[Sca-cooks] Personal Iron Chef Challenge

[Elaine Koogler]

Congratulations!  Sometimes you feel better after rescuing something like this
than after cooking a feast you had planned!

Many years ago, there was a baronial elevation scheduled for the (then) Shire of
Black Diamond.  We knew there was a problem when we got a call from a friend who
was an officer asking us to bring our aprons and knives!  Friday night, we
arrived at the baron-to-be's home and started work making a soup, a glaze for
the ham and other stuff.  Saturday morning, we discovered that the ladies who
were supposed to be cooking the feast had bailed.  Turned out they had never
cooked a feast, and their idea of planning was to look at pictures in a
magazine, decide what looked good, and that's what they were planning.  Of
course, there was nothing even remotely period.  So 4 of us had to take the
ingredients they had already bought and try to create a period feast out of it.
And, even better, they had agreed to a restriction on use of the kitchen...we
couldn't even get in until 3:00!!  We still had to locate a few
ingredients...can you imagine trying to find Brie in a small town in the
mountains of Virginia (remember, we're talking mid 1980's here....)??  We didn't
do all period stuff, but much of it was...or at least period-oid!!  And those
partaking of it pronounced it a great success!  I still remember that feast very
fondly, and probably more vividly than any other I've cooked!

Kiri

KarenO wrote:

>     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
>
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