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Tag Archives: redaction

Straight Outta Cairo: Irnin (stuffed cookies)

15 Monday Feb 2021

Posted by aethgazette in Arts & Sciences, Cooking, Food

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medieval recipe, redaction, Straight Out Of Cairo

by Maitre Gilles de Beauchamps, OC, OP, OL

Yule came and went and I did not bother to make cookies once again. Perhaps this was fortuitous, because now that I am ready to work at another baking project, we find ourselves on the slow and steady march towards Valentine’s Day. While the  chocolate laden gestures and rosy seductions of that over commercialized holiday seems to have little to do with the desserts from the medieval Middle East, bear with me.

The cookies I have in mind are known in Arabic as Irnin, which means “stuffed cookie.” The origins of that name, however, hint at a remote pagan past, particularly in Sumeria, the regions of what is now Iraq and eastern Persia. Irnin, it is thought, is a linguistic twisting of Innana, sometimes known as Ishtar. She was a well-regarded goddess of love and war, sometimes gentle, sometimes ferocious. One of the hallmarks of celebrations of Innana was the fashioning of moon-shaped stuffed cookies. Even if worship of Innana/Ishtar began to wane as patriarchy rose in the eastern Levant, Innana’s, cookies, if not her cult, retained the loyalties of many bakers.

Inanna/Ishtar is known to the Greeks as Aphrodite, to the Romans as Venus. Another one of her cults in the western Levant was that of Astarte, and it is speculated that the German spring goddess Eoster is related to that. So the cookies also have a  relation to our Eastertide, but for the moment I am sticking with Valentine’s Day or I will never get any baking done.

One ingredient in Irnin dear to both Inanna and Aphrodite would be rosewater as roses were closely associated with these two. Rosewater was in common use in the Middle East before the rise of Islam, and it became even more readily available due to the discovery by ibn Sina of how to produce rosewater and oil through the process of distillation. Rosewater has cooling properties, and is considered good for ailments of the chest and stomach. A rosewater syrup may indeed pull you through a hangover. The proportion of sugar is a bit hefty (two pounds of sugar to ½ cup water) and might give you pause, but then, a hangover can be a relentless foe, a thought that  should have struck home the night before.

The use of rosewater provides one of the most distinctive of tastes in Middle Eastern cooking, and it entranced European cooks up until the beginning of the eighteenth century, which more or less marks the beginning of modern cookery. Some people have an instant aversion to a perfumed scent in their foods, others find it pleasing enough to consider the advent of modern cookery to be something of a mistake.

The particular cookie we are baking this time calls for the addition of almonds, pistachios, and sesame seeds. Almonds form the backbone of medieval cooking, so much so that one might speculate that, without the almond, much of the ingenuity  and pleasure in eating this type of food would be gone. Almonds contain a moderate amount of heat which will balance the coolness of the rosewater. They are considered slow to digest but have the effect of unblocking one’s system — it relieves costiveness, not only constipation, but also slowness of speech, understanding, and movement. Taken with sugar, they are good for curing a dry cough as well as increasing the virility of both body and mind. Because there is nothing that does not exact a price for its benefits, be forewarned that almonds are fattening. Ibn Sina suggests that eating 50 bitter almonds before drinking will prevent one from becoming intoxicated, should this however fail, one may resort to the rosewater syrup.

Pistachios are considered hot and drying, and they have a quality of bitterness and astringency, indicating that eating them is good for one’s liver. They are popular as served salted along with wine, and also eaten alone are thought to sweeten the breath.

Abu Ishaq al-Sabi enthused over them in a poem:

I describe them as a philosopher might
With pleasant and charming words
An emerald wrapped in silk
Enclosed in an ivory vessel.

Some even claim that eating them brings on its own type of euphoria. Perhaps under the effects of such euphoria, Ibn Wabshiyya claimed that if one took the kidney of a goat sliced open and buried it with a bone from a peacock’s spine, sprinkled this with fumewort, and buried it for the better part of a month, a pistachio tree will sprout. Presently I am fresh out of fumewort, but if any of you wish to give it a try, do let me know if you attain success.

Sesame seeds are best toasted and taken in small quantities as they contain a powerful heat. This can be useful for curing earache and dispelling gas but they are also hard to digest and, consuming too many of them, can bring on excessive internal drying. Perhaps the rosewater in this recipe is indeed a necessary cooling factor given the combined heat of these elements. That said, rosewater and ground nuts, particularly these two, provide a taste that is quintessentially Middle Eastern.

