With hours to go before 2009, I wish to say that 2008 has been full of surprise and frustration. Surprise in the renewed strength of the American Progressive movement and frustration that so many could enthusiastically join it without the least clue about what it is about. So this year I resolve to educate myself about progressive causes and get better at implementing the changes that I need to be more progressive in my day to day life. I hope to bring others along with me but if I am alone I accept that each life that is more aware is a step forward. So teaspoon at the ready, I stand prepared for a new year and new surprises.
One extra thing- get tested as a bone marrow donor, give blood when you can and if possible become prepared to donate organs so that other teaspoons can be raised when they might have been lost. Each life has something to give if we are prepared to learn.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Lebkuchen for Subtelties and Sieges
Lebkuchen is a basic Germanic honey cake which is still used to make Christmas decorations and gingerbread houses. Variants of this recipe range from Scandanavia through the Balkans and whose modern cousins are made softer by the addition of fats and rising agents. The traditional lebkuchen is closer to a candy than a cookie and its durability varies based on the thickness of the cookie. A thin cookie will produce a crisp texture and a thicker cookie will be tougher. The cookie stores well as long as it is kept away from humidity.
The key to making a good lebkuchen is to cook the honey and sugar together until it is very liquid and then stop cooking it to avoid it becoming a candy. The flour/spice mixture must be mixed in quickly while the liquid is very hot to allow complete absorbtion. Then you have a waiting period. You have to work the dough while it is warm. Too warm and you risk hurting yourself, too cool and the dough becomes impossible to work. It can be rewarmed as long as you are careful not to start baking/cooking it.
The warm dough can be sculpted, shaped, stamped, molded and cut. It can be incised and because it has no rising agents it will retain fairly complex designs through the baking process. Larger size shapes may bubble and so caution must be used on larger pieces. Individual pieces should be baked separately dependant on size to ensure even colour.
The baking process needs to be slow as you are dehydrating the dough at the same time. The dough will be pliable while warm and so some adjustments are possible with the warm cookie. You can return the piece to the stove to rewarm but not for too long or too hot because the cookie will continue baking in that situation.
151 To bake good Lebkuchen Take first a pound of sugar, a quart of clear honey, not quite a third quart of flour, take two and a half ounces of cinnamon, one and a half ounces of cloves, two ounces of cardamom. Cut the other spices as small as possible, the cinnamon sticks are ground as coarsely as possible. Also put ginger therein and put the sugar into the honey, let it cook together, put the flour in a trough, pour the cardamom into it first, afterwards the ginger and the other spices.
163 To make Nürnberger Lebkuchen Take one quart of honey, put it into a large pan, skim it well and let it boil a good while. Put one and a half pounds of sugar into it and stir it continually with a wooden spatula and let it cook for a while, as long as one cooks an egg, pour it hot into a quarter pound of flour, stir it around slowly and put the described spices in the dough, stir it around slowly and not too long; take one and a half ounces of cinnamon sticks, one and a half ounces of nutmeg, three fourths of an ounce of cloves, three ounces of ginger, a pinch of mace, and chop or grind each one separately so that they are not too small, the cinnamon sticks, especially, should be coarsely ground. And when you have put the spices in the dough, then let the dough set for as long as one needs to hard boil eggs. Dip the hands in flour and take a small heap of dough, make balls out of it, weigh them so that one is as heavy as the others, roll them out with a rolling pin, and spread them out smoothly by hand, the smoother the prettier. After that dip the mold in rose water and open it up. Take four ounces of dough for one Lebkuchen. Be careful and get no flour in the molds or else they will be no good, but on the board you can put flour so that they do not stick to it. Let them set overnight. And when you take them to the baker, then see to it that you have another board that is thoroughly sprinkled with flour, so that it is very thickly covered. Put the board with its covering of flour into the oven so that the board is completely heated, the hotter the better. Take it out