Arroche Fraise - Strawberry Spinach

Strawberry Spinach [Chenopodium capitatum, also known as strawberry blite] (available from Heirloom Seeds) turned out to not only be a spectacular plant, but a delightful eat, served here with one of my tiny green climbing melons(vert grimpant seeds available from Baker Creek) after mascerating with a touch of sugar on a bit of yogurt.

Thanksgiving Bounty

May this day of Thanksgiving find you truly blessed.

Pictured are Galeux D'Eysines squash, our own cross of a pumpkin-squash, Marina Di Chioggia squash and Rouge Vif D' Etampes & Musquee De Provence pumpkins. Aah, the pies and confitures that await …

Seeds available from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

Court & Country Cook

A 1702 translation of François Massialot's Cuisinier royal et bourgeois of 1691, is now available hand bound, 18thC style with marbled boards and 1/4 leather binding, by Paul McClintock, Common Hands Studio, for $100.00. Please contact Paul for shipping details and payment.

Massialot's book was reissued and updated often in French during the 18thC, but only once in English. The book is full of savories and sweets, liqueurs and confitures, instructions for table settings and menues for fat days and lean (fasting meals according to the church's calendar). Reenactors, living historians, museums and lovers of food and great books will find a remarkable treat in this lovely volume. Paul's work is magnificent--you won't be disappointed!

The Court and Country Cook: Giving New and Plain Directions How to Order all manner of ENTERTAINMENTS. A 480 page volume, presented to the BINDERY by Mrs. Carolyn Smith - Kizer. Additional copies will be bound in a 1/4 calf with marbled boards and may be had at the Crown and Book. Please inquire. fromcommonhands@yahoo.com

Poirée - Chard - White Beet

Chard - use the chopped, blanched or wilted leaves in fillings for ravioli, tarts or pan-pies. The stalks can be sliced and used like celery. Another use of stalks is to cut them in finger lengths, blanch, dip in beaten egg and dredge in bread crumbs and fry in oil - sprinkle with salt and freshly grated nutmeg and serve as a side dish.

WHITE BEET, otherwise called chard, in Latin beta, pot herb which one cooks the leaves in a pot, & the stalks in ragout. … One can cut it very often during the summer, because it grows back easily, like sorrel & parsley.

POIRÉE, autrement appellée bette-blond ou blanche, en Latin beta, herbe potagere dont on met les feuilles au pot, & les cardes en ragout. … On peut le couper fort souvent pendant l’été, parce qu’il repousse aisément, comme l’oseille & le persil.*****
La Nouvelle Maison Rustique, Troisieme Partie, Le Jardinage, Livre Second, Chap. II, p. 125.

Cooking for Geeks

If you've ever wondered how to adjust the taste of something you're cooking to give it the WOW factor or to add what's missing, this book is for you. With the added factor of umami (savory), along with salty, sweet, sour and bitter tastes explained by cuisine/country and ingredients, you're sure to find an explanation of «why» this or that ingredient is or isn't the one to add to mask or enhance your dish. Cooking for Geeks by Jeff Potter is more a book about cooking than a cookbook - new from O'Reilly Press.

Even though Geeks contains experiments with new ways of food preparation, overclocking your oven and sous vide, the science behind new techniques and centuries' old ones are explained in this book. Case in point, the Maillard reaction--how proteins react with heat and why you would want them to--explains the browning of your bagel, your sausage and even your self-tanning lotions!

Jeff Potter has taken the sting out of the moniker «geek.» Once you're through with his book, you'll proudly claim that title for yourself!

Ail - Garlic - A Favorite for Millenia

We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. Num 11:5 ESV
Nous nous souvenons des poissons que nous mangions en Égypte, et qui ne nous coûtaient rien, des concombres, des melons, des poireaux, des oignons et des aulx. Nombres 11:5 (Louis Segond)

GARLIC, is produced by the offshoots which are formed out of the ground around a stem, & is an onion species: one calls these offshoots cloves of garlic. To multiply it one plants these cloves in ground in April or March [or the preceding Fall], four inches deep, & three or four inches from each other: one leaves them in the ground until towards the end of July, & one puts them to dry to keep them then from one year to another, in a place which is not wet. Most of the major garlic diseases are soilborne, so proper site assessment and yearly rotations are crucial in maintaining a healthy garden of garlic. Garlic has a very strong odor.

