In the Kitchen with Mina

Dear Constant Reader,


Please vote for The Boston Babydolls every day!


To celebrate a successful run of The Bod of Avon, we’re having a wrap party at Stately Babydoll Manor. Scratch has promised authentic Elizabethan delicacies for the guests. This is not as crazy as it sounds.

You know from my writings here that I am a bit of a culinary historian with an interest in mid-century cuisine. But I also do research into Renaissance cooking, mostly Elizabethan England, and Scratch dabbles a bit too.

Here’s one of my favorite Elizabethan snacks. The recipe was originally published in The Good Huswifes Jewell by Thomas Dawson in 1597. And looked like this:

To make Peascods1 in Lent2
Take Figs, Raisons, and a few Dates, and beate them very fine, and season it with Cloves, Mace, Cinamon and Ginger, and for your paste seeth faire water and oyle in a dish uppon coales, put therein saffron and salt and a little flower, fashion them then like peasecods, and when ye will serve them, frye them in Oyle in a frying panne, but let the Oyle bee verie hotte, and the fire soft for burning of them

Odd as it may look, it’s more straight-forward than Medieval recipes. For one thing, it’s not in Middle English. Here’s my version:

Filling:peascod ingredients
4 dates
5 figs
1/4 c. raisins
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground mace3
pinch ground clove

Dough:
1 c. water
1/3 c. oil
1 c. flour4
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch saffron

Oil for frying

Grind together salt and saffron5. Simmer together water & oil. When boiling, remove from heat and beat in flour, salt & saffron6. Keep beating. Really. It will turn into a soft dough. Let the dough cool.

Chop fruit finely and mix in the spices.

Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3″ diameter rounds.7

peascods in progressPlace a spoonful of fruit filling on half of a round of dough, fold the other half over & pinch shut. They’re supposed to look like peapods, so you can curve them a little into shape. The dough might crack a bit, but that’s okay.

You have two options for cooking. You can fry them in oil, like the recipe says. Make sure the oil is quite hot because the dough is like a little sponge. Serve these hot. Or you can (less authentic, but healthier) bake them on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350°F for 25-30 minutes until golden. These will keep longer than the fried version.

peascods

Makes about a baker’s dozen.

M2

1 A “Peascod” is a peapod. A “codpiece” is something else entirely. Even if they look similar.
2 In the 16th century Lent meant no meat, no dairy, no eggs — basically vegan, plus fish. There’s also a “flesh day” version of this recipe with meat, butter, and eggs.
3Mace isn’t that common a spice these days. If you don’t have any in your spice cabinet, you could substitute a little nutmeg. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove are the classic quartet of Elizabethan spice. There’s even a little song.
4I use a mixture of flours, based on the researches of Marian Walke, to approximate the flour of the time: 3/4 c. white flour, 2 1/2 Tbs. cake flour, 1 Tbs. wheat flour, 1 1/2 tsp. rye flour. You don’t have to be this compulsive.
5 I do this with a mortar & pestle. The salt helps pulverize the saffron threads for even distribution. I did this hastily (because I was trying to cook & take photos) and ended up with little orange splotches in my dough instead of a lovely golden tint.
6 This is essentially choux pastry — like cream puffs or eclairs — without the butter & eggs.
7 A biscuit cutter works great for this.

Published in: on 26 February 2013 at 11:57 am  Leave a Comment  
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Fat Tuesday

Dear Constant Reader,

Here’s your daily reminder to nominate The Boston Babydolls for Best Burlesque. You can vote once per day per email/IP address. Thank you.

Happy Mardi Gras! Or Shrove Tuesday! Or Maslenitsa! Or just plain Tuesday! There might be pancakes (or beignets or blini) at stately Babydoll Manor tonight. Any excuse to celebrate!

Because I’m feeling festive, here’s Scratch’s recipe for blini.

1/3 c. buckwheat flour
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tps. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. milk
1 egg
1 stick unsalted butter, clarified*

Combine flours, baking powder, and salt in one bowl. In another bowl, whisk milk, egg, and 1 Tablespoon of butter. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of the butter in a medium pan and when it’s sizzling, pour the batter into the pan by Tablespoons to make little pancakes. Cook over medium-low heat until the batter starts to bubble, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for another minute, until brown. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more butter as necessary.

Serve with sour cream & caviar.

