[Sca-cooks] kitchen tips

[Terry Decker]

> On Aug 22, 2008, at 1:23 AM, Terry Decker wrote:
>
>> If the recipe under discussion is the one I'm thinking of, the  frumenty 
>> is wheat berries cooked in milk or cream.  It has a  decidedly different 
>> texture from frumenties made with meal or farina.
>
>
> Most of the recipes I've seen involve the grains being cooked in water 
> until they burst and release their starch; then it's generally cooked 
> further, and very slowly, with milk, then eggs and things like saffron 
> are added near the end of the process. Perhaps it's a matter of 
> interpretation, but if done right, there's not a lot of easily 
> discernible wheat berry structure left by the time you're done.
>
> Using whole wheat berries will leave more fibrous berry structure in  the 
> mass, and there is a difference between that process and using 
> coarsely-ground grain, but the difference is not huge, and since using 
> coarse-ground grain is faster, less likely to burn, and also more 
> appealing to many people (in my own experience, anyway), it's not a  bad 
> option when cooking for 400 people.
>
> If I were doing a small quantity and authenticity were my main  priority, 
> rather than one of many, I'd use whole wheat berries.
>
> Adamantius

The dish I'm thinking of takes hours to prepare, which is why burning is a 
problem.  The wheat berries get very soft and swell but retain their shape 
inside a translucent white gel of milk and starch, ergo "frogs eggs."  Great 
taste, but it's not a practical dish for large feasts, as you say.

Bear