To make these cookies, you will need the following ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups of flour
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 4 tablespoons chopped pistachios (I used shelled, salted pistachios and if you don’t have these, add a teaspoon of salt to the recipe; you may also substitute walnut for pistachio)
  • 8 tablespoons ground almonds
  • 6 tablespoons melted butter (I used ghee)
  • 6 tablespoons almond oil
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 8 tablespoons water
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3 tablespoons rose water
  • 3 tablespoons honey

If your almonds still have skins, slip them by bringing the almonds to a boil for a minute in a pan of water. Let cool and slip the skins free. Process three tablespoons of the almonds and two of the pistachios and add them to the flour and sesame seeds in a bowl. Blend thoroughly and make a well in the center. To this, pour in your melted butter, oil, and water. Mix very well and form a dough. It will be a little stiff and will become more elastic as it rests. If it is still stiff after two hours of resting, add a little more oil to the dough and knead it very well. It should then be sufficiently elastic. Cover your dough and let it rest for two hours or so.

While the dough is resting, grind or chop finely the remaining pistachios and almonds. Place them in a bowl and add the sugar, the spices, and honey. Add the rosewater and work it into a thick paste.

Take the dough and knead it briefly. Break off a small round and work it into a ball, approximately two inches in diameter. Push your finger into the bowl and smoosh a teaspoon of the rosewater nut filling into the ball so it fits into the center. Work the dough to cover it and then lightly press the ball between your palms. When these cookies were made for ritual use, the Sumerians used a special mold, but this is not necessary. The recipe above will provide for a little more than a dozen cookies. You could of course make them smaller, but that is a tease, not a cookie.

An additional finishing touch, if desired, would be a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. Place these morsels on a greased baking tray and bake at 350* for about half an hour. They are done when lightly brown. Watch carefully, as lightly brown turns to scorched quite easily. Carefully place them on a cooling tray and, just as carefully, transfer item onto your serving platter when ready. The cookies are crumbly, not too dry, not too sweet, and for those not familiar with its perfumed goodness, not saturated with rose  water. Good enough, one might say, to make a long-forgotten goddess smile.

Sources:

Annals of the Caliph’s Kitchens: Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq’s Tenth Century Baghdadi
Cookbook: Nawal Nasrarallah. Brill. 2010.

Sweet Delights From a Thousand and One Nights: The Story of Traditional Arab
Sweets: Habeeb Salloum, Muna Salloum, Leila Salloum Elias; I.B. Tauris 2013.

The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition: Shihab al-din al-Nuwayri. Penguin
Classics. 2016.

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Dagonell’s Frumenty and Roo

03 Tuesday Mar 2020

Posted by aethgazette in Arts & Sciences, Cooking

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Tags

recipes, redaction

 by THFool Dagonell the Juggler

“Forme of Cury” is a manuscript “Compiled, about 1390, by the Master Cooks of King Richard II” The title translates into modern English as “Method of Cooking”. These are two complementary recipes from the manuscript.
Original: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/foc/FoC132small.html (scan of original manuscript)

FOR TO MAKE FURMENTY. Nym clene Wete and bray it in a morter wel that the holys gon al of and seyt yt til it breste and nym yt up. and lat it kele and nym fayre fresch broth and swete mylk of Almandys or swete mylk of kyne and temper yt al. and nym the yolkys of eyryn. boyle it a lityl and set yt adoun and messe yt forthe wyth fat venyson and fresh moton.

Translation:

For to Make Frumenty. Take clean wheat and break it in a mortar well, that the hulls gone all off, and seeth it till it bursts and take it up, and let it cool and take fair fresh broth and sweet milk of almonds or sweet milk of cows and temper it all, and take yolks of eggs, boil it a little and set it down and serve it forth with fat venison and fresh mutton.

Ingredients:
2 cups Bulgar wheat
4 cups beef stock (1 quart)
2 cups cow’s milk
2 egg yolks

Comments: If you want to be a purist, you can get wheat berries from the bulk food section of a good neighborhood co-op and either mortar them or run it thru a blender then boil it in water. Bulgar wheat is already hulled and parboiled, so I simply bought a package and skipped all those steps. The beef broth was a store-bought package. Cow’s milk is a rarity in medieval recipes due to the lack of refrigeration. Usually, they simply made it into cheese and butter for a longer shelf life. Almond milk is common in medieval recipes because it has a long shelf life and since it isn’t a dairy product, can be used during Lenten fast days. You can buy almond pieces and pound them in a mortar or run them in a blender with a little water. You can buy almond milk in most co-ops, and in a pinch, you can just add some almond extract to cow’s milk. I buy my dairy products from the farmer down the road, so I used fresh cow’s milk.

