tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68326369373282230962024-03-16T11:50:40.992-07:00In Kiriel's Kitchen - a medieval and renaissance foodblogKiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-6781390575546904002022-10-09T18:48:00.002-07:002023-05-29T20:58:40.805-07:00Cinnamon sticks<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Gqh1H4UY2WNPlcjMNmgqGqghVp3VSAzF4uIoeJkNeqDBn8KDpWTUgHXWAY3AwDvIVpYubFTSkV3jV96bCxKpeFYRSZOKxSpwqiDTL34qi6YHf5BJAQAD0jWQcT29xZOjXFuq5tQRnLLcpChJdRGkHedzvrwg0Q62iHuOrQj8K4xuqWwjiF-0j5LNIw/s4032/20220901_005000.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Gqh1H4UY2WNPlcjMNmgqGqghVp3VSAzF4uIoeJkNeqDBn8KDpWTUgHXWAY3AwDvIVpYubFTSkV3jV96bCxKpeFYRSZOKxSpwqiDTL34qi6YHf5BJAQAD0jWQcT29xZOjXFuq5tQRnLLcpChJdRGkHedzvrwg0Q62iHuOrQj8K4xuqWwjiF-0j5LNIw/w180-h320/20220901_005000.jpg" /></a></div>This dish is a wonderful and delicious soteltie which works well as a sort of renaissance breathmint. <br /><br />The original recipe is from Ouverture de Cuisine by Lancelot de Casteau, published in 1604. The recipe is in French. I have provided a transcription of the French and a translation. <br /><br />The recipe has two parts. The first is to make sugar paste and then in the second part you incorporate cinnamon and form cinnamon sticks.
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">The recipe </h3><div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Pour faire paste de succre. </h4>Prennez du fin succre bien tamizé par vn fin tamier, puis ayez gomme d'aragante bien trempee en eau de rose passée par vn estamine aussi espes que vous le pouuez passer, puis mettez vostre gomme dedans vn mortier de cuiure ou autre & estampez bien vostre gomme, y mettant tousiours vn peu de succre tant que vous faictes vne paste maniable. Notez tant plus est il battu tant plus blanc deuient il: de ceste paste vous pouués former ce que voulez, comme faire en formes cauees, ou des trenchoirs, ou plats, ou tasses ce que vous voulez, & le mettez suer dedans vn four qui ne soit pas trop chaud, vous le pouuez aussi dorer aussi fort que les voulez auoir: gardez bien que le four ne soit point si chaud qu'il face leuer la paste par bontons, cela ne vaudroit rien, car il faut que la paste demeure ferme. <br /> Pour faire Caneline. <br /><br />Prennez vne libure de ceste paste & deux onces de canelle tamizee bien fine, & battez vostre paste dedans vn mortier tant & si longuement que le canelle soit bien encorporee avec le succre, puis vous ferez des couuertures bien tendres la largeur d'vn demy quartier, prennez adonc des bastons la grosseur d'vn doigt, & rollez la paste dessus comme on faict les galettes, puis estant vn peu ressuyé tirés le hors du baston, & le mettez sur le papier, & le mettez suyer dedans le four.<br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Translation </h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">To make sugar paste.</h4>Take fine sugar well sifted through a fine sieve, then take gum tragacanth well tempered with rose water passed through a strainer as thick as you want it to pass, then put your gum into a mortar of copper or other & grind well your gum, and put therein a little of the sugar until you make a workable paste. Note that the more it is beaten the whiter it will be: of this paste you can form that which you want, like to make in hollow molds, or trenchers, or plates or cups as you want, & put it into an oven that is not too hot, you can also gild it and make it as strong as you want to have: watch well that the oven is no longer so hot that it makes dough rise, that would be worthless, because it is necessary that the paste remains firm. <br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">To make Cinnamon Sticks. </h4>Take a pound of this paste & two ounces of cinnamon ground well fine, & beat your paste in a mortar then & long enough that the cinnamon is well incorporated with the sugar, then make the covers well thin the size of a half quarter, take then sticks the size of a finger, & roll the paste like one makes little galettes (crepes), then once a little dry, slide off the end of the stick, & put it on the paper, & put it into the oven. <br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">My version</h4> 250g icing sugar<br />1 teaspoon powdered gum tragacanth<br />3 teaspoons rosewater (add more if required) <br /><br /> I didn't want to make as much as a pound of paste, and was working in metric. I decided to use 250g of icing sugar, being the size that a packet of icing sugar comes in, in Australia. Sugar wouldn't have come in this form in the period, however the sugar that was available would have been ground until it was this fine. <br /><br /> There is no guidance as to how much gum tragacanth to use in the recipe. I looked at modern gum paste recipes to see if they would provide any guidance – a typical modern gum paste recipe might use gum tragacanth but with the addition of gelatin, egg whites or maybe corn or glucose syrup. That said I did find a recipe (Lindy's cakes in the UK) that simply said that she used 1tsp of gum tragacanth added to 250g sugar paste. <br /><br /> So I used a teaspoon of gum tragacanth powder, and added about three teaspoons of rosewater. I discovered that what happens when you add rosewater to gum powder is that the gum gels immediately into lumps, not easily dissolved by stirring. <br /><br /> But as the original recipe indicates, passing it through a strainer helped to turn it into an amorphous gel, which could then be mixed with the sifted icing sugar to make a paste. <br /><br /> For 250g of my newly made sugar paste, I kneaded in 31 grams of cinnamon (the proportion in the recipe is 1 pound of paste to 2 oz of cinnamon ie. one eighth). To add verisimilitude to the look, I added a few drops of brown food colouring (this is not in the original recipe – I have found that how dark the paste will be is dependant on the cinnamon – the quality of it, and how newly-ground it is). <br /><br /> Using a rod rolling pin, I rolled the mixture out into thin strips and then rolled them up over skewers, and once dry enough, slid them off on to a rack. Rather than curing in a low oven, I placed them in front of the heater to dry. <br /><br /> I also took the extra step of using some brown food colouring to paint the sticks just lightly to give them more texture and make them look more realistic. <br /><br /> I am delighted with the final look and flavour of the cinnamon sticks, and have served them at a feast where they were received with much pleasure (and some confusion as people thought they were real).
</div>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-31588693264890921382022-03-23T23:27:00.011-07:002023-05-29T21:13:01.783-07:00Mushroom Pasties - Champignons en paste Le Menagier de Paris (known as the Goodman of Paris) was written in 1393.<br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Original recipe</h3><div>in the old French (transcribed)<br /><i>Champignons d’une nuit sont les meilleurs, et sont petits et vermeils dedans, clos dessus: et les convient peler, puis laver en eaue chaude et pourboulir; qui en veult mettre en pasté, si y mette de l’uille, du frommage et de la pouldre.</i><br /><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Translation</h3>Mushrooms of one night are the best, if they are small, red inside, and closed at the top; and they should be peeled and then washed in hot water and parboiled, and if you wish to put them in a pasty add oil, cheese, and spice powder.
<br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Reproduction </h3><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Pastry dough rolled thinly and cut into pieces a little over twice the size of the desired pasties (For ease of production you can use commercial pastry, or use your own recipe) </li><li>400 grams fresh mushrooms </li><li>50 grams cheese (Parmesan and ricotta),</li><li>2 tbsp olive oil</li><li>1/2 tsp salt</li><li>1/4 tsp ground ginger,</li><li>1/8 tsp ground pepper. </li></ul>Wash mushrooms and pare away the bottom of the stems, but leave whole. Parboil in salted water 3-4 minutes. Drain, and mix with oil and seasonings. To make pasties, mix the cheese, oil and spices in with the mushrooms; place on top of the pastry piece and turn over. Bake in a 220degC (or the best temperature for the pastry – which will be on the packet for commercial sheets) for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.</div></div>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-18244405403946509212021-10-20T00:20:00.005-07:002021-10-20T00:32:02.319-07:00Online medieval cooking classes<p>Over the last year and a half I have given a number of live online medieval cooking classes, some of which were recorded. Each class is an hour long, and recording quality is sometimes a little... mixed. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy them. </p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Three Spanish recipes from Ruperto de Nola (1529) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BZi92Noqdo&t=1062s" target="_blank">part 1</a> Recipes are <a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/10/marzipans-for-invalids.html" target="_blank">Marzipans for Invalids</a>, and <a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/06/renaissance-spanish-donuts.html">Renaissance donuts</a>)</li><li>Three Spanish recipes from Ruperto de Nola (1529) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBSy8mslu60&t=101s" target="_blank">part 2</a> Recipes are Marinated mutton and <a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/06/renaissance-spanish-donuts.html">Renaissance donuts</a>)</li><li>Cooking together; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEXgKdtiS9k&t=486s" target="_blank">a Janete of Hens</a> from Ruperto de Nola (1529). Recipe is <a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-janete-of-hens.html" target="_blank">here</a></li></ul><p><br /></p>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-20096380703406001792021-10-15T00:04:00.004-07:002021-10-15T00:11:31.026-07:00Macaroons - French Bisket Bread<p></p><p></p><p>Got spare egg whites because you made delicious <a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2014/04/doucettes-honey-and-saffron-tarts.html" target="_blank">doucettes</a>? Looking for a simple tasty biscuit
recipe? I have you covered with these wonderful Elizabethan
biscuits. </p>
<p>Source: Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book, 1604</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">To make French biskit bread:</h3>
<p><i>Take one pound of almonds blanched in cold water, beat them verie
smale, put in some rose water to them, in the beating, wherein some
musk hath lien,then take one pound of sugar beaten and searced and
beat with your almonds, then take the whites of fowre eggs beten and
put to the sugar & almonds, then beat it well together, then heat
the oven as hot as you doe for other biskit bread, then take a
paper & strawe some sugar upon it, & lay two spoonfulls of
the stuf in a place, then lay the paper upon a board full of holes, &
put them into the oven as fast as you can & so bake them, when
they begin to looke somewhat browne they are baked inough.</i></p>
<p>Ingredients:</p><p></p><li>2 Egg whites</li><li>200g Ground Almonds </li><li>200g caster sugar</li><li>Rosewater</li><p></p><p>
</p><p>Beat your egg whites until fluffy. Moisten your ground almond meal with some rose water (try a teaspoon first and taste because rosewaters differ greatly in strength) and then sift in the caster sugar. Mix all dry ingredients together, then fold in the beaten egg whites. </p><p>Heat your oven to a moderate temperature, around 180 degrees. </p><p>Line a baking tray (ideally a perforated tray but don't stress about it if you don't have one) with paper and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Using a dessert spoon, spoon balls of the mixture on to the tray - don't worry if they don't look perfect, they will be perfect tasting!</p><p>Bake for 15-20 mins until they are
light brown. The outsides will be crisp and nutty, and the insides deliciously chewy. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</p><br /><p></p>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-60271001565643101212021-10-14T23:39:00.002-07:002022-07-24T23:35:23.277-07:00Elizabethan dish - Fartes of Portingale<p>Ahah! I thought I had posted this recipe on my blog ages ago, and it was only when this recipe appeared on a recent episode Tasting History and I did a search for my version to compare that I realised that I had drafted this but not posted it. Oops! I will have to cook these again so I can add some photos to this post. <br /></p><p>So anyway, this one of the most delicious dishes in my repertoire. The combination of the sweetness of the dates and currants, with lamb mince and the beef broth is just divine. It is also a really useful dish for catering feasts with because you can get easy portion control (eg. 3 meatballs per person) and the meatballs can be prepped beforehand and then just cooked up in broth on the day. </p><p>The recipe I am giving is quite a large serving - if you are serving it as an entree, or for a smaller dinner, feel free to halve the recipe. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">
The Good Huswive's Handmaid for Cookerie (1588) Handmaide for the Kitchin</h4>
<h3>
How to make Fartes of Portingale*.</h3><p><i>
Take a peece of a leg of Mutton, mince it smal and season it with
cloues, Mace pepper and salt, and Dates minced with currans: then roll
it into round rolles, and so into little balles, and so boyle them in a
