This project was originally completed sometime in 2003.
Colors: The Story of Dyes and Pigments By Francois Dleamare and Bernard Guineau.
As the title suggests, the book takes a look at the history of dyes and pigments, how new colors were created and how changes within the textile and dying industries were effected by these changes. One of the things that I enjoyed about this book was the amount of information about Roman and Medieval dying methods and the evolution of processes during the time period. I’ve always been sincerely disappointed by the small paragraph of information many authors use to mention any history on an artform that existed during the Middle Ages, so it was definitely refreshing to have an entire chapter with beautiful color photographs devoted to the era. It’s a nice read with some interesting information. In the back there is an appendix of sorts that contains exerts from documents as well as a good listing of books for further reading. One thing I would have liked would be a glossary of commonly used terms for easy reference as I read the book. It’s a nice place to get started if you’re interested in or ever think you could be interested in pigment history.
Pigment Translation:
While perusing this book there was an image taken from an example of a 16th-century recipe recipe for making fine-grained scarlet lake. The recipe was in French and as I could easily see every letter in the image, I decided to attempt a translation. While there are a few words that I am still unable to find any modern equivalent/translation of, the following is what I was able to come up with. Thanks to Eliane for assistance with the translation
Pour Faire Lacca de graine fine.
Pren une livre de tondure d’ecarlate fine, et la mets en une poelle neuve pleine de laissue, qui ne soit point troup forte: puis la fay bouillir tat que la laissiue en prenne la couleur. Ce fait, pren un sachet, large par en haut, et agu par bas, au-quel verseras la-dite tondure d’ecarlate, et la laissiue, mettant un vaisseau dessous: puis presse bien le sachet, tellement que toute la sustance, et toute la couleur en puisse decouleur, apres lave la tondure, et la sac, au-dit vaisseau, ou est la couleur. Et sil te semble que la tondure ait encore d’avantage of couleur, tu la feras bouillier avec autre laissiue, faisant comme par-avant. Ce fait, mettras chaufer au feu la-dite laissiue coulouree, mais ne la laisse point bouillir: et faut tenir toute preste, sus le feu, quelque poelle nette, avec de l’eau nette, la-quelle, estant chaude, y mettras cinq onces d’alun de roche pulverise: Et incontinent que tu le verras dissoudre, pren un sachet, comme le premier: et quand la couleur sera chaude, ote-la du feu, et y boute le-dit alun: puis jette ainsi tout ensemble au sac, mettant dessous quelque vasseau plomme: et regarde si par en bas la couleur en vient rouge, lors prendras de l’eau chaude, et la verseras au sac, y versant aussi tout ce qui estoit coule, au-dit vaisseau, sous le sac: et verse tant de fois ce qui coulera par en bas, que tu verras que la liqueur qui en sorte, ne soit plus rouge, mais claire comme laissiue: ayant ainsi ecoule toute l’eau, la couleur demourera au sac, la quelle tu deferas d’une spatule de bois, la mettant au fond du sac, et la reduis toute en une masse, ou en tablettes, ou comme bon te semblera: puis la mets saicher, sus un carreau neuf et net, a l’ombre, ou a l’air, et non pas au soleil. Et par-ainsi tu auras une chose excellente.
For making a lake of fine seed.
Take a pound of tondure of fine scarlet, and put it in a new pan full of laissiue, that isn’t too strong: then make it boil as long as the laissiue takes in the color. That done, take a small cone-shaped [big on the top and skinny on the bottom] bag, into which, pour the above mentioned tondure scarlet, and la laissiue, put a tiny vessel underneath: then press the bag well, so much so that all the substance and all the color draws forth. After, wash the tondure and the bag as well as the vessel where the color is. And if it seems that the tondure has more color, you should boil it with another laissiue, done as before.
