Garlic Tart (Medieval)

For the Crust:

1 3/4 cups of flour
9 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup water, approximately
1 scant teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

5 heads garlic, peeled
7 ounces fresh (or salt) pork belly
6 ounces whole milk farmers cheese
5 ounces cream cheese
3 eggs
12 threads saffron

For the Spice Mixture

1/3 teaspoon each of ground cloves, ground nutmeg and ground ginger
1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and freshly ground pepper

Cut the butter into small pieces and cut into the flour until the mixture has the consistency of sawdust. Dissolve the salt in halt the water and add it to the flour mixture.  Combine quickly with your fingertips, without overworking, just until the dough comes together.  If necessary, add more water as required. Form into a thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper, and leave to rest in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before using.

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Add the peeled garlic, lower the heat to medium, and cook for 15 minutes.  Drain and transfer to a bowl of cold water.

Grind the pork in a food processor or meat grinder, or chop finely with a knife.  Do not trim away the fat. (I would guess bacon is ok to use, or simply eliminate the meat)


Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Drain the garlic thoroughly and puree it in a food processor or mortar and pestle.  In a mixing bowl, add the garlic, cheeses, the ground port, the spice mixture, the saffron (crushed between your fingers) and the eggs.  Add salt to taste and stir the mixture until smooth.  IF you are using salt pork belly, be very sparing with the salt).

Roll out 2/3 of the pastry and line a deep 9 inch pan.  Add the filling.  Roll out remaining pastry and cover the pie, pressing the seems tightly.  Put the tart on a baking sheet  to catch an drips and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.

Garlic Tart

375g all-butter puff pastry
3 medium heads of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
220ml water
¾ tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tsp chopped thyme, plus a few whole sprigs to finish
120g soft, creamy goat’s cheese (such as Rosary)
120g hard, mature goat’s cheese (such as one from Woolsery Cheese)
2 free-range eggs
100ml double cream
100ml crème fraîche
salt and black pepper


Have ready a shallow, loose-bottomed, 28cm fluted tart tin. Roll out the puff pastry into a circle that will line the bottom and sides of the tin, plus a little extra. Line the tin with the pastry. Place a large circle of greaseproof paper on the bottom and fill up with baking beans. Leave to rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Place the tart case in the oven and bake blind for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and paper, then bake for a further 5–10 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Set aside. Leave the oven on.
While the tart case is baking, make the caramelized garlic. Put the cloves in a small saucepan and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a simmer and blanch for 3 minutes, then drain well. Dry the saucepan, return the cloves to it and add the olive oil. Fry the garlic cloves on a high heat for 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and water and bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, rosemary, chopped thyme and ¼ teaspoon salt. Continue simmering on a medium flame for 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the garlic cloves are coated in a dark caramel syrup. Set aside.
To assemble the tart, break both types of goat’s cheese into pieces and scatter in the pastry case. Spoon the garlic cloves and syrup evenly over the cheese. In a jug whisk together the eggs, creams, ½ teaspoon salt and some black pepper. Pour this custard over the tart filling to fill the gaps, making sure that you can still see the garlic and cheese over the surface.
Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/Gas Mark 3 and place the tart inside. Bake for 35–45 minutes, or until the tart filling has set and the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little. Then take out of tin, trim the pastry edge if needed, lay a few sprigs of thyme on top and serve warm (it reheats well!) with a crisp salad.

From Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi (Ebury Press, £25). For the chance to win a copy visit bahighlife.com/Competitions-And-Offers.html


I made a couple of changes for my first attempt at this.  I used a regular pie crust and mozzarella cheese.  I will try this again in a few months with the puff pastry dough (when my son comes home for spring break---he loves garlic)  Not sure I will use the goat cheese though.  My family really doesn't like it.

Yule log Roll (not a medieval recipe)

My son and I made this Yule Log into a camp fire log for his Blue and Gold Cub Scout  Dinner. (which is why if has the fake fire added to it)

The recipe comes from Dorothy Morrison's "YULE A Celebration of Light and Warmth"

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (or a mixture of both)
1 cup flaked coconut
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 box chocolate cake mix (or homemade cake from scratch)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 can ready to spread chocolate frosting (or homemade)

for decorations: green gummy candies (leaf shaped) and red hot cinnamon candies, small Yule candles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan with aluminum foil; make sure the foil lines the sides and bottom completely.  Melt the butter in the foil lined plan in the oven, sprinkle evenly with nuts and coconut and drizzle the condensed milk on top.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs at high speed for 4-6 minutes or until thick and lemon colored.  At very low speed, gradually blend in the water.  Add the cake mix and blend for a minute or so until all the dry ingredients are mixed. Pour the batter over the condensed milk and spread it evenly.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.

Lightly sprinkle a large kitchen towel with powered sugar.  Remove the cake from the oven, cover it with the sugared towel,and immediately turn the cake upside down onto the towel.

