[Sca-cooks] back to food by request :)

[Huette von Ahrens]

--- Anne-Marie Rousseau <dailleurs at liripipe.com> wrote:

> on food
> 
> ok, so I have a bunch of folks coming over and our recent CSA basket gave me a 
> yummy cauliflower.
> 
> anybody have a favorite collie gratin recipe? I have this vision of a creamy sauce 
> with some sort of crunchy savory (parmasean/bread crumbs?) topping.
> 
> any ideas? I know its not medieval but there's an amazing brain trust here...
> 
> --Anne-Marie, who could fall back on the elizabethan collies with egg lemon sauce 
> if need be....

Not Medieval?  I believe you are mixing this up with another vegetable.  Cauliflower 
was introduced into Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.  There are two different 
camps who argue about the origins: one says the Near East, the other says Cyprus.  But 
it is a period vegetable for Medieval Europe.

My favorite recipe is from John Murrell, "A Booke of Cookerie", which is slightly out 
of period [1621].

How to butter a colleflowre.

Take a ripe Colle-flowre and cut off the buddes, boyle then in milke with a little Mace 
while they be very tender, then poure them into a Cullender, and let the Milke runne 
cleane from them, then take a ladle full of Creame, being boyled with a little whole 
Mace, putting to it a Ladlefull of thicke butter, mingle them together with a little 
Sugar, dish up your flowres upon sippets, poure your butter and cream hot upon it 
strowing with a little slicst Nutmeg and salt, and serve it to the Table hot.

My redaction:

1 cauliflower, at least 5 inches in diameter
3 cups of whole milk
1 large piece of whole mace
1 cup cream
1 stick unsalted butter [if using salted butter, eliminate the salt]
1 large piece of whole mace [different from above]
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
4 slices hot buttered toast, cut into triangles.

     Cut cauliflower into small florets and remove any green leaves and
the thick base.  
     Heat the milk with mace to just below the boiling point and add the
florets.  Lower the heat to simmer and cook until tender but still crisp,
about 12 to 15 min.  While that is cooking, take the cream, butter, another
piece of whole mace and sugar and bring to just below boiling.
     Arrange the toast on a heated serving dish.  Remove the cauliflower
from the milk and arrange them on the toast.  Pour the sauce over them
and sprinkle them with salt and nutmeg and serve hot.

Huette



Remember that while money talks, chocolate sings.

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