THL Lijsbet and Sir Rowan at the 2015 competition. Photo by JJ Art Photography.
The drums of War may have been stilled for another year, but in the Barony of Delftwood there is still a fire burning around which to gather in fellowship – and FOOD!
Join us on Sunday, September 2, 2018 at A Shoot in the Wildwood for the 4th Annual Cast Iron Chef Cooking Tournament!
Cooks of all ages and stages are encouraged to test their mettle by preparing a multi-course, period-plausible meal, while creatively adapting to the twists set up as part of the unique competition format selected each year. We are excited to reveal several new and fun challenges for this year’s tournament:
THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE
This year, all cooking teams will be required to complete a technical challenge as part of their final entry evaluation. Teams will receive a recipe from a period resource that they must redact and recreate to the best of their abilities. The outcome of this challenge will then provide the framework around which the remaining dishes should be planned.
PANTRY PRICE HIKES
As always, the pantry will be stocked with a bounty of ingredients for our cooks to use in the creation of their entry meals. This year, however, everything comes with a price that must be paid to obtain them. All registered teams will receive a purse containing a standard sized “allowance,” that they use to purchase items for their entries. No ingredients will be available without payment, so cooks will need to budget wisely.
MO’ MONEY, MO’ FUN
While every team will get the same amount of coin to begin with, they will also have the chance to increase their budget in this year’s Cast Iron Chef archery shoot. Archers who have been recruited by tournament cooks will have the opportunity to shoot on behalf of their teams. While the details of the shoot will be announced at a later date, what is certain is that each team’s allowance will increase based on the results.
All teams will still be expected to follow the rules that have been established as the core of the Cast Iron Chef Cooking Tournament:
All dishes presented as part of an entry must be made on site using the communal cooking fire,
during the scheduled cooking time,
and use only ingredients provided by the tournament.
Cooks should plan to supply their own cookware appropriate for use over an open fire, and their own knives.
At the end of the tournament cooking time, you will be able to present your meal to our judges for the chance for your team to win some amazing prizes!
We hope you will join us for a fun day of fire, friendship, and food at this year’s Cast Iron Chef! If there are any questions, please contact the tournament coordinator, Edelvrouw Lijsbet de Keukere.
DONATIONS AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Cast Iron Chef is always looking for food donations to help the tournament run smoothly! See the wishlist here for a comprehensive list of items for our pantry that are welcome contributions in any amount.
In addition, we need to borrow for the competition:
3 to 4 pop-ups (10×10 or 12×12; intended to be used as the sign-in/hospitality area, judges’ lounge, dishwashing area, and kitchen equipment area)
5 chest coolers (intended to hold the pantry items that need to stay on ice; medium and large sizes preferred)
Easy-up/easy-down shelving (any number – intended for use in the pantry to organize ingredients, or in the equipment area to organize cooking tools and essentials)
Cast iron cookware to have on hand for cooks who need it
If you’d like to donate or loan something, contact THL Lijsbet privately to arrange a drop-off or mailing address.
FACEBOOK GROUP
Competitors and judges are welcome to join the Facebook group here.
Anyone who enjoys medieval food and finds fun in a good challenge, join us!
Lady Elska, winner of the first Scarlet Apron competition, with its organizer, Edelvrouw Lijsbet de Keukere. Photo by Lady Àine ny Allane.
Good Gentles! War Practice is almost here!
…… Okay, maybe not *almost,* but it is close enough to start thinking about the Scarlet Apron Cooking Competition! The challenge for 2018 will require a bit more time to prepare, so we wanted to make our announcement early. We hope you will join us!
The next Scarlet Apron will be held on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at Æthelmearc War Practice.
Your challenge: Period Food Preservation! Those wishing to compete should plan on presenting a medieval food item that has been preserved using techniques outlined or described in SCA-appropriate food and cooking resources. We’re looking for food that has been pickled, brined, cured, dried, candied, en confit, or fermented — if it was made to last, we want to see it on the entry table! (Please keep in mind – documentation is required for this challenge!)
Contestants should plan to have a portion of their medieval preserves available to be sampled by the judges and populace, as well as some to remain untouched to be left on display for presentation purposes.
More information will be provided as arrangements are made. In the meantime, please send any questions to Edelvrouw Lijsbet de Keukere (Facebook Messenger is preferred – Keirin Lazauskas-Ralff).
By Meadbh ni Clerigh and Elska á Fjárfelli Dominion of Myrkfaelinn
November 12 marked our first Sunday A&S practice: “Redaction Challenge,” organized by Lady Meadbh ni Clerigh for both adults and youth. She distributed the challenge recipes, at practice and online, two weeks prior. The basic idea: interpret a medieval recipe, then taste-test the result with all in attendance. We could participate at any level, from basic follow-the-instructions cook to freestyle chef.
Our challenge:
Tart de Bry, a 14th century English cheese quiche or pie
The challenge gives the original recipe transcription, a modern translation of the recipe, and then one cook’s modern interpretation. Your challenge is to make that same recipe, which we’ll then share with all attendees. Use the modern interpretation, or go to the original and make your own version! Write down the proportions you used, and the steps, to accompany your creation. We’ll taste and compare, and share recipes.
BUT WAIT! There’s more!
Our young chefs-in-training have an option to participate as well! I have a second, simpler, concoction for the younger cooks (Rice Mould, 15th century). Encourage your mini-mes to give it a try!
With those words, we all set down to do some serious cooking!
The first Facebook post showed up Saturday evening, from Armegard: “Our interpretation of Tart de Bry is out of the oven. Can’t wait to try it tomorrow and see what everyone else comes up with!” That post was quickly followed the next day by a handful of delicious shots of sumptuous tarts, ready for the tasting. From Don Matteo Pesci: “Our Tart for the redaction challenge. Taste you soon!”
Simon and Angelika’s Tart de Bry, as posted on Facebook. (photo by Simon)
We brought six different Tarts de Bry (and two Rice Moulds) to practice in total. Big thanks to all who participated in our first redaction challenge! It was amazing to see, and taste, how one recipe turned into six very different tarts!
