Catalan Horchata & the Evolution of the Flip -- a Pinedo recipe and more

Happy 2024!

This begins my 13th year of blogging.  I continue to be astonished that I was able to continue blogging for so long.  My experiences have been many and my education has been vast.  I've learned techniques and recipes from a variety of time periods and cultures.  It is fun to taste something completely different or a riff on something that is familiar.  Sometimes I review my early posts just to remind myself of what I have done, because this is my 289th post and some of them have faded in my memory.  

As of this writing, my blog has had over 144,000 page views from all over the world.  Mostly it averages around 1,000 page views a month, but occasionally I have months where the views are 2,000 or 5,000 and one month over 12,000.  I am pleased to share my writing with so many people.

For my "Happy New Year" 2024 post, I chose to explore Encarnación Pinedo's recipe for Catalan Horchata (page 123).

My Translation

My Redaction

Making the full recipe that uses a quart of brandy was too much for my guest taster and me, so I reduced the recipe to 1/4 her suggestions, thus making the amount I want.  : )

1 cup brandy

2 egg yolks

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon orange flower water

2 ounces ground almonds

Put the brandy into a small saucepan.  Beat the yolks thoroughly.

Begin heating the brandy over a very low fire.  Slowly drizzle the beaten yolks into the brandy, beating vigorously with a fork the entire time.  The yolks cook and the mixture looks like egg drop soup, but because of the beating, the strands of yolk are very small and fine.  

Once all the yolks are in, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, orange flower water, and almonds.  Stir well.  

I let it sit without any heat for about 5 minutes to start infusing the almonds into the hot liquid.  But I noticed the brandy wasn't very hot at all, so I returned the pan to low heat to warm it, stirring often, until it started to simmer.  

I tasted it with the ground almonds in it and was not happy having to deal with them as part of the beverage.  So I strained them out.  

There was enough to make two servings of about 3 to 4 ounces each.

Yolks before beating

Beaten yolks

Pour a very thin stream of yolks slowly into the pan.

While beating continuously with a fork

The look with all the yolks incorporated.

And with everything mixed in.

The strained mixture to drink.

The Verdict

It was warm, sort of.  Straining out the almonds took time so the drink cooled in the process.  But oh, it was definitely warming!  

It had a good mouthfeel -- thicker than just brandy.  My guest taster said it had body.  The flavors were bold:  we could taste the cinnamon, the sweetness, the brandy, and (with contemplation) the almonds.  I think the orange flower water was there, but it didn't stand out.  That was acceptable.

It was creamy and had the brandy kick without being too strong.  An alcoholic dessert, really, in the same category with hot buttered rum.  We were both pleasantly relaxed after sipping our share.  A little goes a long way with this!

I think this is a good beverage to serve on a cold winter's night, on New Year's Eve, or at a gathering of good friends.  I recommend it to those who enjoy the stronger spirits.

Success!

But wait, there's more!  When I was translating Miss Pinedo's book, I did some reading about horchatas, which are not typically alcoholic beverages, and discovered that this recipe is more like an horchata-inspired version of an old beverage called a brandy flip, an ale flip, or a "Yard of Flannel." 

I needed to explore flip recipes to learn more about them.  Considering the amount of alcohol involved, I tried one recipe a day.

The earliest reference I found was about Thomas Jefferson (so late 1700s to early 1800s) and his "Yard of Flannel", found in The Early American Cookbook, page 36:

This recipe is given in more detail in William Kitchiner's The Cook's Oracle.  It's first edition was published in 1817 and went through at least seven editions through 1830.  

This was the recipe I tried next.  Again, I reduced the amounts to one-fourth.

1 cup ale

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup brandy

For a Yard of Flannel

The ale went into a saucepan and was heated.  The brandy, sugar, egg, and ginger went into another container where they were mixed vigorously with a fork until the egg was fully blended -- I couldn't see any white or yolk floating in the brandy.

It didn't take long for the ale to start boiling, although it was hard to tell if what I was seeing was boiling or just fizzing.  It was important to look for steam.  I put the ale into another container.  

