Subject: [Sca-cooks] Italian Fried Custards?

[Heather Musinski]

Maggie,

    I peeked into the Libro Novo to see and the only recipe that seemed close follows.

57D   TO MAKE FRITTERS WITH ELDERBERRY FLOWERS FOR SIX PLATTERS

   Take 4 ounces of flour, three blocks of fresh ricotta cheese or a pound of fresh cheese, and a half pound of grated hard cheese, and enough yeast as half an egg, and grind everything well in the mortar. And put six beaten eggs with them, and a glassful (app 7 fl oz) of milk, and 3 ounces of rose water, and mix everything well together. And if it appears that the named mixture is too hard, you shall measure a small amount of milk enough to be good, and 3 ounces of raisins, and in the summer you shall put an ounce of elder flowers to grind with them. And then with a tablespoon make your fritters, large or small to what you want. Then you shall cook them in sieved fat or butter, or 3 pounds of oil. And when they are cooked and ready for the banquet you shall put over them 4 ounces of grated sugar.

I don't have the original Italian with me, and it is going to say Fritelle di "elderflower" whatever the word is in Italian. Since it uses so much ricotta s seems reasonable choice. I would suggest using a mild or young hard cheese, not parmesan. I don't think Messisbugo, intends that the cheese be hard meaning actual texture, but hard meaning the process of making a hard cheese. (That's my theory, because I think parmesan, or a strongly flavored, hard texture cheese will ruin the flavor whether you have modern taste buds or Rennaisance Italian tastebuds.)

Anyway, you may want to give it a go! And if it works out e-mail me (rachaol at yahoo.com) I'll be at Pennsic starting Saturday, and I don't want to miss your comments if you test this one!

Rachaol

 


Message: 10
Date: Thu, 04 Aug 2005 13:57:28 -0700
From: Maggie MacDonald 
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Italian Fried Custards?
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20050804135146.0239a578 at pop.west.cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

I'm planning for Caid 12th night feast in January of next year, and 
that is why I've been asking about feast service, this, that, other 
stuff (especially regarding Apicius).

One of the requests/suggestions I've gotten is to do the fried 
custards that they mention in "The Stars Compel. by Michaela Roessner".


I can't seem to find any references to it in the Scappi menus 
recommended by Helewyse, or in the Anonymous Venetian cookbook, or in 
libro del coch, or .. anywhere.

I see lots of mundane references to fried ricotta as a dessert, but 
no references in the period cookbooks.

Does anybody know if its referred to by a name other than fritelle di 
crema? or something?? maybe?

If this thing is a period dish I'd like to start playtesting this weekend.

Thanks!!
Maggie

PS-- I've already come up with a really yummy version of cebollada to 
use, and I think its going to work just fine.



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End of Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 27, Issue 12
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