More on Tarte Goyere -- Upgrade!

I recently had the most incredible appetizer while having dinner with my daughter.  It was a bleu cheese creme brulee served with a thick fig jam on the side.  You scooped both onto a crostini drizzled with a bit of balsamic vinegar reduction.  Yes, the creme brulee even had that light crust of caramelized sugar on top.  Heavenly.  We could have made the entire dinner off of that (but glad we didn't; the entrees that followed were also dreamy!)

This sparked a discussion between us about the Tarte Goyere -- wouldn't it be great to add that fruit flavor to this medieval dish?

So we did!  We searched a farmer's market and a store and had no luck acquiring fig jam.  However we did decide that a rich cider apple butter would make an acceptable substitute.  

My daughter quickly made the tarte and put it into the oven for 15 minutes.  Then she thinly covered the top with a mix of 4 tablespoons of apple butter and 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.  We tasted the mix before it went on -- she adjusted it until you got that light bite of the vinegar but it did not come through strongly as vinegar.  Then she cooked it for 10 minutes more followed by just a few minutes under the broiler.

After dinner picture!

The Verdict:  My, oh my!  The taste was lovely.  We both agreed that it needed more of the apple butter flavor so we simply spooned more on our slices at the table.  I made sure some of the apple butter got on my crust, too.  This was definitely a culinary success.

Notes:  She used an egg beater to whip the eggs and only got them to the foamy stage.  (The original recipe said, "Whip the eggs" which means I took it to soft peaks.)  This did not affect the overall texture of the tarte but she believes the broiling is what made it right.  She commented that the tarte didn't get puffy until it was under the broiler.

She also used 6 ounces of bleu cheese for a stronger bleu flavor, thinking it would go better with the apple butter.  She was right!

She also feels that next time she would start with the thicker layer of apple butter because it would be easier to spread.  She would also make sure it got on the crust, which was folded over the edges of the tarte.  

A Tarte of Strawberries

It is strawberry season (hooray!) and I have a large quantity just asking to be made into something historical.  I found this site on the web:  Cariadoc's Miscellany; Desserts, Appetisers, Etc.

"Cariadoc" is the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) name of David Friedman, the man who assembled a collection of medieval and Renaissance recipes (receipts) from a variety of sources.  He lists the source with each receipt and includes his redaction.

I chose a Strawberry Tarte receipt along with the recommended receipt for the crust.

To Make Short Paest for Tarte

A Proper Newe Book p. 37/C10

Take fyne floure and a curscy of fayre water and a dysche of swete butter and a lyttel saffron, and the yolkes of two egges and make it thynne and as tender as ye maye.

3/4 c flour
1 T + 1 t water
1/2 stick = 4 T butter
6 threads saffron
1 egg yolk












Cut butter into flour, then crush saffron into 1 t of water; mix that and the rest of the water with the egg yolk and stir it into the flour-butter mixture.

_________________________________________________________________________

***Normally I would cheat and buy a premade pie crust (I know, but it is soooo convenient!) but this one includes saffron and I really wanted see how it tasted.

I did all the mixing by hand, using a fork to cut in the butter and using my fingers to gently and lightly blend the dough.  Using good pastry-making techniques, I used cold water, cold butter, and only worked it until the butter and flour looked like corn meal and the complete mixture was barely blended.

I didn't take any pictures of this process until I started rolling out the dough.  You can see the flecks of saffron in it.

I still don't have an 8 inch pie pan so I used my 8 inch cake pan.

The amount of dough was pretty close to exactly what I needed, given that I rolled it very thin.

It only shrank a little once it had been cooked for its ten minutes (as mentioned below).

Now, on to the filling!

A Tarte of Strawberries

A Proper Newe Book p. 39/C11

Take and strain them with the yolks of four eggs, and a little white bread grated, then season it up with sugar and sweet butter and so bake it.

2 c strawberries
4 egg yolks
1/2 c bread crumbs
1/3 c sugar
4 T butter
8" pie shell (see recipe above)

Force strawberries through a strainer or run through a blender, then mix with everything else (the butter should be melted).

Just blended strawberries

 

Strawberries and everything else

Bake crust for 10 minutes, then put filling into the crust and bake at 375deg. for 20 minutes.  *Note:  I baked the crust and let it cool while I was making the filling.