little beefe broth and so serue them foorth.</i></p><p>Translation: Take a piece of a leg of mutton, mince it small and season it with cloves, mace, pepper an salt and dates minced with currants: then roll it into round rolls and then into little balls. and so boil them in a little beef broth and so serve them forth. </p><p></p><p><b>Recipe</b></p><p>30 grams of dates (buy pitted ones, it is worth it!)<br />1 kg lamb mince (if you can find mutton, use it, and let me know where I can get my hands on some of it!!!)<br />1/2 tsp ground cloves<br />1.4 tsp mace<br />salt<br />pepper<br />30 grams currants<br />3 litres of beef stock</p><p>Chop the dates finely - this is by far the most tedious part of the recipe - having some hot water on hand to wipe the knife down occasionally will help. I am told that the best method is to actually use a slicing rather than a chopping motion to cut up dates. Mince up the currants as well. Mix together with the meat and spices, and then form into small balls (you will get about 25-30). Bring your beef stock up to the boil, and add the meatballs. Cook until done - this will only take about 15 minutes. Serve piping hot in the broth. </p><p>*Portingale was the Elizabethan way of saying Portugal. Fartes are essentially cooked balls of food - most often meatballs, sometimes dough.</p><p>
<br />
<br />
<br /></p>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-42330146782278437122021-10-14T23:06:00.005-07:002021-10-20T00:28:26.671-07:00Marzipans for Invalids<h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>Marzipans for invalids who have lost the desire to eat, very good and of great sustenence</b></h3><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Mazapanes para dolientes que pierdan el comer, muy buenos y de gran sustancia) </i></div></i><div><div style="text-align: center;">The book of cooking, Ruperto de Nola (Robert), Logrono, 1529</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Not the average marzipan, I encourage you to give this recipe a go! It is super simple to make, and unusually for a lot of recipes from this period, has provided the proportions of the ingredients. Don't let the fact that it contains of all things, chicken, put you off: trust me, they taste really good.</div></div></div><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="365" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnz0C9qztMdIAzkxAlgQGCUaObyPOInnEd1OJF175rll3FvbHw1D_iU2fzieKYZc0td2adlmGB0omx0fOT0YyA8SQV5hbB8AWuoIaX4cHoNJ4X0Cn_csssuq2adVq9SvPCnpWXiHpBY401/w320-h311/marzipans+for+invalids1.jpg" width="320" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Take a very fat capon or a hen which is very fat, and cook it with just your salt until it is very well-cooked; then take the breasts from it, and all the white meat without skin, and weigh that meat, and take as much peeled almonds, and combine the meat and the almonds; and take as much fine white sugar as all of this, and grind the almonds a great deal, and then the meat with them, and then the sugar; and then grind everything together, and stretch that dough upon a wafer, and make little marzipans of the size that you wish; and make the edges a little high, and let it be a little deep in the middle; and moisten it with orange-flower water with some feathers.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UbKDYR6jP-iFd9WESEgVANrgrakpBDERn2tsIXudotlUo56oTOHsnaSFpi0Q-Jq-Ce2CrzISwMh60kEpeMkFNXXcE79srqFwhnhQJIXm1x-_tUU5RL2RiTrVHe-OwdYiazkx-haBQQww/s320/marzipans+for+invalids2.jpg" /></a></div><i>And then sprinkle fine ground and sifted sugar over that water, and then moisten it again, and sprinkle it as before; and then cook them in the oven in some flat casseroles, and paper underneath; and let the fire of the oven be moderate; and upon removing it from the casserole, the paper must be cast off of each one, (70) in such a manner that the marzipan does not break.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>And this is a very singular dish and of great support for the invalids who have lost the [desire] to eat; because the little of this that they eat is of more sustenance than any other thing; principally drinking in addition to it the sulsido of hens made in the jug; and this is beyond estimation.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Take a chicken breast and simmer it in salted water until thoroughly cooked - but try not to overcook as it will make the chicken dry. Weigh the cooked chicken breast and measure out the same weight of almonds (you can do this with peeled almonds, or save yourself some time and use ground almonds) and sugar. Grind them all together in a mortar and pestle (you could use a food processor but just be aware that the texture will be a little different). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you don't have any wafers handy (who does? Maybe me since I did all those posts about wafers, <a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/07/waffling-on-about-wafers.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/06/a-collection-of-renaissance-wafer.html" target="_blank">here</a>!), you can, at a pinch make these and just form them directly on to a sheet of baking paper. Make the sides a little raised. Moisten with orange flower water, sprinkle with caster sugar and then sprinkle a bit more orange flower water on top. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bake in the oven at a moderate temperature until they are lightly browned. They can be eaten either warm, or cold. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">You can see why this recipe would be a good food for an invalid - it gives an easy protein boost, the patient doesn't need to have good teeth as everything is ground up, and the sweetness makes it appetising. </div></div></div></div></div>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-71786971778134278162021-09-18T06:39:00.003-07:002021-09-18T06:39:33.612-07:00A medieval mustard<p> This recipe for mustard comes from Le
Menagier de Paris dated around 1393</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The recipe is:</p>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gV2HNlg2y09hzLYNLnhsRHqZgy53PFl850GlHSGTm1jgIC9q30WB4lrUdvcRTvZW3RmojILdbqexw1yJVWXxNTLZOHPMh2QkjqMqr5eXy5-ntbolf3o5-eS_hyphenhyphen1xx-c0rvyzVWw5DNaB/s2048/20210916_192530%257E2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Mustard soaking" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1513" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gV2HNlg2y09hzLYNLnhsRHqZgy53PFl850GlHSGTm1jgIC9q30WB4lrUdvcRTvZW3RmojILdbqexw1yJVWXxNTLZOHPMh2QkjqMqr5eXy5-ntbolf3o5-eS_hyphenhyphen1xx-c0rvyzVWw5DNaB/w148-h200/20210916_192530%257E2.jpg" title="Soaking the mustard" width="148" /></a></div><i>Item</i>, et se vous la voulez faire bonne et à loisir, mettez
le senevé tremper par une nuit en bon vinaigre, puis le faites bien
broyer au moulin, et bien petit à petit destremper de vinaigre: et
se vous avez des espices qui soient de remenant de gelée, de claré,
d’ypocras on de saulces, si soient broyées avec, et après la
laissier parer.<p></p>
<p>Translated that is:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="en">Item: and if you want to make
it good and at leisure, soak the mustard seeds overnight in good
vinegar, then grind it well in the mill, and very little by little
soak in vinegar: and if </span>you have some remnants of spices from jelly,
claré, hypocras or sauces, grind them with it, and then leave to
rest.</p><p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8d3jDgLY80FHW7pM6e3z-uGPLoJFNQnhKS7KwRwrkNFrWe5iTKlHTM9Hh_TWzOXdmfN9o0TNlkVpxJzRYOsZdh7O70rlt7Mjb-4DJZqW1QPwLj1dtje36-vYVSuzVvrO_i6S5zkuDHUE/s4032/20210917_183130.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2901" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8d3jDgLY80FHW7pM6e3z-uGPLoJFNQnhKS7KwRwrkNFrWe5iTKlHTM9Hh_TWzOXdmfN9o0TNlkVpxJzRYOsZdh7O70rlt7Mjb-4DJZqW1QPwLj1dtje36-vYVSuzVvrO_i6S5zkuDHUE/w144-h200/20210917_183130.jpg" width="144" /></a></div>I chose a white wine vinegar to soak the mustard in (honestly,
because it is what I had). <p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The next day, it was interesting to see the difference between soaked and unsoaked mustard seeds.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I then ground the mustard with a mortar and pestle. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxD9CUWAa8GUFGZzFGI8TwjLLw6eLbcWjTsACjDzumwsZAou2AveY0qhfu3-ysopuvAegjty176jwl-qxXYd8JnTC4Gc-icudHFG_18OQz90ZFclOuo0iBFsgBqcnKKg84Lw5AWyfC1hbg/s3840/20210917_194352.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2897" data-original-width="3840" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxD9CUWAa8GUFGZzFGI8TwjLLw6eLbcWjTsACjDzumwsZAou2AveY0qhfu3-ysopuvAegjty176jwl-qxXYd8JnTC4Gc-icudHFG_18OQz90ZFclOuo0iBFsgBqcnKKg84Lw5AWyfC1hbg/s320/20210917_194352.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Grinding was a slow process</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMneWBsgZiWWmPJUQpW50eUJj9LSDtRqERMhmiwljTH671DtiiHJNOlsHVYBmISnepu82qbN6JHHSElXCX9qzvXOBbrOHUspe7mSPa801KK2bOcPi42Z7ltKoDZMBXQkHgOROhXvJFCC6h/s2788/20210917_194522.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2788" data-original-width="2411" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMneWBsgZiWWmPJUQpW50eUJj9LSDtRqERMhmiwljTH671DtiiHJNOlsHVYBmISnepu82qbN6JHHSElXCX9qzvXOBbrOHUspe7mSPa801KK2bOcPi42Z7ltKoDZMBXQkHgOROhXvJFCC6h/w173-h200/20210917_194522.jpg" width="173" /></a></div><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The final product: a quite spicy mustard</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"> I had to make some
hippocras!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DB7eRDrsW9l1Zzgj3BycOr0wbk2JmMLLkzk7XYC-Ph0Murzun0uhG6vdjvIrDYGidxrmLf4mE15b91tCL76iSHTHEYQ2KJHfmgkV8sW3JUZkHLAlKsKoQTi5cR67pY3h1M3XlMDWuRuT/s4032/20210917_171543.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6DB7eRDrsW9l1Zzgj3BycOr0wbk2JmMLLkzk7XYC-Ph0Murzun0uhG6vdjvIrDYGidxrmLf4mE15b91tCL76iSHTHEYQ2KJHfmgkV8sW3JUZkHLAlKsKoQTi5cR67pY3h1M3XlMDWuRuT/s320/20210917_171543.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Ypocras. Pour faire pouldre
d’ypocras, prenez un quarteron de très fine canelle triée à la
dent,
et demy quarteron de fleur de canelle fine, une once de gingembre de
mesche trié fin blanc et une once de graine de paradis, un sizain de
noix muguettes et de garingal ensemble, et faites tout battre
ensemble. Et quant vous vouldrez faire l’ypocras, prenez demye once
largement et sur le plus de ceste pouldre et deux quarterons de
succre, et les meslez ensemble, et une quarte de vin à la mesure de
Paris.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Translation: </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Hippocras. To make hippocras powder, take a quarteron of very fine cinnamon, sorted by the tooth, and half a quarteron of fine cinnamon flower, an ounce of fine white sorted mesche ginger and an ounce of grains of paradise seed, a sixth of an ounce of nutmeg and galingale together, and beat everything together. And when you want to make the hypocras, take half an ounce and some more of this powder and two quarterons of sugar, and mix them together, and a quarte of wine to the measure of Paris.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOESEjndm7cJ4ol7lvVEDi-k4gokr1fmNFq6heJLky-s0mgnozqmRusFrXwjCrOrB8pYdoVFQ4_9v2Wq37I3GIP5Fm5N9Ef3pQYdbBlWIIgxibS5k4_91_yINcBjxvMcegRQS1CgWrq9rN/s4032/20210912_213943.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOESEjndm7cJ4ol7lvVEDi-k4gokr1fmNFq6heJLky-s0mgnozqmRusFrXwjCrOrB8pYdoVFQ4_9v2Wq37I3GIP5Fm5N9Ef3pQYdbBlWIIgxibS5k4_91_yINcBjxvMcegRQS1CgWrq9rN/s320/20210912_213943.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-14559483140895478302021-07-26T17:03:00.005-07:002021-10-04T22:38:54.985-07:00Waffling on about wafers<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"> <br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a name="Frame1"></a></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBBHvJND5Zu_CPX3FOrEZswBZXbiO0IMRZb49Rw6F26QqDv1b9DJFgeLGQq2lm_oyzpHq5P6DOk3OJ-NkCse7rpRBPYUr-VnZOj2z5r_sZggLE3n2O6_p156ytaEHcVd5hqei3viau894/s806/20210710_002110.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBBHvJND5Zu_CPX3FOrEZswBZXbiO0IMRZb49Rw6F26QqDv1b9DJFgeLGQq2lm_oyzpHq5P6DOk3OJ-NkCse7rpRBPYUr-VnZOj2z5r_sZggLE3n2O6_p156ytaEHcVd5hqei3viau894/w240-h320/20210710_002110.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-weight: normal;">This post is a bit of a follow on from my previous post listing medieval and renaissance <a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/06/a-collection-of-renaissance-wafer.html" target="_blank">wafer recipes</a>. In this article I will provide a modern wafer recipe that I have developed, and background information on wafers that I have gleaned. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Because I get really irritated by blogs that have pages and pages of info before you get to the recipe, I am going straight to the recipe, and then you can read on as you wish. The recipe is from Le Menagier de Paris.</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Recipe<br /></h3></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">1 egg</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1/2 cup wine</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1/2 cup flour</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">generous pinch of salt</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">When are they from?</h3></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Now, there is a really good
question, which sadly I cannot provide a definitive answer to! The
Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America says that wafers
“date back to ancient Greece, where they made obelios, a flat
cake cooked between two hot metal plates.”<br />The earliest image I
have spotted so far is from the Velislav Picture Bible (between 1325
and 1340)<br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What are they made of?</h3><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The basic wafer is pretty
simple: flour, eggs, wine, salt.<br />But... you could get fancy, such
as by stuffing them with cheese or adding ginger to the paste.
Saffron wafers are mentioned in royal accounts from medieval
Poland.<br />By the late 16th or early 17th century they
might contain sugar and flavourings such as rose-water and cinnamon.
