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HOT
MULLED ALE ?!?
No,
HOW ABOUT MEAD
Mead, a medieval drink by reputation, a wine like no other!
As was promised in the introductory issue of "The Reenactor!", here it
is! The recipe for mead.
My grandfather taught me the recipe many seasons ago.
I have made it for many a faire, and hot summer evening.
1 gallon water
7 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
4 pounds of honey
Juice of a lemon or two (rind
optional)
Active Yeast
Combine
and boil the ingredients for roughly thirty minutes. Strain the brew into an earthenware crock, but leave plenty
of room for expansion!
My grandfather said, " the spirits need room to grow and move around."
After the brew cools, add a teaspoonful of activated yeast per gallon of
liquid. Store it in a cool place
for at least a month or so. Cool to
me is about 55 to 60 degrees (F). Oh,
and cover it with a towel or cheesecloth! Mead
makers of old use to stir the wine with a long wooden ladle. So can you, so heck give it a try and lick the ladle after
you stir it! In some recipes, I was
told to leave it in a warm room, open, so we could stir it. My results with this were not encouraging, as everyone kept
stirring and licking the ladle. I
believe the brew made it three days. My
mother informed me that sometimes brandy or gin would be added to strengthen the
flavor. I personally use cherries, strawberries, and raspberries.
Anyhow, after the mead has fermented to taste, bottle it and refrigerate.
Although you should use an earthenware cask to ferment it, you can use
glass jars of suitable size. No
metal though, it will ruin the whole process.
Bottle the mead in wine bottles if possible, and put a real good cork it
it. For the decorative look, you
may even consider putting the fruits you may have added earlier in the bottle!
That's all from the kitchen, this issue. Toodles!
OK
so it might be a tad messy, however cooking with your children promotes a set of
skill in a fun way!
This is something you do not do if you are in a hurry nor tired.
In addition, get the thoughts of the dog and cat fighting for food
scraps, exploding flour bags, and
the wall covered in batters, etc. out of your mind.
I was introduced to the culinary arts at a younger age, taking great joy in
beating the hell out of the bread dough (You want Holy bread, no?) and picking
berries and then cleaning them , etc. I
found this to be of great joy to many ladies when they find out
that a man can cook - after all who needs more unskilled male cooks in your
sparkling kitchen? This month we
are going to indulge in a Bavarian delight which most children love -- pretzels!
You will need the following :
sesame seeds (optional)
1 egg
1 tsp. yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp. honey
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
2/3 cup grated mozzarella / cheddar
/ or provolone cheese (optional)
We are going to get the oven preheating to 425F
Now we need to start the yeast according to the package instructions.
While the oven is going combine the yeast, honey, and water. It usually
takes about ten minutes for that to get foamy. While
it is foaming, get your grater out and grate the cheese. (Remember to show them
how to run the cheese gently over the grater!)
Mix the flour and the yeast mixture together, a little bit at a time.
Continue to add both ingredients until
the dough is smooth and stretchy. If
you are using the cheese, mix it in now.
Add a bit more white flour if the dough becomes too sticky to work with.
You are going to take the dough, and break it down into about eight equal
balls.
Time for the rendezvouer's section, as you have to roll out the balls into long
'snakes'.
Now you can shape the 'snake' into pretzels, letters, numbers, etc.
Finally beat the egg, and brush it onto the dough. (If using the sesame seeds,
sprinkle them on now.)
Place the shaped pretzels on a greased cookie sheet for ten to twelve
minutes, removing when they are light brown.
There you have it, a simple project for little hands and one which
children use to learn in the kitchens of some European countries.
COOK BOOK Pages .... 1
... 2 .... 3 .... 4
.... 5
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