Sossidges

Jul. 29th, 2026 07:53 am
madbaker: (charcuterie)
Yesterday's sausage party went well. The British expat couple who live 10 minutes away showed up right on time and we settled on a mix for Yorkshire sausages, which contain breadcrumbs (a standard British extender that gives them their characteristic soft texture), salt, white pepper, nutmeg and mace, and coriander. The recipe came from a book fittingly called English Sausages.

We mixed up the farce and Brokkr the apprentice and his lady wife showed up as we were filling the stuffer. The test fry was mild as I expected; I personally prefer both a firmer texture and more assertive spicing, but this was about making what the Brits missed. We got the casings stuffed and some cooking. People brought roast potatoes and brussels sprouts; bread and leftover Roman dishes that Brokkr made for an event last weekend; I cooked some chard and basil with pine nuts. There was also (unopened) wine, beer, and a variety of gins for G&Ts.

Miss Beatrice, as expected, did not make an appearance - she stayed in her carrier behind chairs and wouldn't come out until well after everyone left.

Convivial, good food, and I sent both couples home with a few sausages and the promise we could do it again for their freezer. It meant I didn't get to bed until 10, which I expected, and didn't sleep well. I can't blame the one beer I drank or overeating. So I am dragging a bit today and will take it easy tonight. But worth doing occasionally!
madbaker: (charcuterie)
The local SCA group is restarting with a new younger group of people. This is a good thing. We've never been particularly involved, partly because the small group of previous people were mainly focused on being medium fish in their very small pond. But supporting the new group seems like a good thing to do, and they were holding the monthly meeting a mile from our house, so we really had no excuse not to go (other than donwannas).

It was good we went. Especially because the new exchequer hasn't had any training and didn't know he needs very specific paperwork from the Corporate head to be authorized for getting on the bank account. (He was planning to show up at the bank with his SCA warrant of office. That... will never work.) So I promised him training and walking through everything, possibly in a couple hours at our house. I have also promised that for another new local exchequer in Oakland.

The new seneschal is a British expat and his wife misses British sausages. I also promised if they want to do a project day I'd help them make some British-style sausages to take home. (It's partly spicing and mostly using breadcrumbs as filler, which give them a softer texture that I don't like as much.)

Tired today, because we got home around 9 and it took me a while to wind down and get to sleep. But worthwhile to have gone.
madbaker: (Saluminati)
This week's Resolution Recipe: Fresh Pasta.
Read more... )
madbaker: (charcuterie)
This week's Resolution Recipe: Mortadella Cookies.
Medieval mortadella sausage is 1) not emulsified; 2) does not contain pistachios. But this is a thoroughly modern cookie recipe that (spoilers!) looks quite like its target. Pics on FB in the Saluminati group if you're interested.
Lengthy instructions, but surprisingly quick and easy )
madbaker: (Saluminati)
This week's Resolution Recipe: Meatloaf Roll.
"This is like meatloaf meets Wellington meets sausage roll. Which can never really be a bad thing."
Read more... )
madbaker: (charcuterie)
Thursday the wife and I drove to the other side of the City for dinner and a movie. We went to our usual place when visiting this theater - a family-run Chinese restaurant. Sadly they aren't doing soup dumplings anymore but we still enjoyed some of our usuals: green onion pancake, green beans with chile, and dry-fried chicken wings (which are fabulous). The service is pretty slow but even with commute-hour traffic we had plenty of time.

We saw Spinal Tap II the day before it opened. I'm not quite sure how this indie theater gets to do that but I'm not complaining. The movie wasn't as good as the original, but it was never going to be. The Comicle put it well: it may not go to 11, only 8, but still rocks. We enjoyed it.

I have started brining 5 lbs pork loin to replenish our lonza stores, and am attempting a puff pastry sausage roll tonight for dinner. Mildly ambitious but that's okay for a weekend, and I'm using commercial puff pastry because I am not insane.
madbaker: (Saluminati)
This week's Resolution Recipe: Rillettes... For Science!
I thought I had made this recipe before, but if so I can't find it. So I'm treating it as new.
"It gets right to the heart of what's good: pork, pork fat, salt, pepper, and time."
Read more... )
madbaker: (Pulcinella)
Short version: I am going "blah blah blah," not that I was blah about the event.
blah say )

I am tired today. Not sore, but weary from being social and a bit wrung out from the whole thing. I would have liked to take today off but after last week's vacation, I can't justify that. So I should get back to work.
madbaker: (Saluminati)
This week's Resolution Recipe: Cervellata.
I am teaching a class at the next Culinary Symposium on this (mostly) non-meat sausage, so this was a first pass testing the interpretation.
To make cervellata. He who wants to make a sausage, take bread crumbs and grated cheese and eggs and spices, and put it in a gut, and get a needle and pierce it, and make it boil and cook in water, and then roast it in among the bread, if you like that. (Due Libre B, early 15th c.)
Read more... )

Ping!

