SC - Reconstructing recipes

[Uduido at aol.com]

In a message dated 97-06-05 15:15:33 EDT, you write:

<< That's interesting!>>

Everything on this list is interesting, IMHO. :-)

<< Along those lines, I'm curious--how to people here pick which recipes they
want to try (or try to reconstruct, assuming they are working with period
recipes)? My, I read through recipes, and when I find one that makes me go
"Yum", I stop and try.  I've got a strong "food imagination/memory",
conjuring up what I believe will be the final taste, texture, and smell from
the recipe.   >>

This is the method I use also. From reading a recipes instructions and
imagining the changes in taste, texture, and flavor as the reading progresses
one has a general idea of what the end product should be like. The difficulty
with some period recipes is that several dissimilar dishes can sometimes be
conjectured from the same recipe. 

I am aware that everyone cannot afford the luxury of rushing to the store and
buying all the ingredients in a dish but given the expense of other hobbies
and cooking being mine, I do not find this a great burden. Sales are a good
place to start. Chicken is only .39 to .49 /lb and pork is .99/lb. here when
on sale. :-) So I rush out and purchace  whatever I think I need in
triplicate (meat=3 lbs.; etc.) Then I roll up my sleeves and retire to the
kitchen. I devide my specially purchaced ingredients into 6 parts. And make
sure I have a notebook and pencil with eraser. 

Then , basically, you create away. By the 4th attempt you should have a very
nice and great recipe. Adjust the things you aren't totally pleased with the
5th time and prepare it for someone else to try in it's perfection in the 6th
attempt.  Adjust your notes from the final attempt, multiply the amounts by 2
and carefully enter your finished recipe in a database (e.g. recipe cards,
notebook or 'puter). You then should have , without further need of
experimenting, a very nice and as near as you can get to a period recipe
which others should be more than willing to eat which will serve 4 to 6
people.

The final step is to invite a couple of a few friends to a mundane or SCA
get-together at the local level and observe and listen to comment. If it's
good, your successful. If they don't like it or it doesn't get eaten, roll up
your sleeves and start all over again.


Yours in Service to the Dream,
Lord Ras, AoA, OSyc  (Uduido at aol.com)