The Secret Garden
All the talk about Spring last week made me want to revisit The Secret Garden (not the crap adaptation that recently came out with Colin Firth, the one that Francis Ford Coppola EP’d in 1993). While my current habitat is much more like India than a verdant English countryside, I thought I could at least live vicariously through a lovely spring tea menu and a rewatch of this favorite childhood movie.
The Secret Garden was one of the first films I saw in theaters, and it was also one of my first experiences with a book-to-film adaptation. Yes, I’m one of those horrible people who cannot abide a movie that deviates from its literary source material, and I would 100% be the person to ruin someone else’s enjoyment of the same (I’ve already succeeded with one major fan of the LOTR movies). But every one of my admittedly annoying rules has to have one or more exceptions, and The Secret Garden is one such.
There are some splits from the classic children’s book by Frances Hodgson Burnett, but the core plot remains intact: a young girl is orphaned in India and sent to Victorian England to be neither seen nor heard in her reclusive uncle’s drafty mansion. Director Agnieszka Holland‘s dark and mysterious take on The Secret Garden refuses to patronize its youthful audience, offering them a world full of “magic” that can be as eerie as it is enchanting. I put “magic” in quotes because I’m not talking about trees becoming sentient and too-pink fairy flowers spurting glitter pollen. I’m talking about the really REAL magic of the natural world, and those moments in the film when you see a once hopeless orphan find joy in a secret, similarly unwanted, “bit of earth”.
Kate Maberly’s performance as Mistress Mary, quite contrary, is perfectly serious, discerning, and resourceful, and the rest of the child actors are also phenomenal in their roles (you might recognize Andrew Knott from 1994’s Black Beauty). And then, of course, there’s the inimitable Maggie Smith as Ms. Medlock, who sadistically chows down on a drum stick and hardboiled egg in her initial scenes (first the chicken, THEN its young? eep). Now you know why this menu is 100% vegetarian– children (at least in this film) could never be so cruel, and prove time and again throughout The Secret Garden that they, not the adults, have an intelligent and pure motivation to make the world into what it should be.
And now, on to The Secret Garden movie menu, where Spring meets British and Indian cuisine. I hope you enjoy with a nice cup of tea, and maybe take some time to go outside afterwards. Breathe in some fresh air/SPORES, and remember that if you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden (happy tears).
The Menu
(Just pointing out for fellow film nerds that they re-used the Edward Scissorhands soundtrack for this trailer. Oh, 90’s movies…)
The Menu
Once known as "a plain piece of goods", Miss Mary finds her first friend in a robin who frequents the Misselthwaite gardens. In addition to looking a bit like birds' nests, these onion bhajis are a traditional Indian appetizer packed full of warm spices and a golden tumeric-y color. The coriander sauce is cool and fresh and equally delicious-- all in, a perfect dish to start a Secret Garden watch party. Let's begin with your coriander dipping sauce. Mix your first ten ingredients. The end. Next, set up your bhaji assembly line. Place the chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, tumeric, chili and garam masala and cilantro in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add most of 1/2 cup of water and stir until you get to a thick pancake batter consistency-- add a splash more if it feels too stiff. Add the onions and stir to coat with the batter. Heat a oil in a medium pot over high heat. Squash a bit with your hands and create a swirling pattern-- this will get you that birds' nest aesthetic we're going for. Carefully drop bhajis, 2-3 at a time, into the pot and fry for about a minute on each side-- flip, and continue frying until the other side is golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with a little salt and keep warm in the oven until you're ready to start the movie. Dickon is Mary's first human connection to the magic of the natural world. 'Tis he who shows her that, despite plain and deadened exteriors, plants and trees (and Mary herself) can be very much wick-- alive, full of life. So here is a salad for Dickon full of fresh, green spring vegetables and a sunny dill vinaigrette. Whisk together your vinaigrette-- ie your first 8 ingredients-- until the olive oil has fully emulsified. Refrigerate until ready to eat. To prep your peas-- if frozen, simply boil for 1 minute to fully thaw and VERY lightly soften. You want your peas to be crisp! Next, slice your asparagus lengthwise, and cut each half into thirds. Toss sugar peas, regular peas, and asparagus pieces with 1/4 cup or so vinaigrette, depending on how much dressing you typically like. Yes, porridge can be delicious with creme and sugar. But this oatcake dish is as much an homage to Martha as it is to the traditional Yorkshire oatcake/havercake-- a simple, cheery, wholesome, and sweet pancake-like recipe that you can take outside on a garden picnic. Note-- oatcakes can be served fresh (as they are here) or after several days of drying. If you want to dive into scones vs British varieties of oatcakes vs Scottish bannochs, check out this article. PSA: THIS CAN BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME. For no-pectin jam, I typically follow the 2/3 rule when it comes to sugar. Yes, more sugar = quicker setting time, but I can't handle the 1:1 ratio British cooking queen Mary Berry uses. I do, however, follow her three ingredient list: all you need for a wonderful strawberry jam is strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to balance out the sweet a bit. Bring all three ingredients to a boil in a medium pot. Allow to boil for 10 mins, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30. Remove from heat and allow to cool before refrigerating-- your jam will be best served next day or later, after it has set a bit in the fridge. On the day of