Before baking

After baking

My observations:  20 minutes at 375 degrees is exactly the right amount of time to cook the filling.  It was perfectly set and well-flavored.

This is before I chilled it

Using a blender is a good thing, as it made the process quick and easy.  Since the receipt didn't say how to measure the strawberries (whole?  sliced?), I sliced them up right into the blender to its measure of 2 cups.


The result?  I loved the taste of the filling before it went into the oven.  It was a light and flavorful strawberry "mousse" of sorts.  Once the tarte was cool, I tried a piece.  Overall I liked it but there was something, some aftertaste, that I didn't like.  So I chilled the whole thing and tried it again later.  The flavor was still good but that aftertaste remained.  I think that off-flavor was the crust, which I didn't like much because the bottom was tough.

There was really only one thing to do:  Make another one!  This time I used the premade crust.  The only other difference between the first and second tartes was that in the second one, I poured the filling into the hot crust as soon as it had baked its ten minutes.  In the first, I poured the filling into the cooled crust.

Take two!

 The crust was cooked more than the first, probably because it didn't have a chance to cool down before the filling went in.  The "off" flavor was gone which I suspect was contributed by the saffron but am still not sure.  It was also gone from the first attempt after two days in the refrigerator.

The second crust was not tough.  It could be that the first crust got tough because it was allowed to cool before I filled it.

Having two pies in the house prompted me to take one to work to share.  I asked people for their honest (not "polite") feedback.  The responses were overwhelmingly "I like it" with an emphasis on how much the delicate strawberry flavor came through.  One person, who admits to being very particular about textures, wished the filling was stiffer, more like a custard.  But she still thought it was good overall. 

The Verdict:  I declare it a success!  I would try the saffron crust again but will either increase the quantity so it didn't have to be rolled quite so thin or use an actual 8 inch pie pan.  And I will follow the directions better so the crust doesn't cool before I put in the filling.  I think it deserves another chance, certainly.

More on Brawn en Peverade

Last night I made Brawn en Peverade but I made a variety of modifications.

The first was that I didn't have my usual spice selection available (it's a long story!) so I had to get creative.  Instead of the specified mace, pepper, cinnamon, and cloves, I used Grains of Paradise, cardamom, and cinnamon.

I'm pretty new to using Grains of Paradise; they are considered a pepper substitute.  They do have a peppery-bite that is strong before they are cooked and milder afterwards.

The spice combination was very fragrant while cooking.  The meat and gravy had a lovely flavor, too.  I really liked it!  One thing about the Grains of Paradise -- they had a "slow peppery bite"; that is, first I tasted their flavor then shortly thereafter a light pepper burn spread across my tongue.  Not unpleasant at all! 

In my first attempt at this recipe, I loved the gravy but noticed it was a bit gritty when I first made it.  So my thoughts then were to start soaking the dried bread crumbs in the wine and wine vinegar when the meat went into the oven.  I did that this time but without the results I had hoped for.  The gravy was not gritty, however it never did thicken properly.  I had to make adjustments to get it to thicken.

Also, I used white wine instead of red and the flavor was good.

Green Cheese

No, not Green Eggs and Ham, although I think I should make that for St. Patrick's Day some time.  This is a typical "farmer's cheese" made without rennet.  It is called "green" because it is unripened.  It is a lot like cottage cheese or ricotta.

It is as easy as can be to make and fun, too.  The ingredients are few:

1/2 gallon whole milk
1/4 - 1/2 cup white vinegar
salt is optional

First heat the milk in a pan over a low fire.

And I mean very low!

You want the milk to heat slowly so it doesn't skin over, or at least not too much.  Let it warm until small bubbles start forming at the edges and maybe a few in the middle.

Take it off the fire and gently stir in the vinegar.

The acid in the vinegar makes the milk solids separate from the liquids.  This is Little Miss Muffet's Curds and Whey!

Some curds already separating out.

I first put in 1/4 cup of vinegar.  After it had set for about 5 minutes, there were curds but the liquid was still very white.  That means you can get more curds out of it, so I added another 1/4 cup of vinegar.

Now it looks just like it should:  white curds and golden whey.

The curds are fully separated from the whey.

