From her grandmother's apple butter toast to that famous roast chicken, ET foodies review the future royal's impeccable recipes.
We're less than two months away from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's royal wedding!
The lovebirds will be tying the knot at St. George's Chapel this spring, and are currently knee-deep in preparations, picking out everything from their cake, to the entertainment, to the bride-to-be's dress.
In celebration of their upcoming nuptials, ET decided to try out some of Meghan's most beloved recipes, which make up the perfect platter for regal fans planning to throw their own royal wedding viewing party on May 19.
DRINKS
WINE
As soon as your guests arrive, offer them up a glass of red wine or rosé, two of Meghan's favorites. "God, do I love wine. A beautiful full red or a crisp white," she once told The New Potato. "In the summer, though, when I'm out with my friends, it's rosé all day," she added in an interview with Delish.
COCKTAILS
If your friends are into stronger drinks, Meghan suggests going with something on the spicier side. "If it's cocktails, I love a spicy tequila cocktail, negroni, or good scotch (neat)."
APPETIZERS
GRANDMA MARKLE'S APPLE BUTTER TOAST
Before she met Prince Harry, one of Meghan's greatest passions outside of her job as an actress was working on her lifestyle blog, The Tig. She'd feature recipes from her favorite local chefs, along with her own personal creations and family recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. This apple butter toast, for example, was first made by her paternal grandma. "This recipe is great because it’s a little bit savoury, and a little bit sweet," Meghan explained.
Ingredients: For the apple butter -- 3 lb apples (about 10), peeled, cored and chopped; 2 cups granulated sugar; 1 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1⁄8 tsp ground cloves; 1⁄8 tsp salt. For the whipped ricotta -- 1⁄4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature; 2 cups ricotta cheese; 2 tbsp whole milk; 1 tbsp honey; 2 tsp lemon zest; 1 1⁄2 tsp freshly grated ginger; generous pinches fleur de sel or Maldon salt; toasted seeded country bread; Marcona almonds for garnish
How to make the apple butter: Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Toss to mix. Turn to high heat. Heat until bubbling. Cover and cook on high for one hour. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours (perfect to do overnight). Remove lid. Cook, uncovered, for an additional hour. Whisk until smooth. Makes 2 3⁄4 cups. Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for two weeks.
How to make the whipped ricotta: Using a stand or electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add ricotta and milk. Beat over medium until fluffy (4 to 5 minutes). Stir in honey, zest, ginger and salt. Taste and drizzle with more honey, if you like. Makes 2 1⁄3 cups. Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for one week.
To prepare, smear whipped ricotta over slices of toasted seeded country bread, and then spread each slice with apple butter. Scatter with coarsely crushed Marcona almonds. Sprinkle with more fleur de sel, if you like.
ET's regal review: "This is sooo good. Very surprised Meghan eats this, but it's probably how she won over Harry. Stars. A+++" -- Jennifer Drysdale
KALE CHIPS
"Making kale chips can be a little time consuming, mostly from washing the kale and patting it dry, the bake time is minimal (about 25 minutes)," Meghan once told Today. "When drizzled with good olive oil and sprinkled with Maldon or himalayan pink sea salt, they become your healthy potato chip alternative that you can reach for when you want to munch on something."
Ingredients: Raw kale, olive oil, Maldon or himalayan pink sea salt
How to make it: Wash kale and pat dry. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with Maldon or himalayan pink sea salt. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. (If you want to kick Meghan's recipe up a notch, ET suggests adding in 1 red bell pepper, 1 garlic clove, 1 cup blended raw cashews, 1 tsp smoked paprika and a pinch of salt before baking.)
ET's regal review: "If this is kale, then I love kale. So tasty!" -- Katie Krause
WATERMELON WITH A TWIST
"I have always loved watermelon and relish any opportunity to eat it," Meghan revealed to Today. "Whether plain or diced up with feta and mint and tossed with a little olive oil, it makes me think of summertime. On set and at home, I try to always have a container of watermelon sprinkled with cinnamon because it elevates the flavor just a notch, and makes it feel special."
Ingredients: Watermelon, feta cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, fresh mint leaves
How to make it: Dice up a watermelon (we recommend one that's seedless) into small cubes. Then, drizzle olive oil on top and toss. Cut up fresh mint, then sprinkle on top of watermelon. Add feta, then toss again. Serve immediately.
ET's regal review: "Super refreshing, perfect for a light summer side." -- Jennifer Cady
MAIN ENTREES
THE FAMOUS ROAST CHICKEN
During their first post-engagement interview, Meghan revealed that Harry popped the question while the two were making a meal together. "It happened a few weeks ago, earlier this month, here at our cottage -- just a standard typical night for us," Harry said. Meghan then added, "Just a cozy night, we were roasting a chicken. It was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee."