Method: Combine the beef stock and milk in a pot, stir well and bring to a boil. Add the wheat, mix well, bring it back to a boil again, cover and reduce heat to a simmer for about twenty minutes. Beat the egg yolks and add them to the mixture. Stir it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat and let cool. The original recipe says to serve it with venison. The following recipe was originally made from deer liver, I made it to accompany the frumenty, but I used beef liver because I had it to hand.

Original: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/foc/FoC057small.html (scan of original manuscript)

Roo Broth. Take the lire of the Deer oþ of the Roo pboile it on smale peces. seeþ it wel half in wat and half in wyne. take brede and bray it wiþ the self broth and drawe blode þ to and lat it seeth to gedre w powdo fort of gynger oþ of canell. and macys. with a grete porcion of vineg with Raysons of Corante.

Translation: Roe Broth. Take the liver of the Deer other (meat) of the Roe parboil it in small pieces, seeth it well half in water and half in wine, take bread and break it with the same broth and draw blood thereto and let it seeth together with strong powder of ginger, other of cinnamon, and mace, and a great portion of vinegar with raisins of currants.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. beef liver
2 cups water
2 cups red wine
3 slices bread
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground mace
¼ cup vinegar
½ cup currants
2 oz. olive oil

Comments: While I can occasionally get venison from my hunting friends, I buy my beef by the half cow from the farmer down the road that I buy my milk from. I have lots of frozen beef liver to hand. I also own a few shares of stock in a local vineyard, so when they have a sale on cheap wines, I use my 10% shareholder’s discount to pick up a few bottles. The bread is multi-grain from the organic section of the grocer. “Raisins of currants” are currants. Raisins are “Raisins of the sun” in medieval recipes. I know there’s no oil mentioned in the recipe, but I’m working on the idea that ‘obvious’ steps are not written down. Liver can be tough done wrong, so I’m going to marinade it overnight and then pan seer it before continuing with the recipe.

Method: Make a marinade of the water, wine, vinegar and spices. Marinate the beef overnight in the fridge. In the morning, brown the beef pieces in a frying pan with the oil. DO NOT THROW OUT THE MARINADE! Set on paper towels to drain. While the beef is draining, shred the bread into a bowl, pour in the rest of the marinade and mash everything into a paste. Dice the beef. In a stew pot, dump the beef, mash, and frying pan scrapings. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the currents. Simmer on a low heat for about an hour and a half. Add more water/wine if it looks like it’s going dry, but you want something thick. It’s not really a broth or even a stew, it’s a paste. Serve it forth over frumenty.

Evaluation: Frumenty is a medieval side-dish, much like rice or potatoes would be used today. It’s supposed to be bland. It was a near staple in Rhydderich Hael feasts years ago. As for the Roo, it’s lightly spiced liver. If you like liver, you might like this dish, if you don’t like liver, you’ll hate it. My wife likes liver, but she didn’t care for this dish. I could take it or leave it. Serves 4.

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Dyed Bake Metis: A Recipe for Meat Pies

02 Sunday Feb 2020

Posted by aethgazette in Arts & Sciences, Cooking

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recipes, redaction

by THFool Dagonell the Juggler

This recipe is from Harleian ms. 279, “Dyed Bake Metis” (“Various Baked Dishes”), which is commercially available as the second half of “Two Fifteenth Century Cookery Books,” published by the University of Michigan Press.

Original: (http://www.archive.org/stream/twofifteenthcent00aust/twofifteenthcent00aust_djvu.txt)
Chawettys. Take Porke y-sode, & mencyd dates, and grynd hem smal to-gederys; take yolkys of Eyroun, & putte þer-to a gode hepe, & grene chese putte þer-to; & whan it ys smal y-now, take Gyngere, Canelle, & melle wyl þi commade þer-with, & put in þin cofyns; þan take yolkys of Eyroun hard y-sothe, and kerue hem in two, & ley a-boue, & bake hem; & so noyt y-closyd, serue forth.

