Two Types of Cook

Hello there, and welcome back to the kitchen. I apologize to anyone who was looking for an article last month; I lost track of the date. Lets see if I can make up for it this month...

Medieval Quiche with variations

These are recipes I've been playing with lately, and I made a few of them this last weekend. I started from an article I found online called "To Make a Tart". It involves a couple variations on an Ember Day Tart.

Recipe - herbed cheese spread

Here's the recipe I started from to make the "green cheese" or "pot cheese" as the base for the spread. http://www.medievalcookery.com/recipes/cheese.html

Recipe - Stuffed Mushrooms

Yet another recipe that is more improvisation each time than it is specific recipe. Again, I've been making these for ages, and don't think I ever saw an actual recipe. A friend of mine taught me to make these as a vegetarian option for a feast about 10 years ago, and I've morphed it several times since then. Still, either modern or medieval, they're really tasty.

Recipe - Barley Pilaf

This is something else I've been making for years, and don't really have the original recipe anymore. I'm not even sure there ever really was an "original" recipe that I found, but I've seen similar recipes suggesting that this is a reasonably period dish, even if I can't specifically document it.

Feast Menu for Drachenwald's Spring Crown Tourney

I'm trying to remember to track my feast menus, so I have a reference to use for later. Here's the menu from the feast I cooked this last weekend, for Drachenwald's Spring Crown event. I'll also try to post where I got the recipes, if possible, or will post the specific recipes in separate posts.

Recipe - cucumbers and sour cream

I promised a few people the recipe for the Cucumbers & Sour Cream that was served at Crown Feast. While I know it's a documentable recipe, I've made it often enough that I don't remember where the original came from. However, here's how it was made.

Recipe - Nettle Soup

I can't post a link to an original recipe here, because I read a few recipes, apparently forgot to print any of them, and went from memory and improvisation when it came to actually cooking this for feast. Unfortunately, that means that I don't have any measurements for ingredients, so you'll have to use your discretion.

Recipe - Rose Candied Almonds

Here's the link to the original of the recipe I used : http://www.medievalcookery.com/recipes/almonds.html

I did it slightly differently, however. Instead of using Rose Water, I made Rose syrup and used that to sugar the almonds. It gives the almonds a stronger rose flavor.

To make the Rose Syrup:

Take Dried Rose petals from a reliable food-safe source. (Mine came from my garden).

Put the rose petals in a heat-safe bowl, and pour at least one cup of boiling water over them. Cover and let stand. (Essentially, you're making a tea of the petals. The stronger the scent of the petals, the stronger the flavor will be.)

When the color and scent have gone from the petals to the water, strain out the petals. Put the fluid in a saucepan on the stove at a medium heat. Slowly stir in twice as much sugar as you had fluid, melting it completely. (For example, if you have 1 cup of liquid, you will work up to adding 2 cups of sugar.) Continue stirring the mixture until all the sugar has melted. Make sure the sugar melts before you allow the mixture to boil. Then, bring to a slow boil and boil for just a few minutes. This Syrup can be stored in a clean jar in your refrigerator or used to make other items, such as the sugared almonds.

Using the syrup to make sugared almonds:

Remove the brown skin on almonds by soaking the almonds briefly in boiling water, then cooling them quickly in cold water and rubbing the skins off by hand. Dry the almonds completely before continuing the recipe. (I let mine dry overnight on a paper towel.)

Heat a skillet to medium heat on the stove. In a saucepan on a separate burner, heat your syrup without letting it boil. Add some almonds to the skillet, enough to almost cover the bottom in a single layer. Add syrup to the almonds a couple spoonfuls at a time stirring constantly until the pan and almonds are dry. Continue to add the syrup slowly and stir until the almonds are dry each time, until the almonds are sufficiently coated for your taste. Put the almonds on a plate to cool, and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. These can store in an airtight container, theoretically, for quite a while. However, I've never managed to keep them for longer than a week, as they have all been eaten before that time.