Each tart was delicious, in its own way. We loved having the two gluten-free options made by Angelika and Don Matteo Pesci. Elska loved the aged cheese version, which was by far the most savory interpretation. The bread cheese tart had a wonderful bouncy consistency, and the goat cheese version was the sweetest of all. Elska had assumed from the sugar ingredient that it was supposed to be more like cheesecake, and due to the freshness of the goat cheese it even had an otherwise unexpected delicate hint of lemon.
Same recipe, different cooks – six wonderful tarts, all wonderfully different!
Left to right: Angelica, Armegard, Meadbh, Algirdas, Elska. (photo by Algirdas)
Notes on the challenge format
With the thought that not everyone in the Dominion has contemplated medieval cooking, the impetus behind the challenge is to get folks baking like a 14th century boss. To that end, Meadbh used the following rough guidelines:
The recipe needs to be approachable for a medieval food newbie and average (or busy!) cook.
The first few recipes shouldn’t contain too many exotic spices at one time (but those who participate will find themselves with many fancy spices to work with for future dishes).
Since we lack kitchen facilities at the meeting hall, find recipes that don’t hinge on being served hot.
When trying a meat-based recipe, offer a vegetarian challenge as well.
Keep it economical.
For youth:
Desserts (or foods) that …
Don’t have too many steps/ingredients, with …
Flavors that are kid-friendly.
The youth recipes are geared towards kids who are comfortable in the kitchen with no or little supervision, so as not to burden the parents with two work-intensive recipes to make. Medieval flavors can be challenging to a modern child’s palate, so our challenges might be dessert-heavy at first.
Myrkfaelinn’s challenge and results:
The original recipe
From Hieatt & Butlers’ 14th century Curye on Inglish:
174. Tart de Bry. Take a crust ynche depe in a trap. Take yolkes of ayren rawe & chese ruayn & medle it & þe yolkes togyder. Do þerto powdour gynger, sugur, safroun, and salt. Do it in a trap; bake it & serue it forth.
Gode Cookery translation: Tartee. Make a pie crust an inch deep in a pie pan. Take yolks of eggs raw & Autumn cheese & mix it & the yolks together. Do there-to powder ginger, sugar, saffron, and salt. Do it in a pie shell; bake it & serve it forth.
Ingredients suggested: One 9-inch pie shell, raw egg yolks, cheese (semi-soft, but not so soft that it can’t be grated), ginger (powder), sugar, saffron, and salt.
Learning opportunities: “Pie crust” and “cheese.” This recipe provided an opportunity for folks to research cheeses available to a 14th century cook, and to play with what “pie crust” meant and how to make it.
Left to right: Meadbh, Marie’s rice mould, Matteo, Elska, Angelika, Simon’s rice mould, Armegard.
Myrkfaelinn variations:
Algirdas and Aldanza Wolthus:
Filling: 6 yolks, 15 oz. basket cheese (fresh cheese made the previous morning from whole cow’s milk and cream), 1 Tbsp sugar, 8-10 strands powdered saffron, and 1 tsp salt.
Crust: butter, lard, einkorn flour, wheat flour, and water.
Result: between sweet and savory, with a smooth filling.
Angelika and Simon St. Laurent:
Filling: 6 yolks, 0.64 lb. Fontina and 0.32 lb. Bucherondin cheeses, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/2 cup sugar, 6 saffron threads, and 1/4 tsp salt, with the sugar sprinkled on top of the tart.
Crust: 2 cups oat flour, 1-1/2 sticks butter, 1/2 tsp salt, and 5 Tbsp cold water.
Result: savory – strong cheese flavor.
The mother and daughter team of Armegard and Emily:
Filling: 4 yolks, 32 oz. ricotta cheese, 1/2 tsp. ginger, 4 Tbsp white sugar, a few threads of saffron, and a dash of salt.
Crust: a store-bought shell.
Result: sweet – close to a modern cheesecake.
Elska á Fjárfelli:
Filling: 12 yolks, chevre (fresh goat’s cheese started Saturday and strained Sunday morning), 1 cup sugar, no saffron, and a pinch of salt.
Crust: 2 cups flour (wheat and all-purpose), 2 sticks butter, 3/4 cup sugar, and some cold water.
Result: sweet – close to a cheesecake, with notes of lemon.
Don Matteo and Alden:
Filling: 12 egg yolks, 8 oz. cheese (gouda-ish, grated); 2 tsp grated ginger; 2 Tbsp honey; 1/4 tsp saffron threads, crushed; and 1/4 tsp salt.
Crust: 1-1/2 cups oat flour, 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup water, and 1/2 tsp salt.
Result: savory – smooth texture.
And last but not least: Meadbh ni Clerigh
Filling: Wisconsin Bread cheese (grated), powder fine, and some ground saffron threads.
Crust (based on Paest Royall from A Proper New Booke of Cookery, 1545): 2 cups flour, 2 egg yolks, 2/3 cup butter, and 3-4 Tbsp cold water.
Result: savory – more spongy texture, with balance of saffron and powder fine spice notes.
Myrkfaelinn youth redaction challenge #1
Rys (15th century), found in Seven Hundred Years of English Cooking:
Take a porcyoun of Rys & pyke hem clene, & seethe hem welle & late hem kele; then take gode Mylke of Almaundys & do ther-to, & seethe & stere hem wyle; & do ther-to sugne an hony, & seue forth.
Modern redaction: Pour the rice into the boiling water, stir, and then simmer until tender. Drain. Return the rice to a smaller saucepan, add the almond milk, sugar, and honey, and stir well. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently, stirring continually, for 10-12 minutes or until thick. Allow to cool. Pour into an oiled mold and chill. Turn out and serve.
Ingredients suggested: 1/2 cup rice, 2-1/2 cups water, 2-1⁄2 cups almond milk, 1⁄4 cup sugar, and 4 Tbsp honey.
Two of the youth participated in this challenge. Simon made his with red rice, sugar, honey, and almond milk; but the red rice would not set, so his mom ended up putting the stick blender in to get it to gel. It was yummy, but next time, no extra sugar: the honey is enough!
Mary of Harford made hers with basmati rice: double the rice and milk, but not the sugar and honey (which was a good call).
