Author: Donna

Yesterday’s meal was epic.  The pie was amazing with all the different flavors and the lovely flaky buttery crust.  The venison was good.  The wine was spicy and good.  These items were so filling though that I couldn’t eat the candy and Lombard slices.  When I tried them at the end of the episode they were gross.

But this morning I has the Lombard slices for breakfast, and they are good.  The candy is good too when I tried it this morning.  So all and all a successful but too filling of a meal.  An appropriate end to my medieval cooking.

I am hoping not to spoil it too much but the ending was not as dramatic as I expected.  For the last 2 years GOT fans have been writing about how our favorite characters were going to die horrible death, and we were all going to be heartbroken.  That did not happen.  The ending was a good and satisfying one.  So I am happy.  Now I have to live my life without GOT, but that is OK.  But it has been a wonderful journey.

of medieval cooking and Game of Thrones. It is a bittersweet day but we are going out with a bang.

The meal is based on medieval royal holiday cooking. It is hard to imagine, but the royal entourage was huge and had to move from place to place to find adequate sustenance. The cooking staff had to move their kitchen gear from place to place, and holiday meals had to be planned months in advance. And it was not one feast but many days of feasting. So the work I am putting into this meal pales in comparison.

They often had a dramatic main course, like roasted boar’s head or peacock. My cookbook did not have these recipes though, for which our peacock is likely thankful. So for the menu tonight is Broiled venison, A grete pye, Hypocras, Pine nut candy, and Lombard slices.

Because I do not have much time today and three of the dishes can be prepared ahead of time, so I started making this meal on Friday.

I started with the candy. I have destroyed many a kitchen thermometer. So we lack a candy thermometer, and the best one we have only goes to 220 degrees. So I boiled the sugar, honey and water and guessed when we were at 230. I then added the chopped pine nuts, breadcrumbs and ginger. Here it is cooking on a wetted tin.

It is still a little sticky. I suspect it was supposed to get a little hotter and harder. But it still should taste good.

Next came the Lombard slices. The interesting thing about this recipe is that I needed to sieve 12 hard boiled egg yolks. I had to google that up. Here I am sieving:

And here are 13 sieved yolks ( one egg was double yoked):

This is where I thought I was overworked but then thought of the original chefs. I boiled honey and then slowly mixed the yolks in. Then breadcrumbs and pepper was added. I shaped it into a loaf to cool.

The breadcrumbs probably could be more crumbly. Later I will make a wine-honey-ginger sauce for it.

Last on Friday was the hypocras . My cookbook actually has a piment recipe, substituting that as “long pepper and grains of paradise are virtually unobtainable”. But I have them in my cupboard as well as galangal from last season’s cooking ( thanks Amazon). So I found a translation of the Curye on Inglysch recipe she cites at http://www.oldcook.com/en/medieval-hippocras. I winged it with the amounts of the spices and added them to 2 liters of red wine and sugar. I figured if it was too spicy I could dilute it. Here are some of the spices on it,

here are some of the spices about to be ground,

And here is the concoction simmering for 20 minutes.

I then let it cool and bottled it. You can see how dark it is in the clear bottle.

It is interesting that they serve it cold. I am used to warmed spiced wine at Christmas when most of these feasts were served. I took my last dragon egg bath after this cooking and then we rewatched the last episode.

So today I started with getting the venison ready. We got this from Tom’s son who is an amazing hunter. I cut it into 1cm fillets and then scored the meat.

Then I placed it in a basting sauce of wine, oil, ginger, salt and pepper. This will soak all day until Tom grills it.

Next I made the pye. I made a shortcrust pastry using my British Baking Show cookbook. I cut up a chicken then parboiled the meat in salt water. I minced beef with suet (actually fat since I could not find suet). I mixed it with poudre dulce and egg yolks. I mixed dates, currants and prunes with the very last of my poudre dulce. Here are all the fillings ready to go.

On top of the pie crust went 1/2 of the minced beef mix, then the sliced chicken, then the fruits, then the last of the minced beef mix. This was covered with a simmered rice flour and beef stock mixture. The top crust went on and was decorated. Here it is going into the oven.

And here it is coming out.

I got the candy ready.

Then I made the pepper sauce for the venison. It was bread fried in butter then blended with vinegar, pepper and some salt. It was then simmered and more pepper added.

