[Sca-cooks] Hippenmas (sp?) Long

[Chris Stanifer]

Allrighty, fellow cooks.... here's a challenge for all of you.  But first, a little background:

Many, many years ago, when I was a fledgling cook enamoured of the American Culinary Federation
and bent upon establishing myself as one of the world's greatest chefs, I was very active in ACF
sponsored Culinary Competitions.  Yes, my team won a few, lost a few, had good times and bad....
it pretty much ran the gamut, depending on who was on my team, their level of interest and skill,
local kitchen conditions, and the final contents of the 'mystery basket' when we arrived on scene.
 However, the competition which stands out most in my mind was one in which we placed 4th out of 7
teams...and I'll tell you why, and then ask a question:

In this particular competition, I was an Alternate, due to my own work schedule, and the fact that
I was an Apprentice to a rather un-interested Certified Executive Chef at the time (I'll offer up
my views on the ACF certification, and the general state of the 'professional kitchen' later, if
anyone is interested).  And, while this kept me out of the actual kitchen for the vast majority of
the event, I did get the opportunity to actually sit down and taste the food items which the other
teams were preparing.

Now, this competition, I will freely admit, was, in hindsight, waaaaayyy out of our league.  Teams
sponsored by Certified Master Chefs were allowed into the competition *well* past the cut off date
for registration, and the list of 'common kitchen staples' was actually *altered and expanded* to
include specialty items which these teams needed to complete the meals they had already planned
out weeks in advance.... apparently they had already been told the contents of the 'mystery
basket'.  Anyway...  one team in particular stood out in my mind, not because they were 'cheating'
(which they were), but because of the incredible food they put out for the tasters and judges.  I
was, after my initial disdain for the mockery of rules and regulations had subsided, completely
awed by the level of artistry and technique these young cooks exhibited.  In point of fact, I was
actually quite envious at the time.

One dish, out of the myriad plates and dishes offered, captured my attention and imagination, and
still haunts me ot this very day.  It was a composed dessert presentation, though the actual items
on the plate have long since escaped my memory...what *does* stick in my mind, however, was the
beautiful *backdrop* they placed on their dessert plates:  Imagine a scale of sheet music,
complete with musical notes, made of an ethereal looking edible dough, almost floating above the
back of the plate.  Not the actual paper with notes written or painted on it, but just the bars
and notes, hanging there, designed to look as if it were waving in an invisible breeze.  Each
piece was perfectly piped out in even thickness, every line of the scale evenly spaced, and every
note placed perfectly on the scale (the notes were actually the real notes for 'Mary Had A Little
Lamb').

Anyway, again..... After seeing this plate, I ran over to that teams Alternate, who was seated a
few tables away from me, and asked if he would please, please reveal the name of the product they
used to pipe out these wonderful designs.  I assumed he would just turn up his nose and walk away,
as the rest of his team were rather snobbish and para-military in their approach to the
competition, but much to my surprise this gentleman was actually somewhat human, and expressed an
immediate appreciation for the fact that I found (what turned out to be) his contribution to the
team so fascinating.  "Hippenmas", he said...."equal parts by weight of flour, eggwhites and
sugar".  

At that point, the final team came out to present their dishes (my team), and before I could get
any more information from this guy, he was gone...

So, for the last 15 years or so, I have been trying to find this "Hippenmas" in cookbooks, on the
internet, in pastry and baking journals, and pretty much everywhere I could think to look.  But no
luck.  And, until recently (very recently) my own attempts to duplicate the recipe have failed
miserably.  Either the batter was too thick, or too thin, or spread out too much when baked, or
stuck like super-glue to the sheet pan when baked, or...or...or any number of unfortunate endings.
 I have tried using unbeaten egg whites, beaten egg whites, stiff egg whites, granulated sugar,
confectioners sugar, 10X sugar, sugar syrup.... each time with different results, but not the ones
I was looking for.  It had been so frustrating to me, simply because it's only 3 ingredients...AND
I COULDN'T GET IT TO WORK!!!!

Two weeks ago, however, I managed to perfect the recipe!!!  And, I even used it for the first time
on a dessert presentation for a client, and they were incredibly pleased.  Finally!  After what
seems like a professional lifetime, I have found the right formula.

Now, the challenge for the SCA Cooks list..... Help me find an actual recipe, formula, or even a
professional reference to this stuff ANYWHERE!!!  The spelling may be incorrect (all instructions
were verbal), and I am not sure of the cultural or national origin of the stuff.  But, if anyone
can help me in this regard, it would certainly bring closure to a life-long ambition.

What say you, cooks?  Are you up for the challenge???

William de Grandfort

=====
Through teeth of sharks, the Autumn barks.....and Winter squarely bites me.


		
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