Garlic scapes are the flower stalk of the garlic pulled to allow the head to become bigger below the ground. Scapes make a wonderful pickle, can be pounded into a «pesto», or just cut and added to stirfries.

***AIL, est produit par des caïeux qui se forment en terre autour de pied, & qui font tous ensemble une espéce d’oignon: on appelle ces caïeux des gousses d’ail. Pour le multiplier on remet ces caïeux en terre au mois de Mars ou d’Avril, à quatre pouces de profondeur, & à trois ou quatre de distance les unes des autres: on les sort de terre vers la fin de Juillet, & on les met sécher pour les garder ensuite d’une année a l’autre, dans un lieu qui ne soit pas humide. La meme terre ne peut pas porter de l’ail deux années de suite; & cette plante craint dit de Sarres, de s’y succéder à elle-même. L’ail est d’une odeur très-forte.

La Nouvelle Maison Rustique, Troisieme Partie, Le Jardinage, Livre Second, Chap. II, pp. 87.

Arroche - Orache - Bonne-Dame

BONNE-DAME, ou arroche, est une herbe potagere qui dure peu; elle ne vient que de graine, qui est extrêmement plate & mince, ronde & roussatre; on la seme fes premieres au printems en rayons sur planche, ou elle ne reste guère de tems, parce qu’elle leve fort vite, & qu’elle monte en graine dès le mois de Juin. Sa feuille est fort agreeable à manger en farce: on en met aussi dans les potages; elle les rend jaunes and comme dorés: on s’en sert presque d’abord qu’elle est sortie de terre, à cause qu’elle passé vite. Pour en avoir dans la primeur, il faut en semer sur un bout de couche: elle vient en toute sorte de terre, mais toujours plus belle dans les bonnes que dans les médiocres. Lorsqu’on veut en avoir de belle graine, il est bon d’en replanter quelques pieds dans un endroit à part.

La Nouvelle Maison Rustique, Troisieme Partie, Le Jardinage, Livre Second, pp. 93-94.

French Synonyms : Bonne Dame des jardins, la Folette, la poule grasse, la glorieuse, la prude femme, le blé d'espagne, épinard des montagnes, belle dame et le chou d'amour. Atriplex hortensis L., family Chenopodiaceae.

Seeds of Arroche blonde (white/alba) or Bonne Dame available from Ferme de Sainte Marthe

Recipes for orach as an au courant vegetable. Here you see it peaking out of my lettuce patch--I don't have to plant seeds--it's considered by some to be a pervasive weed. It ranks right up there with Dandelion, Watercress and Nettles in chemical analysis: leaves per 100 g contain ca. 17 g protein, 3 g fat, 56 g total carbohydrate, 11 g fiber, 24 g ash, and perhaps 2,000 mg Ca, 150 mg P, 10 mg Fe, 2 mg Cu, 500 mg Mg, 800 mg K, 10 mg Mn, 2 mg b-carotene equivalent (Miller, 1958). It mixes very well with shredded roots and could be used to farce or stuff pasta (ravioli) or tint and flavor pasta dough for lasagna.

Here you see my starts of strawberry spinach or Arroche Fraise. It will eventually look like this and have little red berry fruits.

ARROCHE, plante connue sous les noms de bonne dame, belle dame & follette. Ses fleurs naissent en grand nombre aux extrémités de la tige & des rameaux, elles sont composées de plusieurs étamines sans pétales. Ces étamines sortent d'an calyx à cinq feuille, avec un pistile qui devient dans la suite une semence plate, ronde, & enveloppée par une capsule.

On distingue trois especes d'arroche, la blanche, la rouge, & la puante: il n'y a que les deux premieres qu'on cultive dans les potagers pour l’usage de la cuisine; on en bannit même la rouge à cause de la teinte rouge que sa feuille donneroit au bouillon.