afterwards and lay the Lebkuchen on top, so that none touches the other, put them in the oven, let them bake and look after them frequently. At first they will become soft as fat. If you take hold of them you can feel it well. And when they become entirely dry, then take them out and turn the board around, so that the front part goes into the back of the oven. Let it remain a short while, then take it out. Take a small broom, brush the flour cleanly away from the underside of the Lebkuchen and lay the Lebkuchen, in the mean time, on the other board, until you have brushed off the Lebkuchen, one after the other, so that there is no more flour on the bottoms. Afterwards sweep the flour very cleanly from off the board. Lay the Lebkuchen on top of it again, so that the bottom is turned to the top. Take a bath sponge, dip it in rose water, squeeze it out again, wash the flour from the bottoms of the Lebkuchen. Be careful that you do not leave any water on the board, then they would stick to it. Afterwards put the board with the Lebkuchen again in the oven, until the bottoms rise nicely and become hard, then take the board out again. See to it that two or three [people] are by the board, who can quickly turn the Lebkuchen over, or else they will stick. Afterwards take rose water and wash them on top with it as you have done on the underside. Put them in the oven again, let them become dry, carry them home and move them around on the board, so that they do not stick. And when they have completely cooled, then lay them eight or ten, one upon the other, wrap them in paper and store them in a dry place, see that no draft comes therein, then they remain crisp.
164 To make a large Nürnberger Lebkuchen Take a quart of honey and a quarter pound of sugar, prepare it as for the smaller Lebkuchen, take one quarter pound of flour and then the spices as follows: one half ounce of cinnamon, one ounce of cloves, one and three fourths ounces of nutmeg, four ounces of ginger, one fourth ounce of mace. Stir it carefully around, afterwards roll the dough out somewhat. Bake it as for the smaller Lebkuchen. Welserin, Sabina Cookbook of Sabina Welserin Armstrong, Valois (trans.) (orig. German 1553) online copyright Valoise Armstrong 1998
My redaction :
Lebkuchen
4 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons each of ginger, cinnamon and cardamom
½ teaspoon ground clove
2 cups honey
1 cup sugar
Put the honey and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl so that the spices are completely incorporated. Once the honey mixture is liquid, remove from the heat and add the flour mixture in a slow stream. Stir in until the flour is completely absorbed. Put the dough in a clean bowl and let cool. Cool the dough until it is at a temperature that is comfortable to handle. Do not let the dough cool completely. Roll or shape the dough as desired, working with floured hands and boards. Bake in a slow ( 300 degree F ) oven just until the dough browns slightly. Remove from the cookie sheets as soon as they can be handled and let the cookies cool completely before placing in a container. The cookies will keep in a container for very long periods.
Pfferneusen
¾ cup molasses
¾ cup honey
¼ cup shortening
1 large egg
4 cups flour sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon each of nutmeg and allspice
¾ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon anise seed ground
Heat honey and molasses (do not boil) in a large saucepan. Add shortening and stir in. Cool. Beat in egg. Sift dry ingredients togethr and add gradually stir into honey mixture. Let dough stand 30 minutes to stiffen enough to handle.
Moisten hands and shape dough. Usually they are shaped like small nuts: filberts, almonds or pecans. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a preheated moderate oven (300 degrees F.) for 13-15 minutes. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.
The key to making a good lebkuchen is to cook the honey and sugar together until it is very liquid and then stop cooking it to avoid it becoming a candy. The flour/spice mixture must be mixed in quickly while the liquid is very hot to allow complete absorbtion. Then you have a waiting period. You have to work the dough while it is warm. Too warm and you risk hurting yourself, too cool and the dough becomes impossible to work. It can be rewarmed as long as you are careful not to start baking/cooking it.
The warm dough can be sculpted, shaped, stamped, molded and cut. It can be incised and because it has no rising agents it will retain fairly complex designs through the baking process. Larger size shapes may bubble and so caution must be used on larger pieces. Individual pieces should be baked separately dependant on size to ensure even colour.
