Normally I don't make personal posts... I have.. at times... and this is one of them. I will be back to the grindstone after having taken a much needed break to get some personal matters taken care of. This doesn't mean I have been doing nothing... just nothing I have been posting about. I have been refining some of my old recipes and reading, lots of reading; I will get back to practical work shortly though.
What is behind is behind and what is ahead is cooking for 2 events :)
First will be a small event that my shire hosts Arts in April. Limited to 40 people due to the size of the site it is a single trach arts and sciences focused event. Teachers come and teach on various topics. There is enough space to either attend the class or hang out and talk about other things elsewhere in the small building. Small and intimate and lovely, despite great interest in the event we have no desire to change it's format or location. We feel part of its appeal is the small nature and intimate of the event.
Second is food for Summer Coronation. Feast is capped at 80 people (in the hall). I have far too many ideas at this time but may list them in a further post to get them out in the open to start fiddling with them as more complete ideas.
Also ahead is desire. I have the desire to cook and present in 2 fashions. One is to host an all day grand feast, complete with entertainment and such between courses, or at least be able to devote a good 4-6 hours to such a structure. The other is to hold a gourmet feast. Local foods as organic as I can get them. This would likely be a small affair of maybe 20 or so people and would be more expensive than your average event. Someday I will get to these things, in the mean time I will dream :)
It will be good to be back in the kitchen and moving around. I look forward to telling you of my findings and adventures... until then...
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Gilded Fried Bread in Butter or Rendered Fat
Page 253 recipe # 232 (Scappi)
Served at KWDS this was a vegetarian substitution and fried in butter
Original:
Get twenty beaten egg yolks, six ounces of finely grated bread, three-quarters of an ounce of cinnamon, three ounces of sugar, three ounces of rosewater and a little saffron, and mix all that together with very finely beaten herbs. get crustless fresh bread slices the thickness of a knife blade, dredge the slices in that mixture, fry them in butter or rendered fat and serve them hot with sugar and cinnamon over them and splashed with rosewater.
Redaction:
4 eggs
4 eggs
1 Tbsp Rosewater
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Mixed herbs
1 Tbsp Mixed herbs
1/3 c bread crumbs
4 slices of bread
Butter for frying
Cinnamon sugar mix
Beat the eggs with a fod
Add the rosewater, sugar, herbs, and bread crumbs
Beat until well mixed
Heat a pan with butter
Dredge each slice individually, spreading it on if necessary
Fry in the butter until golden brown on both sides
Serve sprinkled with cinnamon sugar
Serves 4 people 1 slice each
This was a good quick recipe.
I see some fine tuning that can be done with it as the redaction has no cinnamon other than the sprinkle of cinnamon sugar at the end. The rosewater could be upped to keep the mixture from getting too thick to dredge in. I was able to dredge the first 2 1/2 pieces and then needed to spread the mixture for the last 1 1/2.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Tea Time / Kaffeezeit
Each day there was a time when something light was put out. Usually some salami, cheese and something sweet. The sweets were well received. We were unable to accomplish one as figs were completely unfindable so we doubled up on the Elizabethan Gingerbread, which delighted many.
Elizabethan Gingerbread (Delightes of Ladies by Sir Hugh Platt)
This recipes from all accounts has stumped many. When it is good it is very very good, when it is bad it is horrid! I have never had any trouble with the following recipe even when upscaling it.
4 cups Honey
450 gm breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp Ginger
1 tsp White pepper
Boil the honey, skim if necessary (modern honey from the store usually does not need skimming)
In a bowl mix the breadcrumbs ( the super dry crumbled ones not torn pieces of bread) with the spices. Make sure that they are fully incorporated an there are no spice lumps.
Pour the honey into the breadcrumbs and mix until the breadcrumbs soak up all the honey.
To form it place it in a buttered form or pour onto waxed paper or parchment paper and spread it with buttered hands.
You can decorate the gingerbread with saunders (red sandalwood) or colored powdered sugar.
Waffres ( from two fifteenth century cookery books)
12 Eggs
3 cups flour
1/3 c sugar
1 Tbsp Ginger
1 1/2 cups Cheese
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat your waffle iron
Beat together all ingredients
Pour batter into the waffle iron as directed by the manufacturer
cook until done
Elizabethan Biscuit Bread (Elinor Fettiplace)
These too were a big hit.
450 gm Flour
450 gm Sugar
8 eggs
8 egg yolks *
14 gm Coriander seeds (whole)
28 gm Anise Seeds (whole)
Preheat over to 170c
Mix all ingredients into a smooth batter *
Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop batter into cookies
Bake 8-10 minutes until the edges are golden brown
* Add yolks if you want lighter cookies
These can be done on a buttered griddle similar to pancakes as well as be poured into a shallow sheet cake type pan and then cut. If you do them in a sheet, cut them and the place them on the sheet again and toast for another 10 min like biscotti.
