SC - My first feast is over. Here's what happened (part two):

[Gedney, Jeffrey]

> As you say, your version is not exactly to the original. One comment on
> that: rosemary and sage are likely additions to chicken at this time and
> place; lemons are not. Lemons in England in the 14th and 15th century were
> somewhere between extremely rare and non-existant; I have never seen one
> in
> a recipe, and Anne Wilson (_Food and Drink in Britain_) says that citrus
> were imported at this time, but rarely. This changes and they become more
> common in England by late 16th-early 17th c.
As I was aware, but, I was "in for a penny"...
Since I was departing form documentable for the roasted chicken, I decided
to go "in for a pound" and make the simplest recipe for good roasted
chickens I knew. I was certain that many persons in the freast were goping
to eat at least some of the chickens without sauce at all, and Therefore
wanted to make a tender juicy and higfhlyflavorful bird, wich could stand on
its own, without sauce. I also needed to be easy and quick to make. Lemon
and rosemary stuffed chickens (which are a perennial favorite in my house)
fit the bill. It also had the advantage of being well tested.

> Also, vinegar is possible as a last-minute substitute for verjuice: if you
> have worked the recipe out using verjuice, you can substitute half as much
> vinegar and get a similar but not identical taste.
What kind of vinegar(s)?
Would a blend of 2 parts cider and one part red wine vinegars approximate
the flavor?

> This feast looks like it was a whole lot of work. I am usually somewhat
> daunted by the idea of doing things where you have to shape individual
> things for each feaster, like the aloes of beef or the hats which you did
> for this feast.
Well, it was a problem, but I made sure that a lot of the feast was stuff
that required either no real preparation beforehand, and/or long cooking
times, to give myself and the crew time to do the handwork.

I had actually hoped to have a lot of the hand stuff done ahead of time, but
I rasn into problems, as I stated earlier: I had the last minute addition of
a subtlety, and my promised kitchen help for the prep cooking came down
sick. That is why there was such a scramble in the kitchens.

Thanks though for your support, and insights, they are very much
appreciated.

Brandu



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