A set of books in Gent, Belgium (bound together as one) dating from
about 1560 has recipes that are made using white bread crumbs instead
of flour.<br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What tool is used to make them?</h3><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_P6xdIT1ZaeKJu09gAImXqOUMOfXdXR9dSbJ9TY1bFC2-W3sbUtKGVmJ67X8ZbMPbGBPM_HT6JxTmhbP72r9yYwtT6dRwQ65LEH8t8omsxMLkIZwT5jlmkGeXItuqJCHkXfYpCpmxSWi/s800/wafer+iron.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_P6xdIT1ZaeKJu09gAImXqOUMOfXdXR9dSbJ9TY1bFC2-W3sbUtKGVmJ67X8ZbMPbGBPM_HT6JxTmhbP72r9yYwtT6dRwQ65LEH8t8omsxMLkIZwT5jlmkGeXItuqJCHkXfYpCpmxSWi/w240-h320/wafer+iron.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>A wafer iron just
like this! --------------><br /><br />They did come in different shapes
and sizes (including round), but this picture is quite a typical
example of a medieval or renaissance wafer iron.<br />As you can see in
this picture, there are two different sides. From my travels and
research, they always seem to have two different sides in the
medieval period – modern ones don't always. If you would like to
see more examples of wafer irons,
visit: <span lang="zxx"><a href="http://www.larsdatter.com/wafer-irons.htm">www.larsdatter.com</a><br /></span><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">When
in the meal were they eaten?</h3><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">They appear to have been served quite
late in the meal, both in England and in France, and it seems, always
with hippocras! There is a theory that they are a sort of final
blessing at the end of the meal.<br />In Le Menagier de Paris
(1393) the author gives details of the arrangements for two
wedding feasts that include wafers. In both he lists them as being
right towards the end of service, which goes in essentially this
order:<br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Service (butter, little pastries and fresh
fruit)</li><li>Pottages</li><li>Roasts with sauces</li><li>Entremets (jellied
meats)</li><li>Dessert (NOTE: not as we know it: frumenty, venison, pears
and nuts)</li><li>Issue: hippocras and wafers</li><li>Boute-hors
(translates literally as bottle out): spiced wine</li></ul><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Over the sea in
England John Russell writes in about 1440<a class="sdendnoteanc" href="#sdendnote1sym" name="sdendnote1anc"><sup>i</sup></a>&
þañ with goddes grace þe fest wille be do.<br /></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Blaunderelle, or
pepyns, with arawey in confite,</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Waffurs to ete / ypocras to
drynk with delite.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">now þis fest is fynysched / voyd þe table
quyte</p></div></blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">This basically says that after you have eaten the wafers and
drunk the hippocras, you should leave the table.<br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">How many wafers
did people eat?</h3><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">For the wedding feast Master Helye gave on a
Tuesday in May for 40 people, altogether they ordered 18 stuffed
wafers, 18 gros bastons, 18 portes, 18 estriers and a
hundred sugared galettes.<a class="sdendnoteanc" href="#sdendnote2sym" name="sdendnote2anc"><sup>ii</sup></a> The
final negotiation with the pastrycooks however, provided for 4 wafers
for each guest.<br />It is worth noting that the gros bastons were the
most expensive – I wonder if this is because they were simply
larger, or perhaps were filled with something?<br />On the hippocras
front: Le Menagier notes that two quarts of Hippocras was considered
too much for a party of 14 guests: - a half pint between three people
was considered to be sufficient.<br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Who made them?</h3><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Wafers appear
to have been made by specialised Pastrycooks. In France they were known as Obloyeurs (Oubloier - also
spelled Oubloiier in medieval French or Obloyeurs) or Gauffriers –
specialist wafer makers. <br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Whats in a name?</h3><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><div><span style="text-align: left;">There are a LOT of names for
wafers, dependi</span>ng on the country, the period and the form. The earliest name appears to be the Ancient Greek obleios. This appears to have turned into oublies, and the name gaufre first seems to appear in the 13th century, from the Old French wafla, meaning “<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">a piece of honeybee hive</a>” (a reference to the honeycomb shaped pattern).In le Menagier de Paris (1393) for example, the author refers to Oubloie, gauffres, sweet Galettes, Supplications, Estriers and Portes, but I don't know for certain whether these are other names for the same or different wafers, or some other pastry item. I do have some theories about some of <span style="text-align: left;">these.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhm2cGC72PVvFK7fB9DOu9rizau-zlI2g9EG6lg0S58DaT5oaTigcKf1TfGdWwDdLEzimsn7-xrGgaA4V_Lqy2nLzo4V70_iUW4EB1WCpDJ59r9m4Zw8wKfIQuGvVb99dDBKmtCFt8Tf6H/s300/portcullis.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="300" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhm2cGC72PVvFK7fB9DOu9rizau-zlI2g9EG6lg0S58DaT5oaTigcKf1TfGdWwDdLEzimsn7-xrGgaA4V_Lqy2nLzo4V70_iUW4EB1WCpDJ59r9m4Zw8wKfIQuGvVb99dDBKmtCFt8Tf6H/w200-h197/portcullis.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"></p>For example because Porte is
a medieval French word for a gate or portcullis, perhaps it was
specifically a wafer using a wafer iron with a classic grid pattern.
It is just a theory mind you!<br /><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;">A bit of research has a 1609
Castellan 'dictionary' describing oblea (the Spanish
version of our Oubloie above) as “a leaf of very thin
dough, and when made into tubes they are called supplicaciones”.
So I feel it seems likely that our Gros Baston are referred
to also as supplications. Phew, this is both exciting and tiring
stuff to research! In Germany they have oblaten which
appear to be smooth wafers, and are probably
related also to our oubloie.<br /><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; text-align: left;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPOV9ux11U8C-bf8fvFQKj892IpO6GtUdLZESuvfjpwo4WLjXWHw7HpDrkvGag161DtPqJSJkB-S04erNwz3Oi86oEXARpyh32YGeZY-1UZoywnNBIb7kRNGdWvFzrVBdNy3Wr3aNhPRd/s395/16thcWaferIronSwiss.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="348" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPOV9ux11U8C-bf8fvFQKj892IpO6GtUdLZESuvfjpwo4WLjXWHw7HpDrkvGag161DtPqJSJkB-S04erNwz3Oi86oEXARpyh32YGeZY-1UZoywnNBIb7kRNGdWvFzrVBdNy3Wr3aNhPRd/s320/16thcWaferIronSwiss.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16th century wafer iron - Switzerland</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h2></div>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<div id="sdendnote1" style="text-align: left;">
<h5 class="western" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 0.21cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; orphans: 2; text-decoration: none; widows: 2;"><a name="nurture_flesh_third"></a></h5>
<p style="line-height: 0.21cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><a name="nurture_line_706"></a></p>
<p style="line-height: 0.21cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><a name="nurture_tag_196"></a></p>
<p style="line-height: 0.21cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><a name="nurture_line_713"></a></p>
<p style="line-height: 0.21cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><a name="nurture_line_81"></a></p>
<p style="line-height: 0.21cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><a name="nurture_line_82"></a></p>
<p style="line-height: 0.21cm; margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><a name="nurture_line_83"></a></p>
</div>
Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-59217861613687081492021-06-24T00:29:00.000-07:002021-06-24T00:29:04.227-07:00Renaissance Spanish donuts<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprTPxqkmumRh3-XIRa0fw-EmURn8DL44NsKLJNLgbefyCwsDZy5TIYZNxACgx50gsNWwcF9zTh-ZzE7gioCOfcEPrKwyj7865PFVup7PFzVTTYlZhW7ttyGWg26w3FtX4CJmCYkH3Wr_F/s549/20210530_201408.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Donuts" border="0" data-original-height="88" data-original-width="549" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprTPxqkmumRh3-XIRa0fw-EmURn8DL44NsKLJNLgbefyCwsDZy5TIYZNxACgx50gsNWwcF9zTh-ZzE7gioCOfcEPrKwyj7865PFVup7PFzVTTYlZhW7ttyGWg26w3FtX4CJmCYkH3Wr_F/w400-h64/20210530_201408.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><b><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>Oranges of Xativa which are Cheesecakes</b></h3></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Toronjas de Xativa que son almojavans </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The book of cooking, Ruperto de Nola (Robert) </i><i>Logrono, 1529</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">I experimented with a lot of versions of this recipe and finally settled on the one below. These are essentially delicious renaissance sweet cheese donuts - I chose to form them into rings, which although it means they no longer resemble oranges, are definitely an acceptable shape according to the recipe which says that they can be formed into "whatever shapes and ostentations you wish". </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWF77H5vAPpSAlRfvP32tFpsvkSZaojOi-z3M1ISNwmsIsAVffsca4aUsdj6ydP3ri1Hy4oDkVRmM_bTZv3p1g95Yf-01Cp0w_F1Fil3PpJCj8TjSsE06nLfztGDAs_NWRu0KhiLAvNE76/s490/Oranges+of+Xativa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Original manuscript recipe" border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="490" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWF77H5vAPpSAlRfvP32tFpsvkSZaojOi-z3M1ISNwmsIsAVffsca4aUsdj6ydP3ri1Hy4oDkVRmM_bTZv3p1g95Yf-01Cp0w_F1Fil3PpJCj8TjSsE06nLfztGDAs_NWRu0KhiLAvNE76/w320-h292/Oranges+of+Xativa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>You must take new cheese and curd cheese, and grind them in a mortar together with eggs. Then take dough and knead those cheeses with the curd cheese, together with the dough. And when everything is incorporated and kneaded take a very clean casserole. And cast into it a good quantity of sweet pork fat or fine sweet oil. And when the pork grease or oil boils, make some balls from said dough, like toy balls or round oranges. And cast them into the casserole in such a manner that the ball goes floating in the casserole. And you can also make buñuelos (fritters) of the dough, or whatever shapes and ostentations you wish. And when they are the color of gold, take them out, and cast in as many others. And when everything is fried, put it on plates. And cast honey upon it, and on top of the honey [cast] ground sugar and cinnamon. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>However, note one thing: that you must put a bit of leaven in the cheeses and in the eggs, and in the other put flour. And when you make the balls, grease your hands with a little fine oil, and then [the balls] go to the casserole. And when it is inside, if the dough crackles it is a signal that it is very soft, and you must cast in more flour [into the dough] until it is harder. And when the fritter is made and fried, cast your honey on it, and [cast] sugar and cinnamon on top as is said above.</i></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Redaction <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUuE5XPkAjMwINB8GLQc1rBmAhyphenhyphenqFdwHITwQ5n1M9cFBJcZmKien16WCkKfIS4zCO36ffdp6rVFmVa71dgkjX2F5BA3A0yErzxuw8Ou36PgpBV6PnWJg_1QjBYxKRmYFNOujxbxDv_XVx/s4032/20210605_221149.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="renaissance donuts" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUuE5XPkAjMwINB8GLQc1rBmAhyphenhyphenqFdwHITwQ5n1M9cFBJcZmKien16WCkKfIS4zCO36ffdp6rVFmVa71dgkjX2F5BA3A0yErzxuw8Ou36PgpBV6PnWJg_1QjBYxKRmYFNOujxbxDv_XVx/w240-h320/20210605_221149.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></h3>150g new cheese (mozarella will do)<br />150g ricotta <br />2 eggs (~60g each)<div>2 cups of flour <br />1 tsp instant yeast* <br />cinnamon <br />sugar <br />honey <br />vegetable oil<div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Method</h3><div><div>Grate the mozarella and grind in a large mortar with the ricotta and eggs. Stir in the yeast and allow to rest a little.<br />Measure the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre**. Stir in the cheese and egg mixture to make a soft dough. Tip out onto a board and knead for 5 or six minutes. <br /><br />Allow to sit somewhere warm for approximately an hour. <br /><br />Form into balls and using your thumb press a hole in through the middle. Allow to rest for 20 minutes or so. <br /><br />Fry at 190° C until golden brown. Drizzle with honey while hot and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Best eaten hot.</div><div><br /></div><div> <br /><br /><b>Notes</b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">*As well as experimenting with instant yeast I also made this recipe using a sour-dough starter. It worked well but as is typical with sour-doughs, it took basically a whole day to make. <br /><br />**The recipe says to mix the wet ingredients with a dough – I did make a version mixing the wet ingredients with a simple water and flour dough. The resulting 'donuts' were pretty good but it was very awkward to mix the two. As the final results were almost identical, I have settled on using the flour. </span><p align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.18cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: maroon;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i></i></span></span></span></p></div></div></div></div>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-61209544789549430972021-06-23T20:17:00.005-07:002021-07-26T17:09:18.928-07:00A collection of renaissance wafer recipes<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">FRANCE</h3></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Le Menagier de Paris (believed to date to 1393)<a class="sdendnoteanc" href="#sdendnote3sym" name="sdendnote3anc"><sup>iii</sup></a>.</h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I note that the original says it provides four manners, but then lists another use for the wafer irons.<br />Rough translation (the title in each is my own designation and is not in the original text)<br />Wafers are made in four ways.<br /></p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="en">[Gauffres:] The first is that you beat eggs in a bowl, and then salt and wine, and throw in it the flour, and mix one with the other, and then put in two irons little by little, and each time as much paste as a slice of cheese is large, and press between two irons, and cook on one side and the other; and if the iron does not get release the paste well, anoint it before with a small cloth wet in oil or in fat.</span></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="en">[Gauffres frommage:] The second way is like the first, but you put in cheese, which is to say that you make sure that the paste is spread out as if to make a tart or pastry, then put in slices of cheese by slices in the middle and cover the two ends so the cheese remains between the two pastes and thus is put between two irons.</span><sup>*</sup></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="en">[Gauffres couleisses:] The third manner, is a strained wafer, and are called strained only because the paste is more light and is boiled clear, made as above; and enjoy it with fine grated cheese; and all mixed together.<br /></span></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="en">[Pestrie a l'eaue:] The fourth way is the flour paste with water, salt and wine, without eggs or cheese.