L'arroche eft une herbe potagere. Qui dure très-peu; elle ne vient que de graine qu'on seme pour l'ordinaire à l'entrée du printems, à la volée, ou par rayons sur planche, pour en jouir en attendant la poirée qui ne pousse pas avec la meme rapidité. Mais si, d'un côté, elle a le mérite de lever très-vite, elle a aussi le défaut de monter en graine presqu'auffi-tôt qu'elle est levée. Elle vient en toute sorte de terre, mais toujours plus belle dans les bonnes que dans les médiocres. Lors-qu'on veut en avoir debelle graine, il est bon d'en replanter quelques pieds dans un endroit à part. S'es feuilles entrent dans les potages, & dans les farces, où on l'emploie avec l'oseille, au défaut de la poirée.

Dictionnaire Domestic Portatif. Chez Vincent, Paris 1765, Tome Premiere, p. 105.

Dandelion Fritters - A Spring Tonic

Dried up [left over from winter storage], shredded turnips and fresh chopped dandelions make a tasty fritter with the addition of an egg, some milk and flour, maybe some flavoring herbs or spices, a pinch of salt. Beets, carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, even shredded pumpkin or squash will work. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Dandelion Root - Coffee Substitute

For those of you who think dandelions are the bane of your lawn, dig them up, scrub the roots, slice the tops off then chop all of the roots, including the hairs finely and roast in a very slow oven, stirring often so they don't burn.

My husband does not drink wine, he says he doesn't like the aftertaste, but later in the day when he walked through the kitchen, he asked me why he smelled carob. Everytime I opened the oven door to stir the danelions, I smelled dark berries and chocolate. We discussed the way the palate works, how the tongue, throat and nose all catch different smells and tastes that contribute to the bouquet of food. Maybe someday I can convince him to try a wine with a carob or chocolate bouquet.

To make «coffee» from your roasted roots, steep in water that has just come to the boil, remove from the heat. After 10 minutes or so, strain, pour and sweeten to your taste. Then tell me what smells are wafting from your cup …

Œufs pochez à la Princesse - Princess Poached Eggs

Princess Poached Eggs.
Start by dissolving sugar [simple syrup], cooking until it takes a consistency of syrup; break eggs, using only the yolks, put each one in an eating spoon, & hold in the syrup, until they are cooked; make as many and as cooked [hard or soft] as you like, & when your dish is filled, sprinkle with sugar, and when they are served, pour a little Orange flower water over them and add a grating of candied lemon peel.

Interesting taste, one of those items of which you close your eyes before you take a bite--reminds me of what I thought was crazy when the boys in the cafeteria at college in East Texas poured pancake syrup on their eggs--but it actually tastes good. Evidently it is still appreciated in Quebec where they pour maple syrup over eggs.

*****Œufs pochez à la Princesse.
On commence par faire fondre du sucre qu’on cuit, jusqu’à ce qu’il ait pris une consistance de syrop; on casse des œufs dont on ne prend que les jaunes, qu’on met l’un aprés l’autre dans une cuilliere à bouche, & qu’on tient ainsi dans le syrop, jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient cuits, on en fait tant qu’on en veut de cette maniere, & lorsque le plat est rempli, on les poudre de sucre, puis on les sert, piquez d’écorce de citron confits, avec de l’eau de fleur d’Orange, qu’on verse pardessus.

Le Menage de la Ville et des Champs, et le Jardinier François, Louis Liger & Nicolas de Bonnefons. Chez Jean Leonard, Brussels, 1712, p.156-157.

Fricassée de Poulets & à la Bourdois

Chicken fricassee.
Take two fatty chickens which you singe, then remove the skin and entrails; cut them into pieces and rinse in tepid water; blanch for 1 minute in boiling water and plunge immediately into ice water, drain and pat dry with a towel; barely color them in sizzling butter, on medium heat, and add some mushrooms and a tablespoon of flour, stir to coat and add two ladlesful of good [chicken] broth; add a well seasoned bouquet [garni]; remove any foam that arises, and degrease it only at the end. When the chickens are cooked, you drain them on a white cloth and then put them in a small pan; reduce the sauce if it is too liquid, and bind it with three egg yolks, a good piece of butter and juice of a lemon; strain the sauce through cheesecloth onto the chickens, hold over a bain-marie, until you serve.

