Cheep and filling - was Re: SC - Lefse/hleifr

[Bonne of Traquair]

>In a strictly modern sense, it's all very well to point out that Dave
>Thomas's carrot curls and slice of veal on an enormous plate aren't
>filling, but then Americans tend to live in a world of one course meals, . 
>. . I know if I were served this type
>of thing at an SCA event I'd probably be filling up on bread, too, but
>when I eat this in a good restaurant, or cook it at home, I will also
>have some kind of appetizer or first course, and/or possibly a soup, the
>entree, usually including a vegetable and/or a starchy garnish as well
>as a sauce, followed by a salad, followed by coffee, perhaps, and
>possibly even a dessert and/or cheese. The portions are small but the
>meal is pretty much as filling as you want it to be, and then some.
>
>Adamantius
>

Bingo!  Of course, many SCA members don't ever eat at that sort of 
resteraunt--indeed, that kinda place isn't even available in many areas!  
So, serving of feast in as an issue. Making sure that dishes go out in 
clusters, or at least in close sequence, reduces the number of gentles 
stuffing themselves with bread while waiting, bored, for the next dish to 
come out.  The kitchen management side of feast-o-cratting is not always 
considered.  Even a failry elaborate meal (thankgiving dinner ferinstance) 
can be dished up pretty quickly and all brought to the table at once.  But 
multiply even that familiar feast by 10 or more to an SCA sized feast and 
the logistics change a lot!

Course planning and kitchen planning are important.

A course should be planned so that collection of dishes in it do not ALL 
require last minute tinkering and/or removal to serving platters. There 
should be something cold or room temp that was made ready to serve hours ago 
and is waiting covered on a side counter or in the cooler. There should be 
something that only needs warming and to be sent to the table as is, pies 
for instance. If the warming oven and serving dishes are compatable, some 
dishes can be prepped and left waiting there, instead of left on their 
cooking trays and still in need of serving up at the last minute.  In case 
of emergency, these can be sent out while the meat cooks a bit longer, or 
whatever. I try to think of each course as a mini-meal: meat or soup, veg 
and/or fruit, bread, that I want all delivered to the table at once or in 
quick succession.  The platters only contain enough for tastes.  Then all is 
cleared and another course sent out.

Organization of tools is important: If the meat needs to go on platters and 
be sliced into servings and the sauce into bowls, then said platters and 
bowls should already be washed and ready and in an organized line up with 
all the other platters and bowls and that should have been arranged in the 
morning. No one should be rummaging around hunting up the carving knife 
while the feast hall waits.

Organization of staff is important:  All tools in place isn't much use 
without enough people assigned to the task.  At least two people are needed 
to dish the meat and sauce: one to put the meat and sauce in their serving 
containers, another to slice and wipe drips.  For large feasts, another 2 
assistants.

And so on.

However, there is also my usual complaint: not enough bread at feast! I 
don't want my guests nibbling in boredom, but I do want them to be able to 
scoop up the remaining sauce with a bit of bread if they would like to. So  
many cooks serve bread and cheese at the beginning, then we never see 
another bit of bread. I always pack bread in my feast gear basket to guard 
against this failing when I am at table instead of in the kitchen.  When I 
was in the kitchen, I planned a bread for each course.

Bonne


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