Thursday, May 25, 2023

"RETURN TO CRANFORD" (2009) Review

 














"RETURN TO CRANFORD" (2009) Review

Due to the success of the 2007 miniseries, "CRANFORD", the BBC aired a two-part sequel called "RETURN TO CRANFORD" (also known as the "CRANFORD CHRISTMAS SPECIAL"), some two years later. Like the original miniseries, it was adapted by Heidi Thomas and directed by Simon Curtis.

"RETURN TO CRANFORD" was based on material from Elizabeth Gaskell’s two novellas and a short story - "Cranford""The Mooreland Cottage", and "The Cage at Cranford", were all published between 1849 and 1863. Also, themes from "My Lady Ludlow""Mr. Harrison's Confessions", and "The Last Generation in England" were included to provide continuity with the first miniseries. The new miniseries took place between August and December 1844. The citizens of Cranford find themselves facing major changes in their society, as the railroad continues to be constructed near the edge of town. In fact, I was surprised to learn that a great deal of the story surrounding the new railroad was not in any of Gaskell’s novellas and short story. Only the storylines featuring about Mrs. Jameson’s (Barbara Flynn) cousin, Lady Glenmire (Celia Imrie) and Captain Brown (Jim Carter), Miss Pole’s (Imelda Staunton) Parisian “cage” for her pet cockatoo, and a magician named Signor Brunoni (Tim Curry) putting on a show came from Gaskell’s works.

I have to be frank. It did not bother me that most of the material featured in the miniseries did not come from any of Gaskell’s novellas and short stories. Thanks to some decent writing by Heidi Thomas, I believe that it all worked out fine. Unlike the 2007 miniseries, ”CRANFORD”, the screenplay for ”RETURN TO CRANFORD” seemed tighter and more focused. In fact, I noticed that the majority of major storylines featured in the miniseries have ties to the main story about the railroad’s construction. Because of this, ”RETURN TO CRANFORD” avoided the episodic style of storytelling that I believe marred ”CRANFORD”. My favorite storyline featured the budding romance between two newcomers to the town of Cranford – William Buxton (Tom Hiddleston), the Eton-educated son of a salt baron (Jonathan Pryce) and Peggy Bell (Jodie Whittaker), the daughter of a less-affluent widow (Lesley Sharp). Mr. Buxton wants William to marry his ward, the Brussels-educated Erminia (Michelle Dockery). But neither are interested in each other. And Peggy has to deal with her ambitious and greedy brother, Edward (Matthew McNulty), who dislikes William. What I liked best about ”RETURN TO CRANFORD” was that most of the storylines were tied to the new rail line being constructed near Cranford - even the William/Peggy romance.

As much as I hate to admit it, ”RETURN TO CRANFORD” had its problems. Another storyline featured the problematic pregnancy suffered by Miss Matty’s maid, Martha Hearne (Claudie Blakley). The problem arose, due to the lack of doctors in Cranford. And I found this confusing. The 2007 miniseries ended with two doctors residing in the town – the recently married Dr. Frank Harrison and longtime resident Dr. Morgan. A year later, both no longer resided in Cranford and Heidi Thomas’ script never revealed their whereabouts or fate. Thomas’ real misstep featured the death of Lady Ludlow (Francesca Annis) and the arrival of her ne’er-do-well son, Septimus (Rory Kinnear). The latter’s attempt to cheat young Harry Gregson (Alex Etel) out of the money he had inherited from the late Mr. Carter was a poorly conceived and written storyline. And despite the built-up, it failed to have any real impact upon the Harry Gregson character, due to its vague ending. As much as I found Signor Brunoni’s Christmas show rather charming, I thought it also reeked of a sentimentality that made my teeth hurt. Especially when Miss Matty’s reunion with Jem Hearne (Andrew Buchan) and his daughter entered the picture.

The production design for ”RETURN TO CRANFORD” was top notch as ever. And Alison Beard’s supervision of the costumes proved to be just as first-rate as Jenny Beavan’s work in the 2007 miniseries. The cast continued its first-rate work from the previous miniseries – especially Judi Dench as Miss Matty Jenkyns, Imelda Staunton as town gossip Octavia Poole, Francesca Annis as the aristocratic Lady Ludlow, Emma Fielding as her assistant Laurentia Galindo, Alex Etel as Harry Gregson, Julia McKenzie as Mrs. Forrester, Jim Carter as Mr. Brown, and Barbara Flynn as the pretentious Mrs. Jamieson. But the newcomers that impressed were Tom Huddleston as William Buxton, Jonathan Pryce as the tyrannical Mr. Buxton, Jodie Whittaker as Peggy Bell, Celia Imrie as the earthy Lady Glemire and Tim Curry as the warm-hearted magician Signor Brunoni.

