Post event thoughts

Arts in April iv is complete (OK I still have receipts to do but that is the last thing, promise).

It is always a pleasure to work with Anna and on this particular event it was a lot of just her and I hashing things out and making decisions.  It is only my opinion but I think we work well together. We have mutual trust, respect and love. These are rare things to find and so hold them fast!

My planning was done in advance and I was all set to go. Things got a little jumbled at times and other plans changed but as with most things it all works out in the end. Budget went over but there were price changes on ingredients that were sudden and unexpected. Specifically the beef for the bresaola It was about double the price I was expecting. It was ordered in advance and because I wasn't present when it was cut I couldn't stop her and say I only needed half the amount ( the pieces were long and could have been cut in half. . They were on the other hand the perfect width and thickness!

Multiplication of recipes is also never perfect and so there were leftovers of something and others went quite well.

I am over all happy with the way things went.

On personal notes: I was awarded 2 awards at the event. The first I was summoned from the kitchen for. And while someone came and retrieved my assistant to bring her in ... the cracked open the door between the hall and the kitchen and just yelled louder for me, lol! Feel the love... actually I did feel the love, all the love of the room when I walked into the hall to kneel before the Baron and Baroness. Everyone laughing and smiling as my hands were dirty, one from rolling meat the other from the batter for frying. At one point a very kind Aethstan came with a bowl and  towel for me to clean my hands, I chose to clean only the meat hand as the other was just going back into batter. To my surprise I was to be the third of the Barony to be given the Golden Book, The Knights Crossing A&S award. I was completely surprised and bewildered. I was in awe of the scroll and just completely overcome with the love.

During feast as is sometimes the want of their majesties to thank the staff, So... Anna and I went up front to represent the staff, as the space was small and all my kitchen helpers would not have fit and some requested not to be dragged into court at all. We were thanks and presented with some kind words and tokens for our efforts over the weekend, However it seemed their majesties had further business with me and so I was given into the company of the ring, the grant level of kingdom awards and as such was given into the company of the swan, the grant level A&S award. Again, Humbled and in awe of the scroll and the honor being bestowed upon me. and in tangent to this...

The award meant more to me in a much larger sense. I have been 'lobbying' for cooking to be taken seriously as an art and not dismissed as service for many years. I get that it is a service. A needed aspect of many events especially here in Drachenwald with the distances we travel etc... I honestly do what I do because I love it. I think those of us who cook especially are ones who do it out of love. If we didn't love it we wouldn't keep doing it, as is proven by the numbers of people who try but don't continue. This/ these awards to me mark an accomplishment not just for myself but for cooks in general. 

Bay vs Bay

I have a recipe that calls for 'sweet powder', and this powder calls for 'Indian bay leaf', so when I first made it I read up on this Indian bay leaf and all descriptions just said it was not like the traditional bay leaf that we find in our grandma's beef stew recipes. Ya know that leaf you throw in and even really sure why except that the recipe calls for it. Most people toss it before serving the stew, but not in my family, in my family the lucky person with it in their bowl did the dishes, lol!

Anyhow, the first time I made it I substituted regular bay leaf for the indian bay life. I mean, close enough right? I couldn't find the Indian bay and looking on amazon did not occur to me. This time around though, this time, I went directly to amazon and found I could get it with little trouble, so I ordered  bit. It arrived quickly and when it did I was quite intrigued to find out what the hubbub is with it.

So, being daring I broke off a piece and stuck it in my mouth, and..... nothing. It tasted like nothing and I was quite disappointed, Then I decided, chew on it a bit, can't hurt. I'm so glad I didn't give up, the flavor is amazing! It was cinnamon and gingery and a little numbing in the mouth the way clove does. The more I chewed the more flavor I got. It was NOTHING like it's counterpart that we use. This stuff was flavorful and delicious. I look forward to making the 'proper' sweet powder and seeing how it enhances the other flavors of the dish

Medieval chicken nuggets revisited

As said in my previous post I am revisiting some of my old recipes. Cleaning up some things, refining techniques, and just in general seeing when I can improve upon. Today was phase 2 of the medieval chicken nugget.

I had posted a basic recipe with my post about cooking them over a fire at Double Wars. I wasn't 100% satisfied then and I had questions.

Looking over the original I will have to do this again 😏 (oh how my heart breaks 😜 )

Here is what I have learned so far and the recipe I will use for the event.

3 chicken breasts boiled until soft (soft is important! This will take about an hour)
2 (125g ea) balls of mozzarella
35 gm grated parmesan
3 eggs
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/8 c sugar (that's 2 Tbsp) This can be upped to as much as 1/4 cup but I was going for less sweet

Boil the chicken until soft, cut into pieces, beat with an electric mixer. You can break it apart by hand but it is a lot of work!

