[Sca-cooks] rookie cooking question

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

On 23 Mar 2003, at 10:30, Jill Koski wrote:

> I am relatively new to this list, and very new at trying
> period dishes.  I have the "Traveling Dysshes, etc"
> cookbook by Siobhan Medhbh O'Roarke and Cordelia Toser.
> Today I tried the Auter Tartus (cheese tart) redacted by
> Siobhan f. from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books,
> 1430-1450.
>
> First question, the recipe says to bake for 30 minutes, and
> the filling puffs up.  My filling didn't seem to puff much
> at all.  Why might this be?

I don't have a copy of "Traveling Dysshes," so I don't know how close the redaction is
to the original.  The original recipe calls for fresh cheese, cream, salt, and saffron.  I
wouldn't expect that to puff much.  If there were eggs in the recipe, that would be a
different matter.

> Also, how does one tell if the tarts are truly done?  One
> of them was very liquidy in the center after 30 minutes; I
> kept it in the oven for 45 minutes, to the detriment of the
> crust edges (my fault; forgot to shield said crust edges),
> and it was still a bit wobbly in the center.  The first
> wobbly center did firm up some after sitting out of the
> oven a while.  So, is this what needs to be done--just let
> stand for a while after baking?

Most dishes will continue cooking after they are removed from the heat.  This is more
noticeable in egg and cheese dishes than in, say, stews.

Maybe it will help you to look at another redaction of the same recipe.  You'll find one
in this file of Stefan's Florilegium:
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD/baked-cheese-msg.text

The redaction is by Baron Tibor of Rock Valley.  The relevant section is "Place in the
oven, and bake 30 minutes, or until a really nice brown develops on the top of the pie.
It will still be loose on top. Remove carefully from the oven, and let cool until it sets."

> Also, the recipe suggests using Mexican queso fresco, as
> being close to "chese newe."  I did, and it was very good.
> But, can anything else be used, such as farmer's cheese, in
> interest of lower costs?

I have not made this recipe, but I have successfully used farmer cheese for new
cheese.

> Also, can these tarts be frozen?

Soft cheeses do not freeze well.  Odd and unpleasant things happen to the texture.
You could make and freeze the shells in advance.

> Lady Johanna de Swynford
> Skerrstrand
> Northshield
> Midrealm (for a little while yet)

Welcome to the list.  I expect you'll get more answers tomorrow.  Like most SCA
lists, this one is slow on the weekends.

Brighid, who really ought to go back to stuffing sausages...


Brighid ni Chiarain *** mka Robin Carroll-Mann
Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom
rcmann4 at earthlink.net