SC - Sauce Robert...

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Anne-Marie Rousseau wrote:

> The earliest reference I know of is in la Varenne (1651, French), who
> uses them to jazz up the common medieval Sauce Robert. Yum! We had it for
> dinner last night. Mustard, vinegar, capers, green onions and butter,
> whisked till smooth. Taillevent and friends use it on fish, la Varenne
> recommends it on boar and other meats.

Butter in Taillemaslee / Robert's Beard Sauce? Good Heavens! What'll
they think of next???

Sauce Robert is alive and well as of the 1950's, although as a "small"
sauce made from either Espagnole or Demiglaze, which is itself derived
from Espagnole, which would make Robert the grandchild sauce of
Espagnole, which would mean Hongroise is a second cousin twice removed,
an' I'm my own grampaw.....

Ahem. Got a bit carried away there. Anyway, modern versions commit
sacreligous acts like straining out the onions before serving. Generally
recommended for pork and ham, nowadays.

You'll find an entry on capers in most versions of the Tacuinum
Sanitatis, a.k.a. The Medieval Health Handbook, a.k.a. The Four Seasons
at the House of Cerruti (these last two are titles for modern reprints
of various manuscript versions of Tacuinum Sanitatis). 

Not to change the subject too much, but there are some excellent
resources for cooks and laborers, and people in general, looking for
garb ideas from the Mediterranean Basin of the fourteenth century, as
Tacuinum Sanitatis is really copiously illustrated. My World-Famous
White Medieval Chef's Cote is derived from one of the illustrations.

Adamantius, who ordinarily wouldn't be caught dead in garb from after
the eighth century or so  
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com
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