I got the Lombard slices ready,

And the made a reduced wine and honey sauce.

Tom grilled the venison.

And here is the meal all ready.

I can hardly wait for the food and the show!

For the dinner, the pheasants was really good.  It was tender and flavorful.  It did need to cook 10 minutes more than the recipe stated to get to temperature but in plenty of time for the episode.  We used to raise and eat our peasants though so nothing too exotic for us.  The mustard sauce was quite strong.  There was no specific amounts as to how much mustard powder and sugar to the vinegar so I did half and half.  Maybe too much.  It was really good but you did not need much.

The rose pudding was good.  I couldn’t really taste the rose, mostly the cream and the spices.  Not sure I would make it again, but it was fun to have once in my life.

The barley bread and leeks we had eaten before.  Nothing too exciting but definitely seems medieval.

The episodes finally brought the deaths I had been expecting.  I was surprised by the pairing of the deaths but not too much else.  The changing allegiances is an interesting twist.

So only one more medieval meal and one more GOT.  I am certainly looking forward to it.  I am wondering how the series will end.  The last meal will be a show stopper.  It is probably good that the medieval cooking will end as I think some healthier eating is in order.  But it sure has been fun, pretending to be medieval for a short while.

So this medieval meal is what the court of Richard II would have eaten. We know this because he is the first English king to have a cookbook written by his chefs. It is called The Forme of Cury. Fashion in clothing and entertaining were very important to this king.

For dinner is Roast pheasant with mustard sauce and Rose pudding. This will be accompanied by Barley bread and Leeks and sops in wine.

The roast pheasant is easy enough. I had to buy them though at University Seafood and Poultry. But for the recipe you just butter and a shallot inside and a rasher of bacon on the breast. Wrap in foil and roast for 1/2 hour. You then dredge with seasoned flour and roast 10 more minutes.

The sauce is sugar and mustard powder mixed with vinegar.

The rose pudding involved trying to find rose petals that might be edible. I ended up by a miniature rose plant from our local food co-op. Hopefully it is not too laden with chemicals.

The petals are blanched and squeezed. Milk and rice flour are heated together until thickened and then caster sugar, cinnamon, ginger, the petals, cream and salt are added.

It is thickened further over low heat and then dates and pine nuts are added. It is then chilled in decorative bowls.

So here is the Episode 5 meal:

I will give you a review of the meal and the episode in the coming days. I can hardly wait.

So the chicken was kind of plain.  It was poached in cider, bacon and water, and there were fresh herbs inside, but it was still pretty boring.  The pork rolls were really good.  The spice and currents inside helped.  The dipping sauce did not add much though.  The pea pottage was dull as ever but at least healthy.  The ‘pudding” was amazing.  The insides were dense and flavorful.  The recipes called for fresh savory, parsley, hyssop and sage.  I did not have access to fresh hyssop or savory so had to substitute sage and mint for the former and thyme for the latter.  And it all worked out.  The pie was very rich.  I have never had double cream before, and it is quite thick and very creamy.  The pie basically tasted like it with a little sweetness.  It was good, but I do not think I will make it again.  It is pure cholesterol.

Without spoilers, the show was good.  There were some major deaths and changing alliances that made things interesting.  Some of the characters are evolving so the last two episodes will be quite engaging to see where this all ends up!

So tonight’s medieval meal is also based on The Babees Book. So I do not need to provide any background information as I did that last week. On the menu tonight there is Pork rolls, Poached fowl and bacon with ‘pudding’, Pea pottage and Cream custard tart.

This is probably the most medieval-feeling meal I have made yet, even more than the baked rattlesnake and the pigeon pie. Because the ‘pudding’ is a stuffed chicken neck skin. We had to butcher one of our roosters especially for this recipe last Friday and carefully preserve the neck.

I started at 4:00 with the chicken. I gathered fresh herbs, chopped and mixed them. I put some in the chicken and tried to skewer and see it shut. Then I made the pudding with chopped chicken liver and heart with bread crumbs, the herbs and an egg. I had to sew an end of the neck skin, stuff it and sew the other end shut. Here is the stuffed neck:

Then I got the chicken in the pot, poached it for a while, added some bacon, poached more, added the neck and poached a lot longer.  Here it is all cooked up.