M2

P.S. Scratch reminds me that Maslenitsa isn’t until next month (forgot about the Orthodox calendar) and that these are quick blini; proper ones are made with yeast.

* To clarify butter, gently melt the butter. Strain the melted butter through cheesecloth and toss the white solids left behind in the cloth. The clear golden liquid is clarified butter. It heats to a higher temperature and keeps longer than regular butter.

Published in: on 12 February 2013 at 9:26 am  Leave a Comment  
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Happy New Year!

Dear Constant Reader,

I hope you had a lovely New Year’s Eve celebration and 2013 is a wonderful year for you!

At Stately Babydoll Manor, Scratch made a sumptuous feast, as is his wont. [EDIT: Scratch points out that I neglected to mention the hors d’oeuvres of artichoke tapenade on rounds of Persian cucumber and broiled shrimp wrapped in bacon. Albert, the Manor cat, received a single plain boiled shrimp, but he turned up his nose in favor of cat food. He’s weird.] The main course included a pork roast braised in cider with pears and quinoa mixed with sweet spiced wild rice. But the highlight was a ratatouille galette.

Scratch took slices of zucchini, tomato, and onion, and alternated them in concentric rings in a cast iron frying pan that had been lightly coated with basil-infused olive oil. He sprinkled more onions on top and seasoned it (I know dill was involved and seasoned salt. but I’m unsure of the details). It baked for about an hour and everything caramelized. I wish I’d taken a picture, but your Faithful Correspondent is not in the habit of photographing her dinner. That may change this year. You’ll just have to take my word for it that the dish was beautiful and delicious.

Also, beautiful and delicious (and similarly undocumented for posterity) was the dessert I made: blackberry clafouti1. Clafouti is a sort of fruity custardy baked pancake. And it’s so easy to make —  just put the fruit in a pie pan, pour the batter over it, and bake until it puffs up and turns brown around the edges. In early July I make it with sour cherries from the Manor’s orchards. As a bonus, the recipe I use is quite light & healthy, despite it being for a French dessert.

At midnght there was peach prosecco, as there should be.

New Year’s Day was spent working on my new costume for The Bod of Avon, which you should all come see, either in previews or the real thing. No photos of the costume, although I desperately want to show you — the fabric is just stunning. Come to the show and see it!

And how did you spend the holiday?

M2
1Technically, clafouti is made with cherries and if any other kind of fruit is used, it’s called flaugnarde, but I’m not that much of a stickler for accuracy.

Published in: on 2 January 2013 at 11:07 am  Comments (1)  
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In the Kitchen with Mina

Dear Constant Reader,

I did a little cooking yesterday, and, among other items, made a classic fruit salad. This one, although popular in the 1950’s, has its origins in the 1920’s. The salad is quite whimsical in its design, which was typical of ladies’ “dainty” luncheon dishes.

Candle stick salad ingredientsTake your ingredients: lettuce leaves, canned pineapple rings, bananas, maraschino cherries, and mayonnaise. There was a bit of a tropical fruit craze in the ’20’s, probably promoted by Dole, which was the main importer of pineapple (canned, of course) and bananas from Hawaii to the mainland. Maraschino cherries (the neon red kind) are also a product of the 1920’s.

The assembly of this salad is key. You need to properly present all the ingredients or the impact is lost. A toothpick or two can help with the architecture. Don’t forget that this was commonly served at ladies’ luncheons, so you want to make sure the shape is instantly recognizable.

Tada!

Candlestick salad!

Isn’t that clever! A pineapple ring candle holder, a banana candle, a cherry flame, and mayonnaise wax!

Why? What did you think it was?

M2

Published in: on 17 December 2012 at 10:57 am  Leave a Comment  
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A Bit of Sparkle (of a different sort)

Dear Constant Reader,

I’ve had bubbly on the brain lately. Maybe it’s the upcoming holidays. Today I’d like to share with you some of my favorite sparkling cocktails.

Remember, you don’t need top-shelf bubbly for these, since you’ll be adding mixers. And when I say “bubbly”, I mean sparkling wine, not restricted to Champagne (which is a very specific type, made in the Champagne region of France). There are plenty of very good sparkling wines from all over the world.

The classic sparkling brunch cocktail is, of course, the Mimosa. I’ve been to a number of restaurants where the idea of a Mimosa is a glass of bubbly with a splash of orange juice for color. A proper Mimosa is equal parts of champagne and orange juice. There is also the Buck’s Fizz, which is two parts orange juice to one part bubbly and maybe a touch of grenadine.