That done, heat in fire the previously mentioned laissiue color, but don’t leave to boil: And you must keep ready on the fire, a clean pan with clean water, which is warm, and add 5 ounces of powdered alum: And once you see that it is dissolved, take the bag, like the first: and when the color is warm, take it away from the fire, throw in it a bit of alum: then throw thus all together in a bag, place underneath some lead vessel: Look to see if the bottom color is turning red, at that time take the warm water and pour it in the the bag, in it also pour all that had sunken into the vessel beneath the bag: and pour so many times that which runs in the bottom is a sort of liqueur that isn’t red, but clear as laissiue: having poured off all the water, the color will stay in the bag, that which you defer to with a wooden spatula, and put it in the bottom of the bag, and reduce it all in a lump or in bars or as it seems good to you: then let it dry, in a clean and new box, in the shade or in the air but not in the sun. And by thus you have an excellent thing.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Pears Poached in Port
This originally compiled circa 2000 I believe (I am transferring data from my original website). Not my best work but again an effort to help me mark my progress.
Poached Pears
Pears appear in a multitude of forms throughout medieval cooking and their use dates back thousands of years before period. They were often served at the end of a meal with other sweets and were thought to have medicinal properties. Chiquart’s "On Cookery" includes instructions for baking pears that were thought to help the sick, and scribes from circa 2750 BC recorded medical prescriptions that include a poultice made of pears, figs and thyme. In Siena, in 1326, candied pears were served at the end of every meal of one particular knighting ceremony, and the lower classes of Rome sometimes ended their meals with a dish of grapes, pears, and apples.
Recipes for pears cooked in wine and spices appear throughout English manuscripts. Surprisingly, there are few examples of similar dishes in French, Latin or Italian manuscripts. There was mention in some French and Italian menus of "Pears with Hypocras" however, a recipe did not appear until the 1400s. In fact, Le Ménagier de Paris mentions that they were "like turnips." This is different from sweet pear desserts of the English.
Pears were pureed, baked, or poached with spices in wine. With the poached recipes particularly, there are many variations, almost all include wine, pears, sugar, and cinnamon. Other ingredients include anise, cloves, mace, dates, currants, and vinegar. Also, salt or ginger was used. (Ginger can sometimes be an interesting alternative when trying to cut salt from ones diet). In "Forme of Cury", there is a recipe called Peeres in Confyt which adds mulberries to enrich the color and has the final dish served with the cooked pears in a pyramid shape with the syrup poured over top. This created an interesting variation of color when serving.
Color was important in medieval cooking. The authors of The Medieval Kitchen: recipes from France and Italy state that color "defined dishes an were an element in the cooks choice of ingredients." Meaning, that the kind and color of sauce determined which spices to use to preserve the integrity of the dish—for example, a yellow sauce may have used saffron, etc. The recipe from which mine is based, Perys en Composte from Harleian MS 279 Potage Dyvers, includes the addition of "Sawnderys" or sandalwood. Sandalwood, sometimes called dragon’s blood, adds an old rose/reddish color to dishes. The Boke of Godecookery website recommends the use of red food coloring instead, as the affect is similar without the difficulty of trying to find the spice and the unpleasant taste that sandalwood can sometimes add.
The following is the modern variation that I use when making poached pears:
2 cups of red wine (I prefer port)
1 tbsp sugar
4-6 pears
3 cinnamon sticks
a couple drops of food coloring
pinch of salt
powdered cinnamon to taste
In saucepan, heat through the wine, sugar, food coloring, salt and cinnamon sticks. I let mine simmer slightly to thicken a bit and to remove as much alcohol as possible. Remove cinnamon sticks. Peel and slice pears. Add these to wine mixture and heat at low. When pears are translucent (this may take awhile depending on how many pears and how firm they are), taste and add sugar and powdered cinnamon to your liking. Pears may be served warm or chilled. Keep refrigerated.
While many recipes call for the pears to be parboiled, this isn’t as necessary with modern pears as they are probably sweeter and softer than those available in period. While slow cooking wasn’t really a possibility in a medieval kitchen (hence the parboiling), it can break the pears up too much. I find the flavor to be better when they are simmered with the wine to soften them. For authenticity, or for particularly hard pears, you may wish to parboil them.