</span></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="en">[Gross Bastons:] Item, the wafer irons also do a different service, called big sticks which are made of a flour paste which eggs and powdered ginger powder beaten together, and these are large and in a shape similar to andouilles<span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">**</span></span><span lang="en">; put between two irons.<br /></span></p></div></blockquote><p>*Yes! Toasted cheese wafers!</p><p>**Andouilles are a form of sausage. It seems likely that this means the wafers are cooked in the iron and then rolled up while hot to make tubes.<br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><h3> ENGLAND</h3></blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4>Waffres.<a class="sdendnoteanc" href="#sdendnote4sym" name="sdendnote4anc"><sup>iv</sup></a> 15th century. Harleian MS. 279 & Harl. MS. 4016, London: for The Early English Text Society by N. Trübner & Co., 1888. <span lang="zxx">Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books<br /></span></h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><blockquote>Wafers. Take the womb of a luce (pike), & boil it well, & mash it in a mortar, & add soft cheese, grind them fair; then take flour and egg whites & beat together, then take sugar and powdered ginger, & put them all together, & look that the egg is hot, & make a thin paste, & make thin wafers, and serve them.</blockquote><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4>The English Housewif, Gervase Markham, 1615</h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><blockquote>To make the best Wafers, take the finest wheat-flowers you can get, and mix it with Cream, the yelks of Eggs, Rose-water, Sugar, and Cinamon, till it be a little thicker than Pancake-batter, and then warming your Wafter Irons on a charcoal-fire, anoint them first with sweet Butter, and than lay on your batter, and press it, and bake it white or brown at your pleasure.</blockquote><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4>To make wafers, 1658 Archimagirus Anglo-Gallicus; Or, Excellent & Approved Receipts and Experiments in Cookery (London: 1658)</h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><blockquote>Take Rose-water or other water, the whites of two eggs and beat them and your water, then put in flower, and make them thick as you would do butter for fritters, then season them with salt, and put in so much sugar as will make them sweet, and so cast them upon your irons being hot, and roule them up upon a little pin of wood; if they cleave to your irons, put in more sugar to your butter, for that will make them turn.</blockquote><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><h3>BELGIUM</h3><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Belgian 15th/16th century recipes<a class="sdendnoteanc" href="#sdendnote5sym" name="sdendnote5anc"><sup>v</sup></a>All credit to Christianne Muusers who has painstakingly transcribed and translated these two <a href="https://coquinaria.nl/en/wafers-with-whipped-cream/" target="_blank">recipes</a>. <span lang="zxx"><br /></span></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4></h4></div><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><h4>To bake good wafers.</h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Take grated white bread. Take with that the yolk of an egg and a spoonful of pot sugar or powdered sugar. Take with that half water and half wine, and ginger and cinnamon.<br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4>[To make] egg wafers.</h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Grate white bread, [add] as many eggs that the dough is liquid (litt. “soft”). Take for a dosen eggs about one glass of wine and a little sugar to sweeten the wine well, and some melted butter in it. They are also made with wheat flour. [Made] with [grated] bread is the best.</p></div></blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">ITALY</h3></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4>To make wafers with crumb of bread and sugar. Scappi 1570 , folio 420, book 6</h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><blockquote>Take crumb of bread and let it moisten in cold water and strain it through a sieve. Make a paste of it and wheat flour, rosewater and sugar and simple water and fresh egg yolks. Because otherwise you won’t be able to make wafers make the paste liquid and firm.<br />When you have the irons add a little malmsey wine, and make the wafers. If you want it with pulp of capons boiled in water and salt. Paste this meat in a mortar and temper with a little cold water and pass with the bread crumb through the sieve and mix together with the other things and make wafers. One can also make with almond milk and egg yolks.</blockquote><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><h1 style="text-align: left;">End notes (original language versions)</h1></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4>1. Boke of Nurture by John Russell, 1440-1470</h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The iijd Course.<br />“Creme of almondes, & mameny, þe iij. course in coost,<br />Curlew / brew / snytes / quayles / sparows / mertenettes rost,<br />Perche in gely / Crevise dewe douȝ / pety perueis with þe moost,<br />Quynces bake / leche dugard / Fruture sage / y speke of cost,<br />and soteltees fulle soleyñ:<br />þat lady þat conseuyd by the holygost<br />hym̅ þat distroyed þe fendes boost,<br />presentid plesauntly by þe kynges of coleyñ.<br />Afftur þis, delicatis mo.<br />Go we to þe fysche fest while we haue respite,<br />& þañ with goddes grace þe fest willebedo.<br />Blaunderelle, or pepyns, withcarawey in confite,<br />Waffurs to ete / ypocras to drynk with delite.<br />now þis fest is fynysched / voyd þe table quyte<br />and for some dietary advice:<br />Bewar at eve/ of crayme of cowe & also of the goote, þauȝ it be late,<br />of Strawberies & hurtilberyes / with the cold Ioncate,<br />For þese may marre many a mañ changynge his astate,<br />but ȝiff he haue aftur, hard chese / wafurs, with wyne ypocrate.<br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4> 2.Le Menagier de Paris:</h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">A l’oubloier convient ordonner: _primo_, pour le service de la pucelle, douzaine et demie de gauffres fourrées[719], trois sols; douzaine et demie de gros bastons, six sols; douzaine et demie de portes, dix-huit deniers; douzaine et demie d’estriers, dix-huit deniers; un cent de galettes, succrées, huit deniers.<br />Item, fut marchandé à luy pour vint escuelles, pour le jour des nopces au disner, et six escuelles pour les serviteurs, qu’il aura six deniers pour escuelle, et servira chascune escuelle de huit oublies, quatre supplications et quatre estriers.<br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4><b>Le Menagier de Paris.</b></h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Gauffres sont faites par quatre manières. L’une que l’en bat des œufs en une jatte, et puis du sel et du vin, et gette-l’en de la fleur, et destremper l’un avec l’autre, et puis mettre en deux fers petit à petit, à chascune fois autant de paste comme une lesche de frommage est grande, et estraindre entre deux fers, et cuire d’une part et d’autre; et se le fer ne se délivre bien de la paste, l’en l’oint avant d’un petit drappelet mouillé en huille ou en sain.<br />La deuxième manière est comme la première, mais l’en y met du frommage, c’est assavoir que l’en estend la paste comme pour faire tartre ou pasté, puis met-l’en le frommage par lesches ou milieu et recueuvre-l’en les deux bors; ainsi demeure le frommage entre deux pastes et ainsi est mis entre deux fers.<br />La tierce manière, si est de gauffres couléisses, et sont dictes couléisses pour ce seulement que la paste est plus clère et est comme boulie clère, faicte comme dessus; et gecte-l’en avec, du fin frommage esmié à la gratuise; et tout mesler ensemble.<br />La quarte manière est de fleur pestrie à l’eaue, sel et vin, sans œufs ne frommage.<br />Item, les gauffriers font un autre service que l’en dit gros bastons qui sont fais de farine pestrie aux œufs et pouldre de gingembre batus ensemble, et puis aussi gros et ainsi fais comme andouilles; mis entre deux fers.<br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><h4><span>3. Harleian MS. 279 & Harl. MS. 4016, London: for The Early English Text Society by N. Trübner & Co., 1888.</span></h4></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Take þe Wombe of A luce, & seþe here wyl, & do it on a morter, & tender cheese þer-to, grynde hem y-fere; þan take flowre an whyte of Eyroun & bete to-gedere, þen take Sugre an pouder of Gyngere, & do al to-gerderys, & loke þat þin Eyroun ben hote, & ley þer-on of þin paste, & þan make þin waffrys, & serue yn.<br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4>4. The first volume of the convolute KANTL Gent 15: W.L. Braekman, “Een belangrijke middelnederlandse bron voor Vorselmans’ Nyeuwen Coock Boeck (1560)” (An important Middle-dutch source for Vorselman’s New Cookbook’) . In: Volkskunde 87 (1986) pp. 1-24<br />The second and third vols of the convolute: W.L. Braekman, Een nieuw zuidnederlands kookboek uit de vijftiende eeuw. Scripta 17, Brussel, 1986.</h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4>Om ghode waffellen te backen.</h4><p></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Nempt gheraspt wijt broet. Nemt daer toe enen doijer van enen ey ende enen lepel pot sucars of melsucars, ende hier toe nempt half waters ende half wijns ende ghenbar ende canel.<br /></p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><h4>Om eyer wafelen.</h4><p></p></div><p></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;"></div><p></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Neemt ende raspt witte broot, daer eyer in alsoe vele dat is al morw deech, ende tot eender dosijnen eyer omtrent een gelas wyns, ende een lutken zuycker om den wyn wel zoet te maeken, ende wat gesmelter booteren daer in. Men maeckse oeck wel alsoe van terwenbloemen. Vanden broot eest best.</p></div>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-60082109369656862132021-06-03T19:40:00.004-07:002021-06-23T20:08:52.588-07:00Eggs in Mustard Sauce<br /><i>Seeth your Egges almost harde, then peele them and cut them in quarters, then take a little Butter in a frying panne and melt it a little broune, the put to it in to the panne, a little Vinegar, Mustarde, Pepper and Salte, and then put it into a platter upon your Egges.<br /><br />--J. Partridge, The Widowes Treasure, 1585</i><div>This is a nice easy dish great to be taken to a picnic or potluck.<br /><br /><b>Redaction </b><br /><br />1/2 tablespoon butter<br />1 teaspoon mustard<br />1 teaspoon white wine vinegar<br />salt & pepper<br /><br />Hard boil the eggs – old eggs are best for this as they will peel much more easily than new.<br /><br />When you’re ready to serve, peel the eggs and quarter them.<br /><br />Melt the butter in a saucepan and allow it to brown just a little, add the mustard and vinegar, season with salt and pepper. <br /><br />Pour over the eggs and serve. <br /><br /><br /><p></p></div>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-76267842307524240142021-02-23T22:40:00.004-08:002021-02-23T22:40:50.251-08:00A Janete of Hens<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcbZlGez0671mYQZJ1PjWbDsfEq_X260IHRHMAK_52BKpUGSd3aowXcF1g_jQ1FIDcpOKwpXOMPwdMU1VAS-yXFTy2SwYPuXR0oUDJlXay22jSMM8y0lieBq5zrvw8OmjUg2rL78lUTuN/s729/la-leyenda-de-fray-juan-garin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="De Nola plate" border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcbZlGez0671mYQZJ1PjWbDsfEq_X260IHRHMAK_52BKpUGSd3aowXcF1g_jQ1FIDcpOKwpXOMPwdMU1VAS-yXFTy2SwYPuXR0oUDJlXay22jSMM8y0lieBq5zrvw8OmjUg2rL78lUTuN/w198-h320/la-leyenda-de-fray-juan-garin.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"> This recipe is from "Libro de Guisados" by Ruperto de Nola. </h4><p></p><p>The earliest edition of this manuscript is in Catalan, and is known as the Libre del Coch by Maestre Robert. The first Spanish edition (1525) was titled Libro de Cozina and referred to the author as<br /> Ruperto de Nola. The translation for this session is from the 1529 Spanish edition entitled Libro de Guisados, which was translated by Robin Caroll-Mann. </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p></blockquote><p>The translation reads: </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>Take a hen which is more than half-cooked and cut it up as if to make portions; and take good bacon which is fatty, and gently fry it with a little bit of onion. And then gently fry the cut-up hen with it. </p><p>And take toasted almonds, and grind them, and mix with them quinces or pears which have been conserved in honey. </p><p>And take the livers of the hens, and roast them on the coals. </p><p>And when they are well-roasted put them in the mortar of the almonds, and grind everything together; and then take a crustless piece of bread toasted and soaked in white vinegar, grind it in the mortar with the other stuff.</p><p>And when it is well-ground, blend it with hen's broth that is well-salted; and strain it all through a sieve; and cast it in a pot; and cast the hen in also; and cast in all fine spices, and a good quantity of sugar. </p><p>And this sauce must be a little bit sour. And when the sauce is cooked, cast in a little finely shredded parsley, and prepare your dishes, and then [cast] upon them sugar and cinnamon.</p></blockquote><p>I have not provided quantities as this will depend very much on your own tastes, and the number of people you are serving. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Chicken pieces</li><li>Chicken stock</li><li>Bacon</li><li>Onion</li><li>Chicken liver/s (you really only need around 1 liver for a serving for four)</li><li>Bread</li><li>White vinegar</li><li>Almonds (almond milk as an alternate)</li><li>Spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, coriander)</li><li>Quinces conserved in honey (quince paste)</li><li>Parsley</li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Basic Steps</b></h3><p>Chop your onion and bacon into small pieces. Peel the almonds if required. Toast a slice of bread, then cut off the crusts and cool. Finely chop parsley and set aside. </p><p></p><p>Toast the almonds in a small fry pan. Once browned, remove from the pan and put into whatever vessel you will use to grind them to cool. Add the quince paste and grind up. </p><p>Using the same pan, fry your prepared livers in just enough oil or bacon fat to stop them sticking too badly to the pan. Cook until cooked all the way through. Add them to the mortar. </p><p>Soak your slice of bread with white vinegar. </p><p>Add to the mortar with the almonds, liver and conserved quince, and grind everything together. </p><p>In a pot, heat enough chicken stock to cover your chicken pieces to a low boil. Add your chicken pieces, bring back up to the boil and then drop down to a simmer. Cook them in stock until almost entirely cooked (about 10-15 minutes), and then pull out of the stock to drain for a short while (reserve the stock!)</p><p>In the meantime fry your bacon and onion until the onion is starting to go clear but isn't yet brown. Add your chicken pieces and brown them. </p><p>Blend the mixture in the mortar with the chicken stock. </p><p>Push it through a strainer, and add to the pan with the chicken, bacon and onion – let the chicken simmer in the sauce on a low heat until you are certain it is thoroughly cooked. </p><p>Spice to taste – it should be just a little bit sour </p><p>Not long before serving stir in the chopped parsley. </p><p>Sprinkle (LIGHTLY!) with cinnamon and a tiny bit of sugar and serve.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHf3qbe3DAaOvA1WV_sqYpFA17dlVK_SwAS9LOGqnCCnWpaxO3esdOoTb122D-teZWofMHTqUwfTia2vAy4R-stNN3cGDOB_IeGzYAL-9nvmsDO8XQ91-fDvVFRGQIucrHmGlDi0i61jq_/s857/janet+of+hens+1520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="857" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHf3qbe3DAaOvA1WV_sqYpFA17dlVK_SwAS9LOGqnCCnWpaxO3esdOoTb122D-teZWofMHTqUwfTia2vAy4R-stNN3cGDOB_IeGzYAL-9nvmsDO8XQ91-fDvVFRGQIucrHmGlDi0i61jq_/w400-h323/janet+of+hens+1520.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-91428695044720810102020-07-05T20:51:00.002-07:002020-08-18T03:44:50.600-07:00Marzipan<br />
