SC - Apples?

[Olwen the Odd]

Greetings all.

Following is the e-mail I finally recieved from the Chef who cooked the King
Midas Feast for U Penn that we discussed on the list. The stew sounds
roughly right, but the fennel tart, while sounding delicious, was an
addition to the historic reality of the meal, IMHO. But I'm gonna try it
anyway ;). Just reading it is making me drool.

I just thought that it might be interesting to see how our hobby of
redaction is handled by professionals who hadn't our historical cooking
experience. I think the Chef deserves a lot more credit than Emeril did for
his rendition of real historic food.

Cheers

Dame Aoife Finn (m/k/a Lisbeth Herr-Gelatt)

Chef Pam Wrote:

Dear Lisbeth,

I would love to share some of the recipes with you from the Midas dinner.
The fireroasted lamb and lentil stew was a work in progress from all the
chefs in the kitchen.  I can tell you the ingredients but not the exact
amounts: lamb, lentils, carrots, fennel, onions, leeks, cumin,
coriander(dried), salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic, red wine and lots of love.
Combine these ingredients in the amounts you like and let simmer until done.
The carmelized fennel tartlette is as follows:  Make a Pate Brisee
dough(simple pie dough) from your favorite recipe book.  Chill and roll into
4-4 inch irregularly shaped circles. Place on a sheet pan, prick with a fork
and place a piece of parchement paper on top weighted down with rice, beans
or baking weights.  Bake 350 degrees for approx. 15 minutes or until golden
brown and done.  Remove from oven and cool.  To prepare the carmelized
fennel:  Place a pot of water on the stove to boil.  Cut 2 heads of fennel,
core removed, into a large dice and blanch for 4 minutes.  Lay on a sheet
pan and cool.  In a pan, over medium heat, combine 2/3 cup honey and 2/3 cup
white sugar.  Mix well and stir constantly over the heat until golden and
bubbly.  Add the fennel and stir until sugar is absorbed.  Remove from the
heat and let cool.  When ready to serve, place the fennel atop the pate
brisee crusts.  Serves 4.  Enjoy.  If you have any questions, comments or
thoughts, please email me or give me a call at 215 898 4089.  Chef Pam