SC - Evolution of food-genetics of food

[CorwynWdwd@aol.com]

>>The winner was Katja, who did a sausage recipe from Sabina Welser, I
think it was.  She had the little links coiled on a bed of shredded
lettuce on a pretty plate, and the presentation was very nice.  I don't
remember if she had mustard and bread to go with them.

Yup and nope. I made mustard for them from Digbie's recipe, but I didn't
have any time to make fresh manchets. So, I just took a loaf of homemade
challah out of the freezer and explained that the bread and mustard were
merely accompaniments and not to be considered for competition. Yes, the
sausage recipe was from the Welserin. Thanks for the nice comments, Allison!
It was pretty well beaten into my head that I should pay attention to
presentation as well as documentation and taste, so I really tried last year
to make my entry look nice and somewhat artistic. My strength is simple,
hearty, "stuff the fighters until they can't walk" period food, as it were,
not fancy subtleties or court food, but I'm trying!

Two funny things: the AEthelmearc king at the time, Duke Sir Morgan
Sheridan, stopped me at that event and rather firmly informed me that he
LOVED the sausage and he wanted the recipe so his ladies could make it. When
I proceeded to tell him that I'd used a KitchenAid and sundry attachments to
grind and mix the meats and seasonings, his eyes rolled at the expected
price tag and his ladies' eagerness to own them. I shrugged and smiled at
His Grace and replied, "Well, you ASKED!"

The other weird thing was that the prize for winning that competition was
the Dover edition of Apicius. My laurel, Mistress Michaele del Vaga, was
thrilled that I was "finally getting a decent copy." Sigh. I keep *trying*
to tell her that my Flowers translation is superior, but she just won't
listen... Maybe I should get it from Professor Milham in writing?

I'm looking forward to sampling this walnut dish! That duck dish you made
last year was absolutely scrumptious - really velvety rich and smooth. I
thought it was a really cool idea to create a recipe based on Medieval
ingredients and your knowledge of Medieval cooking, so I hope you really
scored well on the creativity scale? 

That reminds me, Allison... I've always wanted that duck recipe and your
documentation, please please please? <blink, blink>

Katja