<h2>
Recipes for making and using Marzipan</h2>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In the following, I am attempting to provide a collection of recipes for marzipan or marchpane, gathered by country. I have not, for the moment, included the recipe in the original language of publication, nor have I provided a modern recipe. Please note too that this is not an exhaustive list and I will continue to add to it over time. My thanks to the kind and generous people who have transcribed and translated these recipes and shared them freely with the rest of us. </div>
<h2 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
England </h2>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
To make Manus Christi.</h3>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Good Huswives jewell, 1585</h4>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Take sixe spoonefull of Rosewater, and
graines of Ambergreece, and 4. grains of Pearle beaten very fine, put
these three together in a Saucer and couer it close, and let it
stande couered one houre, then take foure ounces of very fine Suger,
and beat it small, and search it through a fine search, then take a
little earthen pot glased,and put into it a spoonefull of Suger, and
a quarter of spoonefull of Rosewater, and let the Suger and the
Rosewater boyle together softelye, till it doe rise and fall a-</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
gaine three times. Then take fine Rie
flo-wer, and sifte on a smooth borde, and with a spoone take of the
Suger, and the Rosewater, and first make it all into a rounde cake,
and then after into little Cakes, and when they be halfe colde, wet
them ouer with the same Rosewater, and then laye on your golde, and
so shall you make very good Manus Christi.</div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Marchpane </h3>
<h4>
Delights for Ladies, England,
1609</h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
12 - To make an excellent Marchpane paste, to print off in
moulds for banquetting dishes. Take to every Jordan Almond blanched,
three spoonefuls of the whitest refined sugar you can get: searce
your sugar, and now and then, as you see cause, put in two or three
drops of damask Rose-water: beare the same in a smooth stone mortar,
with great labour, until you have brought it into a dry stiffe paste:
one quarterne of sugar is sufficient to worke at once.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Make your paste in little bals, every
ball containing so much by estimation, as will cover your mould or
print; then roune the same with a rowling pin upon a sheet of cleane
paper, without strewing any powdered sugar either upon your paste or
paper. There is a countrey Gentlewoman whom I could name, which
venteth great store of sugar-cakes made of this composition. But the
only fault which I find in this paste is, that it tasteth too much of
the sugar, and too little of the almonds: and therefore you may prove
the making thereof by such almonds which have had some of their oil
taken from them by expression, before you incorporate them with the
sugar; and so happely you may mix a greater quantity of them with the
sugar, because they are not oylie as the other.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
You may mix cinamon or ginger in your
paste, & that will both grace the taste, and alter the colour,
but the spice must passe thorow a faire searce; you may steep your
almonds in cold water all night, & so blanch them cold, and being
blanched, dry them in a sieve over the fire. Heere the ???? of
almonds will make a cheap paste.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
18 - To make a Marchpane. Take two
pounds of Almonds being blanched and dryed in a sieve over a fire:
beat them in a stone mortar; and when they bee small, mix with them
two pounds of sugar being finely beaten, adding 2 or 3 spoonfuls of
Rose-water, and that will keeps your almonds from oyling. When your
paste is beaten fine, drive it thin with a rowling ping, and so lay
it on a bottom of wafers: then raise up a little edge on the side,
and so bake it: then yce it with Rose-water and sugar: then put it
into the oven once again, and when you see your yce is rise up, &
dry, then take it out of the oven, & garnish it with pretty
conceits, as birds and beasts, being cast out of standing moulds.
Stick long comfits upright in it: cast biskets and carrowaies on it,
and so serve it: gild it before you serve it: you may also print off
this Marchpane paste in your molds for banquetting dishes: and of
this paste our comfitmakers at this day make their letters, knots,
Arms, Escocheons, beasts, birds,
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
and other fancies.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="en">Marchpane </span></h3>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="en">The English
Housewife (1615)</span></h4>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="en"></span></h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="en"></span><span lang="en">To make the best
marchpane, take the best Jordan almonds and blanch them in warm
water, then put them into a stone mortar, and with a wooden pestle
beat them to pap, then take of the finest refined sugar well searced,
and with it, and damask rose-water, beat it to a good stiff paste,
allowing almost to every Jordan almond three spoonful of sugar. Then
when it is brought thus to a paste, lay it upon a fair table, and,
strewing searced sugar under it, mould it like leaven; then with a
rolling pin roll it forth, and lay it upon wafers washed with rose
water, then pinch it about the sides, and put it into whatever form
you please; then strew searced sugar all overit, which done wash it
over with rose-water and sugar mixed together, for that will make the
ice, then adorn it with comfits, gilding, or whatsoever devices you
please, and so set it into a hot stove and there bake it crispy and
so serve it forth. Some use to mix with the paste cinnamon and ginger
finely searced, but I refer that to your particular taste.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="en">France </span></h2>
<h4>
<span lang=""> Marzipan</span></h4>
<h4>
<span lang="">Ouverture de
Cuisine</span><span lang=""></span><span lang="">, 1604 - Daniel Myers, translation</span></h4>
<h4>
<span lang=""></span></h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
To make
Marzipan. Take almonds appointed as above, & flatten the paste as
for making a tart, then form the marzipan as fancy as you want, then
take sifted sugar & mix with rose water, & beat it together
that it is like a thick batter, cast there a little on the marzipan,
& flatten with a well held knife until the marzipan is all
covered, then put it into the oven on paper: when you see that it
boils thereon & that it does like ice, tear apart from the oven,
when it doesn't boil, & sprinkle on nutmeg: if you want it
golden, make it so. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h2>
Spain</h2><h3>
Fruit
Made of Sugar [Marzipan] </h3>
<h4>
An Anonymous Andalusian
Cookbook, Andalusia, 13th c. - Charles Perry, translator</h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Add one part of sieved sugar to one part of
cleaned and pound almonds. Knead it all with rose water and roll your
hand in almond oil and make with it whatever you want of all fruits
and shapes, if God wishes.
</div>
<h3>
Marzipans for invalids who have lost the desire to eat, very good and of great sustenance (91) </h3>
<h4>
Libre del Coch, 1520 - Robin
Carroll-Mann, translator</h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Take a very fat capon or a hen which is
very fat, and cook it with just your salt until it is very
well-cooked; then take the breasts from it, and all the white meat
without skin, and weigh that meat, and take as much peeled almonds,
and combine the meat and the almonds; and take as much fine white
sugar as all of this, and grind the almonds a great deal, and then
the meat with them, and then the sugar; and then grind everything
together, and stretch that dough upon a wafer, and make little
marzipans of the size that you wish; and make the edges a little
high, and let it be a little deep in the middle; and moisten it with
orange-flower water with some feathers. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
And then sprinkle fine ground
and sifted sugar over that water, and then moisten it again, and
sprinkle it as before; and then cook them in the oven in some flat
casseroles, and paper underneath; and let the fire of the oven be
moderate; and upon removing it from the casserole, the paper must be
cast off of each one, in such a manner that the marzipan does not
break. And this is a very singular dish and of great support for the
invalids who have lost the [desire] to eat; because the little of
this that they eat is of more sustenance than any other thing;
principally drinking in addition to it the sulsido of hens made in
the jug; and this cannot have a value placed upon it.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Marzipans (Mazapanes)</h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<h4 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Libro de Guisados, Ruperto de Nola
(Spain 1529) (translation by Robin Caroll-Mann)</h4>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Take almonds which are select, and
wholesome, and well-peeled in boiling water. And grind
them very well, moistening the pestle of the mortar in rosewater so
that they don't become oily. And when they are
well-ground, cast in as much syrupy sugar as there will be almonds;
and let it be well-ground, and strained through a silk sieve; and
make good paste incorporating the sugar little by little, and not
with large amounts, so that you don't make the paste viscous, and
spread them out very well.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The way to cook and glaze them:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Take fine sugar which is very
well-ground, and strain it through a sieve of silk; and for a syrup
put it in this way, and blend it with rosewater which is reasonably
thick.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It is necessary that the oven is not
very intense, but temperate; and take the sheet on which you will
cook the marzipans, and heat it in the oven; and when it is hot, cast
flour on it, under the marzipans, so that they don't stick; and put
them in the oven until you see that you cannot bear to touch them
with the back of your hand; and if the outside is not cooked, be sure
to return it to the edge of the sheet with the outside on the
inside. And then take them out and with a little spoon
cast glaze upon them, and with some feathers spread it out all
over. And then return them gently to the oven until the
glaze hardens, as you think [right] according to the practice you
have seen.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Fritter Of Marzipan (Fruta De Mazapa)</h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Toc33523497"></a>Take
blanched almonds [which are] very well-ground; and when they have
been ground, cast in sugar; and for a pound of almonds another pound
of sugar; and grind it all together, and as you are grinding it, feed
it with rosewater, and let all be as well ground as you can; and then
take well-sifted flour, and knead it with eggs and lard, and a little
white wine, and make little cakes; and cast that paste in them, and
set a frying pan with lard; and after heating it well, cast the
fritter within, and fry it slowly; and then on the plate cast honey,
and sugar, and cinnamon on it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b>Germany </b></h2>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Marzipan</h3>
<h4>
Das Kuchbuch der Sabina
Welserin, 16th century - V. Armstrong, translator</h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
22. If
you would make good marzipan. First take a half pound of almonds and
soak them overnight in cold well water, take them out in the morning.
Next pound them well until they become oily, pour a little rose water
on them and pound them further. When they become oily again, then
pour a little more rose water thereon. Do this until they no longer
become oily. And pound the almonds as small as possible. After that
take a half pound of sugar, pound not quite all of it in, leaving a
little left over. Next, when the almonds and sugar are pounded well
together, put them in a bowl, take the lid from a small box, loosen
the rim completely, so that it can be detached and put back on again,
however leave the lid and the rim together. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Take wafers and make them
about as wide as a pastry shell, very round. Spread the almond paste
described above with the fingers onto the wafers, moistening the
fingers with rose water and dipping the almond paste into the sugar,
which you have kept in reserve. After that, when you have spread it
out evenly with your hands, take the sugar that you have reserved and
sprinkle it through a sieve evenly over the marzipan. And take a
small brush and dip it in rose water and sprinkle the marzipan
overall, so that the sugar is dissolved. Then let it bake. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Check it
often, so that it is not burnt. It should be entirely white. The
amount of a half pound is necessary, so that the oil remains.
</div>
Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-50607924100769742432020-05-13T23:23:00.001-07:002021-06-24T00:02:31.904-07:00Pease Pies
A friend recently put a call out for a vegan recipe and I thought immediately of these. You would have to omit the butter, but perhaps a bit of vegan margarine would be a reasonable substitute, as it does add a wee something to the mouthfeel of these tiny pockets of goodness. <br /><br /> This is one of my favourite quick and easy picnic and potluck dishes. I often make them as little half moon shaped pastries, rather than as a pie, which is perfect for a potluck. I have given instructions for this method rather than whole large pies. If you make larger pies, just be warned that when you cut them, your peas will be escape artists and roll around the place! <br /><br /> I haven’t provided quantities here, because it has been a while since I last made them, and I tend to play it a bit by ear. I will try to update this after I next make a batch. <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">To make a close Tarte of green Pease</h3><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>Take half a peck of green Pease, sheale them and seeth them, and cast them into a cullender, and let the water go from them then put them into the Tart whole, & season them with Pepper, saffron and salte, and a dishe of sweet butter, close and bake him almost one houre, then drawe him, and put to him a little Vergice, and take them and set them into the Oven againe, and so serve it. The Good Housewife’s Jewell, 1596 </i></blockquote><h3 style="text-align: left;">Ingredients </h3> Peas (you can use frozen at a pinch but of course freshly shelled peas are better!) <br /> Pepper <br /> Saffron <br /> Salt <br /> Butter <br /> Verjuice <br /> Pastry <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Method </h3> Cook your peas in fresh water and drain. While still warm add a generous amount of pepper salt, butter and lightly ground saffron (I find that having flecks of saffron rather than just a powder is aesthetically pleasing to both the eye and tastebuds). <br /> <br />Roll out your pastry and use a cup or similar sized round cutter to cut circles. Put a pastry disk in the palm of your hand and fill with a generous teaspoon of peas (doing this in the hand rather than on a board is actually much easier as you don’t lose your peas. <br /> <br />Fold the sides together and pinch around the edges making half moon shaped pasties. <br /> <br />Bake in a moderate oven till the pastry is lightly browned. <br /> <br />Pull out of the oven, and with a hyperdermic inject about a quarter of a teaspoon of verjuice into the pasty. Pop in the oven again to brown just a little more. <br /> <br />Ideally served hot, but at the small size, still very tasty cold.
Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-50632333871950993142016-10-25T00:25:00.002-07:002020-05-13T23:28:59.587-07:00You say kartoffel I say tartoufle...I have been hard at work reading up on renaissance French food of
late, in preparation for the upcoming Politarchopolin Fields of Gold
event, for which I am head chef.<br />
<br />
Apparently there is some argument about the three recipes in the
Ouveture de Cuisine (1604) for tartoufle. One translated
version of the recipe book has this as potato.. but is it?<br />
The word "truffle" comes from the Vulgar Latin "tufera",
itself derived from the Latin tuber.Within period the truffle was
known as "tartufi" and "tartufoli" and the potato
as "tartuffo" and "tartuffolo". You can see why
there might be some cause for confusion eh?<br />
<br />
Apparently the word "taratoufli" was inscribed on the
pot in which a potato was planted by Clusius in 1588. The word "tartufflo" as the word for a potato was then
converted by Olivier de Serres in 1600 into "Cartoufle",
which leads nicely into the German "kartoffel" that we see
today, and its many variations in other countries. *<br />
<br />
Seems pretty straight forward. But...<br />
<br />
Cotgrave's 1611 French English dictionary has a little to say on
this too... it doesn't contain any reference to the potato that I
have been able to find so far, but does have:<br />
Truffe: a gibe, mocke, flowt, jeast, gullerie; also a saligo, or
water nut; also, a most daintie kind of round and russet root, or
rootie excresence, which grows in forests, or dry and sandie grounds,
and within the ground, but without any stalk, leafe or fiber annexed
unto it.<br />
<br />
To complicate things, in France to this day, in a geographical
area from Burgundy to Provence, truffles are called "tartoufle".
An indeed, conversely, apparently in other regions of France, up to
Belgium, potatoes may be called "trufle", "truffe",
"trefe", "trife", "trufa" or "trufo"
or even more!<br />
<br />
<br />
I am still on the hunt for more information on this... I hope to
have more information soon. In the meantime, feel free to tell
me what you think....<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
*History and social influence of the potato by Redcliffe N Salaman
and William Glynn BurtonKiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-8958995425845266702015-09-14T23:21:00.000-07:002020-06-30T19:22:23.708-07:00Rosee - Chicken and rose pate<div>
</div>
My friend known online as Quatrefoil made this dish decades ago, and it was only recently when trying to find a dish that we could serve on starter platters for a feast for 200 people that I recalled it and asked her for details. <br />
<br />
<br />
Let me start by giving my thanks to Constance B Hieatt and Sharon Butler for bringing so many 14th century recipes to the public eye! So here are three versions: <br />
<div>
</div>
<ol>
<li>An Ordinance of Pottage: "Florey. Take flourys of rosys; wesch hem & grynd hen with almond mylke. Take brawn of capons grounden & do thereto. Loke hit be stondyng. Cast theryn sugure, & cast theron the leves of floure of the rose, & serve hit forth."</li>
<li>Utilis Coquinario - book 3 of MS Cosin 14th C. Menus: " 32. To make a rosye. Tak braun of capounces or of hennes & hew it smal, & bray it in a morter & do perto grounde bred & tempre it vp with almounde melk, & and do into a pot & lye it with amodne & colour it with safroun. & do perto white gres & stere it weel, & tak roses & hewe hem smale & do into pe pot, & seth it all togedrere& ley it with eyre, & do perto sugre & salt, & dresch it, & strewe peron rede rose leaues & serue it forth."</li>
<li>Diuersa Servicia - book 2 of MS Cosin 14th C. Menus: "For to make rosee, tak the flowrys of rosys and wasch hem wel in water, and after bray hem wel in a morter; & than tak almondys and temper hem, & seth hem, & after tak flesch of capons or of hennys and hac yt smale, & than bray hem wel in a morter, & than do yt in the rose so that the flesch acorde wyth the mylk, & so that the mete be charchaunt: & after do yt to the fyre to boyle, & do therto sugur & safroun that yt be wel ycolowrd & rosy of leuys of the for seyde flowrys,& serue yt forth."</li>
</ol>
There are various modern versions of this recipe online but me being me, I couldn't possibly use them could I?<br />
<div>
</div>
So let's look at the recipe bit by bit. "Take flowers of roses". I would love to do some grand experimentation and research into what roses would have been around at the time, and what roses taste best, but unfortunately Spring had not yet sprung so I was stuck with my packet of dried rosebuds (these can often be found in middle eastern stores). I made the decision though that I needed to add a little rosewater to the dishes to make up for the lack of flavour in the dried roses. <br />
<div>
</div>
"Wash them and grind them with almond milk". This seems pretty clear. However, looking at the other contemporary recipes for the same dish the almonds seem clearly to be included in the main dish. Hmm.... I decide that the almond flesh would add to the texture and stability of the pate and decide to include it. <br />
<br />
<br />
"Take brawn of capons grounden and do thereto". Brawn nowadays is often known as head cheese and is made by boiling meat along with the bones to get gelatin. But as a medieval term, the word is middle English and comes from the old French word "Braon", which means the fleshy part of the leg. So we know what bit of the capon we are to use, yay! <br />
<br />
<br />
Sadly as I have no probably mourned in previous posts, capons aren't available here, and I had to make do with chicken thighs. On a side note, apparently the Australian ban on capons was based on them being chemically castrated in the 60s and so if you can find someone to manually castrate the roosters and grow them, you could theoretically get capons here. Anyone? Anyone? Pretty please with sugar on top? Anyway, I have wandered off... <br />
<br />
<br />
So, here comes for me, one of the big questions of the recipe. Is the meat cooked before grinding? In the second and third versions of the recipe, the ground meat is cooked (whether for a second time or not is unclear). Does it make a difference either way?<br />
<br />
<br />
Well, guess I better find out eh? So I try a few ways. Method 1. Grind the almonds with water and rose petals and half a teaspoon of rosewater. Add ground chicken thighs and cook the mixture until it is thoroughly cooked. Season with sugar. Result - ok, but a bit on the bland side of things. Texturally, the almonds were a bit grainy - I should have ground them more finely. I was also concerned with cooking the raw ground chicken in the almond milk, that it would either burn around the edges (trying to cook a thick soupy liquid) or that the chicken itself would not be properly cooked through, which was a worry from a food safety point of view. <br />
<br />
<br />
Method 2. Cook the chicken thighs in stock. Use a bit of the stock to grind the almonds and rose petals and rosewater. Grind up the cooked thighs and mix in with the almond milk. Result? Tasty tasty. The flavour and salt from the chicken stock was a big help to the blandness and the texture was more pleasing. <br />
<br />
<br />
250g chicken thighs<br />
8 dried rosebuds<br />
1/2 teaspoon rosewater<br />
1/3 cup blanched almonds<br />
2 cups of chicken stock<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-66009701835140950632014-06-26T06:48:00.002-07:002020-08-18T03:45:47.149-07:00Little Sugar Pies <span face="" style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span face="" style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">(Maestre Robert "Libre del Coch" 1520, translation from "Original
Mediterranean Cooking" B Santich) - redaction is my own. </span><br />
<br />
<span face="" style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">
<i>Take a pound of almonds and blanch them. And grind them without adding
either water or stock, so that they become very oily, and the oilier they
are, the better. And take one and half pounds of white sugar, well pounded,
and mix it with the almonds. And when these are mixed, if it is still a
bit stiff, add a little rosewater. And season it with a little ginger, to
your taste. Then take pastry made with flour and eggs and sweet oil, and
fill the pastry with the sugar and the almonds. Then take oil and put it
on the fire in a frying pan. And when it boils, put in the little pies,
and cook them until they take on the colour of gold. And when you take them
from the fire, pour over melted honey. And then sprinkle them with sugar
and powdered cinnamon. </i><br />
<br />
<i>You will see that I put less sugar in than the original recipe </i><br />
<br />
<table style="width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><span face="" style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;">
350g ground almonds<br />
350g icing sugar<br />
1 tsp rosewater<br />
2 tsp ginger<br />
<br />
½ cup wine<br />
½ cup oil<br />
1 egg<br />
flour; about 2 and ½ cups<br />
Caster sugar<br />
Cinnamon<br />
<br />
</span></td>
<td><span face="" style="font-family: "arial", "helvetica", sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kiriel.net/images/Photographs/cooking/IMGP2865.JPG"><img border="0" height="72" src="http://www.kiriel.net/images/Photographs/thumbnails/tnIMGP2865.jpg" width="96" /></a>
<a href="http://www.kiriel.net/images/Photographs/cooking/IMGP2849.jpg"><img border="0" height="72" src="http://www.kiriel.net/images/Photographs/thumbnails/tnIMGP2849.jpg" width="96" /></a></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>
</i>
Mix the almonds, icing sugar, rose water and ginger to make a firm paste
like a marzipan. <br />
<br />
While the original recipe for once does in fact give ingredients for the pastry, I played a little with it, and used a little wine in the pastry, as this gives it a wonderfully crisp texture. Mix the oil, wine and
eggs, and gradually add the flour, to make a soft sticky dough. Sprinkle
a board with flour, and lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough
and cut out rounds. Place a little of the marzipan mixture on a round,
fold in half and pinch closed (you may find that wetting the edges lightly
with water will help them stick together) or run a fork around the edge.
<br />
Deep fry at 170 degrees until golden. Immediately after removing them
from the oil, put them on a plate and drizzle honey over the top. <br />
Move to drain on a draining rack (over a tray of some sort!) and then
sprinkle with cinnamon and caster sugar. </span>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-7254317827436497872014-06-21T16:52:00.002-07:002020-08-18T03:48:22.433-07:00Duke's powder, powder douce, powder forte - medieval spice mixtures<p>I thought I should type up some of the notes I have taken on this matter, rather than keeping them on a rather scrappy piece of paper. This is simply a list of the spice blends from a number of medieval cookbooks, and will hopefully grow. The first one from Le Menagier is one of my favourites. <br />
<br />
<b>Le Menagier de Paris </b><br />
<br />
14 oz cinnamon<br />
1 oz ginger<br />
1 oz grains of paradise<br />
1/6 oz nutmeg<br />
1/6 oz galingale<br />
-----------<br />
1 oz and 1 drachma (1/8th of an oz) white ginger<br />
1/4 oz cinnamon<br />
1/8 oz grains of paradise<br />
1/8 oz cloves<br />
1/4 oz sugar<br />
<br />
----------</p><p></p><p></p><p>Duke's powder<br /><br />To make powdered hippocras,
take a quarter of very fine cinnamon selected by tasting it, and half a
quarter of fine flour of cinnamon, an ounce of selected string ginger,
fine and white, and an ounce of grain of Paradise, a sixth of nutmegs
and galingale together, and bray them all together. And when you would
make your hippocras, take a good half ounce of this powder and two
quarters of sugar and mix them with a quart of wine, by Paris measure.
And note that the powder and the sugar mixed together is the Duke's
powder.</p><p><br />
<b>Frati 15th century Italy</b><br />
<br />
1/4 cloves<br />
1 oz ginger<br />
1 oz cinnamon <br />
same quantity bay leaf<br />
<br />
--------<br />
<b>Libro de Guisados:</b><br />
<br />
<i>Spices for common sauce</i><br />
<br />
3 parts cinnamon<br />
2 parts cloves<br />
1 part ginnger<br />
1 part sugar?? (I can't read my own notes there... must check) <br />
and a little ground coriander and a little saffron<br />
<br />
<i>Spices for Clarea</i><br />
3 parts cinnamon<br />
2 parts cloves<br />
1 part ginger<br />
<br />
<i>Dukes Powder</i><br />
1/2 oz cinnamon<br />
1/8 cloves<br />
1 pound sugar<br />
a little ginger<br />
<br />
--------------<br />
<br />
<i>Powder Blanche</i> (<b>Haven of Health</b>)<br />
2 oz sugar<br />
1/4 oz ginger<br />
1/8 oz cinnamon<br />
<br /></p>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-87758448446581689092014-04-28T01:44:00.014-07:002021-12-06T23:46:28.324-08:00Doucettes - Honey and saffron tarts
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Doucettes: From the Harlein collection
in the British Library, manuscript 279 (which is 15th century), recipe
XV in the "Vyaunde Furnez"/"Dyuerse Bake Metis"
section. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">This recipe is one of the most classic
and popular tarts ever served at medieval events, and for good reason
- when made well they are glorious - lightly sweet and delicate honeyed tarts with
a beautiful golden tint. In this recipe I am not going to get into
the pie crust itself - that discussion is for another day, but am
giving you a nice easy recipe for the contents. Give it a try!
