[Sca-cooks] Powder Fort

[jenne at fiedlerfamily.net]

> Personally, i haven't run across any information that would suggest
> the use of cardamom in poudre forte, although i'm sure it tastes good
> :-)

Thanks! I ended up using ginger, pepper and cloves because I was just
throwing spices on the mushrooms at the last minute. (Apparently, we did
get enough mushrooms for the feast and Sunday morning breakfast, but due
to my miscommunication, the extra mushrooms that feast got didn't get to
me, but were marinated instead. So, since there were extra marinated
mushrooms, I just sauted the whites of onions in oil, added the marinated
(sliced/quartered) mushrooms, sauted, added spices and served.

>
> I've also made "Strong Black Spice Powder", inspired by the Specia
> Negre e Forte per Assay Savore, from Libro di Cucina del Secolo XIV,
> posted by Francesco Sirene. There's a similar recipe in "The Medieval
> Kitchen". Lacking long pepper, i used 1/2 the quantity of cubebs and
> half the quantity of grains of paradise, not that they really taste
> like long pepper, but, well, they taste Medieval (ok, so i'm being a
> bit silly).
>
> Strong Black Spice Powder
>
> 1/4 oz ground cloves
> 2 whole nutmeg, ground
> 4 oz ground black pepper
> 2 oz cubebs, ground
> 2 oz grains of paradise, ground
>
> I gave bags of this to people as Twelfth Night gifts. Gee, I never
> asked what they did with it... Mine i use on cooked eggs mundanely,
> since i don't like plain black pepper.
>
> ------
>
> Finally, below is a message i found long ago - in Stefan's
> Florilegium, i think, since i wasn't on this list in 1998...
>
> Anahita
>
> ----- begin inclusion -----
>
> Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1998 09:00:31 -0700
> From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <acrouss at gte.net>
> Subject: Re: SC - poudre forte, was Spice cabinet-what do we stock?
>
> Hi all from Anne-Marie:
>
> we are asked:
> >  For those us who are new, what does go into poudre forte?
>
> Mine is a mix of my own devising, according to spices mentioned in the
> poudre fortes and spice mixes of Le Menagier (1390s Paris), Chiquart (1420
> Savoy) and Taillevent (14th century French).
>
> Anne-Marie's Poudre Forte...
>
> 1-1/2 tsp ground ginger
> 1/2 tsp grains of paradise, ground with a mortar and pestle
> 1 T ground cinnamon
> 1/2 tsp ground clove
> 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
>
> Combine and store in an airtight container, away from heat and light.
>
> It's a very spicy mix...great in mushroom pasties, paste en pot du mouton,
> wardens in syrop, medieval pasta dishes, etc.
>
> By the way, you can mail order this stuff ready made from Worldspice here in
> Seattle at hill at worldspice.com
>
> I'm famous! :)
> - --AM
>
> ----- end inclusion -----
>
> NOTE: Worldspice now has a website
> http://www.worldspice.com
> of course
>
> And they're still selling Anne-Marie's spice blends :-)
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>

-- Pani Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika   jenne at fiedlerfamily.net
"In the nonstop tsunami of global information, librarians provide us with
floaties and teach us how to swim." --Linton Weeks, Washington Post 1/13/01.