Both rice moulds were outstanding, but it was thought that maybe next time use a short-grain rice, like dessert rice, and see how much a difference that makes. They were, however, very nice dessert dishes. The mild rice flavor blended well with the sugar, honey, and almond milk flavors. These are strong contenders for economical dessert dishes at a feast. They are easy to prepare, can be made in advance, and are served cold.
What’s next for the Dominion cooks?
Meadbh’s second challenge is dual: powder fine and powder forte. She advised us to think of these powders like curry—everyone has their own preferred blend of spices. So despite having a recipe to follow, we were encouraged to think of these recipes more as guidelines and come up with our own flavor profile! They won’t sit in our cupboards, either – Meadbh plans to bring more challenges this winter, which include using one or the other as an ingredient.
Since the adult challenge is less time intensive, she upped the youth challenge. This time, they’re charged to make a medieval mac and cheese: Makerouns from Forme of Cury (14th century).
Inspired by Harvest Raid’s A&S Competition theme, “The Harvest,” I decided to make something to enter in the competition with a fruit harvested from our own homestead orchard. As we were blessed with many peaches this year, I chose to make a peach ginger conserve, modernly called a jam.
But what I found when researching jams was something I did not expect. While preserving fruits has always been a staple of the medieval kitchen, looking deeper into the subject I found that preserving fruit as a jam was not. The word “jam” began to creep into manuscript cookery books in the last quarter of the seventeenth century, and into the printed ones early in the eighteenth. It might have had a Middle Eastern origin, as there is an Arabic word—jam—which means “close-packed” or “all together.” From its more general usage in English for things that were jammed against one another, the word passed into the realm of confectionery to indicate those preserves where soft fruits cooked with sugar were crushed together, rather than sieved, and could thus be described as “jammed” or “in a jam.”
In period, fruits were preserved in sweet, spiced syrups of wine and sugar or honey, or in the form of solid marmalades. Syrup preserves are found in sources starting with Apicius, a collection of 4th to 5th century Roman cookery recipes, and solid marmalade recipes have been found as early as the 14th century. The spreadable, soft-fruit preserve we currently know as jams and jellies are usually sealed up in preserving jars or cans of some kind, which is necessary to avoid spoilage like mold. Recipes for soft jams and jellies are mostly found from the eighteenth century up, when canning also became a possibility. A storage technique that could have been used in period, and has been used post period, is using some kind of vessel like a ceramic jar that is topped with a brandy-soaked disk of parchment and then covered with melted tallow or beeswax.
An interesting nugget is the idea that the word “marmalade” originally came from “Marie malade,” or sick Mary, because marmalade was regularly made for Mary Queen of Scots to keep her healthy. “Marmalade” actually comes via French from the Portuguese marmelada and means quince jelly. The earliest reference to marmalade is from 1524—18 years before the birth of Queen Mary—when one box of marmalade was presented to the king (it was an expensive delicacy). The French condoignac and chardequynce are antecedents of the marmalade we know today and are themselves descendants from the cidonitum of 4th-century Palladius. The medieval malomellus was a term used both for the fruit quince and for the conserve; the modern Portuguese for the fruit is still marmelo.
My recipe was a mix of “Old Fashioned Peach Preserves” and “Ginger Jam” from The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest. Because this conserve is meant to be preserved, as advised by the FDA I used a modern conserving recipe to make sure it canned safely. All ingredients, taken separately, were available in period, including the lemon juice, but due to the lack of canning technology not necessarily used in this manner. The quinces in the period recipe are used to thicken the marmalade so it is solid, as it is very high in pectin.
Even though the conserve in this form is technically not period, it was well received in the competition and many samples were tasted. Spiced peach preserves and peach ginger conserves are favorites in our household, and I was happy to be able to share our bountiful harvest with the many gentles visiting the Harvest Raid A&S Display and Competition.
PERIOD INSPIRATION RECIPES:
This 15th century Portuguese recipe indicates peaches were used in conserves:
60 – Pessegada. Cortem ao meio duas partes de pêssego e uma de marmelo, e levem-nas a cozer, em separado. Depois que estiverem cozidas, passem tudo por uma peneira fina. A seguir, ajuntem tanto açúcar quanto for o peso da massa, e levem o tacho ao fogobrando. Deixem atingir o ponto de marmelada, e coloquem o doce em caixetas.
Peach Marmalade. Cut in half two parts of peach and one of quince, and cook them separately. After they are cooked, put everything through a fine sieve. Next, add a like amount of sugar to the weight of the paste, and take the pot to a low heat. Allow it to reach the point of marmalade, and place the confection in little boxes.
From A Treatise of Portuguese Cuisine from the 15th Century.
This 16th – 17th century recipe indicates boiling to candy height (interpreted as sheeting):
#S112 TO MAKE A PASTE OF PEACHES
Take peaches & boyle them tender, as you did your apricocks, & strayne them. then take as much sugar as they weigh & boyle it to candy height. mix ym together, & make it up into paste as you doe yr other fruit. soe dry them and use it at your pleasure. Peel and slice peaches. Bring them to a boil over medium heat in a thick pan. Cover pan, stirring occasionally. Add a little rosewater if desired.
From A Booke of Sweetmeats, Martha Washington’s Booke of Cookery, 1550-1650.
This 1608 recipe indicates ginger was used in spicing conserves:
To make rough-red Marmelade of Quinces, commonly called lump-Marmelade, that shall looke as red as any rubie.
Pare ripe and well coloured Peare-quinces, and cut them in pieces like dice, parboile them very tender, or rather reasonably tender in faire water, then powre them into a Colender, and let the water runne from them into a cleane Bason, then straine that water through a strainer into a Posnet [skillet], for if there be any grauell in the Quinces, it will be in that water : Then take the weight of the Quinces in double refined Sugar very fine, put halfe thereof into the Posnet, into the water with a graine of Muske, a slice or two of Ginger tied in a thrid, and let it boile couered close, vntill you see your sugar come to the colour of Claret wine, then vncouer it and take out your Ginger, and so let it boile vntill your sirupe being to consume away, then take it off the fire, and pomice it with a ladle, and so stirre it and coole it, and it will looke thick like tart-stuffe, then put in your other halfe of your Sugar, and so let it boile, always stirring it vntill it come from the bottome of the Posnet, then box it, and it will looke red like a Rubie, the putting of the last Sugar brings it to an orient colour.
