SC - Day Boards

[Decker, Margaret]

Let's have some fun.  Beef barley stew, okay, I don't remember any period
recipes for it, but what the heck.  If this is bland, let's make a piquant
black sauce on the side as a pep up.  From Taillevent, "Black poivre.  Crush
ginger and charred bread and pepper, moisten with vinegar and verjuice, and
boil."  

Bread, buy it or bake it?  If you're baking, I got lots of suggestions, but
I suspect you are buying.  Think about getting some of the frozen, thaw,
rise and bake breads.  Brush them with a little melted butter or oil, roll
them in oats, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds before baking.  Fresh from an
artisan bakery would be better, but good bread starts about $2/lb.

Cheese is expensive and usually doesn't stretch as far as I would like.  How
about darioles?  From Martino, "Diriola.  Form the dough into the shape of a
deep pie and fill it completely with flour so it will keep its shape; cook
it in a pan until it is somewhat dry.  And when this is done, remove the
flour and take some egg yolks, milk, sugar, and cinnamon.  When these things
are made into a mixture, put it into the pastry and cooking it like a tart,
moving it from time to time and stirring with a spoon.  And when you see it
starting to set, pour on some rose water and stir well with a spoon.  And
when it has set completely it is cooked.  Note that it should not cook too
much, and that it should quiver like a junket."  3 cups milk, 6 egg yolks, 1
cup sugar, and a teaspoon of cinnamon in a 9 inch pie shell.

Torta Bianca, white tart, is also a possibility.  Soft cheese, egg whites,
sugar, butter, ginger and milk in a 9 inch pie shell.  I don't have the
recipe handy, but I think it is also Martino.

Appulmoyse, a type of apple sauce, which is fairly easy to prepare on the
stove top might be worth considering, if you can get apples at a decent
price.  Again, the recipe isn't handy.

Honey butter, how pedestrian, why not butter washed in rose water a la Plat.

Aquapatys could be spread on the bread.  Those are cloves of garlic boiled
in water or stock.  A modern version of the dish is to trim off the top of
bulbs of garlic, place the bulbs in a shallow pan top down, pour chicken
stock around the bulbs and bake in an oven (about 300 F) for an hour.

Were it me, I would consider Welser's Spanish pastries, but that is probably
too complex for this scenario.

If you think the board is too bland, tell your feast steward your honest
opinion and ask them what they think would pep up the meal.  Get a dialogue
started about the problem you perceive and offer your suggestions (with
recipes), but let the steward decide how to improve the meal and let them do
it.  If they choose not to change the menu, find a different steward the
next event you run.  The menu is edible, if not particularly memorable, so
it is probably not worth effort and the hard feelings to force a change.

Bear

> My Canton is hosting a small event soon.  There is no feast, 
> but we are 
> planning a dayboard.  My feast-o-crat gave me his proposed 
> menu, consisting 
> of Beef Barley Stew, bread, cheese and honey butter.  My 
> first thought 
> was... how boring!  I suggested he add some condiments and 
> fruit, but he 
> didn't like that idea because he thought it was too OOP.
> 
> I have two questions:  1) Suggestions for a more interesting, 
> yet easy to do 
> dayboard? and 2) How to tactfully tell the FOC his menu is 
> too bland/common? 
>   I am usually very good with words, but this is sort of a 
> case where if I 
> don't come right out and say, "it's boring" he may not get the hint.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Lady Gwendolen Lambert
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