I use honey rather than sugar because I love that special flavour you
get from honey, but you can make it with sugar instead. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i>Doucettes -- Take Creme a gode
cupfulle & put it on a straynoure; (th)anne take (y)olkys of
Eyroun & put (th)er-to, & a lytel mylke; (th)en strayne it
(th)orw a straynoure into a bolle; (th)en take Sugre y-now, & put
(th)er-to, or ellys hony forde faute of Sugre, (th)an coloure it with
Safroun; (th)an take (th)in cofyns, & put in (th)e ovens lere, &
lat hem ben hardyd; (th)an take a dysshe y-fastenyd on (th) pelys
ende; & pore (th)in comade in-to (th)e dyssche, & fro (th)e
dyssche in-to (th)e cofyns; & when (th) don a-ryse wel, take hem
out, & serue hem forth."</i></p></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqz2VDbSoVAK5HZ4iQ_eH-619YnaTbZoE9gVlYjSdVuFJRlfjPBmAVf3UgCuDIopcEs1Rv3NE3Sh5mxA_QFnhDsdODbJQmp5oouFZ9wfaL36e8Fkq4iJiY0OCVQEzJcDSh2rh5y6gOw8T/s1200/p1010585edited.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Doucettes" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1146" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqz2VDbSoVAK5HZ4iQ_eH-619YnaTbZoE9gVlYjSdVuFJRlfjPBmAVf3UgCuDIopcEs1Rv3NE3Sh5mxA_QFnhDsdODbJQmp5oouFZ9wfaL36e8Fkq4iJiY0OCVQEzJcDSh2rh5y6gOw8T/w306-h320/p1010585edited.jpg" title="Doucettes decorated with almonds" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Doucettes decorated with almonds</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i>Doucettes -- Take a good cupful
of cream and put it through a strainer, then take yolks of eggs and
add them to it, and a little milk, then strain it through a strainer into a bowl. </i><i>Then take enough sugar, and add it, or
honey in stead of sugar, then color it with saffron; then take your
coffins(crusts), and put them in the oven empty, and let them harden,
then take a dish fastened to the end of your baking peel and pour
your filling into the dish, and from the dish into the coffins, and
when they rise well, take them out, and serve them forth.</i></p></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Redaction by Kiriel (for one disposable
pie tray)</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">2 large egg yolks<br />125mls cream<br />75ml milk<br />2 tsp honey<br />3 strands of saffron</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Pre-bake a pie shell. Stir the egg
yolks,cream, milk and honey till well blended (don't whisk or beat).
Grind your saffron in a mortar and pestle (adding just a quarter of a teaspoon of milk into the pestle can help extract the colour) and add the powder to the
liquid ingredients. </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Pour into the hot pie shell and bake in
a moderate oven for about 20 minutes to half an hour, until the
mixture is set. If you are unsure about the set, give the
tart a very gentle shake - it should wobble just a little. This
isn't a very sweet tart, and if you like things to be sweet, you
could up the honey a touch. *</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">What to do with the 2 egg whites?
I make <a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/10/macaroons-french-bisket-bread.html" target="_blank">macaroons</a> or <a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2020/07/marzipan.html" target="_blank">marzipans</a>!</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</p></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SjFMsjQggDIBfS5w5Z6U-rWebUnKgBwkr0C2saCLUaPN2ch4x5ITp-f4Tlf2OcdPO1Zni8dHzG9dGPUTZKCpYHrkBRuHRQWHNZY4_3R3sW1Or8_S0qzKMTpkRxMa_9kqoGIWkoIOuRFV/s4032/20211015_130749.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0SjFMsjQggDIBfS5w5Z6U-rWebUnKgBwkr0C2saCLUaPN2ch4x5ITp-f4Tlf2OcdPO1Zni8dHzG9dGPUTZKCpYHrkBRuHRQWHNZY4_3R3sW1Or8_S0qzKMTpkRxMa_9kqoGIWkoIOuRFV/w300-h400/20211015_130749.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">* ps I am told these freeze and defrost perfectly!</span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-44682654688689488022014-03-07T14:52:00.011-08:002023-05-29T20:43:10.305-07:00Picnics and Potluck feasts... what to bring?<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Well,
a first rule of thumb for picnics and potlucks is don't bring any dish
containing: corn, tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum, peanuts or chocolate.
That is because all of these ingredients are “new world” foods
and, although they may have made it back to Europe within the SCA's
period, in <i>general</i> they just were not eaten.</span></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Super easy and inexpensive dishes to make:</h3><div style="line-height: 100%;">
</div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com.au/search/label/salad">
</a></span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com.au/search/label/salad">Compound Salat</a></span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Leek
Soup</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2017/06/pease-pies.html">Pease Pies</a></span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Rice
pudding</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Mushrooms
and leeks</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2020/06/redaction-elizabethan-dish-fartes-in.html">Fartes of Portingale</a></span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/06/eggs-in-mustard-sauce-seethyour-egges.html">Eggs in mustard sauce</a></span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/10/macaroons-french-bisket-bread.html">Macaroons aka French Bisket Bread</a></span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Apple
pie</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Pears
in Red Wine (Pears in Confyt)</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 100%;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/06/offella-medieval-italian-cheesecake.html">Offella</a> (Italian cheesecake pastries)</span></div><div style="line-height: 100%;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/06/renaissance-cheese-fritters.html">Cheese fritters</a></span></div><div style="line-height: 100%;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2022/03/mushroom-pasties.html">Mushroom pasties</a></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Easy but fancier dishes to make:</h3><div style="line-height: 100%;">
<a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/doucettes-honey-and-saffron-tarts.html" target="_blank">
</a></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/doucettes-honey-and-saffron-tarts.html" target="_blank">
</a></span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/doucettes-honey-and-saffron-tarts.html" target="_blank">Honey and saffron tart</a> (Doucettes)</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Brie
tart</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Veal
stew</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Salmon
poached in beer</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com.au/search/label/duck">Duck pies</a></span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Roast
meat (note, generally in period meat was boiled then roasted)</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Hedgehogs</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Ravioli </span></span></div><div style="line-height: 100%;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2014/06/little-sugar-pies.html">Sugar Pies</a></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 100%;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/06/bizcochos-renaissance-spanish-biscotti.html">Bizcochos</a> (Spanish Biscotti)</span></div><div style="line-height: 100%;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/10/marzipans-for-invalids.html">Marzipans for invalids</a> (if you are feeling brave)</div><div style="line-height: 100%;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Slightly more complex dishes</h3><div style="line-height: 100%;"><a href="http://kirielskitchen.blogspot.com/2021/06/renaissance-spanish-donuts.html">Oranges of Xativa</a> (Spanish donuts)</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Dishes you can buy to bring:</h3><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">A
cheese platter</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Antipasto
(see rule of thumb)</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Meat
pie</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Nuts (see rule of thumb)</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Pork
pie</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Dolmades</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Cold
meats</span></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Strapped for cash?:</h3><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Bread</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">an
apple pie</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Fresh
fruit</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Salad
ingredients (see rule of thumb)</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">peas</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">beans</span></span></div>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">Roast
chicken</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%;"><br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%;">
<br /></div>
Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-20879701981099640492014-02-17T06:51:00.000-08:002014-02-17T06:57:56.366-08:00Of possible period crackersI am half cross posting this from a discussion on the Medieval and Renaissance cooking and recipes group on Fbook, partly so I will remember to actually give it a try soon. Someone asked about medieval crackers, which turned into a discussion about bread, which turned into a discussion on toast and whether toasted bread would have been served to an English lord in the Saxon period. <br />
<br />
This discussion got me hunting and I found a recipe for "A grilled cake with chicken filling". This provided me with a lovely opportunity for my favourite hobbyhorse... critical thinking and questioning assumptions.<br />
<br />
So let me share the story with you as it happened, because well, I just found the whole discussion fascinating and exciting. <br />
<br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">
The recipe is from Manuscript W (1213 - from the Herzog August Biobliothek of Wolfenbuttel, Germany) of the collection of manuscripts dubbed by Grewe and Hiatt as the Libellus de arte coquinaria (from the 2001 publicationof the book).</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">The recipe is for making a thin dough of eggs and flour, frying it and topping
it with chicken. Pretty straight forward eh? </span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /></span></span></span>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">So here is my conversation on it: </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><b>Me: </b> The original text says "Item, nym eigere unde mel;
werke daraff eynen dunnen dech. Sette dat uppe eyn iseren unde sla
eigere myt mele unde gutdarin". The translation offered by Grewe and
Hieatt is "Next, take eggs and flour. Make it into a thin dough: onto a
gridiron pour [the] eggs beaten with flour". </span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">I don't have a word of
medieval Low German vocabulary, but I would love to have clarification
on the translation of the word 'pour' and whether it could be translated
in a different slant, if you think of the dough as being less of a
pancake dough and more like a bread dough.... anyone out there have Low
German?</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">Response: </span></span></span></b><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ol.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664001330329158:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ol.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664001330329158:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ol.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664001330329158:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">sounds like a crepe.</span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664007423661882:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664007423661882:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664007423661882:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><b>Me:</b> It
does indeed, if you pour.. but if you think of the words 'thin dough'
as being less a batter and more along the lines of thinly rolled dough
(for example pasta dough is just flour and eggs), you can see why the
word translated as 'pour' makes such a difference. Is the word 'pour'
or is it 'set it' or 'place it' or 'put it', and the context of thinking
of it as a batter made the translator translate it as pour? Looking at
the original text, I think maybe the word 'Sette' is the relevant word,
and the online low medieval German dictionary I found translates that
as 'setzen', which is modern German for 'set'. Which gives the
possibility of it being a much thicker dough. See what I mean?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664007423661882:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664007423661882:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664007423661882:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"></span></span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664051533657471:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664051533657471:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664051533657471:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><b>Response (from someone is a native German speaker): </b>Kiriel you are very likely right that "sette" is to set it upon the irons, Like waffles.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664051533657471:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664051533657471:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664051533657471:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><b>Me</b>:</span></span></span> <span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664202896975668:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:2"></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664202896975668:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664202896975668:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664202896975668:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$0:0">Thanks</span><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664202896975668:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">.
See now this is one of the things that excites me about medieval
cookery! We may well be the first people in 800 years to look at
this recipe and see the possibility that it could be cooked this
particular and different way. How we experience our own lives affects
our vision of these recipes. Someone from say America might see a
recipe for something that uses a wafer iron and interpret the content as
being a batter, where someone from Belgium might interpret it as a
dough (as waffles in Belgium are made from a yeast dough). The key is
to try and see all the possibilities and make choices knowingly. Sorry,
I am waffling on (pun intended), but I really do get excited by this
stuff!</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664202896975668:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664202896975668:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664202896975668:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><b>Response:</b> </span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664210456974912:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664210456974912:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664210456974912:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">Belgian waffles are risen with yeast, but are still poure<abbr>d</abbr></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664210456974912:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664210456974912:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664210456974912:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><abbr>Me:</abbr></span></span></span></b><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664211013641523:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664211013641523:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664211013641523:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><abbr> N</abbr>ot
in Brussels they aren't - at the street stalls making them they have
balls of dough, and you watch them grab a ball and put it on the iron.
Definitely NOT poured.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664211013641523:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664211013641523:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664211013641523:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><b>Response:</b> Hmmm.. </span></span></span><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664212303641394:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:2"></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664212303641394:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664212303641394:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664212303641394:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">If
lets say they don't pour the dough and are using a thin dough- and
rolled it thin, or spread it thin, or griddled it- it would be a
cracker!</span></span></span><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664212303641394:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.3"></span><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664214973641127:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:2"> </span><br />
<br />
<b><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664214973641127:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:2">Me:</span></b><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664214973641127:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:2"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664214973641127:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664214973641127:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664214973641127:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">Not
necessarily but quite possibly - we should properly check the translation, and you will
have to try and cook it and see what comes out - but certainly it looks
like the possibility is there! See, isn't that exciting?</span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664007423661882:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664007423661882:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_664007423661882:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"></span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".ns.1:3:1:$comment663452517050706_663959843666640:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"> The next step will be, of course, to try making variations and see what we get. Watch this space for more on that front soon! I would love to hear from you if you have had a go at this recipe, or if you want to join me in some experimentation. </span></span></span>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-41683069100918009282013-11-20T06:30:00.001-08:002014-02-17T06:57:47.156-08:00A sweet tisane<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal;">
Le Menagier de Paris was
published in 1393 and contains a wide range of advice and information
on almost every aspect of life in the 14<sup>th</sup> century.
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal;">
Book 2, article five
includes recipes for the ill (Buvrages pour les malades), and one of
these recipes is for a sweet tisane.
