Budgeting for feast - part 2

Last month we started talking about budgeting for feast. We talked about how to determine how much money was available in the budget, and how to determine the appropriate amount of meat to buy. This month, let’s look at where it’s worth spending a little extra, and where you can save a bit of money.

When I was younger, my mother taught me that if you add the juice from one or two freshly squeezed oranges into a pitcher of orange juice made from frozen concentrate, the entire pitcher tasted like it was freshly squeezed. I use this basic concept in a few places when I’m preparing feasts, especially with mushrooms. There is a wide variety of mushrooms available in shops and markets, each with their own unique flavor. The more flavorful mushrooms, however, tend to get rather expensive rather quickly. Using a mixture of mushrooms is a wonderful way to get the flavor without necessarily having the high cost. If you use at least half white button mushrooms, usually the least expensive, and mix in some brown mushrooms along with a few with stronger flavors, such as  portabello or oyster mushrooms, you achieve a rich flavor at a fraction of the price.

Another place you can use this idea is with cheese. Some tarts, in particular, call for richly flavored, goat or sheep cheese. While tasty, these can be quite expensive. Blending these with a less expensive soft cheese, such as neufchatel, can save a significant amount of money without sacrificing much in the way of flavor or quality. Something else to play with is using a small amount of a higher quality cheese instead of a large amount of a cheaper one. Some flavors, such as an extremely mature cheddar or a good Stilton, for instance, are strong enough that a small amount will provide flavor to an entire dish. Even if you need to pay a bit more per kilo to buy a higher quality, you will likely find that the total cost is lower because you’re not buying as much.

One place in a feast that I don’t like to scrimp is on bread. While it is not a flashy part of a feast, bread often provides an important background flavor. Good bread is often a bit expensive, but is worth the cost. Good breads can be found at some of the open air markets, such as the one in Bury St. Edmunds, and some of the bakeries have websites available as well for larger orders. Portioning out the bread by slicing it before it goes on the table will help reduce waste and will also make the bread you have go a little farther.

If you don’t have the money in your budget for good bread, another alternative is to bake your own. It may sound intimidating, but there are some very simple recipes available. Don’t try to bake these on the day of the feast...you’ll never have enough time. The loaves can be frozen, though, or wrapped in foil and kept in a refrigerator for a few days and they’ll still taste fresh. There are several bread recipes available online, depending on the period and flavor you’re looking for. One of my favorite recipes, though is Oat Bread from the book “Tastes of Anglo Saxon England” by Mary Savelli.

Ingredients:

7g (1/4 oz; 2 ¼ tsp) dry active yeast

60 ml (2 fl oz; ¼ cup) warm water

120 ml (4 oz;1/2 cup) milk

45g (1 ½ oz; ½ cup) rolled oats

1 tsp salt

3 Tbsp lard (or other shortening)

85g (3 oz; ¼ cup) liquid honey

1 large egg; beaten

120 ml (4 fl oz; ½ cup) water

170 g (6 oz; 1 ½ cups) whole wheat flour

200 g (7 oz; 1 ¾ cups) plain white flour, sifted

1 tsp rolled oats

2 Tbsp milk

Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup warm water.

Heat the milk on the stove until small bubbles start forming around the edges of the pan, but don’t let it come to a full boil. Add the ½ cup of rolled oats and stir just to get the oats wet. Set the milk and oats aside.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the lard (I usually soften or melt it in the microwave first), honey, water, and egg. Mix in the oat/milk mixture, then add the yeast. Gradually stir in the flours, mixing until well blended.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until moderately stiff. (The book says it should take 8-10 minutes, but I’ve never timed it.) Place the dough in a large bowl that has been lightly buttered. Turn the dough over once, then put in a warm place covered in a towel and let rise for about an hour, until it doubles in size. (An airing cupboard seems to work really well for this.)

Punch down the dough (use your fist to gently push down the center, then fold the edges in toward the middle) then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with a towel and let it set in a warm spot for about 5 minutes. (I generally use this 5 minutes to butter the loaf tin.) Shape the bread into a loaf and place it into a greased bread tin, or shape into a round loaf on a baking stone. Brush the top with milk and sprinkle with oats. Cover with a cloth towel and set in a warm place to rise for another 45 minutes. (It should double in size again.)

Heat the oven to 190ºC (375ºF;GM 5) Bake 35-40 minutes, until the loaf is olden. If the loaf is browning too quickly, cover with foil after the first 20 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven when it’s done, and cool before serving.

To save time, this recipe can be doubled and baked in batches of two loaves.