[Sca-cooks] Standing crust

[Daniel Myers]

On Feb 17, 2004, at 6:56 PM, Nancy Kiel wrote:

> I've had good luck using 18th & 19th century receipts (haven't had 
> occasion to research a period standing crust).  They called for 
> boiling the fat & water together, and a lot of kneading.
> Also, I thought a "standing crust" meant more specifically a 
> completely closed pie form, not intended to be eaten.  Out of 
> curiousity, what receipt/idea are you basing your crust on?

The closest period recipe that I get to would probably be from "A 
Proper newe Booke of Cokerye":
"To make short paest for tarte. Take fyne floure and a cursey of fayre 
water and a dysche of swete butter and a lyttel saffron, and the 
yolckes of two egges and make it thynne and as tender as ye maye."

That's about the earliest reference to a short crust that I've come 
across.  In the same source is a recipe for meat pies which has a note 
at the end stating "and yf you wyll have paest royall, take butter and 
yolkes of egges and so tempre the flowre to make the paeste."

Really though, I make no claim that what I made was period - the whole 
topic seems to be something that's very hard to thoroughly document.  I 
was basically trying to see what I could do with short crust in the way 
of making a serving dish.

- Doc


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  Edouard Halidai  (Daniel Myers)
  http://www.medievalcookery.com/
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