Henry and Martin have several opportunities throughout ACAT and AFC to eat Angels on Horseback as well as their devilish counterparts.
Angels on Horseback date from sometime in the 1880s, and I haven’t been able to find any satisfactory explanation for the name. No one seems to know. They are bacon-wrapped oysters frequently served on bits of toast, so nothing particularly angelic or equine about them.
Devils on Horseback are dates, often stuffed with cheese, wrapped in bacon, also served on toast. Again, where’s the devilry?
(In the books, they’re eating versions that include a little bed of toast, but I couldn’t find pictures of that, so perhaps the toast is out of favor in modern times?)
I included these particular canapes because they were indeed served frequently at the turn of the century, but mostly because I delighted in the names. Personally, I would not eat these because I’m a vegetarian, and even when I did eat meat, shellfish repulsed me, but I can see how the Devils might be delicious. Mmm, bacon. If I ever eat meat again, it will be bacon.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to eat these, please let me know what you thought of them.
How interesting! I guess I’ve had the Devils, more or less–bacon-wrapped dates are one of my grandfather’s specialties, though no cheese or toast is involved. He made his version up for a “flavor combo” contest at the local Homemaker’s Association, though, so I had no idea it was something that existed independently.
I’m a huge fan of shellfish, so I’ll have to find somewhere to try the Angels too!
Did he win a prize? :D It’s interesting how flavors perhaps go in and out of fashion, in and out of obscurity. My research indicates that Angels and Devils were popular on and off from the 1880s to the 1960s, but they were entirely unfamiliar to me until I started looking for food for this series. I’m tempted to make the Devils, because I do like dates and cheese and bacon, even if I haven’t eaten it (on purpose) in years, and it seems obvious they would be delicious. Both the Angels and Devils do seem like they’d be easy to make, which is a bonus for me because I am definitely not a cook!
He did! It got the place of honor in their club cookbook :)
I can tell you they’re pretty amazing without the cheese, so with cheese they must be out of this world. I’ve got to pass that along for the next time he makes them.
(I don’t cook either…I just mooch!)