[Sca-cooks] a favorite dish to prepare in advance

[David Friedman]

  I believe the original of this is recipe IV:38 or IV: 200 in _Curye 
on Inglysche_. The version you give is close to the former original 
but not identical. In particular:

The chicken meat is torn small, not diced. My guess is that that 
would be more nearly shredded, giving a somewhat different texture.

The sugar, grece and salt are added added after the torn up chicken, 
not (as in the version you give) before. And I don't think butter 
would be described as grece, although I could be wrong.

No "watercress or parsley" in the original.

The original garnishes with "aneys in confyt," candied aniseed not 
crushed aniseed.

>Well, it's a version of Blankmange, so it's English?or French,

English 14th c.

>but it's very tasty and it freezes nicely. I particularly like this 
>one because, if you have the ingredients in the freezer, you can 
>prepare an elegant dish for unexpected company in about 45 min.
>
>
>
>This version is from Lorna Sass's "To the King's Taste".
>
>
>
>2 large capon/chicken breasts, or the equivalent in dark meat 
>chicken - thighs, etc
>
>2.5 C water
>
>1.25 t salt (separated)
>
>.5 C blanched almonds
>
>2 T ice water
>
>1 C rice
>
>1 T butter or oil (optional)
>
>4 t light or dark brown sugar, packed
>
>
>
>garnishes:
>
>3-5 T crushed aniseed
>
>.25? C blanched slivered almonds, fried in 2 T oil
>
>sprigs of watercress or parsley
>
>
>
>1. Boil meat gently in the water and .25 t salt in a covered pan for 
>10-15 min or until done. (If you use dark meat, this will take a 
>little longer.)
>
>2.Remove fowl and set aside, reserving broth.
>
>3. Grind almonds pretty fine with ice water in a blender or with 
>mortar and pestle. (Ice water is to keep the almonds from oiling up 
>- I don't always bother.)
>
>4. Combine 2 C of reserved broth (pretty much all of it) with the 
>ground almonds and let stand for about 10 min, stirring 
>occasionally, to make almond milk.
>
>5. Cook rice in almond milk with brown sugar, remaining t of salt, 
>and butter or oil, if desired, until almost done.? (I don't usually 
>use the butter or oil, and often only put in .5 t salt, reserving 
>the rest for people to add at their own pleasure.)
>
>6. Bone and cut up cooled fowl into dice.
>
>7. Just before rice is done, add fowl, and stir to distribute pieces 
>evenly. Finish cooking rice.
>
>8. Serve, garnished with fried almonds and aniseed, and parsley or 
>watercress if desired.


-- 
David/Cariadoc
www.daviddfriedman.com