tomato sauce. By 1820 American cooks had adapted the British recipe to their own liking.    

5 pound rump or chuck roast

1/4 pound white pork fatback or lardoons cut in 6 to 8 strips

1/4 cup cognac

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons dried basil

4 tablespoons butter, optional

4 tablespoons oil, optional

1 bay leaf

4 to 6 garlic cloves, crushed

2 leeks, trimmed

2 carrots

1 large onion, stuck with 2 cloves

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 cup canned Italian plum tomatoes

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Soak fatback in cognac. (If you have no cognac, skip the soaking step and add a bit of Madeira or red wine later with the beef broth.) Take strips of fatback longer than the depth of your roast and wide enough to fit through the grove of a long-handled larding needle. Insert the needle to make a hole then insert a strip of fatback into the eye of the needle and push into the hole.  (I admit it, fatback was not immediately ready at the grocery store, nor do I have a larding needle. I used bacon and a long, pointed knife about 1 1/2 inches wide to cut a pocket and inserted fatty bacon into it. This altered the flavor of the dish, no doubt, but it was still very good.) Repeat with all the lardoons and trim any overhanging ends. Rub the meat with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon of basil.

Brown the meat in 4 tablespoon butter and 4 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet, or for low fat, brown all sides of meat under broiler. Transfer the meat to a deep braising pan, making sure to pour browning juices over the top of the roast. Add bay leaf, garlic, leeks, onion, remaining basil and beef broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on top of stove or in 325 degree oven for 1 hour. Remove the cover, add tomatoes; cover and continue cooking for 2 hours until meat is just tender when tested with the point of a knife. Do not overcook as it makes the meat grainy and tough.

Remove meat and keep warm. Skim excess fat from broth and strain into a saucepan, pushing through tiny bits of vegetable to make the sauce thicker. Add tomato paste and lemon juice, correcting the seasoning. Bring sauce to a boil and simmer 4 minutes to blend flavors. Serve separately. Serve with hot noodles sprinkled with fresh Parmesan or turnips and mashed potatoes (recipe below).



WILTED CELERY SALAD

As far back as the 1300s, the English have had a variety of salad receipts with ingredients such as herbs, spinach, cucumbers, and greens.

1 stalk celery

2 level tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

8 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Crisp salad greens

1 chopped hardboiled egg

Remove tough strings from outer ribs of celery then thinly slice ribs. Mix mustard, salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil well, adding the tarragon last.  Pour over celery and toss well; cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature, shaking the bowl every so often to mix up the celery and vinaigrette. Line a salad bowl with greens, place celery mixture in center of bowl and top with chopped egg.  



BUTTERED YELLOW TURNIPS AND MASHED POTATOES

1 large turnip, peeled, diced, and boiled until tender; drain.  

3 potatoes, peeled, diced, and boiled until tender; drain.

Combine warm turnips and potatoes with 4 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup of heavy cream or to taste. Mash together. James Beard refers to this as a “contagious dish” because once you try it, you will love it. Serves 4.