SC - Heraldry at the dinner table

[Gretchen M Beck]

> Ok.  Here goes the first one.  I think Master Adamantius mentioned a barely
> period recipe for fish with pudding.  I have a Newe Booke of Cookerie
>  Falconwood Press edition.  John Murrell 1615.  In it it lists the following:

A good start at period - I'm going to take a stab (I'm somewhere 
inbetween novice and laurel) at redacting it first...comments are 
welcome...

> To bake a Tench with a Pudding in her belly
> Let your Fish blood in the Tayle, then scalde it, and scowre it: wash it
> cleane and drye it with a cloth.  Then take grated Bread, sweet Creame, the
> yolkes of two or three new laid Egges, a few parboyled Currins, a few sweet
> Hearbes, chope fine.  Season it with Nutmeg, and pepper, an make it into a
> stiffe Pudding, and put it into your Tenches belly.  Season your Fish on th
> eourside with a little Pepper, Salt and Nutmeg, and so put him in a deepe
> Coffin, with a piece of sweet Butter, and so close your Pye, and bake it.
>  Then take it out of the oven, and open it, and cast in a piece of a
> preserved Orenge Minct.  Then take Vinegar, Nutmeg, Butter, Sugar, and the
> yolke of a new layd Egge, and boyle it on a Chafindish of coales, always
> stirring it into your Pye, shogge it well together, and serve it in.

Tench is a type of fish I believe, so take one.  Gut and clean it, reserving
the innards.  I'd also debone at this point if possible.  (This is all
kind of funny, as I'm allergic to Iodine and therefore don't eat fish.)

Drop briefly into boiling water, remove and scrub the skin clean.  Wash
inside and out and dry.  Set aside.

In a bowl mix bread crumbs (fresh), cream, 2-3 egg yolkes, currents soaked
in water of wine to replump, chopped tarragon and mint (I'm not sure what
others I would call sweet for this dish).  Add nutmeg and white pepper,
pour into a container, place into a water bath and cook until a kinfe inserted
comes out clean.  Remove from pan and cut into pieces to fit into the fish.

Sprinkle outside of fish with a little pepper salt and nutmeg.  Make a 
shell big enough to enclse the fish out of a dough of flour, water and 
bit of salt (very stiff) in a pan with sides high enough.  Lay the fish
in it, add a bit of butter on top and place a piece of the dough over
the top.  Bake until the pastry is golden brown (i'm guessing 30-35 min).

Remove from the ove and cut off the top crust carefully (I'd want to be 
able to put it on again for presentation).  Throw in some candied Orange
Peel (ok, that's a blind GUESS - is there some kind of Orange Mint plant?
you'd probably candy that too to preserve it, i guess....)

In a shallow dish over a low fire, mix a little vinegar, an egg yolk, 
nutmeg, some butter and sugar together to make a sauce about the thickness
of a thick soup.  Bring to a boil (Look - that'll kill salmonilla)
and then pour slowly over your fish, stirring (which will break everything)
until the fish and pudding are in pieces and the sauce coats everything.

Place the top back on and serve.

> How period do you consider this?  For A&S purposes.  I have another recipe
> from the same book to try, about steak and french pudding.

With the exception of being unsure about the Orenge Minct, it looks
within bounds to me.  Like I said, I'm in that weird middle ground
around here - I'm not a complete newby but I'm hardly an expert, so 
I don't know for sure, but the technique of using the crust, of the
vinegar and egg sauce,etc. all look correct to me.

To the experts out there, please send me (privately if you prefer) any
comments on the above - I'm still trying to fill in the gaps and actively
want the comments to learn from.

Ruadh (who is cooking a feast in AEthelmearc the weekend of September 6th
if anyone wants to come :-)

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    Becca Tants, aka Roo, Lady Caitlen Ruadh, Delftwood, AEthelmearc, East
    becca at servtech.com                http://www.servtech.com/public/becca 
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