eating, 3-4 hours beforehand: pulse rolled oats in a food processor/blender until you reach a fine mealy consistency. Next, mix together the oatmeal, wholemeal flour, plain flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl until well combined. Make a well in the centre of the mixture, then gradually add the water in a thin stream, stirring well with a wooden spoon, until the batter is well combined and the consistency of (you guessed it, pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 3–4 hours (or up to 8 hours). You'll end up with a bubbly mix that looks like this: While your batter is rising, prep your "clotted cream". In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Then, beat in sour cream and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Add whipping cream, and continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until serving. When you are ready to eat: heat a teaspoon of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add half of the batter mixture and swirl to coat the bottom with a 1/4 thick inch layer of batter-- you can use a spoon to assist if needed. Fry the oatcake for 1–2 minutes, or until golden-brown on one side. Flip the oatcake and fry for a further minute, or until golden-brown on both sides-- it will still be soft and spongy, like a pancake! Repeat with your second batch of batter, and allow both oatcakes to cool to a just warm temperature. To serve: spoon jam and "clotted cream" onto your oatcake and wrap/garnish however you please-- though it should be noted that I did see a similar presentation to the one below in a Victorian cookbook I found. So if you want to be true to Martha's time and character, a bit of powdered sugar and a fresh strawberry or two gets my enthusiastic two crumbs up! There is no better food to liken to wannabe rajah Colin than the mushroom-- while sometimes thought as pale and delicate and religated to the dark, they can be deliciously full of flavor and vivaciousness when cared for and treated properly. Here's to foods with spores! Also guys, not gonna lie but it's 2021 and when Colin says "PUT. ON. THE MAAASK" I cheered. Loudly. Collect your mushrooms-- get whatever's in season, and slice into 1/4-1/2 inch thick pieces. If you can't find more than a couple of varieties, you're actually in a good spot-- you can be even more appropriate for this recipe and literally reinvigorate dried mushrooms. Varieties like shitake and morel etc are widely available online, and can be easily reconstituted by allowing to steep in a bit of boiling water for several minutes. Save a bit of that mushroom broth for later-- it'll lend a more concentrated mushroom-y deliciousness to this or any other mushroom recipe. Melt butter and oil over medium heat and add mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper. Sautee until slightly softened, adding wine (and a bit of mushroom broth!) to deglaze the pan as you go. When mushrooms are softened, remove from heat and all to cool to warm. Serve on toasted bread sprinkled with goat cheese and chives. Sourdough would be great for this recipe-- but if you don't have access/don't feel like making it, I have a GREAT "very little knead" bread recipe here. Here is a final tribute to the incredible Secret Garden-- which, for this film, was built from scratch by genius Production Designer Stuart Craig. The shortbread biscuits (British for cookie) are PERFECT with afternoon tea, and the hint of cardamom brings us full circle to India, where Nankhatai biscuits became very popular with the English population. Also look how pretty they are! Begin with your cookie dough. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, cardamom and salt together in a bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter 1 minute on medium speed until light and a bit fluffy. Add the sugar and rose water and continue beating on medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth and satiny Scrape down the bowl with a spatula, then add the flour mixture on low speed until it’s fully incorporated and cookie-doughy. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and gently squeeze and push the dough together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to bake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll your disk of dough into ½ inch thick layer (any thinner and the cookies won't hold their shape). With a cookie cutter (fluted preferred), cut twelve cookies (reforming/rolling the dough if need be for the last one or two cookies). Bake 15 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the edges begin to turn a very light golden. The cookies will still be soft at this point, but will harden as they cool on a wire cooling rack. While your cookies are cooling, ready your toppings. Whisk confectioners' sugar, corn starch, milk, and lemon juice until a thin icing forms. Using a spoon, spread icing into a smooth circle on each cookie. Top with pistachio pieces and rose petals. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to help icing set, and serve-- preferably with a cup of tea and a healthy dose of sunlight and fresh air.
Robins' Nests for Mary (Onion Bhajis)
Ingredients
Instructions
It's Wick! (Spring Green Vegetables)
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Instructions
Better-than-Porridge Oats (Yorkshire Oatcakes with Strawberry Jam and "Clotted Cream")
Ingredients
Instructions
Master Colin's Walking! (Invigorated Mushrooms)
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
In the Garden (Rose water & Cardamom Biscuits)
Ingredients
Instructions
Epilogue
Digging through old Victorian recipes and plating techniques was oh so much fun. But, if you’re looking for other more specifically themed Secret Garden recipes, there’s actually a cookbook available. In it, you’ll find loads of dishes featured in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s book that you can cook for yourself and/or the little ones in your life. Just promise me that you’ll read the book first if you haven’t already. It’s one of those annoying rules I have. But, seriously– READ BOOKS.
I have spoken, all depart.
For more menus, check out my movie directory here!