helblonde: (Flocke and seal)
[personal profile] helblonde
So, to cap off my fun, I've agreed to cater lifeofglamour's Laureling vigil (hooray!) at Beltane. She has requested a 16th century spread and I need help.

I would love some recipe suggestions. If you would like to make something, I will gladly accept help and give bounteous appreciation. Also, if you all have a feel for how much food and drink to provide for a 4-6 hour Friday night spread, I'd love to talk numbers.

I'm hoping to set out a beautiful table and would love to borrow plates and bowls if any of you are willing to share.

If emailing me is easier, it's johannaludwiga@earthlink.net.

Many thanks!

Date: 2013-03-26 06:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lifeofglamour.livejournal.com
Yay!!
We have some plates and bowls to contribute, too.

Date: 2013-03-26 06:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] trystbat.livejournal.com
The Chateau Rose will have at least the dayshade set up w/tables & cloths, chairs/benches. I have scads of metal trays & pitchers I can bring, & if [livejournal.com profile] lifeofglamour wants, I can supply pink drinks.

Date: 2013-03-26 06:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] joycebre.livejournal.com
Yay!! I can do an in depth brain dump with you if you'd like, but here's the cliff notes. Ppl eat less than you'd hope. Most of them have already had dinner, and will just nibble. Finger foods rule. I'll check my cookbooks for anything interesting. Any particular country/area? You can borrow my Italian stuff if you'd like.
Water, cyser, beer, wine, hypocras for drinks. If its cold ill see if I can find a hot drink recipe

Date: 2013-03-26 06:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] trystbat.livejournal.com
Hey, [livejournal.com profile] sarahbellem & I will eat all the foods! Best part of going to vigils, imo.

Date: 2013-03-26 09:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kiria-dk.livejournal.com
Were they still doing caudell in the 16th century?

Date: 2013-03-26 11:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ppfuf.livejournal.com
Ja sure, you becha! People were still drinking caudles and almond milk, but the written recipies get weirder and more complex, as almonds and sugar were more avaliable.
There's a buttered beer recipe in John Partridge (1594) that's pretty good if you like beer.
Wine thickened with eggs or beer thickened with oatmeal, see Dawson's Good Housewife's Jewel (1596)
There's a late recipe for ale-based Almond caudle in A book of Fruits and Flowers (1653)

Date: 2013-03-27 01:12 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] joycebre.livejournal.com
I made buttered beer, it was awesome. Super calorie bomb, though

Yay, brain dump!

Date: 2013-03-26 10:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] helblonde.livejournal.com
I was thinking nibbles were the way to go. Bonus: if folks contribute just a bit of this or that, the spread will change throughout the evening.

Elena is English, so leaning that way. She is widely traveled, so who knows what recipes her cooks have learnt in far off places?

I would love to borrow your Italian stuff, please.

Date: 2013-03-26 09:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] joycebre.livejournal.com
Yes and no. It was evolving into syllabubs and punches by now. It's a possibility if Johanna wants a version.

Date: 2013-03-26 10:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] helblonde.livejournal.com
I'd like to keep beverages simple. My experience says that little of the period nonalcoholic drink gets consumed. Save water, of course. I will check with Elena to see what she prefers.

Date: 2013-03-26 11:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ppfuf.livejournal.com
I love shellbread, they are like modern madelines. Here's a recipe: http://www.godecookery.com/engrec/engrec159.html There's a good redaction in Lowin's _Dining with William Shakespear_.

If you are willing to buy rather than make things, I recommend Trader Joe's cinnamon coated almonds, the wafers in the yellow boxes, and the little square fruit jellies. Put these with some bright colored fruit and you are 1/2 way to a Tudor Banquette. If you have some tiny cookie cutters, you can also cut fruit leather in shapes, which has a lot of visual appeal.

Date: 2013-03-27 01:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] helblonde.livejournal.com
Awesome! Fast and easy has great appeal.

Date: 2013-03-27 01:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] joycebre.livejournal.com
other late period sources - Scappi (for Italian), Digby - home of the savory toasted cheese, which would be great - you could borrow my little butane stove for this, or use a candle powered fondue pot. Crystal already mentioned Dawson, Markham. And then there's the French. :)

more late-period english

Date: 2013-03-27 01:52 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ppfuf.livejournal.com
And Elanor Fettiplace, who has several recipes for little snacky sugar bombs. Her Spanish Marmelade is great....I use the version in Spurling's book. I'll dig it up and send it along.
Sir Hugh Platt's _Delights for Ladies_ has a bunch of banquetting stuffs as well, candied flower petals and the like.

Re: more late-period english

Date: 2013-03-27 02:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] joycebre.livejournal.com
I love Sir Hugh Platt's recipes.

Re: more late-period english

Date: 2013-03-27 03:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] helblonde.livejournal.com
The title intrigues me!

Er, being that it's Laina...

Date: 2013-03-29 06:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dakini-bones.livejournal.com
Maybe more fruit and veg things? Can that be period?
I don't know, I'm just thinking diet-y, ya know?

Re: Er, being that it's Laina...

Date: 2013-03-30 05:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] helblonde.livejournal.com
Definitely on the list! Fruit, nuts, etc. I like the no-cook stuff.

Re: Er, being that it's Laina...

Date: 2013-04-01 08:31 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ppfuf.livejournal.com
For both English and Italian banquets there's plenty of documentation for fruits, and a little for exotic veggies like artichokes. Pickles might be an option, I'll check...nope. Looks like Markham does not mention them*, but I'll look for other sources.

*Markham’s Banquets
Page 121/section 190
Ordering of banquets
Thus having showed you how to preserve, conserve, candy, and make pastes of all kinds, in which four heads consists the whole art of banqueting dishes, I will now proceed to the ordering or setting forth of a banquet; wherein you shall observe that the marchpanes have the first place, the middle place, and the last place; your preserved fruits shall be dished up first, your pastes next, your wet suckets after them, then your dried suckets, then your marmalades and goodinyakes, then your comfits of all kinds; next, your pears, apples, wardens baked raw or roasted, and your oranges and lemons sliced; and lastly your wafer cakes. Thus you shall order the in the closet; but when they go to the table, you shall first send forth a dish made for show only, as beast, bird, fish, or fowl, according to invention: then your marchpane, then preserved fruit, then a paste then a wet sucket, then a dry sucket, marmalade, comfits, apples, pears, wardens, oranges, lemons sliced; and then wafers, and another dish of preserved fruits, and so consequently all the rest before; no two dishes of one kind going or standing together, and then will not only appear delicate to the eye, but invite the appetite with the much variety thereof.

Date: 2013-03-31 11:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] joycebre.livejournal.com
hey, you'll need lots of lighting. you can use battery tealights or regular tealights with these. and if you don't want to buy, I think the pattern would be pretty simple to make some.

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