[Sca-cooks] back from war - siege cooking

Deborah Hammons mistressaldyth at gmail.com
Sun Feb 22 15:14:12 PST 2009


My way more than 2 cents:
I have been fortunate to be the Outlands judge for all 4 years.  Each year
has been a learning experience for  the cooking teams, the judges, and the
period encampment.  I still cringe at the title of Siege cooking, rather
than Combat cooking for the Estrella competition.  I feel strongly in a
siege situation you are intimately familiar with your larder and should not
have to identify the ingredients you are given.  In a combat cooking
situation (Iron Chef) it is more important to do the identifying.

The judging forms have changed every year.  This year they used the one from
the Southern Crusades.

The obstacles:

Documentation is not required, but the teams are graded lower if it is not
provided.

Heavy consideration is given to presentation, ambiance, and sanitation.
 Hand washing even if it was not demonstrated to be a practice in the time
and place.  Forks or no forks.

I am going to try and send a better judging form for them to use next year.
 I think the teams would benefit from seeing those forms before the
competition so they know just what they need to accomplish in each area.  It
has to be better than going from Wow to Edible.  And they really do need to
decide if they want a documentable re creation of food, or seat of the pants
cooking.

Aldyth

And Cailte, if you have that bread recipe with the buckwheat groats in it.
 Pretty Please?



On Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 3:24 PM, Susan Fox <selene at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Following more than one thread here.  Congratulations to the victors of
> Siege Cookery!  I have judged it before and hoo doggies, that is a LOT of
> work and discussion to decide amongst even two complete presentations.
>  Three were nearly impossible, and I had to say I was relived that no other
> kingdoms entered.  [We did come up with an Inter-Kingdom Stupid Peer
> Trick... but that's another story.]
>
> I bet I know where the farm venison came from.  A couple of years ago when
> the Estrella was there for about the second time I think, a venison farm
> nearby took a merchant space and came with no costuming, decor or anything,
> just a dayshade with freezers full of delectable bambi burger, chops,
> steaks, stew meat, summer sausage and more.  They were welcomed like long
> lost kinfolk and were kitted out by the end of the war.  Nice people!
>
> But farm venison has less "gamey" flavor than hunted, of course, since it
> has a controlled diet and lifestyle.  The squeamish mimis can console
> themselves that "they know where the deer has been" but some of the
> delightful difference between Venison and other red meats can get
> diminished, as Cailte observes.
>
> So how is this weekend going?
>
> Cheers,
> Selene Colfox
>
>>
>>
>>
>>> What do you mean you had a problem with the farm raised
>>>
>>
>> it was so mild.   we poked it, sniffed it, cut off an cooked a little
>> piece, even tasted the blood.  we thought it was beef tenderloin it was so
>> mild.
>>
>> cailte
>>
>
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