Remove foil carefully; try not to disturb the hot filing on top.  Begin with one of the short sides of the cake and gently roll up with the filling inside the roll.  When you have rolled up the entire cake, wrap the towel around it and let it cool completely.

Ice with chocolate frosting, then comb a fork through the frosting to fashion tree bark. Garnish with green gummy leaves (I used green frosting to make leaves) trimmed to look like holly leaves and use the cinnamon candies for holly berries.  add Yule candles if you like.

Lamb (or Pork) Loin with Apple and Ginger Stuffing

I have mad this with both lamb and pork loins and both were amazingly good.

Loin Of Lamb with Apple and Ginger Stuffing

3 lb Loin of lamb, boned 2 Cloves garlic Sea salt and pepper 2 c Cider (preferably hard) 2 Cooking apples Juice of 1 lemon 1 ts Sugar 1 ts Ground ginger   First make the stuffing. Peel and core the apples, slice thinly and put into a saucepan with the lemon juice, sugar and ginger. Cook over a gentle heat until the apples are just soft, then set aside to cool. . Preheat the oven for 400 F. Trim the lamb, remove the skin and score the fat. Lay the joint out on a board, fat side down. Spoon the apple mixture along the center. Roll up and tie with twine. Peel the garlic and cut it into slivers, then pierce the joint all over with the point of a sharp knife and slip the slivers of garlic into the pockets formed. Season with the salt and pepper, put the joint in a roasting pan and cook in the hot oven for 30 minutes, then heat the cider in a small pan and pour it over the lamb. Reduce the heat to moderate (350F) and cook for another 40 minutes, basting frequently. When the lamb is cooked, put it onto a heated serving dish and keep warm. Remove any excess fat from the pan juices, boil up over a high heat until reduced slightly, and serve with the sliced lamb.

Cod Cakes

I tried several different recipes, but I found I liked the ones with the potatoes best.

1 lb of cod fillets

2 medium-sized russett potatoes

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Grapeseed oil, or other high smoke point oil such as canola oil, for frying

Boil and mash the potatoes, set them aside.
Boil the codfish until it flakes easkly. Drain and flake the fish with a fork. Be sure to remove all bones.
Mix the flaked fish, the potatoes and the rest of the ingredients together well by hand. If the mixture is too crumbly, add another egg. If too sticky, add some more bread crumbs.
Form the mixture into cakes and fry them on medium high heat in a skillet coated with oil.

Makes about 12 cakes

The Wedding Feast of "Arya" and Ramsey

"The Lord of White Harbor had furnished the food and drink, black stout and yellow beer and wines red and gold and purple, brought up from the warm south on flat bottomed ships and aged in his cellars.  The wedding guests gorged on cod cakes and winter squash, hills of neeps and great rounds of cheese, on smoking slabs of mutton and beef ribs charred almost black, and lastly three great wedding pies, as wide across as wagon wheels, their flaky crusts stuffed to bursting with carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips, mushrooms and chunks of pork swimming in a savory brown gravy."

"'Wash it down with Arbor gold and savor every bite. I know I shall.'"

The best thing about this whole feast is the pies, of course.  A little later while a bit drunk, Lord Mandarly asks for the song about the Rat Cook.  This pretty much gives away that the pies are really "Frey Pies" and filled with the 3 missing Freys.  I, of course, will actually use pork, as there are not any Freys available for me. ;)

Cod Cakes
Winter Squash
Neeps
Lamb and beef ribs
Wedding Pies

Henne Dorre---Golden Cardamon Chicken

1 large roasting chicken, cut into serving size pieces
1/4 cup walnuts, courseley ground
1/4 cup filbrets, coursely ground
4 tablespoons butter, for sauteing
3 tart apples
2/3 cup golden raisins
1/2 cuo Currants
1/2 tsp cinnimon
6 egg yokes
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary
3/4 tsp crushed cardamon
1/8 tsp Saffron
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a Dutch oven or shallow covered baking dish, saute the chicken and nuts in butter until the meat is white. Leave in dish and remove from heat.

Cut apples into thin slivers. Mix raisins and currants with apples.

Stir together all spices and salt, and mix with fruits.

Distribute the spiced fruit amongst the chicken and nuts.

Pour on mixed wine and chicken broth. Bake covered in slow oven for :45 to 55 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Remove from oven while preparing golden glaze. Turn oven to 400 degrees F.

Beat the egg yolks, saffron and honey thoroughly. Evenly pour over chicken so as to coat each piece. Or use a pastry brush to 'paint' each portion gold. Return to oven uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes to let endoring set. Serve warm.

From _Fabulous Feasts - Medieval Cookery and Ceremony_ by Madeleine Pelner Cosman George Braziller, Inc. 1976