I followed the usual technique for mixing a hot liquid into beaten eggs and not making scrambled eggs:  I put a little hot liquid into the eggs, swirled the mixture to warm the eggs, then poured in more hot liquid, swirling it to keep mixing.  That worked.  Once I had the two together, I kept pouring them back and forth between the containers until I thought they were "smooth."

You can see it was foamy.

The final result looked like this:

Does this look like flannel?

The Verdict

It was fruity, lightly spiced, lightly sweet, and had a thinner mouthfeel than the first recipe.  The ginger was not dominant.  My guest taster and I both liked it, although we disagreed on one aspect.  I felt it needed more sugar and he thought it was just right.  I wanted it to have a more syrupy mouthfeel (I was not aiming for sweeter, honest!).  Perhaps a second egg instead of more sugar would have accomplished that.

It wasn't very warm, so I warmed some of it again over the stove.  I noticed some small chunks of egg appeared, although the flavor didn't change and it didn't stay hot for long.  I don't think it was worth doing.

In comparing the two recipes, this one was my guest taster's preference.  It was not as strongly alcoholic and, I thought, not as robust in its presentation.  I liked both recipes, and I would choose between them based on the situation I was addressing or what I felt like having at the time.

We were curious about how the egg, sugar, spice, and brandy changed the flavor and look of the ale, so we taste-tested them to compare.

Flip on the left, ale on the right

You can see that the flip is darker, creamier, and foamy.  The ale itself was a little bitter but the flip was not at all.  We both preferred the flip over the ale.

Success again!

I found another version of the Yard of Flannel that allowed for no brandy (or rum) being added.  It was in Ziemann and Gillette's 1903 version of The White House Cookbook, on pages 446-7.

I thought it interesting that they suggested adding butter (which I think would improve the mouthfeel) and to serve it with dry toast.  I did not try this recipe, but I did put butter into another recipe (see below).

Something I had seen in a variety of sources suggested that originally the flip was heated with an iron rod (a "flip dog" or "loggerhead") that was heated in the fire, plunged into the mixture, and stirred until the beverage was hot and foaming.  From there, the technique changed to heating the ale on the fire and then pouring the liquids between two pitchers to mix.  The modern recipes for flips don't heat them at all -- they still use an egg but it is served cold.

An example is this entry from the Food Lover's Companion, on page 238.

I wanted to explore the idea of heating the flip with a hot iron.  I chose to repeat the second recipe for this but used 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg instead of ginger.  I mixed all the ingredients together, including the eggs, until they looked smooth.  

I used my hand-forged skewer and heated it to red-hot in my most convenient fire:  my stove top!

Not quite a fireplace, but it meets the need.

The challenge was to stir the liquid well despite there not being very much of it to work with.  

My first attempt was with Kitchiner's recipe, using nutmeg instead of ginger.  I mixed all the ingredients together in one pitcher, making sure the egg was well-incorporated.  The iron was red hot but when I plunged it into the liquid and the mixture hissed and steamed a little.  However, it did not heat the liquid much at all.  I reheated the iron and tried again, several times, but I did not get much of a change.

We tasted it -- it was much like what we had before but not hot and I didn't feel the egg was cooked.  So I heated it on the stove until it was steaming.  We both liked it with the nutmeg as much as we liked it with the ginger, so our choice was to pick the one we felt like having if we made it again.  

I still wanted more body to it, so after drinking about half of it, I added about 1/2 teaspoon of butter to each mug, stirring it well.  The butter definitely improved the body, and my guest taster thought it was fine.  I liked it but it was not what I wanted.  

It was then I realized I made a big mistake:  the ale was cold right out of the refrigerator, which made it a challenge for the iron to get it hot.  We decided to try again the next night, and I left the ale out to come to room temperature.

This time I used Kitchiner's recipe but modified with the inspiration of The Gentleman's Companion, page 52.  Notice the subtitle of this book, "Being an exotic drinking book or, Around the world with jigger, beaker, and flask."  This is funny!  Mr. Baker was quite serious about his drinking skills.

