SC - More on "Vatel"... Oscar nominee.

[Huette von Ahrens]

<<<From: LYN M PARKINSON <allilyn at juno.com> 

Just as a note: some modern recipes for sauerbraten call for gingersnaps
in the marinade.  A modern gingersnap would have a 'poor man's'
resemblance to a decent Lebkuchen cookie.

Thomas, where does the 'leb-' come from, in the word 'lebkuchen'?  Maybe
that will help us define the difference between the cookie and Kateryn's
idea of a honey-spice mixture.  Although, IIRC, most of the sources I
have that give any history of Lebkuchen refer to the Guilds--Nuremburg,
in particular--and they were definately cookies by the 16th C., which
includes Sabina Welser.

Regards,
Allison
>>>
Unfortunately, I'm not able to get a -cookie- out of the recipes as presented 
in Sabina Welser.  There is just not enough flour in the recipe to result in a 
cookie.  And if you read the Nuremburg version, the flour gets carefully 
washed off. It is used to cradle the hot spiced syrup until it cools enough to 
work with.  Then, the cooled syrup is rolled out and may or may not be 
pressed with a mold (depends on the recipe).  Then this molded syrup or 
flattened balls are carefully dried in a warm oven.  

Unless I drastically disregard the quantities as given in the various recipes, 
I'm not going to be able to mold or dry the syrup unless I reach a crack 
stage first.  I have just finished trying to mold and dry a firm ball stage syrup.  
I've got great taffy - but a Lebkucken that melts before it dries no matter 
how low a temp I go.  I'm also not going to end up with anything that I can 
grate.

My only goal here is to create lebkuchen using the steps as presented in 
the recipes.  This includes molding them and putting them into a warm 
oven to dry.

Having examimed the modern recipes - they are full of ingredients and
baking steps that have nothing to do with the medieval recipe - so I 
cannot use the modern result as basis to go by.

Kateryn