SC - Protectorate Feast 5 (no recipes)

[Michael F. Gunter]

Okay now from the viewpoint of a diner.

> I ran a temperature check with an oven
> thermometer -- 500 to 550 degrees F on the low setting.

Um...the low setting was 500 degrees?

> True to the way my feasts work, the rice then failed to cook up the way it
> had during the test at home and created rice gruel rather than rice pudding.

Bear and I talked about that the next day. I assured him that the rice pudding
was actually better in the gruel form than in the solid. The richness of the
binder is usually not very evident when the pudding is solid. But the rice
porridge was wonderful and appreciated by everyone. It was a mistake
which, I feel, made the dish better.

> Being a little (hah!) foggy, I didn't think of adding starch, bowled it up
> and set it in the walk-in cooler to gel.

But, according to the rules that you would not stray from the ingredients
list, the only thickener you could have added was rice flour.

> About 2 pm, we put out a call for volunteers and caught Aeddan ap Trahearn
> and Johann Gunnbjornsson, two of the better known feast cooks in Northern
> Ansteorra, Stefan li Rous, and a good crew looking for a place to help.
> Without them, the feast would not have come off as well as it did.

I didn't get to the site until around 2:00 and since I was also the current
Champion I couldn't help much. By the time I got there he had a large
herd of cooks in the kitchen so they didn't need me.

> The temperature was reduced and the fan shutdown later to hold the
> roasts until service.  The oven got a little cool and just as the service
> started the fan was switched on to make sure the meat was warm enough to
> serve.

Yes. Unfortunately because of the delay in feast the roasts were a little
overdone
but were still good.

> Aeddan's wife organized portion control through the
> servers.  By doing so, she saved a few lives and let me forget about that
> problem to concentrate on getting the food ready.

Having a good head server and portion control management has saved
many a kitchener's life.

> The grill proved to be colder than we hoped, but we got the fish frying well
> by using less oil and butter than the recipe calls for, however it was still
> a slow process and we had hungry people to feed.

I found the same problem the year I made frittours for 500. Bad move on
my part.

> My intent had been to serve the fish and chicken at the
> same time, but the timing was so far off, it didn't happen as envisioned.

Having one dish. Then another. Then another was a bit off but understandable.
It would have been better if they had come out together but nobody suffered
and everyone was full by the end of the evening. It also helped to drag out
the feast in the proper manner. There was entertainment throughout the
evening. I don't know how it was for the lesser tables but the constant
flow of entertainment and food was a nice way of dining and felt far more
period than most SCA feasts I've attended.

> The leftover jumbals and the remaining roast beef were eaten by elves in the
> night.

Including one big fuzzy elf. With coffee.

> Prepare and refrigerate the mustard a month before the event.

Told ya!

> The feast book was a hit, but it makes a lousy feast token for hall control.

True.

> And it provided period recipes for people to try on their own.  The one
> complaint I had was the booklet did not describe what was being served, so
> it could be recognized.  Mea culpa.  I now realize, I've become too familiar
> with historical foods and need someone unknowledgeable to proofread.

I can't see how the hell that is your fault if you include the bloody recipes.

> What I thought would be the least popular dish at the feast turned out to be
> the one I received the most compliments over.

The fish was excellent and has given hope to the rest of us poor schlubs
who are trying to change Ansteorran attitudes.

> While I was involved in cleaning the kitchen, I was called out to receive
> first, the thanks of the Baron and Baroness and second, to receive an Iris,
> the kingdom grant-level award for Arts and Sciences.  Gunthar was kind
> enough to speak my praise and to present me with his personal Iris.  It was
> a great courtesy and honor.

The Iris I presented was the Iris I wore as King. This was another case of
a "You mean he doesn't have it?" award.
Before presenting the recommendation to the Crown I interviewed several
notables of the North including the nobility, Pelicans and Laurels. I only
recieved positive reinforcement for the rec.

> I was later told the King had
> said it was a pleasure to hand out an award and have such an obvious
> demonstration of why it was deserved, since in most cases, the award and the
> reason for it are long seperated.

And I would like to thank our Crown for having the wisdom to accept the desires

of Their people.

> I'm tired.  I think I'll stop doing feasts.  Maybe I'll help make the bake
> goods for other cooks, if asked.  But, I have this idea...

Yeah. I have two cooking battle cries: "There won't be enough!" and "Enjoy it
because it's the last one I'll ever do."

Well done.

Gunthar