Peascods in Lent (The Good Housewifes Jewel)
This did not get made as i could not find figs!
900 gm Figs (dry)
100 gm Dates
100 gm Raisins, sultanas or currants
1 cup Water
1 cup Red wine
Mix wine and water in a large bowl
Add figs, dates and raisins.
Soak overnight
In the morning bring the mixture to a boil for 5-10 min
When the mixture has cooled puree it
Prepare paste (you will need at least a double paste)
Roll out the paste in 2 portions of equal size and thickness
Place one paste on a parchment lined cookie sheet
Spread the mixture on top of the past
Top with the second paste and seal
Bake in the oven 20 - 30 minutes until golden brown
Cut and serve warm or cold
These can be made into small portions as well.
The original instructions were to cut the paste into circles, fill them and then fry them. These are tasty but not practical to serve a large crowd this way. Also when fried they need to be served hot.
Elizabethan Gingerbread (Delightes of Ladies by Sir Hugh Platt)
This recipes from all accounts has stumped many. When it is good it is very very good, when it is bad it is horrid! I have never had any trouble with the following recipe even when upscaling it.
4 cups Honey
450 gm breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp Ginger
1 tsp White pepper
Boil the honey, skim if necessary (modern honey from the store usually does not need skimming)
In a bowl mix the breadcrumbs ( the super dry crumbled ones not torn pieces of bread) with the spices. Make sure that they are fully incorporated an there are no spice lumps.
Pour the honey into the breadcrumbs and mix until the breadcrumbs soak up all the honey.
To form it place it in a buttered form or pour onto waxed paper or parchment paper and spread it with buttered hands.
You can decorate the gingerbread with saunders (red sandalwood) or colored powdered sugar.
Waffres ( from two fifteenth century cookery books)
12 Eggs
3 cups flour
1/3 c sugar
1 Tbsp Ginger
1 1/2 cups Cheese
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat your waffle iron
Beat together all ingredients
Pour batter into the waffle iron as directed by the manufacturer
cook until done
Elizabethan Biscuit Bread (Elinor Fettiplace)
These too were a big hit.
450 gm Flour
450 gm Sugar
8 eggs
8 egg yolks *
14 gm Coriander seeds (whole)
28 gm Anise Seeds (whole)
Preheat over to 170c
Mix all ingredients into a smooth batter *
Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop batter into cookies
Bake 8-10 minutes until the edges are golden brown
* Add yolks if you want lighter cookies
These can be done on a buttered griddle similar to pancakes as well as be poured into a shallow sheet cake type pan and then cut. If you do them in a sheet, cut them and the place them on the sheet again and toast for another 10 min like biscotti.
Peascods in Lent (The Good Housewifes Jewel)
This did not get made as i could not find figs!
900 gm Figs (dry)
100 gm Dates
100 gm Raisins, sultanas or currants
1 cup Water
1 cup Red wine
Mix wine and water in a large bowl
Add figs, dates and raisins.
Soak overnight
In the morning bring the mixture to a boil for 5-10 min
When the mixture has cooled puree it
Prepare paste (you will need at least a double paste)
Roll out the paste in 2 portions of equal size and thickness
Place one paste on a parchment lined cookie sheet
Spread the mixture on top of the past
Top with the second paste and seal
Bake in the oven 20 - 30 minutes until golden brown
Cut and serve warm or cold
These can be made into small portions as well.
The original instructions were to cut the paste into circles, fill them and then fry them. These are tasty but not practical to serve a large crowd this way. Also when fried they need to be served hot.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Compost
Such an ugly name for such a delightful dish. Over the course of KWDS I made 2 different types of compost and despite the name of the dish it seemed to go over very well.
The first which I have spoken about before here in my blog is a recipe from Liber de Coquina. The first time I made this recipe it was met with some very mixed reviews. It seemed that people either loved it or hated it, at KWDS people loved it!
1 kg Pears (make sure they are hard pears and not soft, soft pears do NOT work at all)
4 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp anise seeds
20 gm sultanas or raisins or currants
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
Peel, seed and cube the pears into bite sized pieces
Place pears in a pot just covered with water , as soon as the pot comes to a boil remove the pears from the heat
Drain the pears
Lightly crush the coriander and anise together
While the pears are still warm mix the spices with the pears, add the raisins and vinegar
When cool place in the refrigerator for 12 hrs to a few days for the flavors to mingle
Serve cold
The second compost recipe is one I found in a couple of places but ultimately comes from The Boke or Kervynge.
