[Sca-cooks] Foods for Begining SCA Cooks

[Celia des Archier]

> Does anyone have any suggestions for good foods to introduce to newbies?
> The
> recipes must be able to be made the night before and served room
> temperature
> or cold.

I've had a good deal of success at demos with meat pasties which are sweet
rather than savory.  There used to be an introductory SCA cook book which
had a recipe in it for "rabbit stew".  I adapted that for pastry filling
using both chicken and beef (I used ground beef, not really period, but at
the time we were on a strict enough budget for demos I couldn't use cubed or
shredded... anyhoo...) and baked it in individual "tart" shells, so that
they were portable individual portions and it worked quite well.  The fact
that it was sweet and contained spices which were unfamiliar to the
participants combined with meets gave a sufficient feel of it's being
"different" to the participants, while it was also familiar enough (no
really "weird" ingredients) for the participants to be comfortable with it. 

I've also made "field bread" (a heavy bread with dried fruit) for demos
which went over well. 

Stewed fruit can be served cold, and it's simple to make and a good recipe
for beginners, but it's a bit messier, and requires dishes and implements to
serve.

Celia