SC - Maids of Honor Tarts (WAS: Emeril on medieval cooking)

[Morgan Cain]

Korrin S DaArdain wrote:
> 
> Emeril Live: #EM1D04: Medieval Cuisine

So where is the potato starch that had so many people in a tizzy? Did he
cook something else, or did he simply not follow the recipes as written?
I'm also curious about the use of rice or corn flour in the bread; was
this to "soften" the wheat (i.e. the gluten content), in which case why
use strong or bread flour, or, for that matter, why not use pastry flour
or wheat starch? Was it to simply introduce a non-wheat element, in
which case, why not use barley or rye flour? No, I'm not really standing
here looking for things to find fault with on the much-maligned program,
but I'm curious as to possible thought processes that went into some of
these decisions.

Adamantius 
 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> WHITE BREAD AND ROLLS
> Recipe from The Medieval Cookbook, by Maggie Black, published by Thames
> and
> 
> 2 pounds and 14 ounces unbleached strong white flour
> 2 ounces rice flour or corn flour
> 1 tablespoon salt
> 1- ounce fresh yeast
> 3 3/4 cup warm water
> 3/4 cup brown ale
> 4 teaspoons warmed clear honey
> a little oil for greasing
> 
> Mix the flours and salt in a warm bowl. Blend the yeast to a cream with a
> little of the water, then mix in the ale, honey and 2 1/2 cups of the
> remaining water. Stir the liquid into the flour mixture and mix to a firm
> dough, adding more water if it does not cohere. On a board or work-top,
> knead the dough for about 8 minutes. Shape into a ball. Oil the inside of
> the bowl, add the dough and cover it loosely with oiled greaseproof
> paper.
> Leave in a warm place to double in bulk. Punch down the dough and cut it
> in
> half. Shape 1/2 into 2 equal sized round loaves and the other half into
> rolls. Make a cross-cut in the top of each loaf. Place on oiled baking
> sheets, well apart, cover loosely with oiled grease- proof paper and
> leave
> to proof in a warm place.
> Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bake the rolls until golden, about 15
> to
> 17 minutes and the loaves for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool
> slightly before serving.
> 
> Yield: 2 round loaves and 8-10 rolls
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> POTAGE FROM MEAT
> Platina, DeHonesta Voluptate, Venice, L. DeAquila, 1475. Translated by
> E.B.
> Andrews, Mallinkrodt 1967. Published as part of the "Mallinkrodt
> Collection
> of Food Classics." Reprinted by Falconwood Pres
> 
> 2 1/3 pounds beef stew meat
> 4 cups water
> "Rich juice": 31 ounces (3 cans) concentrated beef broth
> 1 1/2 cups dry breadcrumbs
> 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
> 8 threads saffron
> 5 eggs
> 1 1/2 cups grated cheese
> 3/8 cup chopped parsley
> 3/4 teaspoon dried or 1 teaspoon fresh marjoram
> 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
> 3 tablespoons wine vinegar
> Salt, to taste
> 
> Take lean meat and let it boil, then cut it up finely and cook it again
> for
> 1 1/2 hour in rich juice, having first added breadcrumbs. Add a little
> pepper and saffron.
> When it has cooled a little, add beaten eggs, grated cheese, parsley,
> marjoram, and finely chopped mint with a little vinegar. Blend them all
> together in a pot, stirring them slowly with a spoon so that they do not
> form a ball. The same may be done with livers and lungs. Bring meat and
> water to a boil and cook 10 minutes; take meat out and cut up small; put
> back in water with broth, bread crumbs, pepper, and saffron. Simmer 1/2
> hour
> over low flame, being careful that it does not stick. Mix in remaining
> ingredients; cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Ladle into
> pewter serving bowls and serve warm.
> ** This is a rather meat-rich version; it also works with as little as
> half
> amount of meat.
> 
> Yield: about 10 cups
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> MAID OF HONOUR CAKES
> Recipe adapted from The Good Fare and Cheer of Old England", by Joan
> Parry
> Dutton, published by Reynal
> 
> 1/2 pint whole milk
> 2 tablespoon fine dried bread crumbs
> 4 ounces butter, melted
> 2 ounces ground almonds
> 1/4 cup sugar
> 3 large eggs
> 1 lemon, zested
> 2 dozen round puff pastry shells, (1 to 2 inches in diameter)
> 
> In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the milk and bread crumbs. Bring
> to
> a boil, remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. In a mixing
> bowl,
> combine the bread mixture, butter, almonds, sugar, eggs and zest. Mix
> well.
> Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill each pastry shell with a
> tablespoon
> of the filling. Place on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 12
> to
> 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Garnish with
> powdered
> sugar and serve.
> 
> Yield: 2 dozen
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> Korrin S. DaArdain
> Korrin.DaArdain at Juno.com
> Quondo Omni Flunkus Mortati
> (When All Else Fails, Play Dead.)
> 
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Phil & Susan Troy

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