A Closet for Ladies and Gentlewomen, 1608.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Costenbader, Carol W. The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest. Storey Publishing, 1997.
By Elska á Fjárfelli, of the Dominion of Myrkfaelinn (Susan Verberg)
Come for the pointy projectiles! Stay for the fabulous food!
Accurately described by co-organizer THL Lijsbet de Keukere, Delftwood hosted its third annual Cast Iron Chef Cooking Tournament on September 3 as part of the barony’s archery event A Shoot in the Wildwood.
The cooking trench at Cast Iron Chef cooking tourney III, with in the foreground the oven Algirdas scratch built. All photography by Elska.
Each year brings a new challenge, and this year Lijsbet and Lord Sebastian Mora challenged the archers to shoot their best royal round on behalf of the cooks for first pick of their coveted Mystery Baskets. The baskets varied in theme, each one contained high-quality, valuable ingredients… and all had to be used in some way or another to create the best three-dish meal.
To supplement the Mystery Basket, the pantry had been bountifully stocked with pantry staples common for the average medieval household: beans, grains, common garden vegetables, simple dairy products, and foraged goods.
With these building blocks the teams, consisting of no more than a head cook, one assistant, and one archer, were charged to make a plausibly medieval meal over the communal open fire for the judges to sample. Following the format of the past three years, all tournament cooking had to be done on site during the designated tournament time of three hours, and no food brought in from off site could be used. While most cooks brought their own copious amounts of cast iron cook wares, for the cook in sudden need loaner pots & pans were available. Occasionally, the judges would make their rounds, and even though they were not supposed to direct, it was totally fine to ask questions…
While I tried my best to compile as complete a picture as possible, I was distracted by cooking, and the Book of Faces wasn’t as enlightening as hoped… my advanced apologies to anyone I might have missed!
And without further ado, let’s introduce our cast iron teams!
Kiera and her menu.
Kiera MacLeod had archer Edward Harbinger shoot her the East Kingdom Basket, which included barley, asparagus, rosewater, cherries, turnips, and rump roast.
Ciaran & Wynn’s meal.
Algirdas and Aldanza.
Ciaran & Wynn choose the Butcher’s Basket, which included an intriguing collection of pork necks, pork hocks, and chuck steak.
Meadbh and Elska’s menu.
Meadbh ni Clerigh, assisted by me, had her daughter Mary of Hartford shoot us the Sweet & Savory Basket; Mary shot the overall highest score. This basket included walnuts, dried figs, dried prunes, dried apricots, dried dates, and dried cherries with chuck steak.
Matheus & Katherine’s entry.
Matheus Hundamaðr, assisted by Katharine Thorne, had archer Snorri sketi Bjornsson shoot them the Perrote Basket. This basket included parsnips, lentils, chickpeas, turnips, chives, peach sauce, and pork shoulder.
Thirteen-year-old Morgan Littlejohn, assisted by her father Fearghus macEoin Littlejohn, had archer Siobhan shoot them the Farmer’s Basket. This basket included gruyere, parmesan, turnips, leeks, celeriac, apples, pears, asparagus, and chicken.
Algirdas Wolfus, assisted by Aldanza Wolfus, had archer Robert of Furness shoot them the Delftwood Basket. This basket included eggs, apples, olive oil, honey mustard, dates, and chicken.
Fearghus and Morgan.
While the highest scoring archer gave her team first pick of the Mystery Baskets, the organizers then threw in a nice curve ball by reversing the order of who went shopping first in the Pantry! Did I overhear one cook thank his archer for having been a lousy shot…?
What did we end up making?
Matheus & Katharine made a “Norse Meal in Miklagård” with a menu of:
Grikkland Grautr: a pottage of red lentils, rice, chickpea, parsnips, onion, garlic, butter, cumin, and celery seed, garnished with shaved radish and chives.
Pork in the way of Serkland: pork, rubbed with rosemary infused olive oil, crushed long pepper, salt, coriander, cumin, and turmeric, seared then stewed with verjuice and dried figs, finished with fresh figs.
Sœtrbröd: whole wheat and ground walnut pancake, spiced with mace, nutmeg, and ginger, topped with peach preserves, butter, cooked apricots, and roasted walnuts.
The menu of Morgan & Fearghus included:
Chicken and vegetable stew.
Stuffed roasted apples and pears, decorated with edible flowers.
Asparagus with parmesan.
Algirdas & Aldanza’s menu offered, with little flags following the French style:
Vegetable and cheese egg tart.
Apple and carrot salad (garnished with fig and almonds).
Chicken bruet with mustard sauce in a leaf of egg.
Sage water.
Date and apple tart.
Meadbh & Elska made a 14th century Anglo-Saxon meal with:
Kidney and Steak stew with dates and apricots.
Savory custard pie with eggs, soft cheese, pears, dates and almonds
Barley with raisins and shaved almonds.
Cherry and almond pie.
Bread pudding with dates and figs.
Sage water for hand washing.
Ciaran & Wynn’s hearty menu was:
Pig knuckle and barley pottage.
Pork hock pottage.
Grilled vegetables & steak.
Rehomogenized milk.
Finally, Kiera’s menu included:
Grilled chicken with cherry sauce
Chicken & barley pottage
Grilled asparagus
Marzipan-filled dates.
The winners of the third Cast Iron Chef cooking competition, with the competition organizers.
In the end? We were all so excited and hungry for our own food that we were waiting for the judges to move along, so we could go enjoy ourselves! And not just us, there were quite a few bystanders with empty plates, waiting for the word to dig in…
For me, this was the first time cooking multiple dishes over open fire, and am I glad I brought all my cast iron pots & pans, we used every single one! It was a wonderful experience, not competitive at all. There was many a time where someone exclaimed for some sugar/cinnamon/flour and it would instantly appear from another cook’s station. We loaned out gear as needed and kept and eye on all that was cooking. I do not think I would have done anything different, and hope to be able to participate again next year! Thank you, Lijsbet and Sebastian for organizing, again, this wonderful event. A big thank you to all the volunteers and donors of wonderful foodstuffs, thanks to you the pantry was glorious! Thank you to our judges for your constructive help and feedback. It made for a most wonderful outdoor experience. All in all, I hardly even noticed the rain.