Translation:
Small pies. Take pork seethed & minced dates, and grind them small together; take yolks of eggs, & put thereto a good heap, & green cheese put thereto; & when it is small enough, take ginger, cinnamon, & mix well thy mixture therewith, & put in thine coffins (pie shells); then take yolks of eggs hard seethed, and carve them in two, & lay about, & bake them; & so not closed, serve forth.

Comments: My wife and I have a huge chest freezer in our basement. We literally buy our beef by the half cow from the farmer down the road. I didn’t have any pork, but I have lots of ground beef. The recipe calls for small pies. I keep frozen pie shells on hand, so I made full-sized pies and cooked them longer than I would for tarts. Professional food historian (now I know what I want to be when I grow up! :D) Cindy Renfrow speculates in “Take a Thousand Eggs or More” that green cheese was literally green cheese, what we now call blue cheese. (Wikipedia says, according to legend, blue cheese was discovered when a shepherd accidentally left his cheese behind in a cave and found it again three months or so later.) If green cheese is actually blue cheese, I’m wondering if the moon being made of green cheese wasn’t simply a way to describe the color.  ‘So not closed’ means it’s an open face pie, like a quiche.

Ingredients:
3 lbs. ground beef
1 cup minced dates
12 eggs
1/2 lb. blue cheese
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
2 commercial pie shells

Method:
Leave the pie shells and frozen beef in the fridge to thaw overnight. Pre-heat oven to 435°. Hard-boil six eggs. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, minced dates, 6 egg yolks (reserve the whites for tomorrow’s breakfast), crumbled blue cheese, ginger, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly. Scoop the mixture into two pie shells, pushing it down to fill the crust evenly.

Shell the hard-boiled eggs, cut them in two, and ‘lay about’ six half egg yolks in a circle on the top of each pie. Save the whites for tomorrow’s breakfast. For tarts, I would put one on each tart. Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool. May be eaten hot or cold.

meat.pies.out.oven

Evaluation:
I took them to Heronter’s Twelfth Night. They were well received. This would make a good feast dish; combine, cook, serve. Serves 12.

meat.pies.at.feast

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Scarlet Apron Cooking Competition Theme Will Be Cherry-licious!

30 Thursday Jan 2020

Posted by aethgazette in Arts & Sciences, Competitions, Cooking

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redaction, Scarlet Apron

by THFool Dagonell the Juggler

The theme for the AS 55 Scarlet Apron Cooking Competition, traditionally held at the Æthelmearc War Practice, is in! As the Sylvan Bard has already declared the rules for the next Sylvan Bard competition (keep tuned), I decided I should follow this example and give people plenty of notice for the next Scarlet Apron contest to be held at AE War Practice. The theme will be . . . *drum roll* . . . CHERRIES!

69538280_10216827464262129_235110688786219008_n

Master Dagonell serving venison at the Iron Chef competition wearing the coveted emblem of office: the one and only Scarlet Apron.

I made a lovely dish called Syrosye from Curye On Inglysch and discovered that because no amounts are given, it’s been redacted as everything from cherry soup to cherry bread. I’m curious what AE cooks would do with it. You are NOT required to use this recipe, other recipes will be welcome, however there are points for authenticity and documentation, so take that into consideration. Good luck!

Syrosye by THFool Dagonell

Original:

“To make a syrosye. Tak cheryes & do out þe stones & grynde hem wel & draw
hem þorw a streynoure & do it in a pot. & do þerto whit gres or swete botere
& myed wastel bred, & cast þerto good wyn & sugre, & salte it & stere it wel
togedere, & dresse it in disches; & set þeryn clowe gilofre, & strew sugre
aboue.”

My translation:
“To make Syrosye: Take cherries and do out the stones and grind them well and
draw them through a strainer and do it in a pot and do thereto white grease
(lard) or sweet butter and minced wastel (white) bread, and cast thereto good
wine and sugar and salt it and stir it well together, and dress it in dishes;
and set therein cloves and strew sugar about.”

My redaction:
Two packages frozen cherries, 10oz @, thawed
3 Tablespoons butter
4 slices bread, shredded,
1/2 cup red wine.
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
powdered cloves, powdered sugar

Run the cherries and their juice in a blender. Put the blended cherries,
butter, breadcrumbs, wine, sugar and salt in a pot and ‘stir it well together’.
Simmer on a low heat until it becomes warm mush. Serve into bowls and sprinkle
with powdered cloves and powdered sugar. Use a delicate hand with the cloves,
it’s a strong spice and a little goes a long way. If you don’t have a light
touch, omit the cloves entirely. Serve hot.

