[Sca-cooks] Danelaw feast - Take Two

[Lonnie D. Harvel]

Greetings again!

Many thanks for all of the feedback, both posted and privately received. 
Following this message is a somewhat revised version. Some comments...

AFAIK, Grains of Paradise (the pepper like substance not cardamom) do 
not fall into this period and location. When first creating the menu,I 
made the common learning mistake of substituting an ingredient for a new 
pet spice that "makes the dish more medieval." I had discovered the 
mistake, and thought I had changed them all back to pepper. Alas, my 
guilt is out! :)

This is intended to be a rich feast, but I have dropped some of the 
imported spices from many of the recipes that I did not feel needed them 
in order to be good. A decision that I believe a period cook would be 
likely to face. In what dishes will this expensive ingredient show the best?

Lard and other animal fats would be more period, but I have chosen to 
substitute oil for reasons of health. I am curious, what kinds of oils, 
if any, might have been used for cooking in 9th century "England"? Just 
curious. I plan to use one of the healthy blends now available, along 
with some olive oil. I have already lost the richness of the lard. I 
will probably use a combination of oil and butter in the cooking of the 
Leaxes Hlaf.

A good question was raised about whether rosemary would grow in the 
Danelaw area. I know that many herbs were used at the time, I just don't 
know what herbs they were. I am trying to get my hands on one of the 
Hagen books for guidance. Pointers would be welcome.

On spices, I feel confident that cinnamon would have been available and 
used, though expensive. At this point, it looks like about 4 Tbs for the 
whole feast. A hefty sum, but I think possible. Comments?

At the suggestion of one of the authors, clove is being used in place of 
  bayberry, given the danger of the latter. I do not know how available 
cloves would have been, but here it is a modern substitution for a 
period spice now known to be dangerous.

After a reminder, I remember a discussion on this list about whether 
honey and butter were combined and served together. I have decided to 
serve them separately, and leave it to the good gentles to do as they wish.

I want to thank you all for the input so far. I am still working on 
this, trying to learn what would have be reasonable or possible during 
this period and at this time. I have also tried to keep to things that 
would be available the first weekend in October. However, being city 
born and bred, I have no clear picture. You mean, they didn't have 
strawberries to decorate their Yule puddings? :) At this point, I see 
two issues. 1) I may be pushing it with the cinnamon. 2) This is really 
a big feast. To the latter, this is the first feast being given after 
the investiture of our new Baron and Baroness. I intend this to be a 
display of their largesse. Surely a sentiment that would have been held 
at the time.

A Feast for the Market Day at Jorvik:
(The bread, cheese and butter will be served with the feast, not before.)

    * Eofor (stewed boar): Boar, onions, pepper,
      sage, thyme, coriander seed, red wine, salt
    * Caulres Wyrtmete (cabbage salad): Cabbage, spinach, leek, peas,
      farmers cheese, cider vinegar, oil, salt, pepper
    * Leaxes Hlaf (salmon cakes): Salmon, egg, oatmeal, onion, oil

    * Hlaf (bread): wheat, oat and/or rye bread
    * Cyse Syfling (cheese spread): cottage cheese, cream cheese,
      white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, marjoram, parsley
    * Hunig (honey): honey
    * Butere (butter): butter

    * Ælan Cicen (grilled chicken): Chicken, oil, cider vinegar,
      honey, cloves, cinnamon, salt
    * Hunigbære Moran (honey-glazed carrots): Carrots, salt, radishes,
      butter, honey, mint leaves, cress
    * Hwerhwettan Wyrtmete (cucubmer salad): Cucumbers, onion, salt,
      pepper, honey, white wine vinegar, water

    * Hriõer Smeamete (beef casserole): Beef, water, white
      wine vinegar, oil, breadcrumbs, apples, dried plums, honey, salt,
      pepper, cinnamon, red wine, butter
    * Beren Briw (barley pilaf): Barley, radishes, butter, vegetable
      stock, salt
    * Swamma (mushrooms): Mushrooms, butter, salt, red wine vinegar,
      sage, thyme

    * Peru on Wine (pears in wine sauce): Pears, red wine, honey,
      cinnamon, cloves, cumin, pepper
    * Flete Estmete (sour cream custard): Eggs, cottage cheese, sour
      cream, hazelnut, cardamom, honey, breadcrumbs, sugar, butter,
      cinnamon (maybe served with strawberries as well).


Aoghann