[Sca-cooks] elderberries/flowers in Rumpolt

[wheezul at canby.com]

>   Hello,
>
> The flowers are tiny and white, but turned brownish as they wilted in
> the milk. They added a delicate flavor to the mix. I used a whisk to
> stir in the flour, which got the job done, but was not used by cooks in
> Rumpolt's time. I gave samples to my wife and two of my daughters. They
> all had the same reaction: stop, think for a minute, comment that it was
> "different," continue, eat the first sample, ask for a second, make the
> remaining mix disappear. I think this is a simple and unusual dish that
> makes a worthwhile addition to a chef's repertoire.
>
> Guillaume
> ********************************

Question about the whisk.  So far as I know they didn't have our modern
equivalent but (IIRC) at least one of the German recipes for 'schnee' or
'snow' or some other beaten egg white recipe calls for the use of a besom,
which I gather would perhaps be like a small broom-like bundle of thin
branches that could be used to whip much like a whisk.  Am I on the wrong
mental track here?  Should I track down where I read this and share? If it
was a kitchen implement, why wouldn't they use it when needed?

Geeking out on period cooking equipment,

Katherine