One thing you notice as you read the Outlander series is all the mentions of food. It’s not quite as prolific as all the food in A Song of Ice and Fire, but there’s a lot of book and a lot of food. As we’ve seen, a lot of people like food (I am one) and like playing with food, and Outlander fandom being what it is, we should not be surprised that there is … Continue reading Outlander Kitchen: The Official Outlander Companion Cookbook by Theresa Carle-Sanders →
As you may recall, Amanda and I are heading to Sweden this month, and in honor of the trip, I broke out this book from the late 1940s my mom gave me for Christmas. The thing that made this interesting for me to try was the fact that you’re supposed to make the cheese for this cheese cake. Ost: cheese. Kaka: cake. Ostkaka: Cheese cake! Cheese is fun! Cheese is FINICKY. As I said on … Continue reading RedHeadedGirl’s Historical Kitchen: Ostkaka →
“Dulcia Domestica” translates from Latin into “a home-made sweet” and what’s better than a home-made sweet when spring is here – according to the calendar – but is sitting in its room saying it won’t come out until it’s good and ready. This spring is like a toddler, I swear. Anyway, this is a Roman sweet from Apicius that I’ve made many many times, and brought it to the last meetup of the Boston Bitchery, … Continue reading RedHeadedGirl’s Historical Kitchen: Dulcia Domestica →
One of the delights of my circle of friends is having people in my life who are as into nerdy historical cooking as I am. You remember Abigail, who helped with the quince paste? She also put in a request for helping make a ridiculous pie with a hot-water paste crust (she claims to remember it differently, that I was the one who said “pie!” and she said “okay!” but really it was the other way … Continue reading RedHeadedGirl’s Historical Kitchen: Veal and Ham Pie →
It shouldn’t be a surprise that all of us here at the Pink Palace of the Bitchery are fans of The Great British Bake Off. I am most put out that the only complete seasons I can get through mostly legal means are Series 5, which is on American Netflix as Season 1 (because that was the first season PBS aired), and Series 1, which is on Youtube. There are bits and pieces of other seasons on … Continue reading RedHeadedGirl’s Historical Kitchen: Bisket Bread →
It shouldn’t be a big shock that The Great British Bake Off is a well-loved show around these parts. And you all know how I feel about historical cooking and social history in general. And you should have a pretty good idea about how I feel about generalized shenanigans. (Pro. Very pro.) Now, if you put these things together, what you get is The Supersizers Go, aka “Literal RHG bait as produced by the … Continue reading Stuff You Should Be Watching: The Supersizers Go →
I GOT A PUDDING BASIN. I also got a copy of Lobscouse and Spotted Dog, Which It’s a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels by Anne Chotzinoff Grossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas. In the realm of British dishes with silly names, Spotted Dog is up there. When I was planning Christmas dinner with my family, I threw out there “Hey, should I make some Spotted Dog?” My dad is a huuuuuge Patrick O’Brian fan (like, has … Continue reading RedHeadedGirl’s Historical Kitchen: Spotted Dog →
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 →
