[Sca-cooks] New novel with medieval cook as lead character

[Carper, Rachel]

And I've been looking for a new book. Thank you. 

-----Original Message-----
From: sca-cooks-bounces at ansteorra.org
[mailto:sca-cooks-bounces at ansteorra.org] On Behalf Of Sharon Gordon
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 9:13 PM
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: [Sca-cooks] New novel with medieval cook as lead character


Sir Axel and Sir Greeve taste Julia's food for the first time:

"On the table between them sat a golden pie. Yellow golden. [...] In the
vapors wafting through their heads came the unmistakkable scents of
saffron...and pork...and apples and plums...and cinnamon...and a peppery
five-spice.  Their mouths watered.  The stared in amazement at each
other for a moment, then dove into that beautiful, flaky, golden crust."
[...as the knights continued eating...]]The abbess and old sisters
watched in growing concern as the men closed their eyes and turned their
faces Heavenward.  From low in their throats came guttural, animal
sounds that caused one of the sisters to cross herself. [...] The second
mouthful softened the groans and gave them a rising and
falling vibrato that was almost melodious.   the third bite turned the
musical groans to sighs, and by  the fourth the sighs had become
helpless whimpers."

She serves hedgehogs for a feast finale.

Other things she makes include:
Herbed Chard and Cheese Pie
Frumenty
Whole Pear Tart
Leek and Mushroom Torte
Meats in Aspic
Poree of Greens
Cherry Almond Pudding
Parsley-studded Lamb with Pink Garlic Sauce
Sweet and Savory King's Fritters
and dozens more.

"But I think [Julia] may really be a cook," Sophie said to Sir Martin as
she trotted to keep up with him across the bustling side yard of
Verdun's great redoubt.  "She talks about food constantly and can recite
recipes until she puts you to sleep."

Julia participates in a tart contest with another cook with cherry
custard tart as her offering.

"The  next course--it being a fast day-- was fish in cases of dough.
Each packet of dough was cut in the shape of a fish and pinched together
around a trout such that a fin stuck out of the top.  When she broke
open the first of the hard pastry shells, there was a tender succulent
trout on a bed of savory rice...to which she added Old Mae's Walnut
Garlic Sauce."

From
The Marriage Test
by Betina Krahn
2004
isbn 0-425-19645-3

Sharon
gordonse at one.net

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