Also the original recipe called for 2 tbsp of powdered cinnamon to be added to the simmering process rather than cinnamon sticks. This can make the mixture gritty and requires straining of the cinnamon. For ease and for a subtler flavor I used cinnamon sticks. As mentioned above, you can also add dates or currants along with other spices.
Enjoy!
Bibliography
Hieatt, Constance B, Brenda Hosington, and Sharon Butler. Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks 2nd Edition. Canada: University of Toronto Press, Inc, 1996.
Matterer, James L. "Perys en Composte." 2000..
Matterer, James L. "Apples & Peres." 2000..
Redon, Odile, Francoise Sabban, Silvano Servent, and Edward Schneider. The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Tannahil, Reay. Food in History. New York: Three River’s Press, 1988.
Poached Pears
Pears appear in a multitude of forms throughout medieval cooking and their use dates back thousands of years before period. They were often served at the end of a meal with other sweets and were thought to have medicinal properties. Chiquart’s "On Cookery" includes instructions for baking pears that were thought to help the sick, and scribes from circa 2750 BC recorded medical prescriptions that include a poultice made of pears, figs and thyme. In Siena, in 1326, candied pears were served at the end of every meal of one particular knighting ceremony, and the lower classes of Rome sometimes ended their meals with a dish of grapes, pears, and apples.
Recipes for pears cooked in wine and spices appear throughout English manuscripts. Surprisingly, there are few examples of similar dishes in French, Latin or Italian manuscripts. There was mention in some French and Italian menus of "Pears with Hypocras" however, a recipe did not appear until the 1400s. In fact, Le Ménagier de Paris mentions that they were "like turnips." This is different from sweet pear desserts of the English.
Pears were pureed, baked, or poached with spices in wine. With the poached recipes particularly, there are many variations, almost all include wine, pears, sugar, and cinnamon. Other ingredients include anise, cloves, mace, dates, currants, and vinegar. Also, salt or ginger was used. (Ginger can sometimes be an interesting alternative when trying to cut salt from ones diet). In "Forme of Cury", there is a recipe called Peeres in Confyt which adds mulberries to enrich the color and has the final dish served with the cooked pears in a pyramid shape with the syrup poured over top. This created an interesting variation of color when serving.
Color was important in medieval cooking. The authors of The Medieval Kitchen: recipes from France and Italy state that color "defined dishes an were an element in the cooks choice of ingredients." Meaning, that the kind and color of sauce determined which spices to use to preserve the integrity of the dish—for example, a yellow sauce may have used saffron, etc. The recipe from which mine is based, Perys en Composte from Harleian MS 279 Potage Dyvers, includes the addition of "Sawnderys" or sandalwood. Sandalwood, sometimes called dragon’s blood, adds an old rose/reddish color to dishes. The Boke of Godecookery website recommends the use of red food coloring instead, as the affect is similar without the difficulty of trying to find the spice and the unpleasant taste that sandalwood can sometimes add.
The following is the modern variation that I use when making poached pears:
2 cups of red wine (I prefer port)
1 tbsp sugar
4-6 pears
3 cinnamon sticks
a couple drops of food coloring
pinch of salt
powdered cinnamon to taste
In saucepan, heat through the wine, sugar, food coloring, salt and cinnamon sticks. I let mine simmer slightly to thicken a bit and to remove as much alcohol as possible. Remove cinnamon sticks. Peel and slice pears. Add these to wine mixture and heat at low. When pears are translucent (this may take awhile depending on how many pears and how firm they are), taste and add sugar and powdered cinnamon to your liking. Pears may be served warm or chilled. Keep refrigerated.
