[Sca-cooks] rookie cooking question

[Susan Fox-Davis]

Lady Johanna de Swynford wrote:

> Greetings!
>
> 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.

Can you recount the recipe for us please?
Certain factors will make a difference, like how many eggs, etc.

> 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?

45 minutes should have worked.
Use the skewer test;  if it comes out clean it's ready.
It will firm up as it gets to the ideal room
temperature and even firmer if chilled.
This past weekend I found out the hard way
not to use a convection oven for this kind of pie;
it browned on the outside fast but the insides
were really wobbly to the edge of liquifaction.
Just the opposite of what I wanted, whee.

> 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?

Farmers Cheese certainly qualifies as "chese newe" but I like
the Mexican Queso Fresco better.  My local Costco [warehouse
store] carries the latter in industrial quantities, but that's what comes
of living in Southern California.

> Also, can these tarts be frozen?

It should work, experiment with ONE to find out for sure.

> I am planning my first feast in June, and as we are at a
> very primitive site, we want to start preparing things and
> freezing them in the next couple weeks, if possible.

Unless you have an actual oven,
doing them ahead sounds better and better.

Yours in service to happy tummies,
Selene Colfox, Caid