[Sca-cooks] my summer project - Spanish Galleon

[kattratt]

Ok I must confess that the gingerbread recipe that we used was NOT 
period... IT WORKED but wasn't period.  Now yes the HAD Ginger bread but 
not like what we made.  (See periodocity wasn't in the requirements for 
the competition.)
To glue it together though the basic "glue icing" works great!!!!!  I 
think the closest thing in period is Royal Icing (At least I think that 
is the name of it.)  
It is the icing that drys rock solid.  We also broke period with the 
other "glue we used on the house... by using Chocolate to glue things 
together as well.  In the future I want to use actual period recipes for 
things and try the gingerbread creations again.  

Joyce wrote:

>> What bisket recipe are you planning?  Well, actually, how large a 
>> ship are you thinking?  That really is the first question.  Nichola 
>> could give you some info on how to make gingerbread do almost 
>> anything you want it to do.
>
>
> I've gotten edible results making 'prince-bisket'  - I was thinking of 
> using that, minus the caraway seeds.  I'm thinking of a ship about 2 
> feet long, broken in half, lying on it's side. (It's a shipwreck). I 
> can get amber rock sugar, so I thought that would look the best for 
> the reefs.
>
>
> good idea. The other colors of rock sugar that I've seen are all 
> ickily flavored, but I could make some small batches in different colors.

It just depends upon how long you have... the Gingerbread House that we 
did took several months in planning, prepping and execution... but was 
simply weeks in constructing...
Kind of like those Sugar Plate Cups... long prep time... I mean sure 
they looked good and tasted good but they were hard as rocks, and had to 
be prepped 14 at a time.  

Just remember what is icky to you others might like.  
I had to remember that as I don't lilke the taste of marzipan either... 
but have had to work with it from time to time.  

>> You can certainly use sugar for the rigging and it would look good, 
>> but make extra if you plan on transporting it as you may have some 
>> breakage.  
>
A Note here... personal in nature... I beg you to transport your work 
yourself and NEVER EVER EVER Depend upon someone else to transport it 
for you.  With ONE exception..... If you get someone from this list to 
make something for you or transport something for you, you are 
safe...Other than this list and yourself trust no one....

>> The sugarplate sails may be quite an adventure into the "what was I 
>> thinkin?" arena.  Having been party to such a thing, I *HIGHLY* 
>> advise you re-think this.  A galleon has tons of sail.  Sugarplate is 
>> very brittle when made that thin, and it is heavy.  On the 
>> 'Lolly-Peep' the sail was pre-'drilled' with holes that didn't stay 
>> put and a corner of it cracked off and the sheer weight made for a 
>> quick redesign of the whole rigging structure.  You might consider 
>> trying to make a fruit leather from maybe pears or something light in 
>> colour (and weight).  You could use fruit leather for some or all of 
>> the rigging too.  It is found in period.
>
First off I was thinking Boiled Sugar Plate here....
Hmmmm.....  My recommendation is to try the sail once so that you get a 
feel for what the sugar is going to do.... if you have access to a stove 
or a heat source on site you could try building the sails on site.  I 
must admit that the hard sugar sails frozen into the action of billowing 
is a novel thought, and I am tempted to try it.  

Now as for the other kind of Sugar Plate...uhmmm... I had very little 
problems with brittleness, but my sugar plate was rather thick.... How's 
about you Olwen?  I would think this stuff would work just as well as 
fondant.  

> hmm. I was actually going to cheat, and use fondant. And not dried - 
> no matter how careful I am, it always breaks. But, I thought if I 
> rolled it out that day, and then draped it artistically over parts of 
> the ship that I wanted to hide, it would look sort of sail-like.
>
>
>> The butter and sugar idea is neat, but what is the month it will take 
>> place?  Will it melt?  Merainge might work.  We did seashells in 
>> marzipan and in sugarplate with great success.  In that soltie we 
>> sent the shells down to someone else and the setup they did included 
>> candied rosemary stems as seaweed and a bed of turbino (I think) 
>> sugar as sand.
>
>
> It's in November. It'll either be raining (60's) or sunny (70's). I'm 
> in Northern California. Boy, candied rosemary for kelp! what a great 
> idea! It's in!
>
> Thanks!
> -- 
> Gianetta

I look forward to reading the rest of this....
Nichola