[MR] Cooking experiment; request results validation

[Elaine Koogler]

 While I haven't seen this particular version of the dish, I have prepared
the following similar dish.  It did not specify wheat paste, but rather
white bread crumbs.  You might try that.  This version of the dish is from a
slightly later period and omits the meat:

33.  To make a syrose (cherry pottage).  Take cherries and stone them and
grind them well and draw them through a strainer and place it in a pot and
add white grease or sweet butter and good white bread and add good wine and
sugre and salt, and stir it well together, and put it into a dish and
garnish (?) with cloves and "strew sugar about". (III.  Utilis Coquinario
from Curye on Ingysch)
 Redaction:  (Serves 8)

 2 1# cans Tart Red cherries, packed in water

 2 ½ tsp. sugar

2 Tbsp.Butter

¼ tsp. salt

¾ Cup White bread crumbs                                        whole cloves

½ Cup sweet white wine

Caster sugar

1.  Process cherries until they form a smooth sauce.

2.   Add in butter, bread crumbs, wine, sugar, and salt, and process until
smooth.

3. Garnish with cloves, sprinkling sugar about on dish

Other than using the cornstarch, your version looks fine.

Kiri

----- Original Message -----
> From: Teleri Barod <sca_bard at yahoo.com>
> To: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org
> Subject: [MR] Cooking experiment; request results validation
>
> Greetings to the tavern!
>
> In the hopes of preparing a period meal at Pennsic, I
> have tried my first-ever redaction, cooked and served
> it, and come to some conclusions.  I would greatly
> appreciate an experienced cook (or six) to perform a
> reality check on the conclusions thusly reached!
>
> The Recipie: An early 14th century Anglo-Norman cherry
> pottage, translated in Speculum vol 61:4, pp.859-882.
>
> The original:
> 14. Sirisee.  Let d'alemaundes lye' ou amydoun,
> siryzees moudre' sauntz les pieres, partie de sucre
> issi qu'il y eit bon savor des syryzees; char grosse;
> syryzees plaunte' desuis; colour, vermaille.
>
> The translation:
> 14.  Cherry pottage.  Almond milk thickened with wheat
> starch, cherries ground without stones, a measure of
> sugar to bring out the flavor of the cherries; beef,
> pork or mutton; cherries set on top; the color, red.
>
> What I cooked:
> 1 1/4 lb cubed stew meat
> oil to brown meat
> ~ 2 c. almond milk
> ~ 1 Tb. corn starch in cold water*
> 1 tsp. cinnamon**
> 2 c. thawed frozen red cherries
>
> * Yes, should be wheat starch.  Any ideas on how to
> get some?
> ** I neglected to print out the recipie and worked
> from memory.  The preceeding recipie for strawberry
> pottage had called for cinnamon.  End result still
> tasty.
>
> Since the modern cherries were quite sweet and the
> commerical almond milk claimed to have some sweetener
> in it, I skipped the added sugar called for in the
> recipie.
>
> -Browned meat in oil.
> - Covered with almond milk, added cinammon and
> stirred.  When boiling, added corn starch and stirred.
> Simmer 30 min.
> - Added cherries.  Simmer 30 more minutes.  Serves 4.
>
> It ended up as more of a beef and cherry stew than a
> pottage.  I decided that I ought to grind both
> cherries  and meat.  (And now I see that I was
> supposed to grind the cherries.  Ah, enthusiasm
> without proper planning.)  Reviews from Scadian and
> mundane test subjects were favorable, and there were
> no leftovers.
>
> Would grinding the meat for a pottage be about right?
> And could I use lean hamburger from the supermarket
> for it?
>
> Many thanks,
> Teleri
> (who still consults her Betty Crocker Cookbook for
> things like meatloaf)