SC - Which books?

[Joyce A. Baldwin]

>Bonne wrote:

<much snippage>
>  "A late period Renaissance feast will be offered, for in the mind >>  
>of the autocrat, it is always 1531." I've had offers of the loan >>  of 
>books.  With that quotation in mind, which books do I want to >>  
>borrow? 

Bonne:

I have a book in my possession called "Sallets, Humbles, and Shrewsbury
Cakes:  A Collection of Elizabethen Recipes Adapted for the Modern Kitchen
by Ruth Anne Beebe with recipes redacted from four cookbooks published
between 1596 & 1621.  (those by Thos.Dawson, Gervase Markham, & John
Murrell). I realize this is a bit late period for your feast. Also, while
she does quote the original recipes before her redactions (thank goodness),
she does not specify which source she obtained it from *sigh.*   I haven't
actually tried many of her redactions so some experimentation would be in
order.  Anyone on the list familiar with this book?  Opinions?   I got it
second hand a good fifteen or so years ago.

Despite these deficiences, it has the great advantage of being very
accessible since we live in the same canton (see you at meeting next Tue?).   

Oh and BTW greetings to the list!  I am newly subscribed,  being Jocetta,
Lady Thrushleigh, formerly of the Baronies Beyond the Mountain and
Dragonship Haven in the East Realm and now in Atlantia in the Barony of
Windmasters' Hill.

I am more a putterer than a serious cook, although I do cook a feast now
and again when I feel energetic and have managed to forget how much work
the last one was. I have one I agreed to do coming up in February and I am
trying to make it an exercise in delegation (lots of talented cooks in this
barony make it easier).  I guess I've been lucky, to listen to some of the
comments on this list.  I have generally found the people who eat what I
cook to be extremely appreciative and gotten some pretty positive feedback. 

 I often don't cook from directly from period souces but make up my own
recipes.  I do try to read these sources to understand what was served and
how it was cooked, and I do avoid blatantly OOP stuff - no tomato sauce, or
green beans,  or chocolate cake, (well, me having a food sensitivity to the
latter makes me happy it's OOP so I can eat a lot more desserts!).
Sometimes I compromise for non-period palates and for available cooking
facilities.  I make no apologies for this -- I also occaisonally make
clothing from modern synthetic fabrics, I know artists who use acrylic
rather than oil or egg tempera paints...I just like to know _when_ I am
compromising and  why and what a more original way would have been.
Oooh...I think I may have pulled out the worm can with these last comments...

Anyway, hellos to y'all.

Oh and BTW does anyone know of a source for good solid lard for pie crusts
that I might find around Raleigh-Durham NC?  Down here in the South lard is
used for biscuits and they whip it to make them fluffy.  Got spoiled by all
those French-Canadians in New England (Tortiere with a  _ vegetable
shortening_ crust?  Tabernac!  Such sacrilige!)  Tried melting and
solidifying the whipped stuff - didn't work very well and was too much work
anyway.

It's late, I'm starting to ramble

ttfn
Jocetta






Joyce A. Baldwin
Diva Extraordinaire

In the Society for Creative Anachronism:
Lady Jocetta Thrushleigh of Rowansgarth
Exchequer, Canton of Buckston on Eno
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