SC - Greetings and Salivations <grin>

[Kathleen M Hogan]

Unto the Lords and Ladies of this list, Caitlin NicFhionghuin sends
greetings:

Hi....I recently learned of this list and love cooking.  So I thought I
would stop in and see what is going on.  

I have been in the SCA since 1980, moving from kingdom to kingdom as
"Duke Samuel" (aka the Army) deemed necessary and have finally settled in
Atlantia in the Shire of BorderVale Keep.  Personnawise, I am a 13th C
Scot.  A widow for some years, I finally  remarried (hi Corwyn...it's me)
a 9th C Irish mercenary, took in his children, and am now waiting
not-so-patiently for him to come home between battles (mundanly he's a
truck driver).

For my first contribution...a collection of almond milk/creame recipes...


 A Rosy Almond Cream               (Medieval England)
 Yield: 6 servings

  2 1/2  c     Milk
  2          oz    Ground almonds
  1 1/2  oz    Rice flour
     1/2   ts    Ground cinnamon
  1           ts    Ground ginger
12          oz    Berries or currants, fresh or defrosted
  3          oz    Sugar
  1-2       tb    wine vinegar (don't worry-- used by ancient Romans to
emphasize the  flavor of the fruit)
                    Crystallized petals to decorate

  Put milk in pan with ground almonds, bring to a boil, and simmer for 3
minutes.   Meanwhile, mix the spices with the rice flour in a pan, then
gradually add the hot almond milk. Cook them together till the mixture
thickens slightly. Add the fruit with the sugar. Cook them all
together gently till the sugar is melted and the fruit well mixed-- it
should not totally disintegrate although it should be partially mushed.
Add the vinegar to taste and spoon the dessert into glasses.  Chill for a
couple of hours but serve at room temp., decorated with  another berry or
with a crystallised rose or violet petal.

    Recipe from "The British Museum Cookbook", 1987
                 British Museum Publications, Ltd.
                 Michelle Berriedale-Johnson

 Almond Milk
 Yield: 1 servings

           Ground almonds
           Water, stock, or wine
           Rice flour/cornflour
           Salt

  Vurst nim of alemauns, & hwyte of heom one pertie, ah hwyte summe  hole
& the other do to grinden.  Sothen nim the hole alemauns & corf  heom to
quartes; sothen nim fat broth & swete of porc other of vthur  vlehs;
tempre thin alemauns & sothen drauh out thi milke & sothe do  hit in an
veyre crouhe...

  You can make thin or thick almond milk, as suits your dish, by adapting
the quantity of almonds to the amount of liquid in your  recipe. In
either case your object is to produce a liquid or puree as  smooth as
possible. The method is the same.

  First pulverise the almonds in a blender (not a food processor) or in 
a coffee or nut mill.  Put them in a bowl and pour on enough boiling 
liquid to make a smooth cream.  Leave to stand for 10-15 minutes, then
rub the mixture through a metal sieve. This mixture may be    
smooth enough.  If not, cream a little rice flour  or cornflour with it
and heat until it thickens slightly.  Then add any extra liquid the
recipe calls for, and a scrap of salt.

  I find that 125 g/4 oz almonds and 1 tablespoon rice flour  moistened
with 275 ml/10 fl oz/ 1 1/4 cups liquid produces a 'milk' suitable for
most purposes. Almond milk might be used whenever a flavoured liquid base
without meat products, cow's milk, cream or eggs was needed.  It could
also be used as a  thickener--or just for its aroma and flavour.

  from The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black Chapter 3, "Life in the
Cloister" 

 Title: Almond Milk                        England, 14th Century
  Yield: 1 pint

      2     c     Milk or cream
    1/2    c     Coarsely ground almonds
    1/4    ts    Bitter almond essence
      2     tb    Orgeat syrup     *

  * made by Combier of Saumur in France

     Simmer all the ingredients together for 10 minutes and allow to 
cool, covered. It can be strained or not, as desired.

  Almond Milk and VERJUICE are the two most important sauces needed  to
recreate English medieval cookery.

  From _Seven Centuries of English Cookery_ by Maxime de la Falaise 1973 
 Grove Press, 1992   ISBN 0-8021-3296-0 

In service to the Dream

Caitlin NicFhionghuin
Shire of BorderVale Keep
Atlantia
Augusta, GA

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