Andrea's Apprenticing- was Re: [Sca-cooks] Cooking at Pennsic

[Phlip]

Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...

> I am indebted to Phlip for her kindness to me in undertaking the food for
my
> apprentice ceremony. Despite some significant setbacks, she even went to
the
> trouble to create a subtlety to honor my newest Master (I am proteged to
Master
> Ian Mitchell as well) Henry MacQueen. He was most tickled and it made both
of
> us very happy.
>
> Thank you as well to Elisebeta for the food help on apprentice night, and
for
> the fine poppyseed cake.
>
> Andrea MacIntyre
> Sated, satisfied, and seeking

Well, as I told you at Pennsic, I was extremely frustrated that I couldn't
do what I had planned to do- in fact, I couldn't serve a couple of dishes I
had planned, just because of lack of time.

Andrea's persona required a late period menu, which had me very interested,
since most of my interest and experience has been in early period. Since
she's Scottish, I had planned a strong representation of foods associated
with Scotland, because the Apprenticing was at Pennsic, I intended a rather
martial theme, but because Pennsic is a friendly War, and because Andrea is
most certainly a friend (most strongly demonstrated by her kind words
despite All That Went Wrong), I had intended the meal be playful. I had 30
people to feed, a budget of $100, and the rules were late period finger
food, with more fancy than substance.

I'm working from memory now, because I had difficulties getting home- left
at 6PM Sunday, for a 10 hour drive, and between traffic and two flat tires
on my smithing trailer, didn't get home until 4 PM Monday- haven't found my
notes yet.

The major difficulty was that I had two well-experienced and reliable SCA
cooks, one a chef, who had promised to help me, and they got the day wrong-
thought it was Sunday instead of Saturday and didn't show up. Instead, I
commandeered the help of a young man, Mike, who was quite willing, and gave
me his best, but essentially at the level of a veggie chopper. Thank-you
Mike ;-)

My intentions will be followed by my execution.

I had intended to set the mood by using a really great length of cloth I
have, in a totally ungawdly red and yellow and orange plaid as a tablecloth
or runner- didn't get done.

For a centerpiece, I wanted to honor Master Henry, and tease Andrea a bit,
so, since his arms were a black swan against a green and white checky
background, I had found a green and white checkered placemat, and a couple
of ceramic black swans with hollows on their backs, and loaded them with
candied ginger, symbolizing Andrea- a very sweet lady, with a lot of spice,
whom he was going to be taking on. That got done, since I had all the
elements, but because of the timing, it ran so late that it wound up being a
side note.

In front of that, I had found a lovely silver tray at a flea market, and I
wished to use that as the base of an Epic Battle- on each diagonal corner, a
flying wedge of Brighids Radish mice, carrying banners of the East and
Middle (banners didn't get done), fighting across a field of cheesy
somethings (intended to consult with my helpers). Running out of time, the
somethings became cheesy toasts, but with only three mice in each corner,
instead of the half dozen I had planned.

As oats are very much a theme in Scottish cookery, I had planned oat cakes
covered with smoked salmon. Was unable to get the steel cut oats I had
planned, made do with Quaker rolled oats, soaked them in water, and one of
my neighbors, who makes excellent pancakes, fried them up for me. Giant
Eagle didn't have ANY smoked salmon, so I smoked my own- set a fire in my
fire pit, got my big cast iron soup pot, hustled some cherry wood from my
neighbor's wood pile and shredded it and soaked it, put it in the bottom of
the soup pot, rested a grill above that, and the salmon on the grill, and
lidded it, and smoked it. Worked very well, although the salmon came out
shredded instead of sliceable, as I had intended, then, having cooked yolks
left over from the stuffed eggs, put some of them on top as a garnish. Would
have clashed wonderfully with the tablecloth ;-)

Had gotten some lamb, as, like oats and salmon, it is associated with
Scotland, but was unable to find ground lamb, so, used the cubed I had found
(had to remove it from the skewers) and cooked it in water with fresh
rosemary, until it was ready to be shredded, shredded it, then used it to
stuff pasties, made with a wonderful piecrust, made for me by another
neighbor (the pie crust was intended for an apple thing I had intended, and
the lamb was intended for little cookie-type things, cut in the shape of
sheep, but I was running out of time).

Knew that Giant Eagle had a wonderful olive bar, so had planned on using a
couple flavors as "ammunition" for a couple of of mini catapults I had
bought, to fire at the "keeps" I had intended to make from the Sabina
Welserin pea recipe, at either end of the table, but the keeps didn't get
made, so the olives wound up beside a pile of carrot sticks, which I had
intended to use, with parsnip sticks (no parsnips found) as structural
elements for another couple of towers.

Adamantius had suggested veal toasts- unknown to me at the time, as teasing
Andrea about some difficulties that she had had with another meal. The veal
toasts got made, but there was nothing special about them, as I had
intended- they did vanish rather quickly, so at least I know they tasted
good ;-)

I had intended stuffed eggs, and got them made, after a bit of a challenge.
We had plenty of eggs on hand, so I didn't buy any, and got into camp,
expecting to grab those we had right out of the propane freezer (which had
never frozen anything, to my knowledge, to date) and discovered they were
frozen. I then went wandering, and shortly owed half of Pennsic a dozen
eggs- finally got them paid back last Wednesday ;-) Anyway, boiled up the
eggs, and split them for stuffing, and stuffed them, with, as I recall, a
deliberately dry mixture of yolks, Gulden's spicy brown mustard (had other
plans) ginger, and something else- as I said, I don't have my notes yet. I
had also intended to make a few "egg birds", using slices off the side of
the egg to form wings, and a radish carved a bit as a head- only got one
made.

Things, as you can imagine, ran late. I had intended to have everything
ready to serve by about 7:30, but it was dark by the time Puppy came by,
asking what was happening- he did take some of the stuff up to start people
on until I could bring the rest up in half an hour.

Thank you, Elizabetta, for coming through, even when you couldn't find me-
you helped a lot.

A very deep thanks go to my camp mates ands neighbors, for coming up with
supplies, from eggs to cherry wood, to help me out, not to mention the folks
who came up with various skills and efforts in many other directions.

And most of all, Thank You, Andrea, for being so accepting and supportive,
of what I hope is the worst meal I ever make in the SCA.

Saint Phlip,
CoDoLDS

"When in doubt, heat it up and hit it with a hammer."
 Blacksmith's credo.

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....