[Sca-cooks] Festival of the Rose: Menu

[Huette von Ahrens]

--- Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net> wrote:
> Arte said:
> > I figured I would share what we (Mistress Huette
> and myself, with a few
> > friends) plan on preparing for Her Majesty of
> Caid, Catalina, on February 2,
> > 2002.  A little less than two weeks off and this
> is my first time to feed
> > the crown.  Mistress Huette has been VERY helpful,
> and she's going to be
> > also cooking.  We already have the pickling going.
> :)
>
> > Menu as follows:
> >
> > Fruit
> > Bread
> > Cheese
> > Cold tray with pickles, mushrooms, beets,
> asperigus and possibly artichokes.

Actually, the cold tray is of pickled cucumbers,
pickled mushrooms, pickled beets, pickled eggs,
pickled asparagus, picked carrots and artichoke
hearts.  All are being made by us, with the exception
of the artichoke hearts.  Those with be purchased.
All of the "pickles" are from different period
recipes, with the exception of the eggs, which I
decided to do with the beets, even though I haven't
found documentation concerning pickled eggs.
>
> Sorry, Stefan's going to be picky here. "pickles" is
> specifically
> pickled cucumbers like you buy in the grocery? Or do
> you mean
> a variety of pickled vegetables? Or do you actually
> mean
> a pickle of mushrooms, beets, asparagus and possibly
> artichokes?
> You said you had the pickling going already, so I
> assume you are
> doing the pickling of at least one food yourselves.
>
> > Almond Jello Mold (Huette has the recipe from a
> source)
> > Compound Sallat with chicken (from Eating
> Shakespear)
> > Brie Tart (from King's Taste)
> > Beet Tart (Huette's recipe)

Actually, we decided not to do this.  I am going to
make stuffed mushrooms from a recipe I found in
Scully's Early French Cookery, which originally states
that it is a mushroom pie, but Scully suggests that
they can be made without a pie crust.

> > Livering Puddings (Queen's Taste)
> > Peas Pottage in the Italian Fashion (Eating
> William Shakespear)
> > Pear Flambe or possibly Snow
>
> I hope the Queen likes period food, or at least
> unusual food. My
> first impression is that this wouldn't satisfy a
> "meat and potatos"
> person.

There is one more recipe, but since I am at work and
have had a very stressful week, the name of it
completely slips my mind, but it is a chopped beef
dish which comes from the late Elizabethan cookbooks
and that we found in Eating Shakespeare.  So there
will be three meats, a variety of cheeses and cheese
dishes, fruits and breads.  A basic diet for the
average fighter-type.  And since this is Caid, our
people tend to have a more cosmopolitan palate than
some other more "red-neck" kingdoms.  Remember, real
Caidans eat brie and quiche. :-)
>
> Are you thinking about serving just the "Snow" by
> itself? Or to go
> with the Pear Flambe or something else? When I made
> it, it was more
> like a sweet cream topping. I think eating it by
> itself would kind
> of like opening a container of "Cool Whip" or
> whipped cream and going
> at that with a spoon. However, much better tasting.

Actually, we never discussed making "Snow".  This is a
surprise to me.  I thought we were doing the pear
dish.

>
> If you have access to a wafer iron, sweet wafers
> would go well with
> either the Pear Flambe (I think) or the Snow. And
> wafers are much
> more practical for a small sideboard like this than
> a feast.

I agree.  I have a pizelle iron.  This is a great
idea!
Thank you.
>
> Do you have specific evidence of things being served
> flaming, which
> I assume is what is done with this Pear Flambe, in
> period?

I think that Arte found the recipe in "The Delectable
Past" and wanted to try it.

 If so,
> I'd love to see more info, especially if they say
> what sor tof alcohol
> was used.
>
> > All the "flour" we use will be wheat flour, most
> likely, to deal with
> > Catalina's "dislike" of it.
>
> Dislike of what, wheat flour? Then why are you using
> it? I think I'm
> missing something here.

Actually, we have been asking her chief lady in
waiting about this, but haven't gotten a straight
answer.  Either she is allergic to white flour, but
not wheat flour or she dislikes it greatly.  The same
goes for white sugar.  She will accept brown sugar or
honey, but not anything with white sugar.  Either way,
we are changing the recipes to fit her specifications.
 It is her day, after all, and we are only feeding the
Royals, the Baronials and the Royal Court.
>
> > I found a recipe, which I believe is from a Form
> of
> > Curye that is a meatloaf in the shape of a peapod
> that I THOUGHT I would
> > redact...it would be my first redaction, so I'm
> not 100% sure I want to do
> > that or not though.
>
> Why don't you post your redaction and the original
> recipe here and
> see if anyone has any comments?

Because to the short amount of time we have had and
overly full work schedules, we have decided to go with
already published redactions, instead of doing our
own.
However, we plan on doing this again in May and I
think if we start the process immediately after the
Festival, we can do our own redactions.  We will keep
you posted.

Huette



=====
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they
shall never cease to be amused.

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