250 gm Carrots
250 gm Parsnips
300 gm Turnips
400 gm White cabbage
485 gm Hard pears
250 ml Muscatel (sweet white wine)
1 c white wine vinegar
1/4 c honey
1 tsp sweet powder
1/2 tsp Anise seed
1/2 tsp Fennel seed
2 tsp Mustard seed
1/4 tsp Cinnamon (ground)
1/4 tsp Cardamom (ground)
1/4 tsp Black pepper
Prepare the vegetables and pears by peeling and chopping them into bite sized pieces (Not the cabbage yet)
Place in a large pot and boil until they are softened (about 5 min or so)
Core and chop the cabbage
Remove the pot from the heat and place the cabbage on top
Let it sit for 5 min
Drain
Lightly salt the vegetables and cool
Meanwhile crush the mix with honey, wine and other spices, heat to incorporate honey
When vegetables are cool place them in a non reactive (not metal) container
Pour the spiced honey/wine mixture and the vinegar over the vegetable and stir
Store in a cool place for 12+ hours.
This is one that gets better the longer it sits, just stir it every few hours.
*The sweet powder recipe I used is based off of a Poudre Douce recipe in Liber de Coquina with the ratios of:
1/4 tsp Clove (ground)
1 tsp Bay leaf (ground)
1 tsp Cinnamon (ground)
1 tsp Ginger (ground)
I used normal bay but the recipe calls for Indian Bay leaf.
The first which I have spoken about before here in my blog is a recipe from Liber de Coquina. The first time I made this recipe it was met with some very mixed reviews. It seemed that people either loved it or hated it, at KWDS people loved it!
1 kg Pears (make sure they are hard pears and not soft, soft pears do NOT work at all)
4 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp anise seeds
20 gm sultanas or raisins or currants
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
Peel, seed and cube the pears into bite sized pieces
Place pears in a pot just covered with water , as soon as the pot comes to a boil remove the pears from the heat
Drain the pears
Lightly crush the coriander and anise together
While the pears are still warm mix the spices with the pears, add the raisins and vinegar
When cool place in the refrigerator for 12 hrs to a few days for the flavors to mingle
Serve cold
The second compost recipe is one I found in a couple of places but ultimately comes from The Boke or Kervynge.
250 gm Carrots
250 gm Parsnips
300 gm Turnips
400 gm White cabbage
485 gm Hard pears
250 ml Muscatel (sweet white wine)
1 c white wine vinegar
1/4 c honey
1 tsp sweet powder
1/2 tsp Anise seed
1/2 tsp Fennel seed
2 tsp Mustard seed
1/4 tsp Cinnamon (ground)
1/4 tsp Cardamom (ground)
1/4 tsp Black pepper
Prepare the vegetables and pears by peeling and chopping them into bite sized pieces (Not the cabbage yet)
Place in a large pot and boil until they are softened (about 5 min or so)
Core and chop the cabbage
Remove the pot from the heat and place the cabbage on top
Let it sit for 5 min
Drain
Lightly salt the vegetables and cool
Meanwhile crush the mix with honey, wine and other spices, heat to incorporate honey
When vegetables are cool place them in a non reactive (not metal) container
Pour the spiced honey/wine mixture and the vinegar over the vegetable and stir
Store in a cool place for 12+ hours.
This is one that gets better the longer it sits, just stir it every few hours.
*The sweet powder recipe I used is based off of a Poudre Douce recipe in Liber de Coquina with the ratios of:
1/4 tsp Clove (ground)
1 tsp Bay leaf (ground)
1 tsp Cinnamon (ground)
1 tsp Ginger (ground)
I used normal bay but the recipe calls for Indian Bay leaf.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Pie fillings
I should mention that if I even want to make more than 1 dish in a day with a pie crust I am to be slapped! With that said, I will put all my pie filling recipes here that were used. I will include the filling for the pasties as well. I will begin with my basic pie dough recipe I use and end with the special dough that should be used for the egg pies.
Basic pie dough, makes 2 crusts.
2/3 cup butter ( soft is OK but it is better firmer)
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
6-7 Tbsp cold water (I mean cold!)
Place the flour in a bowl, add salt and stir.
Blend in the butter with a fork, pastry cutter or even your hands until the mixture is coarse.
Add water 1 Tbsp at a time and blend. You want a soft but not sticky consistency.
The amount of water used will depend on humidity of the kitchen as well as the flour.
Roll out the dough and place in your pie tin, curl up the edges to make the crust. I like to press mine with a fork after.
* when making a single crust use
1/3 cup Butter
1 1/4 cup Flour
Pinch of salt
3-4 Tbsp cold water
Fillings:
A pie of coleworts (Good Housewife's Jewel)
1 pie crust
24 cups of Kale fresh and dry (can also use spinach, cabbage or other coleworts)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger
Wilt the kale (if using cabbage salt it and pound it to reduce it and break it up)
Mix with spices, butter and eggs. You can add more spices to taste.