And now for the results we’ve all been waiting for…
While being able to make something wonderful out of pig’s knuckles and hocks is a worthy deed indeed, the Baroness felt she was most impressed by 13-year-old Morgan and her third time entering this competition successfully, thereby Morgan and her dad Fearghus were the Baroness’s pick.
Playing to the crowd by bringing Delftwood and Kingdom regalia – and choosing the Delftwood Basket – the Baron was not able to overcome all this Delftwood splendor and picked team Algirdas & Aldanza Wolfus as the Baron’s choice. But don’t think that was all! Algirdas built a completely functional on-site oven as well, and the two of them walked away victorious as the Ultimate Cast Iron Chefs! Vivat!
For many more pictures of the A.S.52 Cast Iron Chef, see John Michael Thorpe’s photos here and JJ Art and Photography’s here.
For more information about this awesome Tournament, see here.
Every year, we rely on many hands to keep the tournament running smoothly, and this year is no different. If you are so inclined, we are looking for volunteers to assist us with the following tasks:
Setting up the pantry shelter, judges’ area, and wash station (preferably done Friday evening)
Digging the fire trench (preferably Friday evening, but Saturday morning/afternoon is fine, too)
Building the initial fire for cooking (Sunday morning)
Running fire wood when we get low (Sunday)
Putting pantry items out on shelves (Sunday morning)
Monitoring the water cooler to make sure it stays full (Sunday)
The event is scheduled for Shoot in the Wildwood, September 1 @ 5:00 pm – September 4 @ 11:00 am, in the Barony of Delftwood.
Please let me and/or Sebastian know if you think you can help us out in any way to get the tournament ready for our cooks. Thank you so much in advance!
THL Elska, last year’s winner, with THL Lijsbet. Photo by Master Alaxandair O Conchobhair.
Cooks of Æthelmearc! The time has come to season your skillets and muscle up your mixing arms – The Scarlet Apron demands a new champion be chosen, so that it may dress a new breast this year!
Join us at noon on Saturday, May 20, 2017 at Æthelmearc War Practice, and show your mettle as an entrant in The Scarlet Apron Food & Cooking Competition. Cooks of all experience levels are welcome and encouraged to enter – whether you are new to the SCA or medieval cooking, or you area veteran of the event kitchen, there is room at our table for you!
This year’s competition theme is “Family Meal Time,” for which entrants are encouraged (but not required) to work with someone in their family – however they choose to define it – to create a medieval version of a modern meal that frequents their dinner tables at home (i.e. lasagna, a roast with trimmings, chicken nuggets and fries, etc.).
These meals must be sourced from reliable cooking texts, which may be from anywhere and any time in SCA period. If using multiple sources from different cultures, it must be plausible that the combination of dishes being served would have been seen on the same table at the same time (for example, it is plausible that many recipes from English and French texts could have been found on the same menu, depending on what time period it was; Likewise, it is not as plausible that a recipe from ancient Rome found its way to the same table as an Elizabethan English dish, and so would be an unfavorable combination for this competition).
Entries should contain an entrée and at least two side dishes, and be accompanied by a brief documentation form for each dish (to be provided – coming soon!). Presentation counts – plan on dressing up your table and your service so it is pleasing to the eye!
Pre-registration is required to participate. There will be an announcement once the web site has been updated for this year’s competition, including a new registration form. In the meantime, start planning your entry, and send any questions to Edelvrouw Lijsbet de Keukere (Keirin Lazauskas-Ralffon Facebook Messenger, or email here).
We are so excited to see what you bring to the table this year!
Lady Elska, winner of the 2016 Scarlet Apron competition, with its organizer, THL Edelvrouw Lijsbet de Keukere. Photo by Lady Àine ny Allane.
Cooks of AEthelmearc! The time has come to season your skillets and muscle up your mixing arms – The Scarlet Apron demands a new champion be chosen, so that it may dress a new breast this year!
Join us at noon on Saturday, May 20, 2017 at Æthelmearc War Practice, and show your mettle as an entrant in The Scarlet Apron Food & Cooking Competition.
Cooks of all experience levels are welcome and encouraged to enter – whether you are new to the SCA or medieval cooking, or you are a veteran of the event kitchen, there is room at our table for you!
This year’s competition theme is “Family Mealtime,” for which entrants are encouraged (but not required) to work with someone in their family – however they choose to define it – to create a medieval version of a modern meal that frequents their dinner tables at home (i.e. lasagna, a roast with trimmings, chicken nuggets and fries, etc.).
These meals must be sourced from reliable cooking texts, which may be from anywhere and any time in SCA period. If using multiple sources from different cultures, it must be plausible that the combination of dishes being served would have been seen on the same table at the same time (for example, it is plausible that many recipes from English and French texts could have been found on the same menu, depending on what time period it was; Likewise, it is not as plausible that a recipe from ancient Rome found its way to the same table as an Elizabethan English dish, and so would be an unfavorable combination for this competition).
Entries should contain an entrée and at least two side dishes, and be accompanied by a brief documentation form for each dish (to be provided – coming soon!). Presentation counts, so plan on dressing up your table and your service so it is pleasing to the eye!
Pre-registration is required to participate.
There will be an announcement once the web site has been updated for this year’s competition, including a new registration form. In the meantime, start planning your entry, and send any questions to Edelvrouw Lijsbet de Keukere (Keirin Lazauskas-Ralff) on Facebook Messenger (preferred method) or via email.
We are so excited to see what you bring to the table this year!
Winning entry at a past cooking competition, the Cast Iron Chef in Delftwood. Photo by Baroness Katja
The Scarlet Apron, a new cooking competition, will held for the first time this weekend at Æthelmearc War Practice, May 21. Open to all levels of cooks, the theme is Illusion Food. See the competition guidelines here.
Anyone wishing to participate must create an example of such a food from anywhere in the SCA’s period of study. This could be an interpretation of a subtlety that has been described in a cooking text, or an original creation that can be considered “period-plausible” based on its design, construction, and the materials used to create it.
