SC - My 12th Night Laurel's Buffet

[Michael F. Gunter]

Happy Monday Fellow Cooks!

I know I gave teasers about the Laurel Buffet I served at
12th Night. Here are a few details.

The menu:

Braised beef in a sweet/sour sauce
Chicken in Sage Sauce
Lamb with Lombard Mustard
Pork with Wine Syrup
(She wanted lots of meat and sauces)
Wafers
Rice
Quiche of 3 cheeses
Mulled cider
Christmas Pudding with Hard sauce

There were also things that other people brought like
chocolates and sugar cookies cut into the lady's device.
We had our gargoyle spitting lemonade. (He was very
upset by this. He usually only spits kamakasi drinks)

For fun I scattered Bay Laurel leaves over the tables.

The chicken, pork and lamb was served room temperature
and the beef was served in a chafing dish.

Bad things:

Everyone was busy and so I cooked nearly the entire
thing by myself in my apartment. Baroness Alys cooked
the pudding, lamb and mustard. I cooked for around 60 -
80 people.

I used a very modern pizzelle maker for the wafers and
served them hot but I hated the fact that I was using this
device in sight of the buffet.

The vigil area was sectioned off and most of the people
there didn't even know I had prepared food so only about a
third of the stuff got eaten.

I was going to make the period "snow" for the wafers but
they forgot to bring the metal mixing bowl so we didn't do
it. The wafers went very well with the hard sauce.

Good things:

The stuff that wasn't eaten was taken home by very appreciative
patrons.

The inductee was told that her buffet was better than the
(modern) feast.

The inductee was very happy.

Other notes. The braised beef was far too rich to eat by itself
so I encouraged the non-period use of putting it over the rice.

The Christmas pudding was Victorian but, since few people had
ever eaten one and it was the season we decided to do it. It was
very tasty and fun to do.

The feast cook, Master Pettruccio, was very helpful and allowed
me to use his kitchen when the need arose.

I got a lot of compliments on the period food. I really loved to
hear people say they liked the period buffet better than the modern
feast and the fact that people took stuff home for dinner the next
night shows they weren't just giving lip service.

The Laureling Ceremony was beautiful and laced with tears and
laughter. To the honor of Mistress Aslyn!

(I did make her shudder when I was the first one to ask to be her
apprentice.  :-{)}   )

Yers,

Gunthar

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