[Sca-cooks] Modrn vs. Medieval RE: OOP: Frozen sauces

[grizly]

I am not at all confused about the source of your sauces' references or the
information your generously offering to the list.  Though, your twice
assuming I am makes me wonder if I am not clear in how I am asking the
questions . . .

In asking you about the similarities and differences between the two
sauce/sauce families you were bringing into the conversation I am including
both/all . . . keeping the scope wide to see where it goes and doesn't go.
They appear to be very different base sauces that appear to have
similarities and contrasts.  Being that you have made them both, I am
assuming your experience would be more direct than the inferences I will
make based on my sauce experiences, both professionally and socially.

My experiences with medieval sauces is that they tend to be more sweetly
spced in general, and the more modern ones tend to have a more sweet/savory
thing going on.  The Apricot sauces I have gathered include such hits as
fresh chiffonade of basil, sweated shallot, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce
as accents.  Depth of flavor is found in the aromatics and the already
compound sauces added to the pan sauce.  Texture is found in reductions and
using thickend fruit preserves of jams.  For thickening power that
withstands freezing without texture failure, modified food starch is the
modern wonder when available.

Medieval fruit sauces I have read of and have experience with, including
strawberry one you referenced earlier in this conversation, tend toward more
sweet spicing such as ginger, cinnamon, galangal, almond milk and some sweet
red wines or dried fruits.  Even the mustards tended toward that in several
culture periods.

niccolo difrancesco
(who always wondered if tomato sauces are considered fruit sauces)


-----Original Message-----
<<<SNIP>>>
I think you're confusing the source of the two sauces I mentioned.  The
cilantro/ginger/fruit sauces I've done are -- as a family -- very different
(in source as well as purpose) than the strawberry/red wine sauce:  The
former were found in OOP sources and used for OOP dining whereas the latter
was found in period sources and used for period events.  I discovered the
two sauce-types independently.

I know *I'm* getting confused about which you're asking/commenting about!

On the modern sauce (for pork, chicken, fish, shellfish), I tend to use a
light honey (or, if need be, a light corn syrup) (or, for a *very* different
flavor, molasses) base with optional arrowroot (or, if need be, corn starch,
which I avoid) to preferred thickness (really not needed at all unless you
added water to the base to stretch it out), ginger to taste, cilantro to
taste, optional red chili pepper flakes to taste and that's about it;

So, yes, it's vastly simpler than the Medieval strawberry/red wine sauce for
chicken.  As to whether it's lighter depends on the use of molasses, for
one, or any 'embellishments' you want to add to the OOP sauce.

<<<SNIP>>>I must add (and forgot to in the previous post) that I think this
strawberry/red wine sauce is the original version of what evolved into
cranberry sauce for turkeys.  We don't normally think of strawberry &
chicken -- or cranberry & turkey -- but it's really delightful.  If fact,
the sauce goes really well with turkey and I've thought about serving it at
Thanksgiving as a rebellious 'old-school' alternative.


Duriel>>>>>>>>>