Competition coordinator Edelvrouw Lijsbet de Keukere shared the following frequently asked questions with The Æthelmearc Gazette, and also talked to Food Editor Baroness Katja (Chris Adler-France) about cooking competitions in Æthelmearc:
FAQs
1) To whom is the Scarlet Apron open? Anyone and everyone who has a passion for cooking, or even just for challenging themselves, may enter. This competition is open to gentles of all skill levels, whether you have not yet received a Sycamore, or you have long since been named a Laurel.
2) How will the competition be judged? There will be three categories, each judged differently:
The Scarlet Apron Championtitle will be awarded based on the assessment of our judges. This is determined by how your work is scored according to a rubric. The judging will take place between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Populace Choicewill be awarded to the individual (or small team) who collects the most votes from members of the populace. Each person who comes into the Great Hall to browse the entries will receive a bean, which they may use to vote for their favorite entry. The piece with the most beans at the end of the voting period will win the Populace Choice title. The competition will be open to populace voting from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
Youth Championwill be awarded to the entrant entered in the youth category based on the rubric scores give to them by their judges. The youth category will be judged by members of the populace between a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
3) Do I have to choose which category I want to be judged within? No. All adult entrants are automatically eligible for both the Scarlet Apron Champion and the Populace Choice. Youth entries are automatically eligible for all three categories: the Scarlet Apron Champion, Populace Choice, and Youth Champion.
Duchess Sir Rowan tended the fire for her (winning) team at Cast Iron Chef. Photo by Baroness Katja
4) Can I enter as part of a team? Yes. You may enter the competition as an individual, or as a small team of two to three people. Please make sure that everyone’s names are included in the registration form, and that each person’s tasks and responsibilities are described in your write-up.
5) I’m not great at writing documentation. Will that affect my ability to
compete? It shouldn’t! We know that writing is not everyone’s strong suit, especially when it comes to academic writing. We will provide a brief questionnaire at the check-in table that will suffice as your documentation for your entry. If you would prefer to print it out and complete it ahead of time, you may email Edelvrouw Lijsbet at lijsbet.vandelfthout@gmail.com to receive a PDF of the questionnaire instead.
All entrants are encouraged to provide a short photo diary of their piece. Pictures should include any extant pieces that inspired the finished product and/or the production process, as well as any photos of the actual entry piece being made (progress photos). These will be especially helpful for entries that do not include a whole lot of written documentation. Don’t forget to describe what each photo is!
Your other option is to sit with your entry all day so the judges may have an opportunity to ask you questions about your work. You will need to be present from 11:00 a.m. through 3:00 p.m., or until all of the judges have reported in.
6) Do I need to be present in order to be judged or be declared a winner? Absolutely not. Your documentation (written piece/questionnaire and your progress photos) should be selected to anticipate many of the judges’ questions. Likewise, you do not need to be present in order to be declared a winner. If you cannot stay to collect your prize, you will be contacted to arrange a pick-up or delivery.
7) I’m nervous about the rubric. Can I see it ahead of time? Absolutely! It is only fair to know how you will be assessed ahead of time. To request a copy of the rubric that the Scarlet Apron judges will be using, please email Lijsbet.
Serving the judges at Cast Iron Chef. Photo by JJ Art and Photography
8) Who are the judges? This year’s judges have been hand selected from the very best of the Kingdom’s cooks and range from Sycamores to Laurels. All of them have a wealth of experience in the SCA kitchen and a wide breadth of knowledge of medieval cooking and presentation methods.
9) Does my illusion food/sotelty need to be sweet or a dessert? No! Many period sotelties were created out of meats, breads, and other savory dishes. Entrants are encouraged to work in whatever edible medium with which they are comfortable.
10) Will the entries be judged on taste as well as appearance? We understand that some illusion foods/sotelties in period were meant to be consumed by dinner guests, while others were merely meant to serve as an artistic discussion piece. If your entry would have been consumed in period (for example, a formed pie), then the judges will be assessing the taste. If it was only meant to be an artistic piece, then it will not. Non-edible entries (that is, illusion foods/sotelties that would not have been consumed in period practice) will not experience a penalty in points.
Entrants who provide an edible piece should provide their own napkins, paper plates, plastic cutlery, etc. for the judges to use.
11) When and where should I bring my entry to be judged? The registration table will be open in the Great Hall beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Beginning then, you may bring your entry piece and begin setting it up on your assigned table space. The Scarlet Apron Champion judging will take place between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. that day, while the Populace Choice judging may continue until 4:00 p.m.
12) When will I need to collect my entry at the end of the competition? You may collect your entry beginning at 4:00 p.m.. It must be removed from the Great Hall in time to set up for Court.
13) When will the winners be announced? All winners will be announced and prizes awarded in Court on Saturday evening.
14) I really want to enter! But I don’t know where to begin! Is there
somewhere online I can go to view examples of illusion food/sotelties? Yes! Edelvrouw Lijsbet has created a Pinterest board that is full of examples of both modern food art and recreations of medieval sotelties to get your creative juices flowing. The board can be found here: https://www.pinterest.com/taliesinsmuse/scarlet-apron-2016-illusion-food/
15) Will I need to prepare my entry on site? No. The competition is only for your finished product. If you need to prepare your entry close to the judging/presentation period, you may do so in your own encampment or at home. The competition will not be providing space in which you may cook or otherwise prepare your entry. There will be no additional benefit to preparing your entry on site versus bringing it from home.
16) What kind of illusion food/sotelty should I plan to make? You may make any kind of illusion food/sotelty you wish, as long as it remains within “period plausibility.” That means you do not need to create an exact interpretation of a sotelty described in an extant cooking text (though you are encouraged to do so!), but the image/scene it depicts must be one from within SCA period. You are also encouraged to use period-appropriate materials and construction techniques. Doing so will improve your rubric score.
17) Do I need to pre-register? No. Currently, there is no registration form available online with which to pre-register for this competition. However, if you are planning on entering, please email Lijsbet
to ensure we have enough table space!