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>Tizanne doulce. Prenez de l’eaue
et faites boulir, puis mettez pour chascun sextier d’eaue une
escuelle d’orge largement, et ne chault s’elle est à toute
l’escorce, et pour deux parisis de réglisse, item, des figues, et
soit tant bouly que l’orge crève; puis soit coulée en deux ou
trois toiles, et mis en chascun gobelet grant foison de succre en
roche. Puis est bonne icelle orge à donner à mengier à la
poulaille pour engressier.</i></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>Nota que la bonne réglisse est la
plus nouvelle, et est en la taille de vive couleur vergaie, et la
vieille est de plus fade et morte, et sèche.</i></div>
<br />
My translation:<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="result_box"></a>
<span lang="en">Sweet Tisane. Take fresh running water and bring it
to boil, then for every one sextier<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6832636937328223096#sdfootnote1sym" name="sdfootnote1anc"><sup>1</sup></a>
of fresh water a generous porringer of barley, and it is not
important if it has husks, and for two parisis<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6832636937328223096#sdfootnote2sym" name="sdfootnote2anc"><sup>2</sup></a>
of licorice, similarly, figs, and then boil it until the barley
bursts and then strain it through two or three layers of cloth, and
put in each goblet an abundant amount of rock sugar. This barley is
then good to give to poultry to fatten it.</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<span lang="en">Note:
that good licorice is the newest, and is in size a bright color and
ridged<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6832636937328223096#sdfootnote3sym" name="sdfootnote3anc"><sup>3</sup></a>,
and the old is more pale and dead and dry.</span>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The challenging and interesting part of this recipe
interpretation wise, for me is the figs. From first reading it
appeared that the amount of figs would appear to be the same as the
licorice, but as that comes out at less than half a fig, and the
recipe clearly uses the plural, that cannot be the case. </span>
<br />
<div style="page-break-before: always;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">One could simply instead say it means “some figs”
and randomly put an amount in. But the use of the latin word “<i>item</i>”
which does not mean “item” but “similarly” gives me the
thought that in fact, we do have some direction as to quantity –
that the “similarly” refers us back to the earlier part of the
sentence, and the amount of barley. Whilst this may seem a bit of a
leap in our modern punctuated sensibility, it does make a lot more
sense in quantity. I have therefore used a porringer of figs as well
– approximately 7 soft dried figs. I used dried figs, because
although the recipe does not specify, limiting this recipe to fresh
figs would make it essentially useless for the times of year when
people are most likely to be ill – winter! Both fresh and dried
figs were commonly available in Europe in the medieval and
renaissance. </span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My recipe</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">3.7 litres water</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">160g barley</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">7 dried figs - chopped into quarters</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">4 grams licorice – this is the dried stalk of the
licorice plant (you might find this in an Indian supplies shop)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Rock sugar</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Bring the water to the boil in a large pot. Add the barley, figs, and licorice stick. Boil gently till the barley bursts (about
45 minutes). Strain through cloth (you might find it easier to do a first draining through a colander) and pour the liquid hot into goblets, into
which a small lump of rock sugar has been ground. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This recipe makes a warming, somehow soft tasting tisane which is both soothing and pleasant. Give it a try! </span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div id="sdfootnote1">
<div lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6832636937328223096#sdfootnote1anc" name="sdfootnote1sym">1</a>
In old French a sestier is a measure of wine – approximately one
gallon/3.7 litres – I have concluded with research, that sextier is simply an
alternative spelling of sestier.</span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">
</span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">
</span></i>
<br />
<div id="sdfootnote2">
<div lang="en" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6832636937328223096#sdfootnote2anc" name="sdfootnote2sym">2</a>
A Parisii is a small coin (like a half penny). Searching, I have
found that they generally seem to have weighed between 1.6 and 1.8 grams</span></i></div>
</div>
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">
</span></i>
<br />
<div id="sdfootnote3">
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">
</span></i><br />
<div class="sdfootnote">
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a class="sdfootnotesym" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6832636937328223096#sdfootnote3anc" name="sdfootnote3sym">3</a> My
dictionary of Old French does not contain the word vergaie. I note that another
translator of this recipe Jane Hinson (The Goodman of
Paris, published 1992) translates vergaie as “greenish”. The word vergier in old French </span></i><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">has
a few meanings including young trees, border,
strip, cut groove in, ridged and embossed and as</span></i> good quality reglisse (licorice) has deep grooves
along the length of the surface, my decision was to </span></i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>lean towards this interpretation of the word. I would love to hear from you if you have any thoughts on this!</i></span>
</div>
</div>
Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-70609600924883107982013-11-11T17:48:00.000-08:002016-05-17T18:41:52.568-07:00Lassis de blanc de chapon - Le Viandier de Taillevent recipe number 189<br />
<i>Mettez cuire vostre chappon avec trumeauix de beuf, puis
prendre tout le blanc de chappon et le charpire ainsi qu'on
charpiroit lainne, et prendre des autres membres du chappon et mettre
par pieces et les frire en sain de lart tant qu'ilz soient ung petit
roux, et les dreciez en platz et mettez par dessus ladicte charpie;
puis pelez amendes, broiez et deffaictes de vostre boullon et y
mettez du vin blanc et du verjus; et prenez gingenbre de Mesche pare
et le mettez en pouldre, et grainne de paradis le deux partz et du
succre competemment et qu'il soit douix de succre; puis fault des
amendes blanches pelees et les frire en sain de lart ou en sain de
porc doulz, et que les amendes soient piquees dedans le potaige quant
il sera drecie; et soit assez liant tant que les amendes se puissent
tenir droictes; et semez par dessus de l'annis vermeil. </i>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal;">
<h3>
<b>My translation</b></h3>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="en">Cook your capon with a
knuckle of beef, then take all the white capon and shred it as you
would card wool, and with the other members of the capon pull it into
parts in parts and fry in good lard in the manner till it is not at
all pink, and arrange on a plate and spread the shreds, on top, then
peel almonds and grind and mix in with your boullion and put into it
white wine and verjuice, and take ginger of Mesche and pare it and
then make a powder, and grains of paradise in two parts, then take
fine sugar and make sweet with sugar; then take peeled white almonds
and fry them in clear beef or pork fat, and take the almonds and
prick them into the potage so they will stand upright, as the sauce
is sufficiently thick so that the almonds can stand upright, and
sprinkle over with the red anise.</span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwBNacWe8GAcbhHTjsGiaYDe5t73u4hvzUC9m6Rtpcm577OpOgDWYkEufD6ifxMYWMsIF79HuFt3o8dUHp7Wllv3Lgb_JLiomJSmA2sm5BJTr4gSXZhLwLLOx2sAqp1wJ7HauDCyBPcuZ/s1600/P1030261.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwBNacWe8GAcbhHTjsGiaYDe5t73u4hvzUC9m6Rtpcm577OpOgDWYkEufD6ifxMYWMsIF79HuFt3o8dUHp7Wllv3Lgb_JLiomJSmA2sm5BJTr4gSXZhLwLLOx2sAqp1wJ7HauDCyBPcuZ/s320/P1030261.JPG" width="320" /></a>1 chicken (cleaned)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1 ½ cups beef stock</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
lard for frying</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2 cups blanched almonds (plus a handful
extra for decoration)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2/3 cup white wine (I used a “fruity
classic white”)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1/3 cup verjuice</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1 gm pared then ground fresh ginger</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
2gm grains of paradise</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
1 tsp sugar</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
a pinch of ground star anise
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Cut the chicken into large pieces.
Simmer in beef stock for about 20 minutes, until it is cooked. Strip
off the white meat of the chicken and shred it. Take the rest of the
chicken pieces and brown them in lard. Place them on a platter and
spread with the shredded white meat. T</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Grind two cups of almonds and mix it
into the stock with the white wine and verjuice. Spice this sauce
with ground ginger, grains of paradise and sugar. Pour over the
chicken and then stud with blanched almonds that you have lightly
browned in lard. Sprinkle with ground star anise and serve.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<h3>
A few notes on the recipe and some of the
decisions made:
</h3>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Anise: For this recipe, the interesting
question for me lies with the anise. In French, generally “Anise”
refers to the anise plant (<i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Pimpinella
anisum</span></i> ), which produces aniseeds. This is a green
plant,with some similarities in both appearance (and flavour) to
fennel, and is common in period in eastern Europe. However, in no
way shape or form is it red. Could the text potentially be referring
to star anise? Star anise (<i>Illicium verum</i>) is red. In modern
French they call star anise 'badiane', however I have found no
references within period to it being referred to as 'badiane'. Star
anise was growing in south east China but it is believed not to have
travelled to Europe until the 16<sup>th</sup> century. However, I
hypothesise that this reference to red anise may well be proof that
that star anise was in fact found in Europe much earlier than is
generally understood. <br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Capons: One of the sad limitations of living in
Australia is that you cannot purchase capons (I gather that it is an
animal cruelty issue - apparently it is less cruel to kill baby cocks
and throw them away than to desex them and let them grow up and then
eat them). So this recipe uses chicken.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Knuckle of Beef: I have also used beef stock rather than
cooking the chicken with an actual knuckle of beef. I also broke up
the chicken into pieces before cooking – this is not indicated in
the recipe but is a sensible thing to do to fit the chicken in a pot!
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Wine: The sweeter choice of wine blended
perfectly with the verjuice and the finished sauce was seriously
tasty.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-21796373183674793132013-10-15T04:14:00.001-07:002014-02-17T06:54:12.116-08:00Just a photo so you know I am still thinking of you!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsOnJL38P_694oxm7qYaswI6a0MoI5TSxKlW0fUMhM_w3KUBnFGmg-EKZA8ByGQEQ5RBZfbdlz0Dx5HR_MlPz02Vb_aO9guK5Y2uO_IOrQVe1vAL-8QNi9FPhaTIaxlAnxgD_WYU606y6/s1600/P1010774+(800x600).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsOnJL38P_694oxm7qYaswI6a0MoI5TSxKlW0fUMhM_w3KUBnFGmg-EKZA8ByGQEQ5RBZfbdlz0Dx5HR_MlPz02Vb_aO9guK5Y2uO_IOrQVe1vAL-8QNi9FPhaTIaxlAnxgD_WYU606y6/s640/P1010774+(800x600).jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
I was made a member of the Order of the Panache and made Royal Pie Baker while living in Drachenwald.<br />
<br />
So when attending my last feast in the Kingdom, I thought I really should make a pie for their Majesties. So.... <br />
<br />
This is a soteltie I created of a dragon - it is made from a whole rabbit, stuffed with dried fruits, medieval spices, almonds and bread. It was then wrapped up in a salt dough (so the legs are where the dragons legs are) and baked. It was tasty tasty tasty! Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832636937328223096.post-24204168115976546462013-09-16T15:14:00.000-07:002013-09-16T15:14:22.034-07:00Jance Sauce - du Fait de Cuisine and Le Menagier de Paris<i>Du Fait de Cuisine: </i><br />
<br />
<i>2. </i><i><i>A jance: and to give understanding
to him who will make the said jance let him take a great quantity of
fair and good fine white bread according to what he wants to make and
make it into crumbs well and properly on a fair cloth; then let him take a
fair, clear, and clean pot and pour in fat broth of beef and mutton, and let
him check that it is not too salty; and then let him take eggs and mix them with
the said bread and then put this gently into the said broth while stirring
constantly with a fair wooden spoon; and also let him put in his spices, that is
white ginger, grains of paradise, and a little pepper, and saffron to give it
color, and let him flavor it with verjuice; and let him put all this to boil
together and then dress it for serving.</i></i><br />
<br />
As with all such recipes, as many questions were raised as answered as we attempted to cook this sauce. The "we" in this case is myself, my squire and his wise and lovely wife. <br />
<br />
We ended up creating four different sauces from this recipe, one of which ended up being vegetarian as we used a vegetarian "beef" stockcube for stock (as my squire is vegetarian).<br />
<br />
Right at the beginning, a number of basic questions/choices needed to be dealt with. These included:<br />
<br />
- how white was white bread?<br />
- how runny is this sauce meant to be?<br />
- how big were eggs?<br />
- were the breadcrumbs toasted?<br />
- would the bread be fresh or stale?<br />
- how fine would the breadcrumbs be? Does it make a difference?<br />
- do you use the crusts? <br />
- how much spice to use?<br />
- fresh or dried ginger<br />
<br />
Some of these questions were answered by the cooking experience itself, and others by research and experience. <br />
<br />
I had both modern white white bread, and also a light wholemeal bread, which is probably a pretty close equivalent to decent quality medieval white bread - having ground flour with grinding stones myself, I know that you can actually get very fine flour by medieval means.<br />
<br />
Ginger in period was grown in Europe in pots in period, so it was entirely possible that the ginger could have been fresh or dried. In this case we used dried ground ginger. <br />
<br />
<br />
Here are the four recipes, with some comments after testing, some of which surprised us. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Sauce Jance 1 (dubbed "white Jance")</b><br />
<br />
350ml stock (2/3 beef 1/3 mutton)<br />
1/3 cup toasted white breadcrumbs<br />
1/4 tsp grains of paradise<br />
1 tsp white ginger<br />
1-2 pinches pepper<br />
10 strands of saffron<br />
1 tablspoon verjuice<br />
1 egg<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Sauce Jance 2 (dubbed "wholebread Jance")</b><br />
<br />
350ml stock (2/3 beef 1/3 mutton)<br />
2/3 cup (150g) fresh light wholemeal breadcrumbs<br />
1/4 tsp grains of paradise<br />
1 tsp white ginger<br />
2 pinches pepper<br />
10 strands of saffron<br />
1 tablespooon verjuice<br />
1 egg<br />
<br />
This was spicier with a distinct taste of grains of paradise. <br />
<br />
<b>Sauce Jance 3 (dubbed "Vege Jance")</b><br />
<br />
250ml water<br />
1 vegetarian beef stockcube<br />
1/3 cup fresh white breadcrumbs (no crusts) <br />
1 pinch grains of paradise<br />
1 tsp ground ginger<br />
2 pinches ground pepper<br />
10 strands of saffron<br />
1 1/2 tablespoons verjuice<br />
1 egg<br />
<br />
This sauce was very balanced, with nothing really standing out<br />
<br />
<b>Sauce Jance 4 (dubbed "Strong Jance")</b><br />
<br />
250ml strong stock (1/2 mutton 1/2 beef)<br />
1 cup toasted wholemeal breadcrumbs <br />
125mg/pinch grains of paradise<br />
125mg/pinch white ginger<br />
50mg/1/2 pinch black pepper<br />
12 strands ground saffron<br />
1 tablespoon verjuice<br />
1 egg<br />
<br />
<br />We judged that we could happily eat it just as soup! This was particularly delicious served on pork.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">General conclusions</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Whether we used white or wholemeal bread made no real difference to the final sauce. </li>
<li>These would be even better if pushed through a sieve or given some other form of further blending.</li>
<li>Grains of paradise are "more like a taste you can smell"</li>
<li>My squire said he would add more grains of paradise to the vegetarian version</li>
<li>My squire's wife said she would add more ginger to all of them. </li>
</ul>
<br />
Take the time to play with this recipe and see what you think!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><br /></i>Kiriel du Papillonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06896380310335124936noreply@blogger.com0