SC - Tartys in Aplis, was Thank you! was Hello

[Bonne of Traquair]

>Thanks to all who responded to my cry for help and also to those who
>welcomed me to the list.  Lady Bonne de Traquair I would indeed be
>interested in your recipe.  If you would post it, or send it to me
>directly, I would be most grateful.
>
>Thank you.
>
>Lady Thyre

Certainly, I reproduce in it's entirety a post from last October.  I note 
that my Lord Ras deviated from the original recipe by leaving out saffron 
(perhaps he thought it a scribal error) and adding a garnish of sugar.  I 
wish I'd paid more attention and tried the original!  As it is, I strayed 
even further from the original by adding that same tablesppon of sugar to 
the pie filling. The pie was not at all sweet, but the resulting pie served 
better, especially since, as I said, I mixed it vigorously and long enough 
that the juices began to run.  It might be that the mixing alone will do the 
trick and the sugar can return to being a garnish.

I'm going to try it another time with the saffron and no sugar, but I expect 
some gentles would be unhappy unless I found very sweet apples.  As it was, 
some were unhappy that their "dessert" was so unsweet, and they didn't eat 
it. I did not intend it as a sweet but rather as a side dish for variety and 
to help round out the meal for vegetarians.  The servings rejected by the 
few found homes in other tummies though, no leftovers.

Next morning we wrapped extra bread dough around more filling and baked it 
for breakfast.  Yummy with heavy cream dribbled into it.

Bonne

- - - - - - - - - - -

Subject: SC - Tartys in Applis-NEW recipe-enjoy
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 22:20:48 EDT
From:  LrdRas at aol.com
Reply-To:sca-cooks at Ansteorra.ORG
To: sca-cooks at Ansteorra.ORG

This recipe wold be good for a vegeterian or fast day feast also  It is 
recommended for experienced cooks.


                 *  Exported from  MasterCook  *

       Tartys in Applis (Apple Tarts)

Recipe By     : L. J. Spencer, Jr. (copywrite 1998)
Serving Size  : 8    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : English         Fruit       Pies & Pastry

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
- --------  ------------  --------------------------------
   3                    apples, peeled -- cored, chopped fine
   2                    pears, peeled -- cored, chopped fine
     1/2  cup           figs, dried -- chopped fine
     1/2  cup           Zante currants, dried -- chopped fine
     1/4  teaspoon      black pepper -- ground
   2      teaspoons     cinnamon -- ground
     1/2  teaspoon      nutmeg -- ground
     1/4  teaspoon      mace -- ground
     1/4  teaspoon      cloves -- ground
   1                    pie shell
                        sugar -- for garnish

Mix fruits and spices together thoroughly.  Spread the mixture evenly in the 
bottom of a pastry shell.  Bake @ 450 deg F for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 
360 deg F for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is 
bubbling.  Serve at room temperature.  Garnish with granulated sugar if 
desired.

                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES: Original: Tartys in Applies- Tak gode applys & gode spycis & figs & 
reysons & perys, & wan they arn wel brayed colour wyth safroun wel & do yt 
in a cofyn, & do yt forth to bake wel. -  Curye on Inglish

Although the original recipe doesn't specify seasonings, I chose to do so 
based on a comparison to other tart/pastry type recipes from this 
manuscript. I feel that this recipe was meant to convey the main ingredient 
of the tart and was written for the pastry cook rather than any of the other 
myriad specialty cooks available at the residence

The spices I used are typical of this sort of dish and provide depths of 
flavor that literally lifts the original out of the depths of insipidity.  
The spice mixture that I created is well within the acceptable range of 
other similar mixtures that are listed in COE.  Sprinkling a rounded 
tablespoon of granulated sugar over the top after about a half hour out of 
the oven makes a nice garnish.

Mincemeat-like recipes appear to have been very popular during the middle 
ages and remained so right up until the end of the Victorian era with very 
little change in ingredients or method of preparation.  The popularity of 
mincemeat dishes dropped dramatically throughout the first part of the 20th 
century C.E. The economy of W.W.II brought about a major decline in 
availability of ingredients as well as a major change in cooking styles, 
tools, utensils and major product additions. Mincemeat dishes were reduced 
to the level the old
fashioned novelty that they are today.

This is a good recipe for the creative period cook because of it's obvious 
resemblance to similar mincemeat-like recipes. The addition of 1/4 cup 
finely diced suet and 6 ounces of finely chopped raw venison to the main 
ingredients would make this tart substantial enough to serve as a first 
course. More importantly, IMO, it would be as period as any thing we know 
about and with appropriate documentation could be entered into A & S 
displays or competitions without fear of 'being out of period'. :-)

Enjoy!

al-Sayyid A'aql ibn Ras al-Zib, AoA, OSyc
Guildmaster (The Guild of St. Martha)
Kingdom of Aethelmearc
Shire of Abhain Ciach Ghlas
Mountain Confederation
Clan Ravenstar


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