While many recipes call for the pears to be parboiled, this isn’t as necessary with modern pears as they are probably sweeter and softer than those available in period. While slow cooking wasn’t really a possibility in a medieval kitchen (hence the parboiling), it can break the pears up too much. I find the flavor to be better when they are simmered with the wine to soften them. For authenticity, or for particularly hard pears, you may wish to parboil them.
Also the original recipe called for 2 tbsp of powdered cinnamon to be added to the simmering process rather than cinnamon sticks. This can make the mixture gritty and requires straining of the cinnamon. For ease and for a subtler flavor I used cinnamon sticks. As mentioned above, you can also add dates or currants along with other spices.
Enjoy!
Bibliography
Hieatt, Constance B, Brenda Hosington, and Sharon Butler. Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks 2nd Edition. Canada: University of Toronto Press, Inc, 1996.
Matterer, James L. "Perys en Composte." 2000.
Matterer, James L. "Apples & Peres." 2000.
Redon, Odile, Francoise Sabban, Silvano Servent, and Edward Schneider. The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Tannahil, Reay. Food in History. New York: Three River’s Press, 1988.
Roman Necklace
This project originally completed prior to fall of 2004. Exact date unknown
The instructions for the necklace came from Fire Mountain. They based it on a Roman necklace dated from the 2nd C. CE. Their source was the book "Ancient Gold Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art" by Barbara Deppert-Lippitz, photography by Tom Jenkins, (ISBN 0-936227-19-2). I haven't compared the model with the original so I'm not sure how closely it mirrors the one in the original source; however, the original model used gold and emerald while my remake is garnet and gold-filled wire. Each link is made with a simple "S" shape.
The instructions for the necklace came from Fire Mountain. They based it on a Roman necklace dated from the 2nd C. CE. Their source was the book "Ancient Gold Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art" by Barbara Deppert-Lippitz, photography by Tom Jenkins, (ISBN 0-936227-19-2). I haven't compared the model with the original so I'm not sure how closely it mirrors the one in the original source; however, the original model used gold and emerald while my remake is garnet and gold-filled wire. Each link is made with a simple "S" shape.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
A Bodice and Skirt
A good friend of mine agreed to help me make some new garb for the SCA event this last weekend, The Kingdom of Northshield's Coronation for Stephen and Ailleanne. I have gained quite a significant amount of weight since I first joined the SCA so most of my garb either doesn't fit me or has been worn out after 9 years in the Society. I have several tunics which are good for working in the kitchen but are really less than flattering on me.
So we decided to make a cotton bodice and skirt. Nothing terribly fancy as much of my time in the SCA is spent in the kitchen. My garb needs to be comfortable, keep me mobile, and be washable. She drafted a pattern for the bodice using instructions found on the Elizabethan Costuming Page. I was skeptical about it given that bodice's always look smaller then clothing I would normally wear but it worked out perfectly. I found some sturdy cotton fabric and we managed to make it reversible. My friend did most of the work but I think I could make another (except maybe for the cable channels) now that we have suitable pattern.
The skirt was nice and full and just made from my friends own costuming experience. The pleating technique she showed me was amazingly easy and turned out beautifully even with my uneven spacing. I think I was a little too cautious with my hem because I do trip over that but that is fixable and she was correct in her advice to hook the skirt tighter then I would normally wear it because the bodice will pull me in quite a bit. I will need to fix that as well.
The pictures are somewhat wrinkly because I never managed to get photos while I was wearing it. It fulfilled all it's functions and I felt good wearing it. It makes me want to play more actively again. I still haven't changed my mind that costuming is far more fussy then I enjoy but I think I could make this outfit again.
My other task this last week was trying to make a suitable head covering. After years of trying I finally managed to figure out how to make a veil work only I don't really wear the appropriate costume for veils anymore. The only other head covering I have managed is the turban style head wrap that always looks better on everyone else. It will at least stay on my head. I used to use fake hair and do hair wraps/braids similar to what I found in photos. Over the years my hair has become progressively thinner and can no longer support length or the fake braids and that is no longer an option. However, appropriate head dress/style really makes an outfit I think and is something I have been striving to improve.