While this was poaching I worked on the pork rolls.  These were very similar to the fried fig rolls but with minced pork, poudre forte and currants.  I had a harder time rolling these ones up for some reason.  But these ones were baked instead of fried.  Here they are all cooked up.

There is a sauce for them.  It is just chicken stock boiled with minced pork and poudre dolce.  Here it is:

Then I worked on the pie.  I made a short crust pastry and cooked it.  Then I made the filling.  I was actually able to find double cream this time.  Last year I had to invent a substitute.

Still using lots of saffron.  Here is the pie going in the oven.

The whole time I was cooking the GOT episode 1-3 was on in the background.  It was pretty cool to hear all the dramatic music.  Here is Tom watching some of episode 3.

And here is my meal.

And here is the pie all cooked.

I will write a review of the meal and the episode tomorrow.  Happy GOT!

I am sorry I am slow with the reviews. Work gets in the way sometimes.

So the meal was lovely. All three of us loved the braised beef. It had some unusual spices that were fun.

I am the only one who tried the pea pottage. It was good but not too exciting.

The Lasagne was over cooked and a little crisp. The spices were fun though. The dogs have been enjoying the leftover beef broth.

The fried fog pastries were a hit. Sweet despite the lack of sugar and the fried filo dough was nice. The only complaint from Tom is that there are too many seeds in figs.

No real spoilers but I had thought more of the major characters would perish in the last episode. Not really complaining, just an observation. It was enthralling to watch, even on my little laptop. We rewatched it the next night on a real TV to see the special effects better. Really looking forward to what’s next.

By the way, it is challenging to make an epic meal in a small trailer kitchen. Space was limited and the bed got used to hold food dishes. But I did it. The dish washing the next day without running water was also epic!

In the late Middle Ages, well-off children were sent out of their homes at age 7-8 to be tutored in the household of great magnate or church dignitary. They would learn about serving, manners, meals, courtesy and housekeeping there was a manuscript collection describing this education called The Babees Book. It was translated into more modern English and is available as part of the Gutenberg project. It is a fascinating read, exploring aspects of medieval life in a lord’s manor.

Here is a great quote from the 1908 introduction: “although we are not today so plain spoken, our ideals are similarities those of our ancestors. But theirs was the greater difficulty of attainment. Personal cleanliness, self-respect, reverence for one’s betters, and consideration for one’s neighbor seem to have been then as they are now, the foundation-stones.”

On the menu tonight are dishes that would have been served in these households. We will have Braised beef, Green pea pottage, Lasagne layered with cheese, and Fried fig pastries.

this weekend we are at our mountain vintage Boles Aero trailer. So food preparation and HBO access will be interesting.

I started Sunday afternoon with the fried fig pastries. I brought a handheld blender and hooked it to our inverter. We have 12 volt solar power here. Last time I tried this blender it took too much power but this one with a new solar battery it work great. But the minced figs were too hard to get fuller blend. But I was able to whip egg whites with it. The minced figs, spices and egg yolks were rolled into filo pastry and then fried. Here they are all done minus one for quality control.

Next I prepared the Lasagne. I boiled the noodles in our beef broth.

and here is the Lasagne all ready to go in the oven. The pan is greased with butter and then there are layers of cinnamon, pepper grated cheddar and the boiled noodles.

The braised beef was next. A 2# beef rib roast was roasted in the oven with some beef fat for 49 minutes. Then parsley, onions, currants, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, juniper berries, saffron, salt, red wine and red wine vinegar were added. It was the cooked gently on the stovetop covered for 45 minutes.

The oven was then available to bake the lasagna. I also got the table and the laptop ready. We have a 12 volt TV but no access to any form of HBO on it. So I made WiFi with my phone and pulled up HBO Go on the laptop. It is not ideal but it will work. Plus we can rewatch it tomorrow on a real TV.

Next came the green pea pottage

I boiled peas and onions and the purred them and simmered them some more.

then I assembled the meal. Here is my view.

And here is my meal.

I will let you know how the meal and episode are tomorrow

So the meal (Braised spring greens, White bread and rolls, Golden leeks and onions, Civey of hare, and Fig and raisin ‘cream’) was excellent.  The spice combinations were unusual but everything was tasty.

The Civey of hare (rabbit stew) could have used more vegetables like carrots.  But the spices were interesting but good, and the meat was very tender.  And it was very medieval with the bones sticking out of the bowl.

