SC - Starter Knife Set

[Mark Schuldenfrei]

Hi! Adamantius, I'm finally ready to dissect your bete noir: Cuskynoles.
Anyone care to join me?
WARNING! WARNING! THIS IS A PUZZLER. NOT FOR THE FAINT AT HEART. BRAIN DRAIN
AHEAD!

>From Curye on Inglsche, Diversa Cibaria, rct # 45 
NOTA:
*(th) substituted for the thorn character, looking like an askew lower case
"p" pron. th or v. 
*(b) substituted for another figure from middle english, looking like a
cursive lower case "z", pron. approx. b or y. 

A mete (th)at is icleped cuskynoles. Make a past tempred wi(th) ayren, &
so(th)en nim (th)eoron & applen, figes & reysins, alemaundes & dates; bet am
togedere & do gode poudre of gode speces wi(th)innen. & in leynten make
(th)i past wi(th) milke of alemaundes. & rolle (th)i past on a bord, &
so(th)en hew hit on moni perties, & vche an pertie beo of (th)e leyn(th)e of
a paume & a half & of (th)reo vyngres of brede. & smeor (thi) paste al of
one dole, & so(th)en do (th)i fassure wi(th)innen.| Vchen kake is portiooum.
& so(th)en veld togedere o(th)e (b)eolue manere ase (th)eos fugurre is imad:
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| . | . | . | . | . |
|___|___|___|___|___|
| . | . | . | . | . |   
|___|___|___|___|___|
| . | . | . | . | . |
|___|___|___|___|___| 

& so(th)en rost on an greudil; & so(th)en adresse.  

*Nota: original drawing in ms is longer, less square.


The way I read it:

A meat that is called cuskynoles. Make a paste tempered with egg, and so
then cut up upon it apples, figgs, raisons, almonds, and dates. Beat them
together and add good spices within. And, in lenten, make the paste with
milk of almonds (rather than the eggs). And, roll the paste on a board, and
then cut it into many pieces, which each party (piece) shall be the length
of a plam and a half, and three fingers of breadth wide. Smear the paste all
of one(in one piece) (with butter?), and then make your fissures
(cuts--knife pricks, holes) within. When the cake is portioned, form it
(veld????weld, meld?) together in the (below?yellow??) manner as in the
figure. And so then roast on a griddle, and so then address (serve it). 

The way I see it, we're making square enriched welsh cookies here with way
more fruit and some almonds thrown in, in one huge cake which before baking
has been portioned, pricked and smeared with butter rather in the manner of
Moravian Sugar Cake (a yeast dough which is oblong, finger-poked for holes
and portioned before baking, but done in the same manner as above. It has
butter in each little hole, and then a lump of brown sugar. It is baked
unproved, and does not get very brown on the top). The cuskynole is baked on
the griddle (but not turned). The portioning/pricking/poking before cooking
gets the hot melted butter to most of the dough, and makes them easy to tear
apart with the fingers at the table, rather like the cuts we make on
shortbread rounds before baking, to make it easir to break apart. The butter
weakens the joins, and this also makes them easier to break apart.I'm not
sure if we are to reassemble already cut peieces, or just make a
recatangular dough. I rather think the former, though. I think, too, it's
clear this is not leavened dough.

Does this make sense? I'm applying my heredity to the recipe, but I don't
think this is way off base, considering how the word almond is spelled in
the original, which is almost identical to the French word for Germany
(Allemande), making Moravian cooking traditions, handed down from my father,
not too far off base.But that's a shot in the dark at best. I'm no linguist.

Comments? Anyone? I am going to try to redact this in my interpretation, and
see if it works. Now is a good time of year to be testing dried-fruit
recipes, while this stuff is plentiful and reasonably priced. Will keep you
informed. 


Aoife---really hungry now.

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