The baking process needs to be slow as you are dehydrating the dough at the same time. The dough will be pliable while warm and so some adjustments are possible with the warm cookie. You can return the piece to the stove to rewarm but not for too long or too hot because the cookie will continue baking in that situation.
151 To bake good Lebkuchen Take first a pound of sugar, a quart of clear honey, not quite a third quart of flour, take two and a half ounces of cinnamon, one and a half ounces of cloves, two ounces of cardamom. Cut the other spices as small as possible, the cinnamon sticks are ground as coarsely as possible. Also put ginger therein and put the sugar into the honey, let it cook together, put the flour in a trough, pour the cardamom into it first, afterwards the ginger and the other spices.
163 To make Nürnberger Lebkuchen Take one quart of honey, put it into a large pan, skim it well and let it boil a good while. Put one and a half pounds of sugar into it and stir it continually with a wooden spatula and let it cook for a while, as long as one cooks an egg, pour it hot into a quarter pound of flour, stir it around slowly and put the described spices in the dough, stir it around slowly and not too long; take one and a half ounces of cinnamon sticks, one and a half ounces of nutmeg, three fourths of an ounce of cloves, three ounces of ginger, a pinch of mace, and chop or grind each one separately so that they are not too small, the cinnamon sticks, especially, should be coarsely ground. And when you have put the spices in the dough, then let the dough set for as long as one needs to hard boil eggs. Dip the hands in flour and take a small heap of dough, make balls out of it, weigh them so that one is as heavy as the others, roll them out with a rolling pin, and spread them out smoothly by hand, the smoother the prettier. After that dip the mold in rose water and open it up. Take four ounces of dough for one Lebkuchen. Be careful and get no flour in the molds or else they will be no good, but on the board you can put flour so that they do not stick to it. Let them set overnight. And when you take them to the baker, then see to it that you have another board that is thoroughly sprinkled with flour, so that it is very thickly covered. Put the board with its covering of flour into the oven so that the board is completely heated, the hotter the better. Take it out afterwards and lay the Lebkuchen on top, so that none touches the other, put them in the oven, let them bake and look after them frequently. At first they will become soft as fat. If you take hold of them you can feel it well. And when they become entirely dry, then take them out and turn the board around, so that the front part goes into the back of the oven. Let it remain a short while, then take it out. Take a small broom, brush the flour cleanly away from the underside of the Lebkuchen and lay the Lebkuchen, in the mean time, on the other board, until you have brushed off the Lebkuchen, one after the other, so that there is no more flour on the bottoms. Afterwards sweep the flour very cleanly from off the board. Lay the Lebkuchen on top of it again, so that the bottom is turned to the top. Take a bath sponge, dip it in rose water, squeeze it out again, wash the flour from the bottoms of the Lebkuchen. Be careful that you do not leave any water on the board, then they would stick to it. Afterwards put the board with the Lebkuchen again in the oven, until the bottoms rise nicely and become hard, then take the board out again. See to it that two or three [people] are by the board, who can quickly turn the Lebkuchen over, or else they will stick. Afterwards take rose water and wash them on top with it as you have done on the underside. Put them in the oven again, let them become dry, carry them home and move them around on the board, so that they do not stick. And when they have completely cooled, then lay them eight or ten, one upon the other, wrap them in paper and store them in a dry place, see that no draft comes therein, then they remain crisp.
164 To make a large Nürnberger Lebkuchen Take a quart of honey and a quarter pound of sugar, prepare it as for the smaller Lebkuchen, take one quarter pound of flour and then the spices as follows: one half ounce of cinnamon, one ounce of cloves, one and three fourths ounces of nutmeg, four ounces of ginger, one fourth ounce of mace. Stir it carefully around, afterwards roll the dough out somewhat. Bake it as for the smaller Lebkuchen. Welserin, Sabina Cookbook of Sabina Welserin Armstrong, Valois (trans.) (orig. German 1553) online copyright Valoise Armstrong 1998
My redaction :
Lebkuchen
4 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons each of ginger, cinnamon and cardamom
½ teaspoon ground clove
2 cups honey
1 cup sugar
Put the honey and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl so that the spices are completely incorporated. Once the honey mixture is liquid, remove from the heat and add the flour mixture in a slow stream. Stir in until the flour is completely absorbed. Put the dough in a clean bowl and let cool. Cool the dough until it is at a temperature that is comfortable to handle. Do not let the dough cool completely. Roll or shape the dough as desired, working with floured hands and boards. Bake in a slow ( 300 degree F ) oven just until the dough browns slightly. Remove from the cookie sheets as soon as they can be handled and let the cookies cool completely before placing in a container. The cookies will keep in a container for very long periods.