Let it sit for about 10 minutes or so to finish curding and to cool.

Next you line a strainer with cheese cloth or unbleached muslin.  Pour the mixture into it, so you keep the curds and discard the whey.

You can keep the whey if you'd like.  I'm sure there are some recipes out there for it, and I've heard you can use it as the primary liquid for bread, too, although I've never tried it.  There have been days where I was demonstrating cooking techniques while cooking over charcoal and sitting in the sun, and I found that the whey tastes very, very good then.   Try it; you may like it.  I've enjoyed it both warm and cold.

The recipe I first learned from suggests you squeeze the curds to press out the whey but I found this tends to push the curds through the cheesecloth.  So I just let it drain for about an hour.  That seems to work well.

Once it is done you have moist but not soggy curds that smell like fresh milk.

You can mix in a little salt to flavor it and to help preserve it.  You can also mix in a variety of things:  herbs, chopped fruit, spices, or even a little cream to smooth out the texture.  Before you put in the cream, though, work the curds thoroughly with a fork to break them up into smaller pieces.  You may like that texture better and don't need the cream.

Keep in mind that you only get about 1 - 2 cups of curds from 1/2 gallon of milk.  That tells me why cheese is so expensive!

The Verdict:  Success, as always!  This recipe has never failed me.  It is fun, easy, and makes a tasty result.

This is an old, old recipe.  People have made cheese like this for centuries.  You are limited only by your imagination in what you can do with it.  Make lasagna or a sweet spread for bread or something to put between cake layers or...

I'll leave it to you!

Brawn en Peverade -- Pork in Pepper Sauce

My favorite receipt book for medieval cookery is Pleyn Delit ("plain delight"), which has the subtitle of "Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks".  The first two authors listed, Constance B. Hieatt and Brenda Hosington, are professors of English and linguistics (respectively) with an emphasis on medieval studies.  The third author, Sharon Butler, was also an Old English specialist and artist.  All the recipes are verified and based on manuscript readings; "Authenticity of composition, taste, and appearance are the book's main concern."

Publisher:  University of Toronto Press

The receipts are interesting; not all "weird" or "shocking" so as to make you think that medieval people ate nothing but cow's udders and dormice (we'll leave that to the Romans!).  I've tried a number of them and have found them to be worthwhile and often delightful.  What I like is that they include the original recipe written in its original form, which could be in Old English or Middle English.  Once you get used to reading and interpreting these languages, you can see for yourself how well the modern, redacted versions were done.

This is receipt #76, Brawn en Peverade.  The receipts are numbered, not the pages.

3 lbs boneless pork tenderloin or 4 lb lean, tender pork roast (not small chunks)
24 very small onions (1 inch diameter) or fewer slightly larger ones, peeled
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp each mace, freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
3 tsp wine vinegar (I used balsamic)
2 cups beef broth (I used chicken broth, which was what was on hand)
3 Tbsp red wine
1/4 breadcrumbs or 1 - 2 slices of bread, soaked in the wine
optional:  pinch saffron, sandalwood spice  (I skipped this part)

Brown pork in a frying pan, then put it in a casserole with onions, salt, spices, and 1 tsp of the vinegar.

Browned in the frying pan

The spices

After the spices were sprinkled on

Pour the beef broth over, cover tightly, and cook in a 350 degree oven about 1 1/2 hours, until meat is done.  Remove it to a serving platter and slice neatly.  Keep it warm in the turned-off oven while making sauce.

Right out of the oven

Strain cooking juices into a bowl, reserving onions.  Blend breadcrumbs or soaked bread with wine and 2 tsp vinegar until very smooth; beat in cooking juices and stir in a saucepan with the reserved onions until sauce is hot, smooth, and thick; then pour sauce over the meat on its platter and serve.

The sauce is nearly ready

Dinner is served.  I should have garnished it with parsley!

The Verdict:  This was very, very good.  Easy to make and tasty to eat.  I served it with a tossed green salad and homemade sourdough bread, and felt I had made a worthwhile dinner.  I was especially happy to discover that the pepper is a nice flavor but is not overwhelmingly so.  (I am not always fond of pepper in my food.)

My notes: 
I used pearl onions, which worked well.