Chicken fricassee à la Bourdois.
Chicken fricassée à la Bourdois is made in the same way as the preceding one, with this difference that when it is drawn up on its dish, you cover it with bread crumbs. Put on the bread crumb small pieces of large butter like a pea: color it below a lid of tart plate [salamander or red-hot fireshovel] or in a furnace [oven]: serve warm. This way is good to mask a fricassée which one [has already, i.e., leftovers] served at table.

***** Fricassee de Poulets.
Prenez deux poulets gras que vous flambez, épluchez et videz; coupez-les par membres et les faites dégorger dans de l’eau tiède; vous les faites blan¬chir légèrement et les égouttez ensuite sue un torchon; vous les passez au beurre, sur un fourneau un peu vif, et y mettez quelques champignons et une poignée de farine, que vous délayez avec deux cuillerées à pot de bon consommé; ajoutez-y un bouquet bien assaisonné; ayes bien soin de l’écumer souvent, et ne la dégraissez qu'à la fin. Lors¬que les poulets sont cuits, vous les égouttez sur un torchon blanc et les mettez ensuite dans une petite casserole; vous faites réduire la sauce si elle ne l’est pas assez, et la liez avec trois jaunes d'œufs, un bon morceau de beurre et du jus d'un citron; vous la passez à l'étamine, sur les poulets, que vous te¬nez chaudement au bain-marie, jusqu'à ce que vous serviez.***Fricassée de Poulets à la bourdois [family name].
La fricassée de poulets à la bourdois se fait de la même façon que la précédente, à cette difference que quand elle est dressée sur son plat, vous la pannez de mie de pain. Mettez sur la mie de pain des petits morceaux de beurre gros comme un pois: faites prendre une couleur dorée dessous un couvercle de tourtiere ou dans un four: servez chaudement. Cette façon est bonne pour masquer une fricassée que l’on a desservie de la table.

La Cuisiniere Bourgeoise, Suivie de l'Office. Menon, Chez Monory, Paris, 1769, p. 250-252.

Chicken Galantine

Galantine.
The nature of an Intermess of Galantine shall be hereafter explain'd in the Article of Suckling-Pigs, under the Letter P. and there also shall be shew'd the Manner of Garnishing it and Serving it up to Table: We shall only intimate here, that it may also be garnish'd with its Skin well breaded and brought to a fine colour, by means of the red-hot Fire-shovel; for the rest, the Reader is referr'd to the Place even now mentioned. P. 128.

I have discovered that any fowl can be deboned and stuffed, then rolled and placed seam-side down in a close-fitting casserole dish and baked with its lid--this will approximate the Stew-pan named in the following recipe. Once the bird is baked [350°F 1 1/2 hours or so], remove the lid and place a weighted board on the top of the galantine and cool overnight. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and broil [red hot Fire-shovel]. Slice and serve.

The close-fitting casserole takes the place of the napkin and the broth in which modern galantines are normally poached. Although this recipe is for suckling pig and includes Gammon [Old French for jambon--ham] & Bacon, this works very well for stuffed poultry or game birds. I used ground beef [with a spoon of brandy, 1/4 teaspoon curing salt and a teaspoon of Menues Epice] along with an egg yolk, the strong herb liquor and cream pounded until smooth to Farce the chicken and strips of turkey ham along with harden'd Yolks and Pistachoes; otherwise the recipe is the same. I cannot believe how easy this dish is to prepare. There is even lots of gelatin surrounding the cooled galantine to serve in little cubes.

Here is a video of Jacques Pepin deboning a chicken.

