SC - Re: Egg Yolks

[Roberta Bromley]

Okay - here's a progress report on my attempts at Lebkuchen,

I'm trying to basically follow three different recipes - all from the same 
source. Das Kochbuch der Sabina Welserin (c. 1553) as translated by 
Valoise Armstrong

They are: 

151 To bake good Lebkuchen
164 To make a large Nurnbergen Lebkuchen
163  To ma Nurnberger Lebkuchen

I've also done a little more research - in the same book, I found two 
references to Lebkuchen in other recipes.  

Recipe 7 - To make a sauce in which to put a haunch of venison:

Lard it well and roast it and make a good sauce for it. Take Reinfal and 
stir cherry syrup into it, and fry Lebkuchen in fat and chop good sweet 
apples, almonds, cloves, cinnamon sticks, ginger, currants, pepper and 
raisins and let it all cook together. When you want to serve it, then pour the 
sauce over it. It is also for marinating a boar's head. Then cook it in two 
parts water and one third vinegar. The head of a pig is also made in this 
manner. 

In this case it sounds like you fry the Lebuchen (which according to the 
recipes to make it - should be hard and dry) in fat. And add more and the 
syrup.  Kinda spices up the sauce as it melts...?  Hmmm...

The other recipe: 

43 - To make a fig pudding

Put wine in a small pot, and when it begins to boil, then put in grated 
Lebkuchen and grated Semmel. Put saffron, almonds, raisins, figs and 
some fat into it. 

Uses grated Lebkuchen to flavor the pudding.

So, it seems that the Lebkuchen I am trying to recreate was very spicy.  
Which is what I am getting.  And it scents (okay - smells up) the house for 
days after making it.

So, I'm thinking that what I am trying to recreate is a spicy mixture that is 
preserved in honey.  So, instead of a dry mixture like Duke's Powder which is added to wine, I am creating a sweet hard mixture which is melted into
whatever is needed.  

The modern recipes I have seen for Lebkuchen all refer to a spicy hard 
cookie.  And many of the spices included are the same as is used to 
make the medieval Lebkuchen.  So, I am thinking that the modern 
Lebkuchen got its name from the spicy mixture which may have originally 
gone into it.  

Anyway,  I've taken the temp up to the hard-ball stage and remembered 
to put it into a buttered pan this last time.  Much easier to handle.  
Although, on rereading the instructions for 163 - I'm now thinking that the 
flour was not really meant to be mixed in with the spices and honey/sugar 
mixture.  It was used more to give the hot mixture a place to cool down 
before handling.  

As soon as I get the pans and stirring spoons clean of the last attempt, 
I will try once more.  Oh, by the way - you can have too much nutmeg.

Kateryn