[Sca-cooks] Personal Iron Chef Challenge

[KarenO]

    Hey Y'all!!

    It's Sunday nite, I'm pooped, and wore out,  but proud as can be!!  I
experienced the typical Kitchen Wench "worst nightmare"   and made it look
easy  :) :)

    I went to a weekend event I knew I'd be assisting in the kitchen for
feast. {no wise crackers from the Artemisian folk on this list ;*>}  In
fact,  I  was in charge of bringing friday nite supper.   I arrive early
evening,  no Cook.    I set up / warm up stuff,  no Cook.   Cook arrives,
has words with the  Autocrat (privately)  and leaves.  Autocrat comes to me
saying: "{the Cook} quit.  Can you cook Feast?"   I had only a miniscule
idea what was on the menu  -- we {the Cook & I} had discussed by e-mail that
he was making sausages of various game meats,  there would be a pig on a
spit,  he was making Gazpacho,  a Sallat with flowers {coz I was bringing
the borage, johnny-jump-ups, & marigolds} and Paella.

    Friday supper was already done & being served, so no problem there.  I
inventoried what I had, and started to think up a menu.  Tho I still had
hopes of speaking with the Cook, getting the Menu, & recipes.  I have never
cooked Paella, knew NUTTIN about spitting & roasting a pig, and was hoping
the Cook would come to his senses & return from his huff.  Nothing doing.
Although he did say he was "sorry" for leaving me in this predictament.
According to him, it was now the Autocrat's problem, not his;  and while he
wouldn't share with me a Menu,  he did share his recipes for the Sallat,
Frumenty, and Paella  {for me, the first two are a no-brainer}  and did tell
me what the "mystery" meat {venison} defrosting in the fridge was  AFTER I
asked.

    After securing my favorite assistant, {see, I'm not the only Artemisian
KW with helium hand!} and gettin her favorite troll to man the spit {he had
experience roasting/bbq-ing pig} We started planning:  we had coffee,
oatmeal/7grains, sausage & egg bake for breakfast, melon & orange slices,
and leftover  tart of ryce for Breakfast.

    LUNCH:  tarts that the Cook had made & left: mystery meat & curry(?),
assorted fruits with cream cheese,   cheese slices, HB eggs,  leftover soup
{friday nite supper}  green sallat,  watermelon,  and almond cookies.

    FEAST:  Blood Sausage {premade by the Cook  -- over boiled by me in a
pot with water & a strange  herb mixture (bay? oregno? sage?) it was all
cumbled up, so I couldn't tell) with honey'd mustard; Sallat of herbs &
flowers with a  garlicy vinegarette,  frumenty of cracked wheat & sweet
spices, and almonds;  Venison Loaf; cukes in a mint yogurt sauce; (basmati)
rice with peas;  Fowl Sausage {different kinds of turkey, pheasant, goose &
duck  -- again all premade by the Cook} with an Orange-Cinnamon sauce;
honey'd Figs;  caboges with apple & fennel;   Roasted Piggey with mustard &
Cider Sauce (as best as I could remember);  "apples from the Italian
visitors" (tomatoes with a rich balsamic vinegarette) carrots in butter;
melons;  rolls & butter; and Trifle (frozen fruit, boiled creme & white cake
prebaked for feast, discovered 2 hrs prior to feast)

    Breakfast this morning was Coffee,  egg bake, leftover trifle,  leftover
melon & orange slices;crepes (made by another volunteer who couldn't stay
this weekend) we filled with whipped cream, topped with frozen fruit
mixture,  a repeat of frumenty (this time with dried apricots & cream).

    As I said,  I'm bushed, but VERY satisfied & just hadda CROW!   I met
the challenge & everyone was impressed.   Time for sleep  -- there's work in
the morning . . . .

Caointiarn
Kitchen Wench Extraordinaire