Pfferneusen
¾ cup molasses
¾ cup honey
¼ cup shortening
1 large egg
4 cups flour sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon each of nutmeg and allspice
¾ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon anise seed ground
Heat honey and molasses (do not boil) in a large saucepan. Add shortening and stir in. Cool. Beat in egg. Sift dry ingredients togethr and add gradually stir into honey mixture. Let dough stand 30 minutes to stiffen enough to handle.
Moisten hands and shape dough. Usually they are shaped like small nuts: filberts, almonds or pecans. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a preheated moderate oven (300 degrees F.) for 13-15 minutes. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Pokerounce
.xxxvj. Pokerounce.—Take Hony, & caste it in a potte tyl it wexe chargeaunt y-now; take & skeme it clene. Take Gyngere, Canel, & Galyngale, & caste þer-to; take whyte Brede, & kytte to trenchours,* & toste ham; take þin paste whyle it is hot, & sprede it vppe- [leaf 32 bk.] on þin trenchourys with a spone, & plante it with Pynes, & serue forth.
I cup honey
1/2 tspn. each ground spices-ginger, cinnamon and galingal
1/2 cup toasted pinenuts
24 toasted rounds of french bread
Heat honey in a pot until it boils, skim the top and let it settle. Add ginger, cinnamon and galingal and stir in. Prepare toasted rounds of bread and spread the hot honey mix on top, scatter with pine nuts and serve.
When you heat honey it becomes very liquid and it can be used like a liquid. When it cools it becomes less liquid and more spreadable. So we have a problem with the recipe which states that we have a paste when the mix is hot. I take this to mean that there is a very high ratio of ground spices to honey. Modern tastes would rebel at this, so I advocate less spice and cooking the honey longer to evaporate some of the water resulting in a more caramel like texture. You can also leave it looser as the honey will thicken as it cools on the bread. Any way that you do this, this is a very sticky dish to serve and that should be taken into consideration. With due consideration, a finger washing bowl should be served immediately after or a person should go around with a salver and towel for people to wash up at the table.
I cup honey
1/2 tspn. each ground spices-ginger, cinnamon and galingal
1/2 cup toasted pinenuts
24 toasted rounds of french bread
Heat honey in a pot until it boils, skim the top and let it settle. Add ginger, cinnamon and galingal and stir in. Prepare toasted rounds of bread and spread the hot honey mix on top, scatter with pine nuts and serve.
When you heat honey it becomes very liquid and it can be used like a liquid. When it cools it becomes less liquid and more spreadable. So we have a problem with the recipe which states that we have a paste when the mix is hot. I take this to mean that there is a very high ratio of ground spices to honey. Modern tastes would rebel at this, so I advocate less spice and cooking the honey longer to evaporate some of the water resulting in a more caramel like texture. You can also leave it looser as the honey will thicken as it cools on the bread. Any way that you do this, this is a very sticky dish to serve and that should be taken into consideration. With due consideration, a finger washing bowl should be served immediately after or a person should go around with a salver and towel for people to wash up at the table.
Friday, December 5, 2008
The Tale of Brave Sir Stephen
I acknowledge deep input from years of watching Monty Python and wanting to usurp their talents.
Bravely bold Sir Stephen
Rode forth from Calgary.
He was not afraid to lead,
Oh brave Sir Stephen.
