SC - First try at redaction

[Decker, Terry D.]

This is an Elizabethean recipe, and they liked their sweets.  For the total
amount of butter and flour involved, I would have used at least 1 1/2 cups
sugar and likely 2 cups of sugar.  I would have also used about a teaspoon
each of cloves and mace.

Flour can be a difficult variable with which to work.  For your next
experiment, decide how much butter and sugar you are going to use and cream
them together.  Take 1/2 cup of your flour and sift your spices into it,
then blend it into the creamed mixture.  Add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at
a time, blending it in thoroughly.  When your dough is to the consistency
you want it, stop and bake it.

If the dough gets too dry, add 1/2 teaspoon of water and blend it in.
Repeat until the dough is the consistency you want it.

Don't try to juggle all of your ingredients to get a perfect mix.  I doesn't
work well.

Bon Chance

Bear



> ----------
> From: 	Bronwynmgn at aol.com[SMTP:Bronwynmgn at aol.com]
> Sent: 	Sunday, February 01, 1998 3:14 PM
> To: 	sca-cooks at Ansteorra.ORG
> Subject: 	SC - First try at redaction
> 
> Today I made my first try at redacting anything by myself.  I used the
> "Fine
> cakes" recipe that was posted here right before Christmas.  Here are the
> results:
> 
> >Whilst planning this dessert feast, I stumbled across a seemingly period
> >shortbread.  The deal is that it was called "fine cakes."  The source is
> >taming of the Shrew (1594)
> >To make fine cakes  Take a quantity of fine wheate Flower, and put it in
> >an earthen pot.  Stop it close and set it in an Oven, and bake it as long
> >as you would a pasty of Venison, and when it baked it will be full of
> >clods.  Then searce your flower through a fine sercer.  Then take clouted
> >Creame or sweet butter, but Creame is best: then take sugar, cloves,
> mace,
> >saffron and yolks of eggs, so much as wil seeme to season your flower.
> >Then put these things into the Creame, temper all together.  Then put
> >thereto your flower.  So make your cakes.  The paste will be very short;
> >therefore make them very little.  Lay paper under them.  (John Partridge
> >[The widowes Treasure] in Lorna J. Sass's "To the Queen's Taste)
> >
> 
> First redaction attempt (2/1/98)
>      I used Gold Medal all-purpose flour (wheat and malted barley flour,
> enriched and
> bleached), because that was what I had in the house.  I measured 2 cups of
> flour and put them in a Corningware dish and covered it tightly with tin
> foil.
> I baked it at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.  It appeared slightly browned,
> and
> had to be broken apart to be sifted, with further breaking up of
> pebble-like
> chunks by hand as I sifted.
>     I allowed 1 stick of butter (8 TBsp) to soften, then mixed with it 1/4
> cup
> white sugar, 1/8 tsp each of ground mace and ground cloves, and 3 strands
> of
> saffron ground with a little of the sugar.  I separated one egg yolk and
> added
> that.
>     I added the flour gradually and it soon became obvious that there
> wasn't
> enough liquid. Since the recipe says the pastry will be very short, I
> chose to
> add more butter.  I added another 1/2 stick (4 TBsp).  This still wasn't
> enough, so I added another egg yolk and eventually another 2 TBsp of
> butter.
> That made a dry rolling consistency dough.
>     I didn't roll the first tray - just formed them into balls and
> flattened
> them.  They didn't spread out at all.  I didn't have any parchment paper,
> but
> used a non-stick baking tray.  I cooked them at  325 degrees F for about
> 15
> minutes (until they smelled and looked done).
> They were extremely dry and initially tasted like a mouthful of flour,
> but, as
> my roommate said, "They kind of grow on you".  Next time I believe I will
> use
> a little more sugar and spices.
>     For the remaining dough (about 1/3 of the batch), I added about
> another
> TBsp of
> butter.  That made a slightly sticky consistency.  It would probably need
> to
> be chilled to roll well.  I cooked this batch the same as the first.  The
> consistency is about the same as the first batch (they actually powder in
> your
> mouth!).  This batch definitely has more flavor.
>      For the next trial I believe I will use two full sticks of butter and
> two
> egg yolks to 2 cups of flour, increase the sugar to 1/3 cup and the spices
> to
> 1/4 teaspoon each.
> 
> Any comments?  I've kept the notes above in my recipe file for this
> recipe.
> 
> Brangwayna
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