For a while, I had been reluctant to watch ”RETURN TO CRANFORD”. Because it was a sequel to the 2007 miniseries, I figured that it could never be as good as ”CRANFORD”. I was wrong. I do not know if I would consider it better than the first miniseries. But the latter is certainly not better than the sequel. And ”RETURN TO CRANFORD” does have one major advantage . . . namely Heidi Thomas’ screenplay turned out to be more tightly written, due to her decision not to use much of Elizabeth Gaskell’s material. Personally, I find that rather ironic.





Monday, May 15, 2023

Battenberg Cake

 











Below is an article about the dessert known as Battenberg Cake:



BATTENBERG CAKE

One of the most popular dishes served during a British afternoon tea has been the dessert known as the Battenberg Cake. The latter is a light sponge cake with different sections held together with apricot jam. And it is also covered in marzipan. When cut in a cross section, the cake displays a distinctive four-paneled check pattern alternately colored pink and yellow.

The Battenberg Cake did originate in Great Britain. However, no one really knows the exact identity of the dessert's creator(s). However, many believe the cake had been created and named in honor of the 1884 wedding between Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Victoria of Hesse and Prince Louis of Battenberg. The couple happened to be the maternal grandparents of the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. However, the cake originally displayed a nine-paneled check pattern, instead of four. According to some food historians, the Battenberg Cake did not display a four-paneled pattern until after World War II.

Some food histories have dismissed the claim that the cake had been created in honor of the Hesse-Battenberg wedding. According to the Food History Jottings blog, a man named Robin Weir had discovered an illustrated recipe for an identical cake named Gateau à la Domino or the Domino Cake in a July 1898 edition of the Victorian food and housekeeping magazine, The Table, published and edited by a Mrs. Agnes Berthe Marshall. The latter's recipe for Domino Cake had appeared in 1898, the same year in which food writer Frederick Vine had published the recipe for Battenburg Cake in his book, "Cakes and How to Make Them" and Robert Well's recipe for a dessert called the Neapolitan Roll was published. In appearance, Vine's recipe for Battenberg Cake is identical to Marshall's with nine panes of alternate pink and white Genoise (sponge cake) enclosed in an overcoat of almond paste. Well's Neapolitan Roll, on the other hand, with its four panes is closer to the modern version of the Battenburg Cake.

Below is a recipe for the modern version of the Battenberg Cake in the Food52 website:


Battenberg Cake

Ingredients

Sponge Cake
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup milk, divided
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Red food coloring

Marzipan & Assembly
2 cups almond meal
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup apricot jam


Preparation

Sponge Cake
*Place a rack in the middle of the oven; heat to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan. Cut out a piece of parchment paper to divide the batter in half down the middle. Fold a strip in half and fold out the flaps at the bottom to look like an upside-down T (see the photos above). This will keep both batters separate from one another while the cake bakes.

*In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream the sugar and butter on medium speed for about 1 minute, until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

*In a medium bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and gently mix to combine. Add half of the milk and mix to combine. Repeat adding the flour mixture and milk, ending with the flour mixture. Mix in the almond extract.

*Evenly divide the batter between 2 bowls (I like to use a scale). Color one batter with a few drops of red food coloring. Pour into the prepared pan, with the plain batter on one side and the pink batter on the other. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Marzipan & Assembly
*In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar. Mix well to combine. Add the egg and almond extract and mix until the mixture starts to bind together. Knead with your hands until the marzipan is smooth. Shape into a rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

*Trim the ends, top, and sides of the cakes so they're the same size. Slice each cake in half lengthwise to make 4 long rectangles.

*Warm the jam in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Press through a fine-mesh sieve. Brush the long side of one of the cakes with jam. Sandwich it together with a cake of the opposite color. Brush the tops of both cakes with jam and top with a piece of cake of the opposite color. Brush the jam on the inside long edge to make the cake stick together. Brush the top and sides of the cake with jam.

*Roll out the marzipan between 2 sheets of parchment paper into a large rectangle about ¼ inch thick. The rectangle should be large enough to wrap around the cake completely, leaving the ends uncovered. You can measure the width of cake with a piece of string and roll out the marzipan to the same size, trimming the sides for a neat finish.

*Place the cake upside down on the marzipan rectangle and wrap with the marzipan, pressing the sides gently to adhere. Try and have the marzipan seal in the bottom corner of the cake and press the edges together. Turn the cake upright and trim the marzipan on each end of the cake, if there's any excess.


Sunday, May 7, 2023

"TOWARDS ZERO" (2007) Photo Gallery

 


Below are images from "TOWARDS ZERO", the 2007 adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1944 novel. The movie starred Geraldine McEwan as Miss Jane Marple:




"TOWARDS ZERO" (2007) Photo Gallery