Bake at 170c for approximately 30 min. The crust should be firm and golden.
Mushroom Pie (Le Me'nagier de Paris)
1 pie crust
1 kg mushrooms
6Tbsp Olive oil + oil for sauteing
1 1/2 c cheese (use a blend for best results, we used Gouda, Parmesan and Emmentaler)
3/4 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Pepper
3/4 tsp Ginger
Saute the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil or butter, drain.
Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and mix with oil, cheese and spices.
Pour into the pie crust and bake at 170c for 35 - 40 min. Until pastry is firm and golden brown.
Tart de Bry (The Forme of Cury)
1 pie crust
6 egg yolks
500 gm Brie (room temp)
1 Tbsp ginger
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp water
1/16 tsp salt
Break up the brie into a bowl.
Sprinkle ginger, sugar and salt on top.
Add the yolks and water.
Mash together with either a fork or your hands to break the brie up well.
Place in the paste and bake at 175c for approximately 50 min or until the cheese is set.
For the pasties: (Hand pies are mentioned in several sources and depicted in several manuscripts, thes particular recipes have no source)
Prepare the pie crust and roll to 3mm (1/8 in) thick and cut into 3 inch rounds. You will get approximately 18 from the recipe.
Beef filling:
500 gm Ground Beef
1/3 cup Currants (or Raisins)
6 Dates pitted and finely chopped
1 Tbsp (heaping) of fresh grated Ginger
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1 Tbsp brown sugar (or sugar in the raw)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Pepper (freshly ground)
Turkey or chicken filling:
500 gm ground Turkey
1 Tbsp Fresh green herbs
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp Dill
1/4 tsp Sage
1/8 tsp Salt
Pinch of Pepper
Pork filling:
500 gm ground Pork
1 Tbsp fresh green herbs
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp Dill
1/8 tsp Salt
Pinch of pepper
All filling should be made ahead by at least 6 hrs
Have oil on hand for your hands and measuring cup.
Using a 1/4 cup measure (oiled), fill with filling.
Pop out of measure and divide in half
Place 1/2 on a 3 in round, fold over and seal with water and a fork around the edge.
Place on parchment lined baking sheet, brush tops with 1 beaten egg with 1 Tbsp water.
Bake at 175c for 15-20 min until golden brown.
Note: before brushing with egg they can be placed single layer on trays in the freezer, when they are frozen they can be placed in ziploc bags and kept. No need to thaw before baking just add 5-10 min baking time.
Tart of Eggs (the Good Housewife's Jewel)
Filling:
12 Eggs
2 Egg whites (will be leftover from the special crust)
3 Tbsp Rosewater
2 Tbsp Sugar
Special pie crust:
1 1/4 c Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Butter
2 Egg yolks
2 Tbsp Rosewater
The instructions for making the crust are the same as for the regular crust except you add the yolks in with the liquid. If the paste is too dry add tsp of water at a time to get right consistency.
Fill the pie crust and bake at 180c for 25-25 min or until the paste and filling are set and a light golden brown.
Basic pie dough, makes 2 crusts.
2/3 cup butter ( soft is OK but it is better firmer)
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
6-7 Tbsp cold water (I mean cold!)
Place the flour in a bowl, add salt and stir.
Blend in the butter with a fork, pastry cutter or even your hands until the mixture is coarse.
Add water 1 Tbsp at a time and blend. You want a soft but not sticky consistency.
The amount of water used will depend on humidity of the kitchen as well as the flour.
Roll out the dough and place in your pie tin, curl up the edges to make the crust. I like to press mine with a fork after.
* when making a single crust use
1/3 cup Butter
1 1/4 cup Flour
Pinch of salt
3-4 Tbsp cold water
Fillings:
A pie of coleworts (Good Housewife's Jewel)
1 pie crust
24 cups of Kale fresh and dry (can also use spinach, cabbage or other coleworts)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Ginger
Wilt the kale (if using cabbage salt it and pound it to reduce it and break it up)
Mix with spices, butter and eggs. You can add more spices to taste.
Bake at 170c for approximately 30 min. The crust should be firm and golden.
Mushroom Pie (Le Me'nagier de Paris)
1 pie crust
1 kg mushrooms
6Tbsp Olive oil + oil for sauteing
1 1/2 c cheese (use a blend for best results, we used Gouda, Parmesan and Emmentaler)
3/4 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Pepper
3/4 tsp Ginger
Saute the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil or butter, drain.
Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and mix with oil, cheese and spices.
Pour into the pie crust and bake at 170c for 35 - 40 min. Until pastry is firm and golden brown.