Roast chicken is one of Meghan's go-to dishes, so naturally, we had to track down one of the recipes she swears by. "There is nothing as delicious (or as impressive) as a perfectly roasted chicken," the former Suits star told Good Housekeeping. "If you have an Ina Garten–level roasted-chicken recipe, it’s a game changer. I bring that to dinner parties and make a lot of friends."
Ingredients: 1 (5 to 6 lb.) roasting chicken; Kosher salt; Ground black pepper; 1 large bunch fresh thyme; 1 lemon, halved; 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise; 2 tbsp. butter, melted; 1 Spanish onion, thickly sliced; 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade; 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
How to make it:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
2. Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of the lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Scatter the onion slices around the chicken.
3. Roast the chicken for 1½ hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.
4. Remove all the fat from the bottom of the pan, reserving 2 tablespoons in a small cup. Add the chicken stock to the pan and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes, until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan. Combine the 2 tablespoons of chicken fat with the flour and add to the pan. Boil for a few minutes to cook the flour. Strain the gravy into a small saucepan and season it to taste. Keep it warm over a very low flame while you carve the chicken.
5. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve immediately with the warm gravy.
ET's regal review: "Meghan's roast chicken makes me want to put a ring on it!" -- Leanne Aguilera
SLOW COOKER ZUCCHINI SAUCE OVER PASTA
Meghan revealed her love for this "sexy, filthy" pasta sauce to Delish in 2016. "The sauce gets so creamy, you'd swear there's tons of butter and oil in it, but it's just zucchini, water and a little bouillon," she explained.
Ingredients: Any type of pasta you see fit, garlic, zucchini and parmesan cheese (grated)
How to make it:
1. Slow cook zucchini (season with a little salt and pepper) for four to five hours, until it breaks down into a "filthy, sexy mush."
2. Cook any type of pasta you see fit in olive oil, adding a bit of salt, pepper and garlic to taste.
3. Once zucchini sauce is done, add to pasta.
4. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve with red wine.
ET's regal review: "This is delish! It hardly tastes healthy, which is a good thing." -- Brian Moreno
DESSERT
LEMON ELDERFLOWER CAKE
Kensington Palace recently revealed that Meghan and Harry will be serving a cake from pastry chef Claire Ptak, the founder of Violet Bakery. The cake will feature a lemon elderflower flavor that will incorporate the "bright flavours" of spring, and will be covered with buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers.
Though we don't have the chef's actual recipe, we decided to try our own take, in cupcake form. Here's how we made them (recipe c/o Tesco)!
Ingredients: For the cake -- 185g (6½oz) self-raising flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 185g (6½oz) caster sugar; 185g (6½oz) unsalted butter, softened; 2½ tbsp elderflower cordial; 1 lemon (zested); 3 large eggs (lightly beaten). For the icing -- 200g (7oz) unsalted butter, softened; 300g (10oz) icing sugar, sifted; 3 tbsp elderflower cordial; 1 lemon, juiced and zested; mixed fresh berries (to decorate).
How to make the cake: Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and butter with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the elderflower cordial and lemon zest, then gradually add the beaten egg, beating well between each addition. Fold in the flour mix, using a large metal spoon. Add a splash of milk to loosen, if needed.
Line a muffin tin with cupcake cases and divide the mixture between the cases. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden and springy to touch, then remove from the tray and leave to cool on a wire rack.
How to make the icing: Beat the softened butter, icing sugar and cordial in a bowl, until light and fluffy. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, pipe or spread icing onto each cupcake. Decorate with fresh berries, such as blueberries and raspberries and sprinkle with lemon zest.
ET's regal review: "Dat elderflower though!!!" -- John Boone
CHIA SEED PUDDING
If your guests are just feeling a light dessert (we wouldn't blame them after all that scrumptious food they devoured!), this is a perfect, healthy alternative to the cake, and so simple to make. Meghan once told Good Housekeeping that it's a dish she makes "every single week," because it's "so easy, so good."
Ingredients: 1 cup chia seeds, 2 cups almond milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, agave, berries, coconut flakes
How to make it: In a bowl, combine almond milk and chia seeds, gradually adding in cinnamon, vanilla extract and a little agave. Stir together and store overnight in fridge. Before serving, top with berries and coconut.
ET's regal review: "In a mason jar, it's the best idea if you're looking for a tasty, on-the-go breakfast. A great, healthy alternative to yogurt." -- Elizabeth Calvario
Photography by Rigo Santoyo, styling by Hallie Stephens.
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