Notes:
One of the advantages of owning a chest freezer is that my wife and I can buy
frozen food in bulk. We bought a case of assorted packages of frozen fruit
and put them in the freezer. The original recipe called for cherries, so I
used two packages of cherries, but you could use any fruit, frozen or fresh.
The word ‘syrosye’ does not appear anywhere in any of my cooking glossaries,
so I looked it up on Google and got nothing but other redactors translating
the exact same recipe. Since amounts and specifics are never mentioned in the
original, translations vary wildly. Some use few breadcrumbs and call the
result a soup, others use lots of breadcrumbs and result can be eaten with a
fork. I went with the latter. They are also evenly divided on whether to use
white or red wine. It was dark red cherries, and I had red wine on hand, so
I used red wine. I used powdered cloves so there would be no surprises biting
down into something soft and finding something hard. This would make a very
nice dessert for a feast.

Reference:

Constance B. Hieatt & Sharon Butler (ed.), Curye On Inglysch, Book III, Utilis Coquinario, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1985.

 

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The Myrkfaelinn Redaction Challenge: 14th Century Tart de Bry and Rice Moulds

22 Wednesday Nov 2017

Posted by aethgazette in Arts & Sciences, Cooking, Food, Youth Activities

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A&S, cooking, cooking competition, Dominion, food, Myrkfaelinn, recipes, redaction, Rice, Tart

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!”

Image 1

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!

image 2.jpg

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:

  1. The recipe needs to be approachable for a medieval food newbie and average (or busy!) cook.
  2. 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).
  3. Since we lack kitchen facilities at the meeting hall, find recipes that don’t hinge on being served hot.
  4. When trying a meat-based recipe, offer a vegetarian challenge as well.
  5. Keep it economical.

For youth:

  1. Desserts (or foods) that …
  2. Don’t have too many steps/ingredients, with …
  3. 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.

image 3.jpg

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.

image 4.jpg

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).

Tart de Bry recipe can be found here at https://goo.gl/NU3v58
Rice Mould at https://goo.gl/ppS9ik
Powder fine and powder forte at https://drive.google.com/open…
Makerouns at https://drive.google.com/open…

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A Recipe for Pickled Mushrooms

25 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by aethgazette in Arts & Sciences, Cooking, Food

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Tags

Mushrooms, Recipe, redaction

by THFool Dagonell the Juggler.

 

From The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie Opened (1669)

 Original Text:

“PICKLED CHAMPIGNONS 

Champignons are best, that grow upon gravelly dry rising Grounds. Gather them of the last nights growth; and to preserve them white, it is well to cast them into a pitcher of fair-water, as you gather them: But that is not absolutely necessary, if you will go about dressing them as soon as you come home. Cut the great ones into halves or quarters, seeing carefully there be no worms in them; and peel off their upper skin on the tops: the little ones, peel whole. As you peel them, throw them into a bason of fair-water, which preserves them white.

 Then put them into a pipkin or possnet of Copper (no Iron) and put a very little water to them, and a large proportion of Salt. If you have a pottle of Mushrooms, you may put to them ten or twelve spoonfuls of water, and two or three of Salt. Boil them with pretty quick-fire, and scum them well all the while, taking away a great deal of foulness, that will rise. They will shrink into a very little room.

 When they are sufficiently parboiled to be tender, and well cleansed of their scum, (which will be in about a quarter of an hour,) take them out, and put them into a Colander, that all the moisture may drain from them. In the mean time make your pickle thus: Take a quart of pure sharp white Wine Vinegar (elder-Vinegar is best) put two or three spoonfuls of whole Pepper to it, twenty or thirty Cloves, one Nutmeg quartered, two or three flakes of Mace, three Bay-leaves; (some like Limon-Thyme and Rose-mary; but then it must be a very little of each) boil all these together, till the Vinegar be well impregnated with the Ingredients, which will be in about half an hour. Then take it from the fire, and let it cool.

 When the pickle is quite cold, and the Mushrooms also quite cold, and drained from all moisture: put them into the Liquor (with all the Ingredients in it) which you must be sure, be enough to cover them. In ten or twelve days, they will have taken into them the full taste of the pickle, and will keep very good half a year. If you have much supernatant Liquor, you may parboil more Mushrooms next day, and put them to the first. If you have not gathered at once enough for a dressing, you may keep them all night in water to preserve them white, and gather more the next day, to joyn to them.”