After I measured the spices into the bowl, I mixed them together and used my fingers to sprinkle them evenly over the meat and onions.  Then I dribbled the vinegar over the meat and the onions.

I would not use balsamic again because it is not acid enough -- when I first tasted the sauce I wanted more of a vinegar "bite", so I mixed in about a teaspoon of rice vinegar and that made it right.  Also, I used a fairly mild red wine and I think I would use a more robust-flavored one next time. 

My interpretation of the directions caused me to put the breadcrumbs in with the wine when making the sauce; next time I will start soaking the breadcrumbs when the meat goes in the oven.  The problem is that the sauce was gritty at first; after it sat for awhile that went away and was more pleasant.  **In case you haven't done this before, the bread crumbs are the thickener for the sauce; it is a healthier method that using a roux because a roux uses butter.  Bread crumbs are a very medieval way to thicken a sauce. I keep a container of them in my freezer. 

Finally, I did not put the reserved onions into the sauce until it had begun to thicken.  My experience is that big chunky items like that get in the way of whisking the sauce, so once the sauce was smooth and thick, I added the onions and heated them through.

I can and have recommended this book to others who are interested in medieval cooking.  It is a good way to get started understanding this fascinating cuisine.

Tarte Goyere -- A Cheese Tart

The recipe is from the same book as the Baked Stuffed Pumpkin (page 20).  The name of the recipe tells you it is an old version!  The text in the book says, "Cheese tarts, both sweetened and not, have been eaten since the Middle Ages.  This version may be served either hot or cold."

I used this recipe as a savory main dish accompanied by a large bowl of mixed vegetable salad. 

1 8 ounce package cream cheese at room temperature
2 eggs, separated
pinch salt, white pepper (I used black pepper)
1/4 tsp thyme
2 Tbsp cream (I used sour cream)
1/2 to 1 cup strong cheese (parmesan, rouquefort, sharp cheddar) 
    (I used blue cheese, a little over 1/2 cup))
1 8-inch pie crust, unbaked

Beat egg yolk, cream cheese, cream and seasonings until smooth.

Add strong cheese, beat until well blended.

Whip egg whites and fold into cheese mixture.  Pour into prepared pie crust and bake in the bottom half of a preheated 375 degree oven 20 minutes, or until pastry is well-browned and cheese is firm.  If cheese browns too quickly, cover with a piece of brown paper or foil.

(I baked mine in a straight-sided 8 inch diameter cake pan since I have no 8 inch pie pan or 8 inch tart pan.  The quantity for the pan seemed just right.)

Before going into the oven

Puffy when it came out of the oven

Settled a bit when it cooled

Other resources tell me that recipes for cheese tarts have remained nearly the same despite the passing of over 500 years.  This version uses the whipped egg whites folded into the batter of eggs, cheese, and spices; basically making it a Chiffon Cheese Tart!  When I have made similar tarts (in particular with onions and brie cheese, an "Ember Tart"), the cooked filling was dense.  I expected this to be fluffier and was not disappointed.

The Verdict:  As the friend who tried it with me said, "This one is a keeper!"  I loved the flavor.  The blue cheese made itself known and the thyme was a pleasant undertone, much more muted than when I tasted the batter.  Since the thyme made pleasant speckles in the batter, I didn't worry about the black pepper doing the same.  The filling was fluffy, not dense at all.  I thought about using more blue cheese the next time I try it but in all honesty, I think the strength of its flavor was just right.  Not overwhelming.

It was good for dinner and then good for lunch right out of the refrigerator the next day.  We thought it would make a good finger-food appetizer if you made it in mini-muffin cups, especially with a little diced ham or crispy bacon mixed in.  If you didn't want to go to the trouble of making a lot of little appetizers, you could make the 8 inch size and then cut narrow slices.

Note:  Cooking it in the bottom part of the oven was a good idea; the bottom of the crust was fully cooked and not soggy or raw tasting.

Tudor Kitchen, Part 3

As I mentioned in Part 1, in 2007 I was fortunate enough to visit London, England.  The number one item on my "to do" list was to visit the Hampton Court Palace, which Henry VIII used as one of his palaces.  It has a working Tudor kitchen and I want to share what I saw with you.

This part focuses on food and storage.

Here is some beef that was roasted on the spit.  Notice the hole!