The Golden leeks and onions actually taste liked saffron and had a gorgeous deep yellow color.  The summoner in Chaucer’s company loved leeks and onions so its felt very authentic.  And I was able to get saffron on sale at Fred Meyer for only $7 (usually it is ~$20) so I did not feel too guilty using a teaspoon of it for this recipe.  The other spices (white pepper, cinnamon and cloves) added a little zing as well.

The Braised spring greens were basically just spinach, but the pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon added a nice spiciness to it as well.

The White bread and rolls were basically just white bread, but fresh-baked bread is always good.  Plus it sopped up the liquids nicely.

Fig and raisin ‘cream’ was kind of a warm, sweet, somewhat seedy soup.  But if you like figs and raisins, you will like this.  It was spiced with pepper, cinnamon, cloves and salt.  I am thinking the leftovers will be great mixed with yogurt for breakfasts.

One thing I noticed about this meal is there was more spices than any other of the medieval meals I have had.  I may be because most of the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales were well off, but prior meals I have had were meant for Kings.  Maybe just a different era, but it was welcomed.

Tom even liked it.  He did not have the spinach or the fig/raisin dessert, but the rest he raved about.  He prefers the white meat on the rabbits as compared to the dark, but I am not sure which part on a rabbit is dark versus white.  But I am thrilled he had a nice meal too.  And it all felt very medieval as we watch the episode.

No major spoilers here, but I actually liked this episode more than the first one.  Although there was no deaths and no appearance by Cersei (both of which I am guessing are firsts) it felt warm and interesting.  I loved seeing the characters interacting.  Plus there is the knowledge that an ugly battle is coming soon.  So we enjoyed it and are anxiously awaiting next Sunday’s installment.  Sadly only 4 more medieval meals (and GOT) to go.

 

 

 

Our medieval meal tonight is going to be based on what the cook would have made during the pilgrimage in The Canterbury Tales.

Per Wikipedia The Canterbury Tales (mostly written in verse, although some are in prose) are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The prize for this contest is a free meal at the Tabard Inn at Southwark on their return.

 

Here is a reading of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Cook’s Tale:

www.youtube.com/

And here is a depiction of The Cook (from Wikipedia):

This is a translation of the Prologue to the Cook’s Tale that I thought was interesting and descriptive:

From The Canterbury Tales:
General Prologue
lines 381-389: The Cook

A COOK they hadde with hem for the nones To boille the chiknes with the marybones, And poudre-marchant tart, and galyngale. Wel koude he knowe a draughte of London ale. 385 He koude rooste, and sethe, and broille, and frye, Maken mortreux, and wel bake a pye. But greet harm was it, as it thoughte me, That on his shyne a mormal hadde he. For blankmanger, that made he with the beste.

A COOK they had with them, just for once, To boil the chickens with the marrow-bones, And poudre-marchant tart and galingale. He knew how to recognize a draught of London ale. 385 And he could roast and boil and broil and fry, And prepare a stew, and bake a tasty pie. But a pity it was, it seemed to me, That on his shin an open sore had he; For sweet blanc-mange, he made it with the best.

So on the menu for tonight is Braised spring greens, White bread and rolls, Golden leeks and onions, Civey of hare, and Fig and raisin ‘cream’.

First I started making the bread dough.  I am not used to weighing flour instead of measuring in cups.  Because of this I did not realize how much flour I needed so I ran out.  Tom was kind enough to go to W.D. Foods to pick some up as well as brown sugar which I did not realize he had used up.  It is a thick dough but otherwise similar to dough I have made before.  Here it is “proving” in the oven.

 

Then I started the Cibey of hare which is just a rabbit stew.  It has beef stockk and onions but lots of interesting spices.  there is free thyme, fresh rosemary, powder douce, fresh parsley, whole cloves, 2 blades of mace and ground ginger.  There is some toast soaked in red wine and a little red wine vinegar.  Here it is before I placed the ribcages on top and cooked it all together. The second picture is of the blades of mace I had to buy.

Next came the soaked figs , raisins and red wine cooked up. It was then blended with some spices and rice flour. Here it is all cooked up.

The bread and rolls were cooked.

The leeks and onions were cooked with saffron water and spices.

And the spinach was braised, drained then fried.

And here is my meal all assembled with some brown ale.

GOT is just about to start. I will give you an appraisal tomorrow.