I wanted to find a head covering more appropriate to my new garb so I tried the coif pattern found at the Elizabethan Costuming site. It definitely did not work out the way I expected. I tried (to the best of my limited costuming ability) to adapt the pattern to fit my head but it was still too small. I used the idea from the Extreme Costuming website of anchoring the coif to a forehead scarf but I don't think I managed to execute it properly. I ran out of time to perfect it so I did some creative pinning to make it look somewhat presentable. However, it kept slipping off my head which is really not a functional option when my garb needs to be something I can work in. I think if I can figure out a way to perfect it I may eventually make an embroidered one. And the Attack Laurel's site definitely gave me a better perspective on how I can improve it. I just need some practice.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Weekend of Knitting
Friday night I went to the Late Night Knit at the Sow's Ear. I had gotten a few notices from friends who had hoped to be able to go and I was looking forward to seeing folks but decided that even if no one showed I still wanted to go. I am slowly getting more comfortable doing things on my "own" again. As much as I love my partner it is good to be able to remind myself that I am still cool with just me.
And it is such a lovely place...warm beverages at just the right temperature and labyrinthian rooms full of shelves stuffed with yarn. And knitters are a lovely group...everyone just seems happy to be somewhere knitting. As always the place is packed so I wound up sharing my table with some people I hadn't met before and was glad I had the opportunity to chat with them.
I finished the second of the basic baby socks.
They knit up really quick and the second one on the left is starting to show promise as "k1 p1" ribbing is concerned. Not great but significantly less woofy then the first attempt.
Although I think I knitted the first one wrong because when I went to do the final decrease on the toe it happened very differently and I think I like the original way I did better. I need to wash and block the hat and socks before I send them off to my aunt. The hat is going to probably be too small and the socks probably too big which I am hoping will be forgiven.
Saturday the full force of the ick I have been slowly coming down with hit me. Horrible cough and my entire body ached. As in I think I now know where my spleen is. Which means I got pretty much nothing done except for a load of laundry and some banana chocolate chip bread (the bananas needed to be used up).
The rest of the day I plunked down on the couch and watched some movies... mostly some Netflix stuff and of course one of my three favorite crafting movies Pride & Prejudice (the good version from A&E...no I do not want to know about the zombies. There are no zombies in Pride & Prejudice). It is excellent because it is so long and I have the thing practically memorized so I can concentrate on the knitting when I have to and not miss any of the story. I wonder if Jane Austen knew how much she would be loved centuries later.
Anyway, while watching I started making the flower washcloths I have a pattern for. I am thinking of making a bunch as presents. The cotton chenille is unbelievably soft and which is making up for the non-stretchy nature of the fiber. I would be highly annoyed otherwise. I probably would have gotten further but I got tired a few times and worked on the Blanket of Many Colors instead.
I think I have enough projects to get me through the end of the year and probably the end of next year as well.
However, Some day when I do not totally suck at the knitting thing I am going to attempt this:
http://www.flintknits.com/blog/?p=151
I have seen the February Lady Sweater every where in the past month and a wide variety of shapes and sizes and I know that someday if I really really try I could make it...possibly. I am hoping that I will have worked up the courage to try next spring.
NO! I am not going to start anything else knew until I finish what is on my current needles (except for the blanket of many colors which is my "I want to knit but not really concentrate on the knitting" project and has no deadline).
And it is such a lovely place...warm beverages at just the right temperature and labyrinthian rooms full of shelves stuffed with yarn. And knitters are a lovely group...everyone just seems happy to be somewhere knitting. As always the place is packed so I wound up sharing my table with some people I hadn't met before and was glad I had the opportunity to chat with them.
I finished the second of the basic baby socks.
They knit up really quick and the second one on the left is starting to show promise as "k1 p1" ribbing is concerned. Not great but significantly less woofy then the first attempt.
