[Sca-cooks] Poudre Forte and Other Spicy Thoughts

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

>La Varenne was translated as The French Cook and published in
>England in 1655(?).
>I have to run or I'd look and see if the same recipe is in it.
>
>I'll be back on Monday---
>
>Johnnae llyn Lewis
>
>lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:
>  > First, I'm polishing up my documentation for the Fine Powder
>  > competition Saturday. I wandered through the bowels of the UC-Berkeley
>  > library last night and found a seventh recipe within period and an
>  > interesting recipe called A Spice Powder for Patissiers in _Le
>  > patissier francois_ by LaVarenne from 1652 that is BIG on pepper with
>  > other spices added (the ones typical for Poudre Fine). There's even a
>  > spiced salt - you make the spice powder up and mix it with an equal
>  > quantity of salt.

Well, i have an English translation of LaVarenne's "Le Cuisinier 
francois", but this recipe is apparently in "Le Patissier francois", 
a different book, referenced in Wheaton, Savoring the Past, p. 253.

Most of the historical cookbooks at UC-Berkeley are in the 
BioSciences Library, which is in a building that sort of looks like a 
Babylonian palace. I will take a peek in there maybe next week. They 
didn't have a lot of stuff i wanted to look at for this paper and 
spice blend, but it could be inspirational.

And, yeah, i'm still home. I guess i'll drive to the event tomorrow 
morning around 6 AM...

Anahita
mending garb and taking a shower and reading e-mail - not simultaneously