[Sca-cooks] FW: Cooking qustion

[Terry Decker]

Be careful here.  This isn't true sandalwood (genus Santalum) but saunders 
(AKA red sandalwood, Pterocarpus santalinus).  The volatile oils in true 
sandalwood can damage tissue.

Saunders is for color.  It is a dying agent.  It does not provide anything 
in the way of appealing flavor having a natural taste of a cross between 
sawdust and mud.  It does not dissolve in water although that will release 
some of the red color.  Clear alcohol extraction produces better color.  As 
for cutting sugery sweet, pencil shavings will work as well.

If you are trying to be historically accurate, use saunders.  If all you 
need is a little red coloring, food dye works fine.  I bought a couple 
ounces about 20 years ago and played with it a little.  What's left still 
resides somewhere in my kitchen.

Bear

>A friend is dipping her toe into the period cooking pool and asked me a 
>question that I didn't feel I had a good answer for. So, of course I bring 
>it here. - Hrothny
>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 9:22 AM
> To: 'Terri Morgan'
> Subject: Cooking qustion
>
> This might be odd but here goes…
>
> I found a recipe for something called apple muse, basically an apple 
> sauce/pudding that looks kind of tasty and it’s red!  Yay red!  But the 
> red seems to come from sandalwood which I do not have and is (as you know) 
> hard to find.  If I swap out the sandalwood with a little food coloring, 
> is that going to change the taste much?  From what I’ve been able to find 
> so far no one has much of anything to say about the flavor the sandalwood 
> gives, just the color.  The only flavor note I found was “unappealing” 
> which isn’t terribly helpful.  I would assume it would cut the surgery 
> sweet in the same way cinnamon does, but what it would cut it with is the 
> question and whether it makes any difference the issue.  Not having eaten 
> anything with sandalwood I’m asking you, who may have ☺
>
> Period cooking is fun.  Chemistry AND detective work!  And shopping.
>
> Thanks!
>
> -Oda