There are times at the Pink Palace of the Bitchery that we get into Dessert Wars: Somebody voices an opinion about a dessert, and someone else declares that opinion to be wrong, and then battle lines are drawn and to be honest, it’s probably gonna be Red Velvet that will tear us apart. Elyse voiced an opinion regarding macarons (as in, she luuuuuurves them), and I went “blech” but then when I was flipping through … Continue reading RedHeadedGirl’s Historical Cooking: Macaroons→
Quince is a delightful fruit that is somewhat between an apple and a pear, is available only in the fall, and is usually pretty expensive, even when it is in season. It cannot be eaten raw, and requires a lot of processing to get it to the point of being tasty. It is absolutely improved by the addition of a ridiculous amount of sugar, AND in a historical context, is a great indication of conspicuous … Continue reading RedHeadedGirl’s Historical Kitchen: Quince Paste→
Isn’t that the best name for a dish you’ve ever heard? This is from a 15th century cookbook by Johannes Bockenheim (last name of various spellings) who was a cook to Pope Martin V. In it, he included notes on what type of person each recipe was best suited for- based on social class and/or nationality. Why this particular recipe is ideal for ruffians and harlots, I do not know. The truly unfortunate thing is that … Continue reading RedHeadedGirl’s Historical Kitchen: A Dish for Harlots and Ruffians→
Last month we went through a process that I’ve been doing for years, working from a manuscript I’ve been playing with for years, and cooking a cuisine that I’ve become familiar with over those years. This month is completely different. One of the things you see come up regularly in Regency-era historicals is balls. One of the things that people drink some of at these balls is ratafia. It’s a drink, you drink it, but … Continue reading RedHeadedGirl’s Historical Kitchen: Ratafia→
Now I shall demonstrate how I go about the business of reconstructing a recipe- or try, at least. I’m the most interested in Roman cooking (I’m interested in Roman everything). The biggest source we have for Roman cookery is a cookbook known as Apicius or De re coquinaria (On the Subject of Cooking). It’s a series of recipes on everything you need for a Roman banquet, from how to clarify honey, to how to cook … Continue reading RedHeadedGirl’s Research Kitchen: Cimas→
I go on and on about using research to add texture and layers of realism to writing, and (for me at least) that’s never more relevant than in historicals. I do historical re-enactment with the Society for Creative Anachronism which is a medieval/renaissance group, and one of the things I am the most into in the SCA is historical cooking. Sarah asked if I would be interested in doing a regular feature on historical cooking, which … Continue reading RedHeadedGirl’s Research Kitchen: An Introduction→