 Notes: 

Champignon is the medieval term for white button mushrooms.  “Of last night’s growth” means ones that weren’t there the previous night.  I chickened out and got packages from the grocery store.  Pipkins and Possnets are small cooking pans.  A pottle is an archaic unit of measure equal to a half gallon.  Twenty or thirty cloves???  Um, no.  Just no.  By liquor, he means the pickling liquid, not alcohol. Supernatant liquor is liquid over a solid residue.  I didn’t realize the term was that old!  

One pottle of mushrooms = 1/2 gallon = 1892.7 grams

One package of mushrooms = 12 ounces = 340 grams = ~20% of a pottle

 

From: Elinor Fettiplace’s Receipt Book (1605)

 Original Text:

“TO PICKLE MUSHROOMS

Take your Buttons, clean ym with a spunge & put ym in cold water as you clean ym, then put ym dry in a stewpan & shake a handfull of salt over ym, yn stew ym in their own liquor till they are a little tender; then strain ym from ye liquor & put ym upon a cloath to dry till they are quite cold. Make your pickle before you do your Mushrooms, yt it may be quite cold before you put ym in. The pickle must be made with White-Wine, White-Pepper, quarter’d Nutmeg, a Blade of Mace, & a Race of ginger.”

 My translation:

Take your Buttons, clean them with a sponge and put them in cold water as you clean them, then put them dry in a stewpan and shake a handful of salt over them, then stew them in their own liquor till they are a little tender; then strain them from the liquor and put them upon a cloth to dry until they are quite cold. Make your pickle before you do your mushrooms, so it may be quite cold before you put them in. The pickle must be made with white wine, white pepper, quartered nutmeg, a blade of mace, and a race of ginger.

 Notes:

Again, the liquor is not alcohol, but the pickling liquid.  Nutmeg and mace both come from the same plant, Myrstica fragrans.  Nutmeg is the seed, mace is the lace-like peel.  A blade of mace is about 1/6 of the entire peel, so call it about a 1/2 teaspoon.  A race of ginger is one piece of root.  

 

Modern Redaction using both recipes:

  • 3/4 cup water (12 tablespoons)
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 36 oz. fresh mushrooms (3 12-ounce packages)
  • 1 quart white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons white pepper
  • 3 whole cloves (not 30!)
  • 1 whole nutmeg, broken (place in baggie, wrap in towel, hit with hammer)
  • 1/2 teaspoon powdered mace
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 small ginger root, peeled and sliced

 In a small saucepan, combine water, salt, and peeled mushrooms.  Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.  It looks like there’s not enough liquid.  You just need enough to keep the mushrooms from scorching until they start to tenderize.  They will give up half their weight as liquid.  When the mushrooms are tender, strain them in a colander over a second saucepan.  Don’t throw away the liquid, it makes a great mushroom broth for homemade soup!  If you use commercial mushrooms, there won’t be any scum to deal with.  In a third saucepan, combine the vinegar, pepper, cloves, nutmeg, mace, bay leaves, and ginger root.  Bring to a boil.  Let everything cool.  Place the mushrooms in a clean jar, pour the pickling liquid over them, and seal.  Let marinate for two weeks.  

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Almond Milk

09 Saturday May 2015

Posted by aethgazette in Arts & Sciences, Cooking, Food

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Almond Milk, cooking, redaction

medievel kitchenby Caleb Reynolds.

Milk was an important ingredient in medieval cookery. The problem with animal milk (milk from cows, goats, and sheep) was that it had a very limited shelf life. Also, the taste and quality of milk changed with the seasons and with the feed of the animals. Add to that the fact that animal milk was prohibited on fast and lean days. To get around these issues, medieval cooks turned to other sources for milk. Almonds, as well as hazelnuts and walnuts, can be turned into a milk-like substance.

Like animal milk, almond milk can by churned into butter, can thicken sauces and carry fat soluble flavors. Since it contains no animal products, almond milk could be enjoyed on fast and lean days and during Lent. Almond milk also had a more consistent flavor than animal milk and does not spoil easily. It could be made as needed and any excess could be stored for several weeks. While it was an ingredient in many dishes, almond milk was also consumed just like animal milk; by the glass. It was recommended, by physicians, as “blessed with qualities that were very close to the healthy human temperament” [1] and was prescribed for those who were sick or had digestive problems.