18) How much room will I have to set up my entry? You will have no less than half of one six-foot-long picnic table. Depending on how many entrants we have on the day of the competition, this may be expanded to allow for a full table space per entrant. Be prepared for at least three feet of table space, and if you are able to expand to six feet, you may be able to do so. You will not be penalized if you have the opportunity to use the full six feet but only use a portion of it.
19) Will I need to dress my table space? It is not required, but strongly encouraged. Because this is, for all intents and purposes, a show piece, presentation is key to your display. You should plan on providing as much ambience as you can to set the scene for your entry piece. This may include table linens, dishes, floral, or other artistic arrangements, candles, or anything else that may add to the spectacle of your piece.
20) Will any table dressings be available on the day of the competition? We will have a limited supply of basic, plastic picnic tablecloths available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you need one, you may request one when you arrive to register in the morning on the day of the competition. No advance requests will be accepted.
21) I cannot make it to War Practice, but I would still like to submit an
entry. Can someone else bring and set up my piece on my behalf? Yes! Please just make sure all of the components for judging are included, and that the person bringing your entry puts YOUR name and contact information on the registration sheet.
22) Does my entry need to be period? Your score will certainly increase if you base your entry on a period sotelty and/or use period materials and construction techniques.
However, the only REQUIREMENT is that your entry be “period-plausible,” dealing with
SCA-period subject matter. In other words, it should depict a medieval scene or subject (like a scene out of a period manuscript, something out of a period story like Le Morte d’Arthur, or even a medieval depiction of an animal or article of clothing). If you cannot use all period materials/construction techniques to create this, explain why in your documentation questionnaire.
Interview with Lijsbet
Edelvrouw Lijsbet de Keukere. Photo by Susan Verberg.
Q: Last fall, you ran the Cast Iron Chef cooking competition at A Shoote in the Wildwood, where four teams cooked period-inspired dishes on site in a couple of hours, much like Chopped and other cooking competition television shows.
The Scarlet Apron, however, is closer to the Wooden Pin and other display competitions where cooks bring an already prepared dish to be judged. How do you choose which kind of competition will work for a given event?
A: A lot of factors were considered when coming up with the format of each of these very different cooking competitions. When I was asked to revive the cooking competition held at previous Æthelmearc War Practices (then called the Wooden Pin) I did consider something similar to Cast Iron Chef, where the contestants cook on site. Ultimately, I decided to make this one closer to the original Wooden Pin format for a few reasons.
First, I was the head cook for Crown Tournament, which was being held in my barony of Delftwood only two weeks before the competition. I knew I would, personally, not be able to maintain enough momentum to promote and run a cooking event that required the kind of time and preparation that Cast Iron Chef has.
Second, I know that Æthelmearc War Practice is an event many people attend for the purpose of attending Order meetings, getting together with their far-away Friends, and spending as much time on the battlefield or taking classes as possible. It’s a really busy time! I recognized that people who may be interested in entering the competition may have other obligations, or just other things they wanted to do, rather than take up a whole day to participate in one activity. At A Shoote in the Wildwood — Delftwood’s archery event that takes place over Labor Day Weekend — we were looking for a large-scale event to encourage people to stay on site for the whole weekend. Usually, most of the major archery competitions were finished on Saturday, and Sunday attendance was significantly lower. By creating an all-day cooking competition on Sunday, we boosted our attendance numbers, while providing something fun for those who are not archers to participate in!
So I guess the TL;DR version is, I try to assess what I think would be fun for people to participate in, what other things are happening at the event, and how much time I am personally able to commit to the planning and execution of the competition in order to decide its format.
Q: You’ve also coordinated some event and cooks guild food challenges in Delftwood, such as asking gentles to bring items made with honey to Mistress Othindisa’s Laurelling (who was inducted for her knowledge of period beekeeping). What advice would you give to local groups to hold their own cooking challenges at their events, social meetings, or cook guild sessions?
A: I’m always looking for ways to stretch my culinary muscle and challenge myself. Sometimes preparing a feast with a limited budget does not allow me to do this, and I’m the kind of person who needs a reason (meaning an event or prescribed activity) to motivate myself. I figured I’m not the only one in the SCA who feels like this, so I began thinking about what I would have fun doing at events that was not necessarily preparing a feast, but still allowed me to interact with other cooks, share knowledge, learn a bunch, and have fun while doing it. The idea of competitions or discussion sessions at which food was the main attraction seemed to be a great solution to the challenge of bringing all of these things together.
In terms of challenges taking place at events – promote, promote, promote! I tend to get a bit zealous when hosting any kind of event or program within an event, so I’m going to take this moment to apologize to anyone on my Facebook friends list who also subscribes to all of the other historical cooking groups and local SCA groups that I do, because I tend to post announcements to them all for the widest reach possible, which means they get about 15 notifications at once all saying the same thing!
When it comes to creating activities for local meetings, I recommend creating specific challenges. When the Delftwood cooks’ guild meets, it is to discuss or present the results of a specific request, usually decided upon at the previous month’s meeting. For example, some of the topics we have covered have included: Vegetarian entree options that are NOT pies; Cook Thine Enemy, for which you must determine which culture or people your persona was fighting against during your chosen period of study, and cook a dish that they would have eaten; Sauces and Condiments; Illusion Food; Seasonal and Regional – food your persona would have eaten at that particular time of year in their particular region; and Outdoor Picnic foods. At each meeting, I usually solicit suggestions for challenges from those who are present, and then we agree on which one we want to use for our next meeting, while the rest are recorded for use at a later date.
Lately, however, our schedules have gotten a bit busier than usual, and the format of issuing a challenge, then cooking the dish to discuss with the group has gotten a bit stale. In order to give our cooks a bit of a break, and to encourage and welcome the new people who have recently come to Delftwood with an interest to food and cooking, we have initiated a series of classes on Medieval Gastronomy. For these classes, one person volunteers to lead a small team (or some choose to work by themselves) to research the cuisine of a specific culture within the SCA range of study. They create a presentation that discusses the ingredients, flavor qualities, and cooking techniques that are indicative of that culture, and cook samples of dishes that best illustrate these points (because, let’s face it, you can’t really talk about the flavors and qualities of food without tasting it, right?). So we have had small groups of people present their findings on the food culture and flavors from 13th to 15th century England and France, ancient Rome, and medieval Japan.
