SC - Looking for Grappa info and recipe

[LrdRas@aol.com]

- --- Lorix <lorix at trump.net.au> wrote:

> > If not, I once served "A dyschefull of snowe" with
> > strawberries added.
> 
> OK, I have seen others refer to "a dyschefull of
> snowe", where is it from and is
> it period?
> Oh, and what's the original recipe (Hey if you don't
> ask . . . :-)
>
>From "A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye" [before 1575]

TO MAKE A DYSCHEFULL OF SNOWE

Take a pottell of swete thycke creame and the whytes
of eyghte egges, and beate them altogether wyth a
spone, then putte them in your creame and a saucerfull
of Rosewater, and a dyshe full of suger wyth all, then
take a stycke and make it cleane, and than cutte it in
the end foure square, and therwith beate all the
aforesayde thynges together and ever as it ryseth take
it of and put it in a Collaunder, this done take one
apple and set it in the myddes of it, and a thick
bushe of Rosemary, and set it is the myddes of the
platter, then cast your Snowe uppon the Rosemarye and
fyll your platter therwith.  And yf you have wafers
caste some in wyth all and thus serve them forthe.

This is Madge Lorwin's version of this, from "Dining
with William Shakespeare":

1 medium-size apple
1 8" sprig of fresh rosemary
1 egg white
1 tbsp. sugar
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
1 tbsp. rosewater
8 wafers/cookies

Wash and dry the apple, pull off the stem, and slice a
piece off the base of it so that it will stand firmly.
Remove the lower leaves of the rosemary to a height
that will firmly anchor it in the center of the apple.
Rinse the rosemary in cold water and shake off
moisture.

Chill a flat serving dish, place the apple in the
center of it and insert the sprig of rosemary down to
the base of the apple.

Beat the egg white until it starts to froth, add the
sugar, and continue beating until the white is firm
and glossy.  Whip the chilled cream until it is stiff
and fold it into the egg white.  Stir in the
rosewater, a tsp. at a time.

Shake several spoonfuls of the whipped mixture over
the sprig, then pile the rest lightly over and around
the apple and the lower section of the rosemary.  Set
the cookies upright into the cream around the edge of
the dish and serve immediately.  To serve, spoon the
cream into individual serving saucers and garnish with
the cookies.  The apple serves only to hold the
rosemary firmly.

My version of this:

I had 3 dozen leftover egg whites from another dish I
was serving earlier, so I expanded the recipe
accordingly.  I didn't like the fact, according to
Ms. Lorwin, that the apple was not to be eaten.  I
experimented with strawberries and found that very
large strawberries [approv. 2 1/2 to 3 inches long]
would hold the sprig firmly as well, so I bought 300
large fresh strawberries and froze them.  [I was
serving approx. 300].  As I had said earlier, the
strawberries didn't thaw well, so I pureed them and
mixed them into the "snowe" and served it with the
rosettes that I had made.  The sprigs of rosemary were
used as a garnish with another dish.  I know that
everyone loved this, as I had no leftovers whatsoever.
Whether this variation is truly period, I don't know,
but I thought that strawberries with the snow would be
a good mixture and would be completely eaten.  I know
that my family prefered the strawberries over the
apple, when I first experimented with this.

Huette


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