[Sca-cooks] 12th Night Ideas

[Joe Fling]

First of all, thank you all for your quick answers. Now let me see...

YOU BET YA! Gingerbread is always good! And if you don't stop down to camp
Blackstar I fear there will be grumblings from the Master!

So, how many you planning on cooking for?? Where are you from?? What do they
typically e+pect at a feast there?? Come on...you can tell us...
Olwen

My Lady Elizabet (who is a great help to me at feasts) and I hail from
Hartshorn-Dale in Eastern PA. We live in Royersford, north of Philadelphia.
We run a cooking and sewing meeting on a monthly basis, called "Cooks and
Needleworkers", which is slowly starting to take off. It's the third Monday
of every month (except August) and if you're ever in the area, come on by.
This month at Cooks, we're having a Miso Tasting.

We're tentatively planning for between 400-500 people at 12th Night. The
Autocrat is site hunting and the cooks are brainstorming. We normally have 2
big events a year, Games & Galliards in March, which I've cooked for the
past several years with the able help of a very talented crew, and All's
Faire in Love and War, which I've been helping in the kitchen for two years
and did the dayboard for last year. People around here tend to expect tasty
food in vast quantities, and we generally manage to deliver (barley can be
your friend...)  And Olwen, I will bring a bottle of mead to Camp Blackstar
and drink to your health!


If you check out several Elizabethan-era references, you'll find that the
premier dish for winter celebrations is Pork Brawn, a wonderful pickled pork
roast that can be made ahead of time and served with a mustard sauce. If you
can find a copy of Peter Brear's wonderful book about Tudor kitchens:

Brears, Peter. All the King's Cooks: The Tudor Kitchens of Henry VIII at
Hampton Court Palace.London: Souvenir Press, Ltd.,1999.

you'll find not only descriptions of the dish, but pictures of recreations
of it...complete with decorations. The recipe I've used is from "Dining with
William Shakespeare" by Madge Lorwin. If you don't have access to the book,
let me know and I'll send you the recipe. In fact, you will find all sorts
of wonderful late period recipes in that book...unfortunately it is out of
print, and the occasional used copy will often bring high prices.

Let me know if you want the recipe....

Kiri


Just checked out "Dining with William Shakespeare" and found two used copies
at $140.00 and $160.00. Ack! Yes Kiri, please may I have the recipe, m'am?
Thank you. I will however be ordering a copy of All the Kings Cooks, that
sounds neat!

3-4 courses is normal at an Eastern feast, along with a subtlety/dessert
course. There is a strong expectation of meat, and at kingdom events, also
an expectation that everything will be at least periodoid.

-- Jadwiga (whose group narrowly escaped bidding on 12th night last time, so
she saw the requirements)

Hi Jadwiga! My current thinking is an opener, bread, butters (garlic, honey,
herb), meat pie, and maybe a soup (Everything predone so it goes
out -right -on -time). (I should explain that Games & Galliards features
period games all day, then a feast and then dancing, which is near and dear
to our Dutchess' heart, so the feast *has* to start and end on time. One of
my standard tactics for this has been a first course that is mostly
pre-made.) Next, three or four courses, each featuring a different meat,
pork, beef, chicken and maybe lamb, along with sides. Finally, something(s)
for dessert, along with something white chocolate. I'm thinking maybe an
almond cream in a white chocolate bowl...

When I did the Elizabethan feasts I have done, I used "Dining with William
Shakespeare" (Madge Lorwin), the Tudor section out of "A Taste of History"
(the part Peter Brears wrote) and "Fooles and Fricassees: Food in
Shakespeare's England" (published by the Folger as the catalog for an
exhibit of the same name).

Kiri


Kiri, you are going to overload my wish list on Barnes and Noble! I just
added Fooles and Fricassees too! Is the full title of "A Taste of History"
"A Taste of History: 10,000 Years of Food in Britain"?

Lorna Sass put out a book called "Christmas Feasts", and one of the menus is
for an Elizabethan dinner. I have used some of the recipes from it, I
especially recall a pie with turkey in it that went over very well. I will
dig it out and post it here as soon as I can.
Christianna


Hmm, early January, turkey. Turkey is very very cheap then! Yes, please, a
wonderful idea! Thanks!

Sure. Why not? Although I am assuming you mean the period version and not
the modern gingerbread Cake. Gingerbread is another of those
items that you might be able to make at home and bring to Pennsic if you
need to.
THLord Stefan li Rous Barony of Bryn Gwlad Kingdom of Ansteorra


Yes, I make a mean period gingerbread with wine, breadcrumbs and candied
ginger. It's yummy. I'll probably make it before we go, so it can age, but
I'll also bring something else. We will be at Pennsic for the whole two
weeks this time (last year only went for one week) so I'll probably cook
something. Everyone is invited to come and visit us at Cleavers Dice and
Needles. (We're very theme oriented at our house) :)



As this progresses, I will keep you updated!  Thanks again!

John Marshall of Hartshorn-Dale

yoseff at telocity.com

"I don't know what your problem is, but I bet it's hard to pronounce..."

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----- Original Message -----

> >I'm a long time lurker, but I have never posted to the list before,
> >although I'm beginning to feel I know many of you...
> >
> >My group is discussing putting in a bid for next year's Twelfth Night.  I
> >have been asked to make food suggestions, having run several successful
> >feasts in the last several years.  I would like suggestions as to what
> >books to start with.  We have been told to "Think Elizabethan, think
winter
> >(and then think eatable)".  I would like thoughts from anybody,
especially
> >anyone who's cooked BIG events, since this will probably be twice the
size
> >of anything I've tried to do before.
> >
> >Thanks unto you all!
> >
> >John Marshall of Hartshorn-Dale
> >
> >P.S. Can I bring my gingerbread to the Pennsic Potluck?
>