Our next class is coming up on June 2, at which Meisterin Felicity will be teaching us all about Medieval German gastronomy! I have found these classes to be helpful for our new SCA participants to learn what they should expect from medieval food and SCA feasts. It is also a great way to encourage new people to get their hands dirty in the kitchen (and wash them after!). In fact, one of our newest members cooked her very first medieval recipe, AND presented her very first A&S class through one of these classes, and she has been challenging herself in the kitchen ever since!
Judges at Cast Iron Chef: Master Daniel del Cavallo, THL Svana in kyrra, Baron Benedict Fergus atte Mede, Baroness Katja Davidova Orlova Khazarina, with Edelvrouw Lijsbet de Keukere. Photo by JJ Art and Photography
So I guess, be open to variety – try to include topics for those who are timidly dipping a toe in the water, as well as for those who are comfortable on the high dive. The future of SCA cooking depends on those of us who have a passion for food encouraging the next generation, and helping them find their footing. These casual meetings are a great way to do it!
Q: What are the logistics/needs for each kind of competition? For example, for the Cast Iron challenge, your barony’s populace donated the food stuffs for the pantry from which the entrants cooked.
A: It really depends on the challenge issued. Like I mentioned earlier, I did originally want to do something similar to Cast Iron Chef at War Practice. That would have required me to begin soliciting food donations and promoting the competition MUCH earlier than I knew I realistically had time for, considering my timeline for Crown Tournament prep (paired with the fact that, mundanely, my husband and I were moving from our apartment of 10 years into our first house exactly one month before Crown). This year’s Scarlet Apron was intentionally planned because I knew that I could not live up to the high standards I have for how I would like to see this competition go off, so I planned accordingly.
In addition, Cast Iron Chef was something special last year, and we in Delftwood would like to see it grow. If both Cast Iron Chef and the Scarlet Apron are to last, they must be in different formats, as not to burn out or bore our cooks, many of whom may take part in both competitions! Variety is the spice of life, after all!
Q; Four teams entered the Cast Iron challenge, which was at a smaller local event and was an on-site cooking challenge. How many entrants do you hope to attract to the Scarlet Apron challenge at War Practice, which is a larger event and requires entrants to bring a finished piece?
A: Well, I am hoping to see both competitions grow! It warms my heart to see people get creative and passionate about food. I have noticed that the art of historical cooking has tended to fall into the lap of whoever is in charge of cooking dayboard or feast for events, but does not usually get a place outside of these job duties at most SCA events. This is my attempt to bring the Culinary Arts into the spotlight, and allow our cooks to really show off what they can do!
With that in mind, I hope to see lots of people entering the Scarlet Apron this year! I am prepared for 20 individual people, which includes those working independently and in small teams. Everyone who participates will receive a token so they can brag that they rose to the challenge issued! Of course, I would be ecstatic to see more than that participate, but I know that the first year of a new activity can be a little tricky to get off the ground sometimes (hence why I inundate social media and mailing lists to promote these types of things).
Still, the idea is to encourage the cooks of the kingdom to join in – each year that the Scarlet Apron is held, there will be a new medallion to collect, similar to how Pennsic medallion art changes every year, and have become collector’s items for some people. It is my hope that we will all be Ooooo-ing and Aaaaaah-ing at the participants’ achievements and shiny new flare items for years to come!
Q: What are your future cooking competition goals?
A: I just want to continue to promote historical, researched cooking as much as I can while having fun! I am hoping that both the Scarlet Apron and Cast Iron Chef become a “thing,” for their respective events, and I have some ideas on how to do that.
Cast Iron Chef, for example, will remain an on-site cooking tournament; however, the format may change from time to time. This year, in order to keep within our archery event theme, we will be asking the cooks to team up with an archer for a special shoot. The archer will have targets of images of food. While all the cooks will have access to a “peasant’s pantry,” of basic staple foods like grains, common spices, and basic garden vegetation, the archers will be trying to acquire the cooks access to more “premium” items like dairy and animal protein. Whatever the archer is able to shoot with his or her arrow is what the cook will be allowed to use for their recipe. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this plays out!
As for the Scarlet Apron, I would love to see this blossom into a well-regarded, kingdom-level activity. War Practice tends to be one of those events attended by a more diverse group of SCAdians. Most of the time, a local group’s event will only attract local, or mostly local people. War Practice gives cooks from all over AEthelmearc to connect, meet, and interact with each other. I am hoping that, over the next few years, cooks of all experience levels see the Scarlet Apron as an opportunity to network and make new friends, and allow this competition to grow in such a way that we all become better – and more fearless – cooks for it.
Q: Anything else you want to add?
A: One of the other things I would love to see happen in the Scarlet Apron is more Youth participation. I am a big fan of SCA children participating in relevant activities alongside the adults when it is appropriate to do so. I love it when I see kids helping in the kitchen – in fact, Meisterin Felicity’s children, Fela (who is nine) and Frytz (who is almost five), were a HUGE help in forming all 200 homemade pretzels that were served at Crown Tournament. I know that if I were a young child in the SCA, I would much prefer to do the stuff the adults were doing, because, to me, that is what the SCA is. (NB: Please understand that I am NOT criticizing the separate kids’ activities hosted at events at all. Many children prefer to do these kinds of crafts or games, and that, too, is awesome!)
I am hoping to see some Youth entries, to demonstrate their talent to the kingdom, to let them know that their contributions are worthy of recognition, and to encourage those kids interested in learning about food and cooking to take a leap of faith! Ideally, I would like to have young members of our populace also act as judges for the Youth entries, however I do not yet have many volunteers – I will be reaching out to the kingdom shortly to put feelers out for this. In the meantime, I am hopeful that we will see at least one entry by someone who falls into our Youth category!
Finally, I would like to encourage everyone attending War Practice to come by the Great Hall any time between 11 and 4 to look at the amazingly creative talent of our kingdom’s cooks. And while you are there, please pick up a token from the check-in table to vote for your favorite – whichever entrant receives the most tokens will win a prize for being the Populace’s Choice winner!
I am very excited about the Scarlet Apron’s inaugural year, and hope that everyone has fun creating and viewing the entries that will be on display!
