[Sca-cooks] Soupe Crottee (Vivendier) - any experience?

[Volker Bach]

--- Antonia Calvo <ladyadele at paradise.net.nz> schrieb am Fr, 25.9.2009:

> Von: Antonia Calvo <ladyadele at paradise.net.nz>
> Betreff: Re: [Sca-cooks] Soupe Crottee (Vivendier) - any experience?
> An: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
> Datum: Freitag, 25. September 2009, 0:40
> Volker Bach wrote:
> 
> > I was booked to cook a feast in December and I am
> looking again at the French tradition. One piece that looked
> interesting is the Vivendier's recipe #26 for soupe
> crottee.  Basically, it's cheese and white bread boiled
> in water and wine. I can think of several interpretations
> here, from a cheese-flavoured (but otherwise fairly insipid)
> bread porridge to a mass of goo with soggy bread lumps in
> it. Has anyone here tried this recipe or a similar one, and
> if so, with what results? I was thinking along the lines of
> trying a relatively small amount of water and a long cooking
> period to cause the bread to fall apart, giving me a rich
> porridgelike dish that could be glooped over sops. 
> >  
> 
> 
> First of all, I'd like to say yum, yum!
> 
> I'm not sure why you expect this to be gloopy, lumpy or
> porridgy.  I expect it to be about the consistancy of,
> well, thickish soup.  I'm not sure a long cooking time,
> thickness, and cheese are mutually compatible.

Well, I'm not terribly conversant with the ways of cheese cookery, so I'm going from my experience with bread porridge. When i say 'long', I mean in terms of a few minutes. The recipe says nothing about stirring, but I assume that that will be required to keep the cheese from sticking and burning. 

Scully writes of speculation that 'crottee' is derived from the lumpy or curdled appearance of the dish, so I don't expect a smooth soup. I'm also a bit surprised that it uses water rather than broth. 

What kind of cheese would you think would work? I'm starting out with the cheap stuff until I get my technique down, but I'm thinking a more intense flavour would be good. The recipe says 'fat' cheese.

Cheers

Giano