SC - course plan

[david friedman]

At 12:51 PM -0400 10/22/98, Margo Hablutzel wrote:

[the original question was whether cookie dough was a fair interpretation
of "a fine paste" to be filled and either fried or baked.]
>
>Most "fine paste" I have seen is more like piecrust than shortbread.
>
>Note that dough used for frying, whether on its own or wrapped around some
>filling, needs to have a fairly small ratio of fat to the dough, if any.  If
>the percentage of fat is too high, it will melt into the frying grease and
>you get an icky mess.  A regular "flaky" pie dough should not be used for
>frying, and I have seen some recipes where the surrounding dough has no fat,
>is just flour and water (and maybe salt) kneaded together until smooth and
>elastic.
>
Here is an example from somewhat earlier than the recipe in question (and
Epulario is 16th c., I think, but its Italian original is 15th c.) of a
"fine paste" meant to be filled and fried which lists the ingredients for
the pastry:

Ryschewys Closed and Fried
Two Fifteenth Century p. 45/97

Take figs, and grind them small in a mortar with a little oil, and grind
with them cloves and maces; and then take it up into a vessel, and cast
thereto pines, saunders and raisons of corinth and minced dates, powdered
pepper, canel, salt, saffron; then take fine paste of flour and water,
sugar, saffron and salt, and make fair cakes thereof; then roll thine stuff
in thine hand and couch it in the cakes and cut it, and fold them in
ryshews, and fry them up in oil; and serve forth hot. [end of original;
spelling modernized]

Note that the pastry is sweetened, but has no fat in it.

Elizabeth/Betty Cook


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