Although I think I knitted the first one wrong because when I went to do the final decrease on the toe it happened very differently and I think I like the original way I did better. I need to wash and block the hat and socks before I send them off to my aunt. The hat is going to probably be too small and the socks probably too big which I am hoping will be forgiven.
Saturday the full force of the ick I have been slowly coming down with hit me. Horrible cough and my entire body ached. As in I think I now know where my spleen is. Which means I got pretty much nothing done except for a load of laundry and some banana chocolate chip bread (the bananas needed to be used up).
The rest of the day I plunked down on the couch and watched some movies... mostly some Netflix stuff and of course one of my three favorite crafting movies Pride & Prejudice (the good version from A&E...no I do not want to know about the zombies. There are no zombies in Pride & Prejudice). It is excellent because it is so long and I have the thing practically memorized so I can concentrate on the knitting when I have to and not miss any of the story. I wonder if Jane Austen knew how much she would be loved centuries later.
Anyway, while watching I started making the flower washcloths I have a pattern for. I am thinking of making a bunch as presents. The cotton chenille is unbelievably soft and which is making up for the non-stretchy nature of the fiber. I would be highly annoyed otherwise. I probably would have gotten further but I got tired a few times and worked on the Blanket of Many Colors instead.
I think I have enough projects to get me through the end of the year and probably the end of next year as well.
However, Some day when I do not totally suck at the knitting thing I am going to attempt this:
http://www.flintknits.com/blog/?p=151
I have seen the February Lady Sweater every where in the past month and a wide variety of shapes and sizes and I know that someday if I really really try I could make it...possibly. I am hoping that I will have worked up the courage to try next spring.
NO! I am not going to start anything else knew until I finish what is on my current needles (except for the blanket of many colors which is my "I want to knit but not really concentrate on the knitting" project and has no deadline).
Saturday, March 14, 2009
A Cambridge Pudding
A Cambridge Pudding.
(John Murrell: A new booke of Cookerie; London Cookerie. London 1615) http://www.uni-giessen.de/gloning/tx/1615murr.htm
SEarce grated Bread through a Cullinder, mince it with Flower, minst Dates, Currins, Nutmeg, Sinamon, and Pepper, minst Suit, new Milke warme, fine Sugar, and Egges: take away some of their whites, worke all together. Take halfe the Pudding on
the one side, and the other on the other side, and make it round like a loafe.
Then take Butter, and put it in the middest of the Pudding, and the other halfe aloft. Let your liquour boyle, and throw your Pudding in, being tyed in a faire cloth: when it is boyled enough cut it in the middest, and so serue it in.
My initial review of this recipe sounded like a boiled pudding. I have never had or seen one but I had heard of them so I did some online perusal. And found this:
http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=42205
While not identical it gave me some good ratios to start with. I opted to leave the suet out as I had some difficulty finding it and what I did find was in larger quantities then I needed. I wanted to try the recipe first and see how it tasted before investing in ingredients that might go to waste. I also found another pudding recipe from the same Murrell reference that gave the option “If it be a fasting day leaue out the Suit…”
1 ½ cups butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
3 eggs
½ cup warm milk
4 cups (280g) stale breadcrumbs (not dry)
1 cup (150g) wheat/white flour mix
1 cup (150g) currants
1 cup (170g) pitted dried dates, chopped
4 tsps cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp pepper
Combine dry ingredients and incorporate the wet ingredients until the dough holds its shape. Form into a round loaf. Tie up into cheese cloth. (I prepped the cloth by soaking it first and then sprinkling the center with flour to form a barrier to hold the moist pudding in and help form the skin needed for the pudding to hold its shape).
I slowly immersed the pouch into boiling water and tied the ends to the handles of the pot and put a lid over. This then boiled for six hours. I had to replenish the water periodically.
After 6 hours I removed the pudding and unwrapped it and allowed it to cool.
The pudding became more firm and darker in color as it cooled.