An Intermess of a Suckling Pig in Galantine.
After having caus'd your Pig to be well scalded and drawn, cut off the Head and the four Legs: Then let the Skin be slipt off, beginning at the Belly; but care must be taken that it be not cut, especially on the Back: Let this Skin be neatly spread upon the Dresser, whilst a Farce is preparing, with the Flesh of the Pig, a piece of very tender Veal, a little raw Gammon, and Bacon; also, a little Parsly, chopt Chibbol, and all sorts of fine Herbs, except Rosemary and Sage. In the mean while, a Strong Liquor is to be made, with a Quart of Water, two Bay-leaves, some Thyme, sweet Basil, Savoury, three Cloves of Garlick, and two or three shalots; this Liquor when half boil'd away, will serve to moisten your Farce. Let some Pistachoes and Almonds be also scalded according to discretion, and let six Eggs be harden'd to get their Yolks: Afterwards let some of your Bacon and Gammon be cut into thick Slices, taking only the lean part of the Gammon: When they are all well season'd, let a slice of Gammon, another of Bacon; as also, a Lay[er] of Almonds, another of Pistachoes, and a third of hard Yolks be set in order. Besides, you must put into the Farce, some Truffles and Mushrooms cut small, with a little Milk-cream, and soak them in your strong Liquor, adding afterwards the Yolk of one Egg. The Bacon and the other Things being thus order'd, this Farce is to be spread over them, beginning at one of the ends of the Skin, and then roll'd up; drawing the two Swards on both Sides close together, so as the Farce my not fall out: When it is well roll'd up of a convenient length, let it be tied, or sow'd up on all Sides, and put into a Napkin; which must be bound at both Ends and in the middle, to keep it very firm and compact. At last, it must be bak'd in a Stew-pan between two Fires, viz. one upon the Lid and the other underneath, for the space of ten or twelve Hours, with some Slices of Bacon and Beef_stakes, both on the Bottom and Top of the Pan: Let your farced Pig cool in the same Pan, and as soon as it is taken out of the Napkin, let it be untied, and cut into Slices, which are to laid in a Dish, upon a clean Napkin, and so serv'd up cold, with Slices of Lemmon and Flowers. P. 191-2.

The court & country cook, faithfully translated out of French into English by J. K. A. J. Churchill, London, 1702.

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Marinade de Poulets - Batter-fried Chicken

Fried chicken, with and without batter--the original chicken tenders--and period-correct, too!

Chicken Marinade.
Cut your Chickens in pieces, & marinate them with the juice of lemon & verjuice, or vinegar, salt, pepper, cloves, Welsh onions [scallions] & bay leaves. Leave them in this Marinade the space of three hours: then make a batter in a bowl with flour, salt, an egg, & a [walnut-sized] piece of butter, melted; beat well, adding water if needed to create the right consistency; then drain your Chickens of marinade & pat dry with white linen, & soak them in your batter, drain with a spoon & fry in lard: having a beautiful color, you withdraw them & drain them on a towel, or a dish, also fry parsley for garnish; & serve them hot for Entrèe, or Hors d'œuvres; can use to garnish other dishes.
    One can make these Marinades without batter; Chickens are marinated, then drained & wiped on a linen cloth; flour a towel, roll the Chickens [around on the towel to coat with flour], & fry in lard; be careful of splattering grease: being fried of a beautiful color, you serve it just as the other recipe above.
*****
Marinade de Poulets.
Mettez vos Poulets par quartiers, & faites-les mariner au jus de citron & verjus, ou vinaigre, sel, poivre, clous, ciboules & laurier. Laissez-les dans cette Marinade l'espace de trois heures: ensuite faites une pâte avec de la farine, du sel, de l'eau, que vous délayez bien ensemble, avec un œuf, & y mettez un morceau de beurre fondu; & ayant bien battu le tout ensemble dans une casserole, avec une cuilliere, vous égoutez vos Poulets de vôtre marinade sur un linge blanc, & les trempez dans vôtre pâte, & les faite frire dans du sain-doux: ayant une belle couleur, vous les retirez & les dressez sur une serviette, ou sur un plat, avec du persil frit; & les servez chaudement pour Entrèe, ou Hors d'œuvres, ou garniture.
    L'on fait ces Marinades là sans pâte; on ne fait seulement, lorsque les Poulets sont marinez, que les égouter & les essuyer sur un linge, & les fariner bien sur une serviette, en les remuant bien, & les faire frire dans du sain-doux; mais que la friture soit un peu chaude: étant frite d'une belle couleur, vous la servez de même que l'autre marquèe ci-dessus.

