Last chance to make the Twelfth Night cake & the night skies, January 4th

Twelfth Night Cake at the Museum of the Home
Twelfth Night Cake at the Museum of the Home

On the 11th day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
11 pipers piping; Ten lords a-leaping; Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking; Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings (five golden rings)
Four calling birds; Three French hens; Two turtle-doves
And a partridge in a pear tree.

The Northern Sky at Night in January.

The Quadrantid meteor shower appears from the point of the Plough’s handle about January 3rd/4th. At the peak there may be 100 meteors an hour, but it will be low in the north-eastern sky and best seen from low light pollution areas. Twinkling above the Southern Horizon will be Sirius and this month’s brightest star. In the NE, the Plough can easily be seen. The Orion nebula south of Orion’s belt will be seen as a hazy patch with the naked eye. (from the Night Sky. Month by Month by Gater and Sparrow)

Twelfth Night Cake

Now is your last chance to make your Twelfth Day cake. This is a recipe from 1604 by Elinor Fettiplace:

Take a peck of flower, and fower pound of currance, one ounce of Cinamon, half an ounce of ginger, two nutmegs, of cloves and mace two peniworth, of butter one pound, mingle your spice and flower & fruit together, but as much barme [the yeasty froth from the top of fermenting beer barrels] as will make it light, then take good Ale, & put your butter in it, saving a little, which you must put in the milk, & let the milk boyle with the butter, then make a posset with it, & temper the Cakes with the posset drink, & curd & all together, & put some sugar in & so bake it.

I found this on the excellent www.britishfoodhistory.com, where you can find more cooking instructions for Twelfth Night Cake.

If you want a more modern recipe, the following is from the BBC. Please remember to add a pea, and a bean to the recipe. These will be useful once you have read my Twelfth Night post.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/twelfth_night_cake_53367

I have republished my post of the Chinese New Year which you can see here:

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