Tart de Bry (The Forme of Cury)
1 pie crust
6 egg yolks
500 gm Brie (room temp)
1 Tbsp ginger
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp water
1/16 tsp salt
Break up the brie into a bowl.
Sprinkle ginger, sugar and salt on top.
Add the yolks and water.
Mash together with either a fork or your hands to break the brie up well.
Place in the paste and bake at 175c for approximately 50 min or until the cheese is set.
For the pasties: (Hand pies are mentioned in several sources and depicted in several manuscripts, thes particular recipes have no source)
Prepare the pie crust and roll to 3mm (1/8 in) thick and cut into 3 inch rounds. You will get approximately 18 from the recipe.
Beef filling:
500 gm Ground Beef
1/3 cup Currants (or Raisins)
6 Dates pitted and finely chopped
1 Tbsp (heaping) of fresh grated Ginger
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1 Tbsp brown sugar (or sugar in the raw)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Pepper (freshly ground)
Turkey or chicken filling:
500 gm ground Turkey
1 Tbsp Fresh green herbs
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp Dill
1/4 tsp Sage
1/8 tsp Salt
Pinch of Pepper
Pork filling:
500 gm ground Pork
1 Tbsp fresh green herbs
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp Dill
1/8 tsp Salt
Pinch of pepper
All filling should be made ahead by at least 6 hrs
Have oil on hand for your hands and measuring cup.
Using a 1/4 cup measure (oiled), fill with filling.
Pop out of measure and divide in half
Place 1/2 on a 3 in round, fold over and seal with water and a fork around the edge.
Place on parchment lined baking sheet, brush tops with 1 beaten egg with 1 Tbsp water.
Bake at 175c for 15-20 min until golden brown.
Note: before brushing with egg they can be placed single layer on trays in the freezer, when they are frozen they can be placed in ziploc bags and kept. No need to thaw before baking just add 5-10 min baking time.
Tart of Eggs (the Good Housewife's Jewel)
Filling:
12 Eggs
2 Egg whites (will be leftover from the special crust)
3 Tbsp Rosewater
2 Tbsp Sugar
Special pie crust:
1 1/4 c Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Butter
2 Egg yolks
2 Tbsp Rosewater
The instructions for making the crust are the same as for the regular crust except you add the yolks in with the liquid. If the paste is too dry add tsp of water at a time to get right consistency.
Fill the pie crust and bake at 180c for 25-25 min or until the paste and filling are set and a light golden brown.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
stuffed sheep's leg
Stuffed sheep's leg
Page 170 book 2 recipe # 69 To braise a stuffed leg of whether whole
Original:
Get a leg of the good sort described above and beat it with a bat until it separates from the bone in the middle of it, then carefully draw out that bone which is the hollow bone, leaving the knee pad there. Along with the bone remove some of the flesh and beat that with an equivalent amount of pork fat, marbled prosciutto and garlic cloves, adding in pepper, cinnamon, beaten herbs and a few raisins and saffron. Turn the leg inside out and slash the inner flesh here and there, being careful not to cut through to the skin. Splash the flesh with rose vinegar and sprinkle on pepper, sugar and cinnamon.Then turn right side out again and stuff it with the mixture, sew it up with cord, and put it into a stewing pot which has beaten pork fat in it and enough meat broth to cover the leg; add in verjuice, common spices, and prunes and dried visciola cherries. Seal the post so that it cannot breath, and set it to cook over a low fire for two hours. When it is done, serve it hot with the cord removed and that broth over it.
If you want to spit -roast it, when it is stuffed half-cook it by boiling, take it out, let it cool lard it with very small bits of pork fat, and mount it on a spit. Cook it as you do roasts. You can also cook it in an oven, after it is full of the same mixture used to stuff it when stewing it, putting in less broth. You can also put it raw on the spit.
What we did:
I purchased a leg of sheep (I asked for whether but the lady said lamb when I picked it up, so I am not sure which one I actually got) It was roughly 2 kg with the bone in.
I placed it in a large ziploc bag and beat it with a "bat" (my french pin) for about 20 min. I could have beaten it longer and next time I need to pay closer attention to the ends. Much of the tissue did disconnect from the bone but for speed we used a knife to cut it the rest of the way off the bone. It easily turned itself inside out while removing the bone.
Trim off piece that can not be stuffed , about 4 inches of the top, this is the piece you will grind up to use as stuffing. Do not throw away the bone, use it to make the stock.
Cut the "extra" meat into 1" pieces and slightly freeze to make it easier to mince (grind or use a food processor).
Turn the leg inside out, I sprinkled my leg with branntweinessig and rose water, then lightly sprinkled it with pepper, cinnamon and sugar.