Sources:

From Du fait de cuisine:
28. And again, flans of almond milk: according to the quantity of flans which you are making take the quantity of almonds, have them well and cleanly blanched and washed and then have them very well brayed; and take very clean fair water and let him strain his almond milk into a bowl or a cornue which is fair and clean according to the quantity of flans which he should make….

From Le Viandier de Taillevent:
Take peeled almonds, crush very well in a mortar, steep in water boiled and cooled to lukewarm, strain through cheesecloth, and boil your almond milk on a few coals for an instant or two.

The redaction from A Boke of Gode Cookery
1 cup ground almonds
2 cups boiling water
Combine almonds and water. Steep for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sieve the mixture to remove coarse grains OR (preferably) blend mixture in electric blender until grains are absorbed. Yield – 2 cups almond milk.

The redaction from Medieval Cookery
2 cups blanched almonds
3 cups hot water
Grind almonds until fine, almost like flour. Pour hot water into almonds, mixing well. Allow to soak for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour through a fine strainer into a bowl, discarding solids (they can be used again with more water, but the resulting almond milk will be thinner and won’t work as well in recipes)

==============================

My method is as follows:
1 cup whole, blanched almonds
2 cups boiling water
Grind the almonds by hand, using a mortar and pestle: grind until you end up with a gritty paste. This will take a while, but the finer the paste is, the better the end result will be. Once you have achieved paste, set two cups of water to the heat and bring it to a rolling boil. Once you have a rolling boil, add the almond paste and take the water off of the heat. Let the mixture steep for ten minutes, stirring every few minutes. After ten minutes, Strain the mixture through cheesecloth, make sure to squeeze all of the liquid from the cloth. Be careful, the liquid will hot. Cover the almond milk and let it cool on the counter. Once cool, feel free to drink the milk or use it for cooking. In a sealed container, your almond milk will last about a week on the counter, or up to three weeks in the ‘fridge.

Observations:

By following this method you will end up with something with the taste and consistency of almond-flavored skim milk, and while it can thicken a sauce like milk or cream, it doesn’t do it as well or as quickly. Also, the almond flavor doesn’t cook out. Further, almonds have no sugar, so almond milk isn’t sweet like cow or goat milk[2]. Modern, mass-produced almond milk is not the same thing as our period product: they are vitamin fortified, with extra fat, sugar and emulsifiers added to give them the flavor, and mouth-feel, of cow milk.

A purely modern method would be to put a cup of blanched almonds in a bar blender with two cups of hot water and blend until smooth. The bar blender will whip air into the mixture and pulverize the almonds, releasing more of the drupe’s[3] natural emulsifiers, thickening the liquid. Like modern almond milk, the bar-blender method would give you almond milk closer in mouth feel to cow milk than what you would attain with hand grinding the almonds.

You can use the same method to make milk from hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans, but I do not know of any documentation for pecan milk before the American revolution.

[1] Master Chiquart, Du Fait du Cuisine
[
2] I’ve never had sheep milk before.
[3] Almonds are drupes, not nuts.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
A Boke of Gode Cookery. Almond Milk 2000. James L. Matterer. http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec31.htm. Accessed on November 7, 2012 , 10:12 am.

Chiquart, Maistre. Du fait de cuisine. Translated by Elizabeth Cook.
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/Cookbooks/Du_Fait_de_Cuisine/Du_fait_de_Cuisine.html. Accessed on November 7, 2012 , 10:15 am.

Le Viandier De Taillevent: 14th Century Cookery, Based on the Vatican Library Manuscript. Authors Taillevent, James Prescott. Translated by James Prescott. Contributor Biblioteca apostolica vaticana. Edition 2, illustrated. Alfarhaugr Pub. Society, 1989.

Medieval Cookery, Almond Milk Daniel Myers, 9/15/2006.
http://medievalcookery.com/recipes/almondmilk.html. Accessed on November 7, 2012 , 9:42 am.

Scully, D. Eleanor, Scully, Terence. Early French Cookery: Sources, History, Original Recipes and Modern Adaptations. University of Michigan Press, May 7, 2002

Scully, Terence. The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1995.

Scully, Terence, ed. Le Viandier de Taillevent. An Edition of all Extant Manuscripts. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press, 1988.

 

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