And here are some pies before they are baked...

... and afterwards!  Pies were their own container and didn't need any special cooking dish.  This was convenient when cooking for crowds.

Serving implements include metal plates if you can afford them; wooden if you can't.  Trenchers, plates made from sliced, stale bread, are out of fashion at this time.

 Most people ate with spoons and knives.  Forks were not considered eating utensils in England.  The spoon shapes you see here are typical of the period.

Storage containers came in a variety of shapes and materials, depending on usage.

These are various containers:  tall storage jars with lids (unglazed because they didn't need to be), two pitchers, and some bowls.

These are pitchers and jugs.  The green glaze is a typical color popular in the Henrian era.

You can take cloths and tie them over the tops of the containers, especially if the containers have a lipped edge to catch the string.  I have also heard that sometimes the cloth was oiled or waxed.  I think that would be considered expensive in this time period.

These storage pots are only partially glazed, as was typical of the era.

These beautiful red ware bowls are only glazed on the inside.  Good for mixing, serving, and storing.

I believe this is a salt cellar.  Salt was considered a spice, was often mentioned as a "sauce" to be served with meats, and was expensive, though not as expensive as pepper and other imported spices.  The container could be something else, though, since it wasn't labeled.

So there you have it.  A brief tour though the Tudor Kitchens at Hampton Court Palace.  I hope you go there some day and witness an actual cooking event.  They do demonstrations with experts who are in costume and probably in character.  I want to hear about your adventure!

Tudor Kitchen, Part 2

As I mentioned in Part 1, in 2007 I was fortunate enough to visit London, England.  The number one item on my "to do" list was to visit the Hampton Court Palace, which Henry VIII used as one of his palaces.  It has a working Tudor kitchen and I want to share what I saw with you.

This part focuses on food preparation tools.

This turns a spit automatically, so some poor soul doesn't have to sit there for hours doing it by hand.

These tools allow you to suspend a pot over the fire and adjust its height.

A chunk of tree trunk serves as a chopping block for meat.

A grinder for sharpening knives.

This looks like a handy, stable bowl for chopping things like herbs.  I have a similar one that is smaller and came with a blade that was curved to fit (an Alaskan ulu knife).  I don't know if this had a curved blade with it or not.  I know that having a bowl for chopping makes the work easy and efficient.

Compare it to this mortar, which is about 10 inches in diameter and set into a counter.  Wow!

 This grater looks like it will do a good job!

 
 These are pipkins (ceramic first, metal below).  They are small, footed saucepans or cooking vessels.  The feet keep them stable and raised above a bed of coals, allowing air to circulate to help the coals stay hot.  Notice the glazing, which is not uniform over the container.  Glazing was expensive although it does seal the pot and makes it easier to clean.

This is a fry pan sitting on a stand.  Since the pan doesn't have feet, the stand raises it and stabilizes it.  Behind the pan is another pipkin.  The hole in the handle allows it to stay cool over the fire.  Some people say you can put a wooden stick in there to help move it but I would be concerned it would break the handle.

These are a grate and a drip pan.  The grate helps you cook directly over the coals, like a piece of fish you want to cook quickly.  The drip pan catches the juices of the meat as it cooks so you can baste with it or make a gravy.  **This could be a griddle instead!  Or it might play both parts.

 

 This stand can be used with a variety of pots or pans to raise them above the coals.  If a fry pan comes with its own legs, it is called a "spider". 

I noticed that this kitchen had a lot of brick counters on which the food was cooked, instead of a lot of little fire pits scattered around the room.  The counter had small openings with bars. This put the cooking surface at a comfortable height and allowed the cook to better control the fire's overall temperature.  I think you would bring over coals from a main fire, place them in the pit and put the pots over it for cooking.

These tools help you manipulate the fire.  I have similar ones (it helps to have friends who are blacksmiths!) so I would use the forked object to find live coals buried in mounds of ash. 

Some food was cooked in copper bowls set into the counter top with a fire built below it.

 The available techniques were varied, not primitive at all.  Food was baked, boiled, broiled, roasted, grilled, fried, and stewed.  The temperatures for cooking were controlled well.  This kitchen appears to be efficient and quite useful!

Part 3, "Food and Storage" will arrive next.