SC - Re: Almond Cream (was Blown Eggs & Chocolate)
RuddR at aol.com
RuddR at aol.com
Tue Nov 9 06:47:38 PST 1999
Ras writes:
"My take on this recipe is that it is a custardy type concoction having a
completely different texture than either cream of almonds, almond paste or
almond milk. I have my almonds soaking in water even as I speak and will post
results tomorrow evening. Meanwhile, unless you are acknowledging a far more
pervasive influence on noble cookery in the medieval Europe than is generally
admitted to, I see little similarity in the European recipes you posted to
the middle eastern version other than ingredients and basic cooking style.
I am not saying you are 'wrong' or 'right' but I am still considerably
concerned that the soaking step was left out. Apparently this was due to
supposed similarities to other recipes of European origin. I would still like
to know the reason for this step being left out of the redaction or more
specifically a period source that acknowledges the step but suggests it be
ignored for whatever unknown reason."
I don't want to argue too much about a point that might be hard to prove, but
I think the directions as to what to do with the almond milk in the Eyroun
receipt is a short-hand version of Almond Creme, written for cooks who know
how to make Almond Creme already (two separate detailed sets of directions
for it are given quite early in Harl. 279).
For reference, here are what I think are the key points of the receipts in
question:
EYROUN IN LENTYN
. . . (th)an take gode mylke of Almaundys, & sette it on (th)e fyre; (th)an
take a
fayre canvas, & pore (th)e mylke (th)er-on, & lat renne owt (th)e water;
(th)en take it owt on (th)e clo(th)e, & gader it to-gedere with a platere;
(th)en putte sugre y-now (th)er-to; . . .
FRIDE CREME OF ALMAUNDYS
Take almaundys, an stampe hem, an draw it vp wyth a fyn thykke mylke,
y-temperyd wyth clene water; throw hem on, an sette hem in (th)e fyre, an let
boyle onys: (th)an tak hem a-down, an caste salt (th)er-on, an let hem reste
a forlongwey or to, an caste a lytyl sugre (th)er-to; an (th)an caste it on a
fayre lynen clothe, fayre y-wasche an drye, an caste it al a-brode, an late
all (th)e water vnder-ne(th)e (th)e clothe be had a-way, an (th)anne gadere
all (th)e kreme in (th)e clothe, an let hongy on an pin, and let (th)e water
droppe owt to or .iij. owrys; . . .
Neither receipt mentions boiling or soaking the almonds first, although in
the several almond milk receipts I have seen the first direction is to blanch
the almonds, which I have learned to do by boiling them before popping their
skins off. This, I assume, would be understood in a receipt that calls first
for almond milk, or drawing up a thick milk wilth almonds. Blanching them
does change the texture of the almonds, no mistake. I am not familiar with
any Middle Eastern sources for almond dishes, and neither of the above
receipts claim Middle Eastern origin.
When I have made the Fride Creme of Almaundys, following the directions as
closely as I could, it came out like a thick pudding and was easily molded.
Before wrapping in a cloth and hanging, the consistency is that of thick
soup, and the longer it hangs, the firmer it gets. Once, while making the
Eyroun, I hung it for five hours (two more than specified in the Creme
receipt), and the result was too crumbly to pipe into the blown egg shells.
The final consistency may thus be regulated depending on the cook's tastes
and needs; thicker for molding, thinner for piping, somewhere in between for
spooning. The Eyroun receipt calls for the filled shells to be baked a
while; I assume to dry out and firm up the filling more. That at least is
the result when I have done it.
To return to an earlier strand of this thread, I once made a milk chocolate
ganache and mixed that into a batch of Almond Creme, which I molded, making a
very non-period (but yummy) Chocolate Almond Cream.
Rudd Rayfield
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