For the stuffing I used what I had on hand: Next time use:
2 1/2 tsp pepper 2 Tbsp
50 gm 8 herb mix (frozen but thawed) 150 gm
380 gm meat (cut from the top of the leg, skin removed)
240 gm fat (beef fat)
1 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp
20 gm of raisins
1/2 head of garlic 1 head
200 gm schwarzwald ham
Notice there is no salt, I boiled the bone in a pot of salted water and the ham provided more than enough salt for the dish. This made more than enough to stuff it well! So well I couldn't even think of sewing it shut and so just tied it with string to help keep the stuffing in.
I used my enameled cast iron dutch oven in the oven. But first heated it up and seared the outside of it on my stove, added the broth to half cover and covered and placed in my oven. I had pre heated it to 200c and forgot to turn it down, so there it cooked for 2 hrs undisturbed and then sat covered for 20 min - 1/2 hr before I sliced it. It was very tasty!!!
Notes and next time:
The taste was great! though next time we will boost the herbs, garlic and spices some :) The meat was just on the edge of dry but not quite there. I will reduce the temp and the cooking time down to about 170c for 1hr 30min - 1hr 45 min, sheep can have a little pink. I am looking forward to making this again!
Post event and "again" notes:
The upping of the spices was perfect for me but maybe scale back a little on the Garlic to 3/4 of a head. Depends on how large the heads are, how much you like garlic and how pungent they are.
The fat used should be equal to the "extra meat" that is cut off to be used to stuff the leg. You can even go a bit over though I wouldn't go too much.
Lower temperature and a shorter cook time did the trick and it was still tender and moist!
A bug hit many people talked about.
Page 170 book 2 recipe # 69 To braise a stuffed leg of whether whole
Original:
Get a leg of the good sort described above and beat it with a bat until it separates from the bone in the middle of it, then carefully draw out that bone which is the hollow bone, leaving the knee pad there. Along with the bone remove some of the flesh and beat that with an equivalent amount of pork fat, marbled prosciutto and garlic cloves, adding in pepper, cinnamon, beaten herbs and a few raisins and saffron. Turn the leg inside out and slash the inner flesh here and there, being careful not to cut through to the skin. Splash the flesh with rose vinegar and sprinkle on pepper, sugar and cinnamon.Then turn right side out again and stuff it with the mixture, sew it up with cord, and put it into a stewing pot which has beaten pork fat in it and enough meat broth to cover the leg; add in verjuice, common spices, and prunes and dried visciola cherries. Seal the post so that it cannot breath, and set it to cook over a low fire for two hours. When it is done, serve it hot with the cord removed and that broth over it.
If you want to spit -roast it, when it is stuffed half-cook it by boiling, take it out, let it cool lard it with very small bits of pork fat, and mount it on a spit. Cook it as you do roasts. You can also cook it in an oven, after it is full of the same mixture used to stuff it when stewing it, putting in less broth. You can also put it raw on the spit.
What we did:
I purchased a leg of sheep (I asked for whether but the lady said lamb when I picked it up, so I am not sure which one I actually got) It was roughly 2 kg with the bone in.
I placed it in a large ziploc bag and beat it with a "bat" (my french pin) for about 20 min. I could have beaten it longer and next time I need to pay closer attention to the ends. Much of the tissue did disconnect from the bone but for speed we used a knife to cut it the rest of the way off the bone. It easily turned itself inside out while removing the bone.
Trim off piece that can not be stuffed , about 4 inches of the top, this is the piece you will grind up to use as stuffing. Do not throw away the bone, use it to make the stock.
Cut the "extra" meat into 1" pieces and slightly freeze to make it easier to mince (grind or use a food processor).
Turn the leg inside out, I sprinkled my leg with branntweinessig and rose water, then lightly sprinkled it with pepper, cinnamon and sugar.
For the stuffing I used what I had on hand: Next time use:
2 1/2 tsp pepper 2 Tbsp
50 gm 8 herb mix (frozen but thawed) 150 gm
380 gm meat (cut from the top of the leg, skin removed)
240 gm fat (beef fat)
1 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp
20 gm of raisins
1/2 head of garlic 1 head
200 gm schwarzwald ham
Notice there is no salt, I boiled the bone in a pot of salted water and the ham provided more than enough salt for the dish. This made more than enough to stuff it well! So well I couldn't even think of sewing it shut and so just tied it with string to help keep the stuffing in.
I used my enameled cast iron dutch oven in the oven. But first heated it up and seared the outside of it on my stove, added the broth to half cover and covered and placed in my oven. I had pre heated it to 200c and forgot to turn it down, so there it cooked for 2 hrs undisturbed and then sat covered for 20 min - 1/2 hr before I sliced it. It was very tasty!!!
