SC - [Fwd: [Shire X] Oh, My, so This is what they eat in CAID . . . .]

[Elaine Koogler]

I also found both ambergris and musk mentioned as ingredients for sweets in period
in Europe.  I even tried to find some just to see how it would taste in a recipe
that called for it.  I was unsuccessful, and decided simply to omit it, but
believe that it probably added a unique taste.  One of these came from the
catalogue for the "Fooles and Fricassees" exhibit at the Folger here in DC.  An
appendix had an early 17th century cookbook by Sarah Longe.  I redacted it and
used it at an Elizabethan feast a couple of weeks ago:

p.  19, Mrs Sarah Longe her Receipt Booke [c. 1610] from Fooles and Fricassees:
Food in Shakespeare’s England (Published by the Folger Shakespeare Library,
Washington, DC, 1999)

Take a pound of Almons, blanch them, then beate them in a morter [;] then put in a
little rosewater to them, that they may not turn to an Oyle in their beating; when
they are beaten very small take them up and put them into a Dish [;] then take
half a pound of sugar beaten very small and put to them the whites of 4 Eggs, with
a little Quantity of musk, and Ambergrease [;] then beat it altogether a quarter
of an hour, then put it upon papers in what fashion you will.  You must be
carefull in the making of it, that it be not coloured to[o] much.

Redaction— (makes about 4 ½ dozen cookies)

2 cups blanched almonds
½ teaspoon rose water
1 cup sugar
4 egg whites
¼ teaspoon almond extract

1.  Grind almonds in a mill or food processor.  Add the rosewater to keep them
from getting oily.
2.  Add sugar, egg whites and almond extract and blend thoroughly in the food
processor.
3.  Put teaspoonfuls of the batter onto a greased cookie sheet.
4.  Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.  Be very careful to check the bottoms of the

cookies as they tend to get too brown.  The cookies should be VERY lightly
“coloured” as the recipe above states.

Notes:
I added almond extract to intensify the almond flavor.  This is a slightly
perfumed taste and would, I believe, approximate the ambergris and/or musk the
recipe called for.  I was unable to locate either of these ingredients.  Also,
I’ve heard differing opinions on the safety of cooking with these ingredients so
prefer to stay away from them.

People seemed to really like them...they came out as a sort of cross between
meringues and macaroons.

Kiri



CBlackwill at aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 4/28/00 12:57:16 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
> michael.gunter at fnc.fujitsu.com writes:
>
> > > >4. Musk Life Savers (Nestle Confectionery): You may think musk is a
> scent,
> >  > >but over in Australia, they think it's a candy flavor. A candy flavor
> > that
> >  > >tastes disturbingly like raw meat,to be precise. But what did you expect
> >  > >from a country where everyone happily consumes Vegemite?
> >
>
> If you think this foul, please remember that ambergris was considered a
> "seasoning" in the Middle Ages... Particularly in China
>
> Balthazar of Blackmoor
>
> Words are Trains for moving past what really has no Name.
> ============================================================================
>
> To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
> Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".
>
> ============================================================================