SC - Illusion Foods Challenge

[Mark Schuldenfrei]

Grazing through old postings:
  
  Okay. I saw this recipe in one of the new cookbooks I got this summer and
  I was thinking about trying it. But how to you get enough egg shells
  without killing yourself?

You make a large hole, witha sharp paring knife.  I filled mine with an
unimpeachably authentic method, and my favorite: I filled a plastic food bag
with filling, cut one corner off, and made a pastry bag you don't have to
wash.  (:-)

Let me see if I have my notes.

Eggs in Lent			("Eyroun in Lenten", Harleian MS 279, # 39)

  "Eyroun in lentyn. Take Eyroun, & blow owt (th)at ys with-ynne atte o(th)er
  end; (th)an waysshe (th)e schulle clene in warme Water; (th)an take gode
  mylke of Almaundys, & sett it on (th)e fyre; (th)an take a fayre canvas,
  & pore (th)e mylke (th)er-on, & lat renne owt (th)e water; (th) take it
  owt on (t)e clo(th)e, & gader it to-gedere with a platere; (th)en putte
  sugre y-now (th)er-to; (th)an take (th) halvyndele, & colour it with Safroun,
  a lytil, & do (th)er-to pouder Canell; (th)an take & do of (th)e whyte
  in the ne(th)er end of (th)e schulle, & in myddel (th)e yolk, & fylle
  it vppe with (th) whyte; but not to fulle, for goyng ouer; (th)an sette
  it in (th)e fyre & roste it, & serue forth."

1 package blanched almonds		saffron
1 dozen jumbo eggs			cinnamon
box kosher salt				1 cup of sugar (approx)

Cheesecloth				string
SHARP knife				Pastry bag (optional)

Grind the almonds in a food processor, as finely as you can.  This should
make 2 3/4 cups of almonds.  Mix with 1 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan, and
boil until it is a little less thick than cream of wheat cereal.

Line a tall container with cheesecloth.  Pour the almond milk into the
cheesecloth, gather it together, and tie the end with string.  Use the
string, and some chopsticks or pencils, to suspend the bag of almonds in the
container.  Let it cool, and drain.  You can twist the bag to strain more
liquid out when it is cool.   Mix in the sugar, making it not so thick that
you can't get it into the eggshells, later.

Take about a third of the almonds, and mix with saffron colored water and
some cinnamon.  Boil and Drain again.  Mix in a bit more sugar, until you
can mold the result like a yolk.

Clean the shells of the eggs (as many as you think you can fill.)  Cut the
wide end off with a sharp knife, stir the insides, drain and wash.

Fill the tip with some white, make a yolk with the yellow, and fill with
white again.  You may use a pastry bag, but fingers and patience should
work.  Don't overfill.

Finally, fill a small bread or meatloaf pan with the salt, set the "eggs"
open end up in them, and roast at 450 until it sets.    Serve pointed end
up.  I roasted for only half an hour.  It should have been much longer.

[If you think this sounds yucky, check the Lenten Eggs recipe in "Ordinance
of Pottage" by Hieatt, made from swim bladders and eel.]
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