Notes and next time:
The taste was great! though next time we will boost the herbs, garlic and spices some :) The meat was just on the edge of dry but not quite there. I will reduce the temp and the cooking time down to about 170c for 1hr 30min - 1hr 45 min, sheep can have a little pink. I am looking forward to making this again!
Post event and "again" notes:
The upping of the spices was perfect for me but maybe scale back a little on the Garlic to 3/4 of a head. Depends on how large the heads are, how much you like garlic and how pungent they are.
The fat used should be equal to the "extra meat" that is cut off to be used to stuff the leg. You can even go a bit over though I wouldn't go too much.
Lower temperature and a shorter cook time did the trick and it was still tender and moist!
A bug hit many people talked about.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
It is done...
All the build up... all the planning... and the hustle and bustle ... and it is done
KWDS 11 was a fantastic event, smooth running and pleasant. While I spent most of my time in or around the kitchen I did get out to see some of the dancing, particularly the Masque. It was lovely and from the sounds everyone was making it was really enjoyed by all.
My concern though, was the food and the kitchen and what I have to say on that and that is "I dropped the ball, and it bounced!"
The food was good, filling and in most cases enough to more than enough.
I am going to use this space to talk through my problems first and then get on with the good stuff. Recipes will come in follow up posts.
We had our first hiccough with the first dinner some chicken legs were missed in the confusion that was the walk in and so in the end I think a few people went without. So what did we do... thinking we had cooked them all? Bought extra the next day for dinner... yup, we had those leftover too :/
Peas, mushrooms and pears, oh my!
First with not enough mushrooms and then too much. Part of it was calculation and part of it was shopping error. The trouble was not finding enough and then the pie tins I had were smaller than average, so we had leftover filling for pies. Which people gladly enough ate. We were a little light on the mushrooms and leaks as a side dish though but were trying to conserve for the pies. We also sent a non kitchen member out for mushrooms without giving a specific amount to purchase and so we had leftover mushrooms.
Peas, I really have no clue. We ended up buying peas in 3 different stores and I think we really needed only to buy them at two. I believe that after one of the purchases they did not get marked off the list and so extra ended up being bought.
Pears, I never want to see a pear again! OK maybe just not for a bit. Both composts contained pears and we had a pear dessert. They need to make a gadget for peeling and coring pears! Mostly my complaint on pears is that we had to work with tons of them, and I cut my finger.
Pies, If I ever want to do more than 1 pie or more than 1 recipe that has paste per day again... SLAP ME! Seriously, I know they have an awesome oven but someone just beat me if I ever get that bright idea again!
Not everyone will show up for every meal! This includes feast! This was sort of a surprise.
Scaling up pudding is not something you should do! I think I may have discovered a problem with the recipe as well but that will require some investigation.
Now the elephant in the room and where I feel I dropped the ball. My health is not something i particularly talk about a lot, at least not outside of private conversation but I am going to talk about it now. I am about to turn 41, I am overweight and I have chronic pain issues. None of these things were a factor in the dropping of the ball. A few years back when my mom died it threw my body into "shock". Traumatic events can trigger (especially in women) hormonal changes. Well, I was hit with a change I wasn't prepared for, I was hit with the beginning stage of "the CHANGE", perimenopause. This affects my body in many ways most of which are not anything I will discuss here. I will discuss here the mental change that has happened.
I have dealt with depression all my life, my own and my mother's. What I only had an outsiders view of until now was anxiety. It seems one of the common effects of perimenopause is anxiety. This is what hit me like a ton of bricks. Had it been about the food, the feast or the general state of the kitchen I would have understood, I could have dealt better but it wasn't. I had confidence in my crew, in the kitchen and we were progressing really well! This was different, a closed feeling like I was continually being squeezed by some sort of constrictor I could see. Clothes that fit fine felt too tight, I felt like I couldn't breathe and worst of all I couldn't function.
It took a bit to put my finger on what was going on, at first it seemed I was just suffering from exhaustion. I hadn't slept well the night before due to not being able to get comfortable with what I thought at the time was a sinus issue. So I woke up tired and slow going but we got out and to the store and back in good time. I started to eat my breakfast and that is when the tightening started. No feeling of dread or panic but just a tightening. Due to circumstances shortly after this began I broke down and thanks to good friends I was able to get dressed and try to move on. I took a seat outside the kitchen and did only what they would let me. I spent my day in conversation as I had most of the day before, but to me I was dropping the ball. It was the BIG day and I should have been more helpful, I should have been doing more, I should not have been sick, and this is when the ball bounced. The kitchen staff took over and I was only there as a consult. I don't even remember cutting or chopping or peeling or anything, and like a well oiled machine it moved on. Everything was on time, everything was going smooth. It bounced!