The flavor was good and I seemed to have found a good balance with the spices. I don’t think that anything is missing by not adding the Suet and since Coronation takes place during Lent in our modern year I decided to leave it out. It had a good flavor but needed a sauce. I couldn’t find anything else with in the same text but I decided I will serve with an almond cream which uses almonds, cream, mace and sugar.
(John Murrell: A new booke of Cookerie; London Cookerie. London 1615) http://www.uni-giessen.de/gloning/tx/1615murr.htm
SEarce grated Bread through a Cullinder, mince it with Flower, minst Dates, Currins, Nutmeg, Sinamon, and Pepper, minst Suit, new Milke warme, fine Sugar, and Egges: take away some of their whites, worke all together. Take halfe the Pudding on
the one side, and the other on the other side, and make it round like a loafe.
Then take Butter, and put it in the middest of the Pudding, and the other halfe aloft. Let your liquour boyle, and throw your Pudding in, being tyed in a faire cloth: when it is boyled enough cut it in the middest, and so serue it in.
My initial review of this recipe sounded like a boiled pudding. I have never had or seen one but I had heard of them so I did some online perusal. And found this:
http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=42205
While not identical it gave me some good ratios to start with. I opted to leave the suet out as I had some difficulty finding it and what I did find was in larger quantities then I needed. I wanted to try the recipe first and see how it tasted before investing in ingredients that might go to waste. I also found another pudding recipe from the same Murrell reference that gave the option “If it be a fasting day leaue out the Suit…”
1 ½ cups butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
3 eggs
½ cup warm milk
4 cups (280g) stale breadcrumbs (not dry)
1 cup (150g) wheat/white flour mix
1 cup (150g) currants
1 cup (170g) pitted dried dates, chopped
4 tsps cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp pepper
Combine dry ingredients and incorporate the wet ingredients until the dough holds its shape. Form into a round loaf. Tie up into cheese cloth. (I prepped the cloth by soaking it first and then sprinkling the center with flour to form a barrier to hold the moist pudding in and help form the skin needed for the pudding to hold its shape).
I slowly immersed the pouch into boiling water and tied the ends to the handles of the pot and put a lid over. This then boiled for six hours. I had to replenish the water periodically.
After 6 hours I removed the pudding and unwrapped it and allowed it to cool.
The pudding became more firm and darker in color as it cooled.
The flavor was good and I seemed to have found a good balance with the spices. I don’t think that anything is missing by not adding the Suet and since Coronation takes place during Lent in our modern year I decided to leave it out. It had a good flavor but needed a sauce. I couldn’t find anything else with in the same text but I decided I will serve with an almond cream which uses almonds, cream, mace and sugar.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Baby Hat
Wow! This knitted up really fast! I had some sock yarn that I wanted to work with but I didn't feel like tackling another pair of socks so I decided to make this cute baby hat I had a pattern for. I was a little unsure of a few things but I managed to figure them out. I guess I am getting to be a better knitter despite myself.
I used Sockotta. I think it patterns a little more distinctly than Berroco Sox but I am not sure which one I like better. I have a ton left over so I am going to make a pair of socks to manage. I had forgotten that my aunt was pregnant (I don't keep in touch with my extended family that much) so starting and finishing it was rather convenient. Her shower is tomorrow and since I have to work I will send it, the socks, and a card soon. I think I am going to make another set for the original mom-to-be this was intended for. Then I should probably get back to some other projects.
I really liked how this one pattered on the top with the decreases. The I-cord was a first attempt so it is rather woofy. I found lots of instructions on how to start I-cord but absolutely none on how you finish it off. My first was a little disasterous but I tried doing decreases on the second until I got down to one stitch and then finishing it off like I usually do for a cast off. I then pulled the tail back down through the cord which seemed to correct the end shape. Not perfect but better then the first attempt. Look at me experimenting.
It is a good thing I am starting to get hooked on this because I have too much yarn to just drop the knitting thing but I worry how long my interest will last. My embroidery obsession is pretty much gone and I am hoping the knitting one doesn't follow suit.
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