Cuisinier Nouveau Royal et Bourgeois, Massialot, François. Chez Prudhomme, Paris 1734, Vol I, p. 432.

Period Hot Sauce! Cayenne en Vinaigre

1. Take cider vinegar and add pepper and other spices to excite fermentation.
Nouvelle Maison Rustic 1702 and 1777 p.85.

2. Capsicum

3. Piment de Cayenne

Rough translation of the third citation:
«Guinea pepper is also called coral gardens, Spanish pepper, pepper of India,
called in England the whole fruit chillies ground pepper, Cayenne. Generally
cultivated in America, in Europe, Spain, Hungary & South of France.

This pepper is used as seasoning in vinegar. It is also used to flavor vinegar
and really to make bitter [tangy] instead of sour. In England there are fruit
pepper pods heart shaped.

Cayenne pepper also known as cayenne pepper, Cayenne chillies, whole fruit red pepper Americans, Cayenne pepper, another species of Capsicum.

In America, use of a special process to grind the pepper red fruit is mixed with
wheat flour after putting in earthen pots of alternate layers of fruit and flour
that is placed in a drying oven. After it dries, the flour [pepper pot] or
Cayenne is prepared by pulverizing the biscuit that is made with wheat flour and seed.

Chemical analysis was carried out by L M Braconnot in 1817.»

These peppers were growing in America, the Caribbean and the South of France and Basque country since at least 1600-ish.

Marinade - Mariner

Marinade.
Est une sausse dans laquelle on met tremper les choses aux quelles on veut relever la saveur, & les rendre plu agréables au goût. On met differentes choses en Marinade, ou pour garnir d'autres plats, ou pour en faire de cela même. On garnit des Fricassées de Poulets, d'autres Poulets en Marinade: la Marinade de Veau sert à garnir des Poitrines de Veau farcies, ou Longes de Veau rôties; & ainsi du reste, comme Pigeons, Perdrix, & autres, dont on peut aussi faire des plats separez pour Entrèes. Parcourons de qu'il y a à observer là-dessus.

Marinade.
Is a sauce in which one puts to soak to increase flavor, & to tenderize. One puts various things in Marinade, depending upon the desired result. Used with Chicken fricassèes, & other Chickens in Marinade: the Veal Marinade is used with the stuffed breast of veal, or roast Veal Loin; also used with Pigeons, Partridge, & others, including vegetables or salads.

Le Cuisinier Nouveau Royal et Bourgeois, Massialot, François. Chez Prudhomme, Paris 1734, Vol I.

Etymology: French, from Marinate to pickle, marinate, probably from Italian marinare
Date: 1725, usually a savory acidic sauce in which meat, fish, or a vegetable is soaked to flavor or tenderize it.

Mariner: se dit des viandes, ou poissons aux quels on donne un goût de marine; par cette préparation, en les mettant dans l'huile ou le vinaigre, avec des herbes fortes, on les conserve quelque tems. On marine des huitres & des champignons, &c.

To marinate: said of meats, or fish; used to give a taste of marinade; by using this preparation, putting them in oil or the vinegar, with strong herbs, one preserves them some time. One marinates oysters, mushrooms, &c.

Marinade: espece de préparation qu’on fait aux viandes, en les laissant tremper quelque tems dans une sauce de vinaigre, avec sel, poivre & épices, cloux, citrons, oranges, oignons, romarins, sauge, &c. pour en relever la saveur, & leur donner plus de relief au goût.

Marinade: type of preparation used with the meats, by letting them soak some time in a vinegar sauce, with salt, pepper & spices, cloves, lemons, oranges, onions, rosemary, sage, etc., & to highly season or to enhance the taste.

Dictionnaire Portatif de Cuisine, d'Office, et de Distillation. Chez Vincent, Paris 1767