He was not at all afraid
To legislate in nasty ways.
Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Stephen.
He was not in the least bit scared
To have his budget quashed,
Or to have his members shout,
And his ministers all broken.
To have his caucus split
And his votes all burned away,
And his quotes all hacked and mangled
Brave Sir Stephen.
His agenda smashed in
And his initiatives cut out
And his government removed
And his microphone unplugged
And his conversations taped
And his trustworthiness burnt off
And his pen--
"That's... that's enough music for now lads,
*** there's dirty work afoot*** ???."
Brave Sir Stephen ran away.
("No!")
Bravely ran away away.
("I didn't!")
When danger reared it's ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
("no!")
Yes, brave Sir Stephen turned about
("I didn't!")
And gallantly he prorogued out.
****Bravely**** taking ("I never did!") to his feet,
He beat a very brave retreat. ("all lies!")
Bravest of the braaaave, Sir Stephen! ("I never!")
Bravely bold Sir Stephen
Rode forth from Calgary.
He was not afraid to lead,
Oh brave Sir Stephen.
He was not at all afraid
To legislate in nasty ways.
Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Stephen.
He was not in the least bit scared
To have his budget quashed,
Or to have his members shout,
And his ministers all broken.
To have his caucus split
And his votes all burned away,
And his quotes all hacked and mangled
Brave Sir Stephen.
His agenda smashed in
And his initiatives cut out
And his government removed
And his microphone unplugged
And his conversations taped
And his trustworthiness burnt off
And his pen--
"That's... that's enough music for now lads,
*** there's dirty work afoot*** ???."
Brave Sir Stephen ran away.
("No!")
Bravely ran away away.
("I didn't!")
When danger reared it's ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
("no!")
Yes, brave Sir Stephen turned about
("I didn't!")
And gallantly he prorogued out.
****Bravely**** taking ("I never did!") to his feet,
He beat a very brave retreat. ("all lies!")
Bravest of the braaaave, Sir Stephen! ("I never!")
Longue Fretoure
Long Fritters
xlvj. Longe Fretoure.—Take Milke, an make fayre croddes þer-of, in þe maner of a chese al tendyr; þan take owt þe whey as clene as þou may, & putte it on a bolle; þan take ȝolkys of Eyroun & Ale, & menge floure, & cast þer-to, a gode quantyte, & draw it þorw a straynoure in-to a fayre vesselle; þan take a panne with fayre grece, & hete it on þe fyre, but lat it nowt boyle, & þan ley þin creme a-brode; þan take a knyff, & kytte a quantyte þer-of fro þe borde in-to þe panne, & efte a-noþer, & let it frye; & whan it is brownne, take it vppe in-to a fayre dyssche, and caste Sugre y-now þer-on, & serue forth.
1 cup curdled milk/yogurt/cottage cheese
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup ale (preferably on lees)
2 1/2 cups flour
oil
sugar
Take yogurt frozen and thawed drain out the whey or take curds or cottage cheese and drain. Mix the whey, egg yolks and ale and mix it with flour until you have loose dough. You may not use all the flour so add it gradually. Heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Cut slices of the dough and pull them into long strips and fry until golden brown. Cover with sugar and serve.
Deep-fried dough is a basic of comfort food. The ale acts as the leavening by expanding when the cool dough hits the hot oil. The soured or fermented milk product gives the fritter an interesting sourdoughlike flavor and the whole dish is always popular. It is hard to prepare for a set feast but is good in more informal affairs like an outdoor event or a fair. You can get fancy with the cut or twist of the dough as you get comfortable working around hot oil. I do advise never getting TOO comfortable around hot oil- always make sure the pan is level and securely in place. Make sure that the heat is consistent and that you have a safe zone around you where people do not enter unexpectedly, especially children. Have a cover for the pot as it is easier to put out an oil fire by starving it of oxygen than any other way.
