SC - period cooking (LONG!)

[Kappler, MMC Richard A.]

Lorix wrote:

I was brought up with my father cooking on the an'some technique ('and some'
of
this and some of that etc).  He would invent recipes or modify his recipes
according to what he thought would taste good. 

<snip>

I'm sorry Puck, I' not sure which category I fit into, maybe a bit of all 3.
Hope this is what you were asking for {:-)

Yours, longwindedly, Lorix


This helps focus my question a little better now that things have calmed a
bit in the office.  I certainly did not intend to get into the "we're using
modern ingredients and tools and fridges etc, therefore aren't period cooks"
discussion, we've done that one to death.  What I'm really looking for, and
thanks Lorix for helping focus, is what makes the difference between a good
period dish and one that is not so much.  I wholeheartedly agree that the
finished dish being enjoyable is the ultimate test, or at least is so to me.
How does one know what the dish SHOULD be like though?  I cook pretty much
by the an'some method you described of your father as well, although when
learning a new technique or doing a complicated dish for the first time I
will meticulously follow the recipe.  I consider myself, as do others, to be
a pretty fair cook, with lots of mundane experience, very little period
experience.  When I redacted and tested a frumenty a few weeks ago, I and my
Lady thought it came out quite nice.  It had a course texture, a slightly
sweet taste from the milk and ginger, as well as a sound body of flavor from
using beef stock, plus the pungency of the ginger as well.  Hell, it was
good!  But before I sent it off to be used, I asked for opinions, and got
back "good job, next time try this.."  NO COMPLAINTS here, please nobody
misunderstand, but the critiques I got said it probably should have cooked
longer so it wasn't as coarse, should be creamier, not quite so much ginger,
and a few other well thought out and gladly received critiques.  But how did
they know it should be creamier?  How did they know less ginger?  Is it
based on personal taste?  Is it based on experience?  If you take two period
dishes, prepared by two different cooks from the same recipe with the same
ingredients, they will come out different.  If you take, for example,
Adamantius or Ras cooking stupid tv cook on toast, and Puck cooking stupid
tv cook on toast, from a period recipe, I'm sure we would both produce tasty
period dishes, but I also know that theirs would be correct, and mine would
not be.  Not that mine would be incorrect, mind you.....just not what the
collective would expect stupid tv cook on toast to be like.

I sure hope that made sense.

headed home to ponder s'more, Puck
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