The food was good tasting and what was supposed to be hot was hot, what was supposed to be cold was cold. Service was on time and friendly :) Ideas were exchanged and a lot of love as well.
A week and 2 days later I can look back at the bouncing ball and not say "I did that" but WE did that. I could not have done it without the awesome team I had and maybe partially they couldn't have done it without me, but I am pretty sure they could have because they did.
KWDS 11 was a fantastic event, smooth running and pleasant. While I spent most of my time in or around the kitchen I did get out to see some of the dancing, particularly the Masque. It was lovely and from the sounds everyone was making it was really enjoyed by all.
My concern though, was the food and the kitchen and what I have to say on that and that is "I dropped the ball, and it bounced!"
The food was good, filling and in most cases enough to more than enough.
I am going to use this space to talk through my problems first and then get on with the good stuff. Recipes will come in follow up posts.
We had our first hiccough with the first dinner some chicken legs were missed in the confusion that was the walk in and so in the end I think a few people went without. So what did we do... thinking we had cooked them all? Bought extra the next day for dinner... yup, we had those leftover too :/
Peas, mushrooms and pears, oh my!
First with not enough mushrooms and then too much. Part of it was calculation and part of it was shopping error. The trouble was not finding enough and then the pie tins I had were smaller than average, so we had leftover filling for pies. Which people gladly enough ate. We were a little light on the mushrooms and leaks as a side dish though but were trying to conserve for the pies. We also sent a non kitchen member out for mushrooms without giving a specific amount to purchase and so we had leftover mushrooms.
Peas, I really have no clue. We ended up buying peas in 3 different stores and I think we really needed only to buy them at two. I believe that after one of the purchases they did not get marked off the list and so extra ended up being bought.
Pears, I never want to see a pear again! OK maybe just not for a bit. Both composts contained pears and we had a pear dessert. They need to make a gadget for peeling and coring pears! Mostly my complaint on pears is that we had to work with tons of them, and I cut my finger.
Pies, If I ever want to do more than 1 pie or more than 1 recipe that has paste per day again... SLAP ME! Seriously, I know they have an awesome oven but someone just beat me if I ever get that bright idea again!
Not everyone will show up for every meal! This includes feast! This was sort of a surprise.
Scaling up pudding is not something you should do! I think I may have discovered a problem with the recipe as well but that will require some investigation.
Now the elephant in the room and where I feel I dropped the ball. My health is not something i particularly talk about a lot, at least not outside of private conversation but I am going to talk about it now. I am about to turn 41, I am overweight and I have chronic pain issues. None of these things were a factor in the dropping of the ball. A few years back when my mom died it threw my body into "shock". Traumatic events can trigger (especially in women) hormonal changes. Well, I was hit with a change I wasn't prepared for, I was hit with the beginning stage of "the CHANGE", perimenopause. This affects my body in many ways most of which are not anything I will discuss here. I will discuss here the mental change that has happened.
I have dealt with depression all my life, my own and my mother's. What I only had an outsiders view of until now was anxiety. It seems one of the common effects of perimenopause is anxiety. This is what hit me like a ton of bricks. Had it been about the food, the feast or the general state of the kitchen I would have understood, I could have dealt better but it wasn't. I had confidence in my crew, in the kitchen and we were progressing really well! This was different, a closed feeling like I was continually being squeezed by some sort of constrictor I could see. Clothes that fit fine felt too tight, I felt like I couldn't breathe and worst of all I couldn't function.
It took a bit to put my finger on what was going on, at first it seemed I was just suffering from exhaustion. I hadn't slept well the night before due to not being able to get comfortable with what I thought at the time was a sinus issue. So I woke up tired and slow going but we got out and to the store and back in good time. I started to eat my breakfast and that is when the tightening started. No feeling of dread or panic but just a tightening. Due to circumstances shortly after this began I broke down and thanks to good friends I was able to get dressed and try to move on. I took a seat outside the kitchen and did only what they would let me. I spent my day in conversation as I had most of the day before, but to me I was dropping the ball. It was the BIG day and I should have been more helpful, I should have been doing more, I should not have been sick, and this is when the ball bounced. The kitchen staff took over and I was only there as a consult. I don't even remember cutting or chopping or peeling or anything, and like a well oiled machine it moved on. Everything was on time, everything was going smooth. It bounced!
The food was good tasting and what was supposed to be hot was hot, what was supposed to be cold was cold. Service was on time and friendly :) Ideas were exchanged and a lot of love as well.
A week and 2 days later I can look back at the bouncing ball and not say "I did that" but WE did that. I could not have done it without the awesome team I had and maybe partially they couldn't have done it without me, but I am pretty sure they could have because they did.
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