The inspiration was to mix the spices (I used 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and ginger mixed together) and to use dried lemon zest, which Kitchiner also suggested.  I also increased the amount of sugar to 4 tablespoons.

Alas, starting with room temperature ale did not change the outcome of the experiment.  The liquid did not get hot, even after several attempts with a hot iron, so I heated it on the stove while stirring vigorously with a fork until it was very steaming hot.

We enjoyed it!  The lemon was too strong for me, but my guest taster thought it was fine.  I wanted some lemon, just less.  I particularly liked the cinnamon and ginger mix.  The mixture had more body (I was right about adding more sugar!) although none had as much as Pinedo's recipe.  Perhaps another egg or just a yolk would have done it.  

It wasn't too sweet, and it had a lovely flavor with just the right amount of alcoholic bite.  My guest taster thought that was his favorite mixture.  Mine was the Pinedo recipe because of the flavors and the mouthfeel, although I wished it had less alcohol in it.  Heating it longer could take care of that problem.

At this point we had tried flips five times in four days, and we were seriously done with drinking brandy and ale for a while.  Not that we regretted it!  It was just more drinking than we were used to.

Regarding heating with an iron:  I suspect that I needed to have more liquid and a thicker iron that could get very hot and stay that way for a while.  I can see why the heating and mixing process changed -- using a saucepan was much more reliable for heating, then mixing between two pitchers allowed the frothing that was so desired.  

Just to wrap up the survey of flips, I wanted to share a version from Lobscouse & Spotted Dog, page 114, which suggests using sherry instead of ale and does not suggest brandy at all.  We did not try this.

As an added bonus, I redid a recipe from this blog to keep from being wasteful...

I used the strained out almonds from the horchata recipe to make emeles, a fried medieval cookie.  I added the leftover egg whites and enough dried bread crumbs to make a dough that was reasonably thick and stuck to itself.  I heated oil and dropped in spoonfuls of dough, flattening each cookie, and frying it on both sides until golden brown.  As they drained on a paper towel, I sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar.  They look just like pork sausage patties!  But the brandy kick came through along with the cinnamon and almond flavors.  Click here for the original post on emeles.

Not sausage patties!

What a way to wrap up the old year and prepare for the new!  I wish you all a wonderful 2024 filled with good food and friends.

Cheers!

Harry Potter Fans! Buttered Beer!

Oh Wow.  A whole year of blogging has gone by as of today, January 1, 2013.  I am astonished that the site has had over 1200 page views.  I'm also pleased with myself at having maintained my personal goal of posting at least twice a month.

I've learned a few things over the year:  I should put more of myself into the writing, instead of making it a neutral report; many recipes from the past are simple to make and yet surprisingly flavorful; and eggs exposed to too much heat too quickly explode with a startling boom.

I've also learned how much fun it is to plan out the recipes, shop for them, document their production, and then share them with you.  I fully expect to continue this blog in 2013 and look forward to exploring the historical food of different eras and different cultures.

Now, on to the recipe.  One aspect I like of the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling is how the author did her homework -- Latin words really mean what the spell is doing and concepts from history are accurately utilized.  But what really put me over the top in my admiration for Ms. Rowling's writing was discovering this Elizabethan recipe for Buttered Beer.

To make Buttered Beere.

1594  The good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin
S. Wallace (ed.)

Take three pintes of Beere, put five yolkes of Egges to it, straine them together, and set it in a pewter pot to the fyre, and put to it halfe a pound of Sugar, one penniworth of Nutmegs beaten, one penniworth of Cloues beaten, and a halfepenniworth of Ginger beaten, and when it is all in, take another pewter pot and brewe them together, and set it to the fire againe, and when it is readie to boyle, take it from the fire, and put a dish of sweet butter into it, and brewe them together out of one pot into an other.

3 pints beer

5 egg yolks

½ lb sugar

nutmeg

cloves

ginger

butter (sweet)

Mix beer and egg yolks, strain into a pot. Put over the fire and add sugar and spices.

Stir well. Remove before it boils, add butter, stir, and reheat.

