[Sca-cooks] To the King's Taste (was Pennsic Potluck, revisited)

[David Friedman]

>On 28 Aug 2004, at 0:26, Stefan li Rous wrote:
>
>>  Being the procrastinator that I am, I usually end up using someone
>>  else's redactions since I'm usually deciding what to do just before I
>>  leave for Pennsic. However, I usually end up altering the redaction for
>>  various reasons.
>
>>  Fig and Raisin Puree
>>  Redaction from "To the King's Taste"
>>
>>  1 1/2 cups minced dried figs
>>  1 1/2 cups raisins
>>  1 1/2 cups red wine
>>  1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
>>  1/8 teaspoon dried or fresh orange peel
>>  dash salt and pepper
>>  1/2 teaspoon red sandlewood powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
>>  (optional)
>>
>>  1. Simmer all ingredients in covered pot until fruits become soft.
>>  2. Puree mixture in a blender.
>>  3. Serve warm or chilled.
>>  ----------
>>  I used the sandlewood, but it was already pretty dark in color, so I
>>  don't know that the sandlewood made much difference. I actually
>>  increased the ginger to closer to 1 teaspoon.
>
>This was very tasty.  When I read the redaction, the presence of the orange
>peel startled me.  You don't see much citrus in English cooking until the late
>16th century.  Sure enough, the original recipe doesn't mention it, nor does
>Lorna Sass explain this addition.  The other thing I noticed was the absence
>of the rice flour, which *was* in the original.  In 1975, that would 
>have been a
>hard-to-find ingredient, but cornstarch could have been used as a substitute. 
>In this case, I think it would have been better to use a non-period ingredient
>than to change the texture and consistency of the dish.
>
>Still, "To the King's Taste" was a groundbreaking book 30 years ago, and is
>infinitely superior to "F_______ F_____".


Damning with faint praise.

She also has a recipe where she interprets "garnish with fruits" as 
including citrus, again with no support in the original.
-- 
David/Cariadoc
www.daviddfriedman.com