[Sca-cooks] serving rice

[JIMCHEVAL at aol.com]

I don't know how much one can look to Western examples for hints of their  
models, but isn't blancmange thought to be Arab in origin?
 
These are from the Enseignemens:
 
"Blancmange  
If you want to make blancmange, take  the wings and the feet of hens and 
set them to cook in water, and take a little  rice and soak it in this water, 
then cook it over a low fire and then shred the  meat into a very fine 
tangle and set it to cook with a little sugar. Thus you  will have what is called 
laceis [“lacey”]. And if you want to put whole  rice to cook with the 
hen's broth or with almond milk, thus you will have what  is called engolée [“
gobs”]." 
"Blancmange for Lent 
If you want to make blancmange for  Lent, take rice and cook it in water, 
and drain it once it is cooked, and turn  over the pot and dry it [the rice] 
well, then pound it, mix it with  almond milk, stirring constantly, and then 
lay it out in bowls, and sprinkle  spices over it and nails of clove, or 
fried almonds." 
In general, I would think that once one goes beyond simply  serving gruel 
(be it of wheat or another grain) to making it an ornate dish, the  most 
natural approach would be (as in the second example) to place more  flavorful 
elements on the otherwise bland base.
 
Jim Chevallier

Comparing  early and late medieval food in France
_http://www.chezjim.com/food/pre-v/comparisons.html   

 
In a message dated 10/23/2013 2:21:40 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com writes:

So what are the possible  ways to serve rice? 

_ (http://www.chezjim.com/food/pre-v/comparisons.html)