The best ale to use for this recipe is the lees at the bottom of homemade beer- it really is the yeast that you want.
xlvj. Longe Fretoure.—Take Milke, an make fayre croddes þer-of, in þe maner of a chese al tendyr; þan take owt þe whey as clene as þou may, & putte it on a bolle; þan take ȝolkys of Eyroun & Ale, & menge floure, & cast þer-to, a gode quantyte, & draw it þorw a straynoure in-to a fayre vesselle; þan take a panne with fayre grece, & hete it on þe fyre, but lat it nowt boyle, & þan ley þin creme a-brode; þan take a knyff, & kytte a quantyte þer-of fro þe borde in-to þe panne, & efte a-noþer, & let it frye; & whan it is brownne, take it vppe in-to a fayre dyssche, and caste Sugre y-now þer-on, & serue forth.
1 cup curdled milk/yogurt/cottage cheese
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup ale (preferably on lees)
2 1/2 cups flour
oil
sugar
Take yogurt frozen and thawed drain out the whey or take curds or cottage cheese and drain. Mix the whey, egg yolks and ale and mix it with flour until you have loose dough. You may not use all the flour so add it gradually. Heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Cut slices of the dough and pull them into long strips and fry until golden brown. Cover with sugar and serve.
Deep-fried dough is a basic of comfort food. The ale acts as the leavening by expanding when the cool dough hits the hot oil. The soured or fermented milk product gives the fritter an interesting sourdoughlike flavor and the whole dish is always popular. It is hard to prepare for a set feast but is good in more informal affairs like an outdoor event or a fair. You can get fancy with the cut or twist of the dough as you get comfortable working around hot oil. I do advise never getting TOO comfortable around hot oil- always make sure the pan is level and securely in place. Make sure that the heat is consistent and that you have a safe zone around you where people do not enter unexpectedly, especially children. Have a cover for the pot as it is easier to put out an oil fire by starving it of oxygen than any other way.
The best ale to use for this recipe is the lees at the bottom of homemade beer- it really is the yeast that you want.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
A bake Mete
.xxxij. A bake Mete.—Take an make fayre lytel cofyns; þan take Perys, & ȝif þey ben lytelle, put .iij. in a cofynne, & pare clene, & be-twyn euery pere, ley a gobet of Marow; & yf þou haue no lytel Perys, take grete, & gobet ham, & so put hem in þe ovyn a whyle; þan take þin commade lyke as þou takyst to Dowcetys, & pore þer-on; but lat þe Marow & þe Pecyȝ* ben sene; & whan it is y-now, serue forth.
12 tart shells using favorite crust
6-18 pears depending on size
1/4 lb. butter cut into 12 lumps
2 cups milk
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tspn. saffron
Prepare open tart shells, take peeled and pared pears and place them in the shells. Add a piece of butter on each. Bake the pies until the pears are tender. Mix milk, egg yolks, sugar and saffron into a basic custard mix. Pour over each pie letting the pear be seen and return to the oven until the custard sets. Serve warm or cold.
Any leftover custard can be baked separately.
This makes a great finger food for a sideboard, lunch or picnic meal. Custards are the basis of many great recipes and are surprisingly durable, quick and efficient. Learn custard/flan- baked and stovetop. That one recipe will serve you well in medieval and modern cooking- milk, egg and sugar, apply heat and serve.
12 tart shells using favorite crust
6-18 pears depending on size
1/4 lb. butter cut into 12 lumps
2 cups milk
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tspn. saffron
Prepare open tart shells, take peeled and pared pears and place them in the shells. Add a piece of butter on each. Bake the pies until the pears are tender. Mix milk, egg yolks, sugar and saffron into a basic custard mix. Pour over each pie letting the pear be seen and return to the oven until the custard sets. Serve warm or cold.
Any leftover custard can be baked separately.
This makes a great finger food for a sideboard, lunch or picnic meal. Custards are the basis of many great recipes and are surprisingly durable, quick and efficient. Learn custard/flan- baked and stovetop. That one recipe will serve you well in medieval and modern cooking- milk, egg and sugar, apply heat and serve.
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