I’m very found of the Bellini, which is sadly hard to find made properly. A true Bellini is made with 1 part white peach puree and 2 parts Prosecco. A splash of cherry or raspberry juice is optional, but not unwelcome.

One place where I diverge from tradition is the Kir Royale, traditionally made with 9 parts Champagne and 1 part crème de cassis. I like to substitute crème de violette.

Speaking of floral liqueurs, I adore St. Germain, the elder flower liqueur. I know it’s oh-so-trendy today, but I tried it not long after it first became available and I’ve been smitten ever since. I was introduced to it at The Last Hurrah at The Parker House where they served a French 77 (a play on the French 75 — gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and Champagne), made with St. Germain, lemon syrup, and bubbly.

My friend Sarah recommends The Gilded Lily: 1 oz St. Germain, 3 oz prosecco, 2 fresh ripe strawberries, 1 small pinch fresh ground grains of paradise, which I have to agree is fantastic.

More often than not I just have a simple St. Germain cocktail — St. Germain and equal parts of sparkling wine and sparkling water, over ice, with a lemon twist. So light and refreshing, it’s perfect for a post-show tipple.

What’s your favorite sparkler?

M2

Published in: on 6 December 2012 at 11:13 am  Leave a Comment  
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Scones

Dear Constant Reader,

You probably know by now that I’m terribly fond of tea, especially afternoon tea (That’s the one with the dainty sandwiches and tiny cakes. It’s not the same as high tea.). One of my favorite things, besides cucumber sandwiches and petits fours, is scones. My inspiration in all things culinary, the late Marian Walke, made fantastic scones and and I learned a few tips from her; however, this isn’t her recipe. For that you should get her cookbook War Fare. This is the batch I whipped up this morning.

Currant Scones (makes about a dozen)

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, softened
3/4 cup currants
3/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet (or grease a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet for easier clean up).

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Cut in the butter until the mixture is sort of crumbly.

Add currants.

Add enough milk to make a soft dough. If it gets too wet, add a little more flour. Don’t beat too vigorously. The ingredients should be just combined.

Now you have a couple of options:
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, knead just once or twice and pat into a disk about 3/4 inch thick.
Cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter (or the rim of a glass).

Or divide the dough in two, pat into disks as above, and cut each one into 6 wedges.

My preferred method is to drop heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheet. It’s faster and requires less clean up.

Bush the scones with milk or a beaten egg yolk thinned with a little water.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until tops and bottoms are lightly browned. Serve warm, or at room temperature, with butter, jam, and/or clotted cream. They’re pretty good plain too.

scones

Notes:
Marian recommended using half all purpose flour and half cake flour.

You can add an egg for additional richness, but you’ll probably need to reduce the milk.

I usually use almond milk, since we don’t tend to have cow’s milk. It makes no difference in the taste.

After brushing the tops with liquid, you can sprinkle them with sanding sugar.

You can prepare the dough in advance, before adding the milk, though everything in a ziptop bag and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for even longer. Bring the contents up to room temperature before proceeding.

The next Boston Babydolls show is called A (Re)Movable Feast. Expect to see more cooking posts from me in the coming months.

Published in: on 27 May 2012 at 11:18 am  Leave a Comment  
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From the kitchen

Dear Constant Reader,

The Boston Babydolls’ latest triumph, Madame Burlesque: An Evening of Tributes, just closed. Never fear! We will be taking it on the road. If you are fortunate enough to be near Portland, Maine, Brattleboro, Vermont, or Portsmouth, New Hampshire, you too can share in the delight.

As is traditional, after a successful show, we held a cast party at Stately Babydoll Manor. There being a few cast & crew members who do not indulge in dairy, I thought this a fantastic opportunity to try an intriguing recipe from the New York Times. It was well received by all, even those who are omnivorous and those who are fussy (like myself). Because I am kind hearted, I will share.

Dairy-Free Mexican Chocolate Pudding

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1 lb. silken tofu
8 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted  (get the good stuff!)
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Heat the sugar and water together until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Let cool a little.

Put all ingredients, including the sugar syrup, in a blender and puree until smooth.

Pour into a bowl or bowls and chill for a least half an hour.

Serves about a dozen burlesque dancers and theatre techs.

Enjoy!

Published in: on 18 July 2011 at 9:44 am  Leave a Comment  
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