[Sca-cooks] A Cinnamon Tart

[Philippa Alderton]

--- Barbara Benson <vox8 at mindspring.com> wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> Normally, upon joining a list such as this, I would
> lurk for a month or two
> before letting out even a single peep regarding the
> subject matter being
> discussed. I find that this usually allows me to
> learn the etiquette that is
> generally accepted by the group.

Well, if you look into the archives, that might help a
bit. We're a casual group, with a serious interest in
Medieval cookery, but we're also a group of friends
who enjoy joking and teasing each other. As long as we
mind our manners, Gunthar, the List Poppa, usually
lets us do what we like.

> Unfortunately, I joined this group to ask a specific
> question, and I cannot
> exercise such discretion. Please forgive me if I
> commit a faux pas and
> please let me know where I might be in error.

As long as you trim your posts, and change your
headers, no one will complain too much. When headers
and excess verbiage gets overwhelming, someone will
make a general request. If it gets really bad, Gunthar
will make a comment, and then everyone will behave for
at least 15 minutes until they forget again.....

> OK, on to the question. I prepared the below item
> and entered it into our
> local A&S competition (at that point I had not found
> the German, I had only
> the English translation by Valoise Armstrong). One
> of the questions that was
> brought out by the judges was regarding the almonds.
>
> The way I read the receipt it did not specify that
> the almonds be blanched -
> it just says ground. So I ground unblanched, skin on
> almonds and it provided
> a lovely flavor. The judges questioned weather or
> not the blanching would be
> a matter of course. I am not certain how to figure
> out the answer to this
> question - would the almonds have been blanched or
> not?

The only way to determine the answer to that would be
to see if the author makes any comments to that
effect. If you have recipes of a similar nature from a
similar time period or area, you might want to choose
to follow those instructions, noting that you did so.
If the subject really interests you, you might start
to study the history of blanching almonds ;-) But, if
someone at an A&S asks you such a question, honesty's
the best policy- "I don't know, the recipe didn't
specify- this was my choice" will do. If you have
looked at similar recipes, and they don't specify
either, just say as much, down to the level of, "In my
studies of the blanching of almonds, I discovered the
technique was specified in early Byzantine cookery,
about a thousand years previously, and a couple
thousand miles away, but the earliest definite
reference I have found to the practice in Germany was
in Frau Lichtenstein's 1917 "Das Huswifes" cookbook,
as translated by James Jones," if that's what you've
found.

Medieval cookery, simply by the nature of the recipes,
is highly interpretive. Just do the best you can ;-)

> I would appreciate any insight that the good gentles
> on this list could
> provide.
>
> I am also curious to know how extensively the
> Weslerin text has been cooked
> from. I just recently "discovered" it and have
> enjoyed everything that I
> have tried out of it.

I've been working with it, and much of it seems pretty
straight forward. I haven't noticed any recipes
specifying blanching almonds yet, but that doesn't
mean there aren't any, just that I haven't noticed
any. If I do, I'll post to the List.

> PS: please let me know if I need to provide my
> redaction of the tart.

You don't "need" to do anything, but I'm sure we'd all
be happy to see your redaction, and perhaps comment on
it- we LIKE recipe redactions ;-)

Welcome to the Cook's List- when you have a spare
moment, introduce yourself ;-)

Phlip

=====
Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....

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