Add the sugar, Cinnamon and cheese, beat it some more until well blended. Remember ultimately you are looking for  a paste consistency

add the eggs and beat some more! You want paste. If it is too dry add another egg or up to 3 egg yolks one at a time.

I put mine in the fridge overnight because I was tired. Tasted fine.

Portion into 1 Tbsp balls (I have a scoop that helps with this) I got 50! balls from the batch!

You need to have hot oil standing by in a fryer or heavy pan or cast iron. I used my cast iron frying pan 2/3 full of oil as that is what I had on hand. I could fit 10 balls in the pan with space for turning and proper cooking.

You need a batter of eggs and flour:

1 cup flour
4 eggs

This was enough to cover 40! of the balls. So I am thinking the ratio of 1/4 c flour per egg.

Your oil needs to be hot. Lightly coat the balls and put them in the hot oil. You are looking for golden brown all over, no pale spots. turn them as needed. i found that in my pan they would turn themselves! ( It was cool)

Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Serve!


OK, second experiment time. I fried my last 10 balls in the hot oil without coating them, YUM!!! Just fry them until they are deep brown so they are cooked through. This can be done as  gluten free option.

Third experiment: Reheating in an oven.
220c over under if using convection ( which my oven doesn't have, use 200c)

I tested both those that sat on a counter and those put in the fridge:
regardless of which you do 15-20 min in the over perks them up nicely!

Revisiting redactions

When is a redaction done? Is it ever truly done? do you revisit these creations or leave them after they have served their purpose?

These questions have recently popped up in my head and I felt 'called out' by them. I began to hear the recipes call to me like forgotten toys at the back of the closet, 'I'm tasty!,' 'You weren't completely happy with me but I was good enough.'. Especially the latter group calls to me, and so with an event on the horizon I am taking this opportunity to revisit some of these 'lost toys' and maybe get a chance to clean them up, give them a new shine and really make a go of them.

This weekend I played with my Meat Pasties. A recipe I originally garnered from a website but through some trial and error began to make it my own. Changing the spicing some and this last batch by far was the best tasting I had made yet. My children aren't fans of raisins so I am thinking of mashing them for the next batch to sneak them in and hold the sweetness and flavor.

I learned that to accommodate the gluten free crowd I would either need a crust of gluten free flour or I need to bake them. The sugar in them as well as the raisins do not lend to pan frying... but I tried.

I payed attention to measuring this time, well I should say portioning. How many does this actually make, something I often forget to track but in the long run is helpful to know.

I'm looking forward to the next revisit and that is my medieval chicken nuggets. I have many 'toys' to revisit and I do hope to get to them all as well as add to the toy chest.

In absentia

OK, recently I was to attend Serve it Forth but due to mundane intervention I was unable to make it, but my class and recipe was passed along to be taught and made in absentia.

My topic: care and feeding of vegetarians:

The following is/ was the notes on my subject.

I am addressing vegetarians and not vegans though with minor changes things can be made vegan friendly as well.

Vegetarian can mean many things, some might eat chicken and fish, others may eat no meat at all but be ok with products such as milk, butter and honey. When in doubt, ASK! Communication is key when it comes to anyone with dietary restrictions.

Vegan on the other hand is a very specific diet. No meat, animal products, or animal by products of any kind. No flesh of any kind, eggs, butter, milk, or honey.

Feeding vegetarians can be daunting and many people solve this by serving them some extra veggies or some bread and butter. For a weekend it they will get by but one is  forgetting that they really need sources of protein. We are providing protein for our omnivore friends, why not our vegetarian ones as well.

The average person’s need according to the DRI (Dietary Reference Intake), is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. This amounts to: 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman. I am not saying we can be perfect in providing all the protein they need but we can be mindful and do the best we can for them. Below is a small list of protein alternatives and their protein content. I have limited the list to period, simple to make items.

Alternative protein sources:

Lentils and beans: 4gm per ¼ cup (cooked)

Peas: 5gm per ⅔ cup

Eggs: 6gm per large egg

Rice: 2.7gm per ½ cup (cooked)

Oatmeal: 6gm per 1 cup (cooked)

Nuts:

Almonds: 5.9 gm in 22

Pistachios: 5.9 gm in 49

Walnut halves: 4.3 gm in 14  

Peanuts: 6.7 gm in 35

Cashews: 4.3 gm in 18

Cheese:

Parmesan: 10 gm per ounce

Cheddar, Brie, Gouda, Mozzarella: 6-7 gm per ounce

Cheese spread, cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta: 3 gm per ounce

Vegetables:

Broccoli: 6.8 gm per cup

Spinach: 13 gm per cup

Brussel Sprouts: 3 gm per cup

Fruits:

Apricot: Fresh; 2.2 gm per 1 cup halves

Dry; 4.4 gm per 1 cup halves
Orange: 1.7 gm per cup
Cantaloupe: 1.3 gm per 1 cup cubes

Peach: 1.4 gm per cup slices