Day 2: Downton Abbey Recipes

Shepherd's Pie, Baked and Buttery Balsamic Asparagus with Sea Salt and Mrs. Bates Bread and Butter Pudding

And, I added my own candied carrots. I served this meal with a fine glass of port.

Any dish that includes beef calls for a nice glass of port wine.

The Shepherd's Pie was very easy to make. I browned the beef and put it in a casserole dish.

Once the onions, mushrooms, garlic and red bell peppers were tender, I placed the mixture on top of the beef.

It's really that simple. This is all that is required for the pie. Then the pie crust is carefully placed over the top of the dish.

 The simplicity of this recipe really surprised me. I've never made a shepherd's pie before. Super easy to do.

Once the crust starts to turn brown and the juices are bubbling, it's time to take the pie out of the oven.

The kosher salt makes the flavor of the beef come out rather than overpowering the beef with a salty flavor. I've never used kosher salt before but I'm quickly becoming a big fan of it.

As easy as the pie was to make the asparagus was even simpler. I popped it in the oven for several minutes to make it tender and then added the balsamic mixture. My husband and I love asparagus. This recipe brought a whole new flavor to it. 
 

It's quick and easy and makes a perfect side dish to anything. I'll make it again and again. I've sauteed asparagus many times. But this is full proof and the asparagus was tender not mushy. And since the oven was on...

I made bread pudding for dessert. There are a few recipes for bread pudding in this cookbook. This is an enormously fattening excuse for a fancy french toast. The butter, whole milk, heavy cream, maple syrup, sugar and four eggs make a simple loaf of baguette into a major dessert.

And, because it resembles cinnamon french toast, go ahead, and have some more for breakfast the next morning.