This one is made with oatmeal stout

My Notes:  Medieval eggs were smaller than ours, so either use small eggs or fewer large eggs.  Straining allows the chunks of yolk to be removed.  Do the spices to taste -- this means you get to taste the mixture a lot while creating it! -- mine ended up reminiscent of a good chai tea.

What you want to avoid is boiling the brew.  Just get it hot enough to dissolve the sugar, infuse the spices, and melt the butter.  Serve it warm as soon as possible to avoid the beer going completely flat.

The Verdict:  Success!  This is very good.  The beer is one of a variety of flavors and does not dominate.  The spices were enough to pique the tastebuds but not overwhelm.  The butter adds a lovely mouthfeel to make the whole experience rich and with depth.  I recommend it for a winter party beverage!

Steak and Ale Hash

What should one do when one finds a boneless New York steak and a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale in the refrigerator?   Why, make a beef hash, of course!

Actually, I was inspired by the recent arrival of the Jas. Townsend and Son 2013 calendar
(www.jas-townsend.com) that comes complete with recipes.  It happened to be opened to August's tempting picture.

They cited this book:  The House-keeper's Pocket-book by Mrs. Sarah Harrison.  I found a copy of the ebook here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=3IcEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Published in 1739!!!

The recipe was for "A Hash of Beef fine, without Expence".

Page 41

The original rendition is:  

Cut your Beef in thin slices, then make your Sauce for it as follows; take an Onion cut in two, some Pepper and Salt, a little Water and some strong Beer; then take a piece of Butter roll'd in Flour in your Pan, stirring it till it burns; then put in your Sauce, and let it boil a Minute or two; then put in your Beef, and let it just warm through, for if you let it lye too long it will harden it.

A little Claret may be put in just before you take it off the Fire; if you use no Beer, some Mushroom or Walnut liquors; garnish with Pickles.

I tried the calendar's redaction:

1 lb of beef, sliced as thinly as possible across the grain
2 - 3 T butter
flour
1 small onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 pint strong ale or red wine
2 tsp mushroom ketchup (the calendar has a recipe for this) or Worcestershire sauce (I used this)

I trimmed the fat off the steak before slicing

Directions:

Roll your butter into a ball and roll it in flour, being careful not to shake off any more than 
naturally falls off.  

Too cold to make a ball, so I just coated the chunk with flour

Melt the butter in a hot Dutch oven.  Add the onion and a bit of salt and black pepper.  
Stir until the flour has turned a golden brown.

That is as brown as it got before I added the ale

Add the ale or red wine to the browned flour, along with the mushroom ketchup or 
Worcestershire sauce.  Bring to a boil and allow to thicken, stirring continually.

Add the slices of beef to the broth and stir around, just until they are heated through -- a 
couple of minutes.  Do not heat too long, otherwise the meat will become tough.  
Serve immediately.

The meat is cooked enough

Notes:
I had less than a pound of steak but it still made a good quantity using the given amounts of 
the other ingredients.

The pint (well, almost, after I made sure the taste was acceptable!) of ale was plenty and had 
to be reduced quite a bit.  The best part of this was how wonderful it smelled while the sauce 
was reducing.  Heavenly!  It was hard to wait until the sauce got thick.

The meat goes in pink but don't wait until it looks cooked before taking it out.  The thin 
slices cook quickly and will continue to cook from the heat of the sauce once you take it 
off the stove.

This is really quite simple and easy to prepare.

The Verdict:  Success!  Definitely a winner and a repeater because the taste was robust and 
flavorful.  There was some bitter from the ale, more so than just the ale itself; I think this is 
from the reducing.  If you don't like bitter, pick an ale that is not!

I think I could have put in more flour but that would have made the sauce more like a gravy
 -- a fine idea but that might change the flavor.

I wish I would have remembered to garnish with pickles!  I think that would be good.

Serve this with a hunk of warm, buttered bread.  You'll need it to sop up the sauce. 

Come to think of it, this would make a good "sloppy"-style sandwich on a roll.  Just reduce
the sauce a bit more.