Nov. 9th, 2024 03:48 pm
madbaker: (Saluminati)
I was telling myself that I had to come up with a class for next year's Culinary Symposium, and nothing was feeling particularly inspiring. I was thinking about adapting a basic fresh sausage recipe to make caul fat-wrapped meatballs, so I glanced through the Charcuterie Doc.

And then I hit a variation on the Herb Omelette Sausage. I did a couple classes on this in previous years so I didn't want to repeat it - but the variant sounded... interesting. And suddenly there went the muse plotting out the recipe and class. I even came up with a decent working class title right away.

Guess I'm doing that one, then.

("He who wants to make a sausage, take bread crumbs and grated cheese and eggs and spices, and put it in a gut, and get a needle and pierce it, and make it boil and cook in water, and then roast it in among the bread, if you like that.")
madbaker: (Saluminati)
We sorta-day-tripped. It was exhausting, but I'm glad we did.
Read more... )

Bean There

Sep. 16th, 2024 11:36 am
madbaker: (charcuterie)
This week's Resolution Recipe: Bean and Bacon Soup...For Science!
"When it comes to bacon, why go halfway?"
Read more... )
madbaker: (Bayeux cook)
This last weekend we attended the WCCS, which was back after a pandemic break. It usually rotates up and down the coast. It was less than an hour from us in a Girl Scout camp, making it even more convenient.
Semi-random notes from the event )

Miss Beatrice told us loudly how much she missed us, and I suspect she will be glued to the wife's lap for the next couple days. She also spent some of the night on our bed, which isn't that common for her.

Bother.

Oct. 8th, 2022 02:08 pm
madbaker: (charcuterie)
I got out everything to start grinding meat for a modern French fresh sausage... and realized that a crucial piece was missing: the locking ring. Without that, there is no way to operate the grinder attachment. I don't want to hand-chop because among other reasons, I've been having shoulder pains.

Last time I used it was a few months ago. We searched all the usual possible places, and a few unusual ones. No luck.

I gave up and ordered a new one (none available locally). The grinder blade is getting dull anyway. But this means I have to punt until next weekend. Harumph. At least I hadn't gotten any farther than cutting meat strips...

Piggy Pie

Sep. 18th, 2022 10:13 am
madbaker: (charcuterie)
This week's Resolution Recipe: Derby Picnic Pie.
It's coincidental that last week's Resolution Recipe was a vegetarian pie, and this week's is a carnivorous version. We are committed omnivores.
The egg-boiling directions crack me up. (I followed them - they do work.)
Read more... )
madbaker: (charcuterie)
In retrospect, it was over-ambitious to plan to make bread, panna cotta, and 4ish lbs of kale-Italian sausage today. Panna cotta is done, at least, but I started the bread last night so I have to do it today; and while I might have been able to make the sausage tomorrow, I've already sliced and started freezing the meat so I have to at least grind it today.
madbaker: (Saluminati)
This week's Resolution Recipe: Salmon Rillettes.
Read more... )
madbaker: (Saluminati)
This week's Resolution Recipe: Chicken, Pork, Liver, and Mushroom Terrine.
"The livers should be left whole for a large interior garnish; be sure to mix the chicken breast, seared livers, and cooked mushrooms thoroughly to create a compelling mosaic."
Terrine derives from Old French 'terrin', an earthenware dish. )
madbaker: (Default)
It had been a long time since we went to an SCA event - Twelfth Night 2020 in fact. Significantly longer since we camped; during my exchequer tenure (drink!) we mostly stayed in a hotel, because I didn't really have the bandwidth to deal with setting up and breaking down. Or the time, since I spent much of the event running around doing the job. I'm not actually sure what event we camped last. Maybe West-An Tir 2018?
Abbreviated for length and rambling )

Tired today - I could have used a vacation day to recover from my vacation. It was good though.
madbaker: (Saluminati)
This week's Bonus Resolution Recipe: Good sausage with pork or other meat.
The Saluminati had a meeting at Beltane for five years. Some of them were wildly successful both in attendance and inspiration. Unfortunately, it did not continue when I stopped making it happen. I didn't have the bandwidth to push it, and if it couldn't happen without my input then it clearly wasn't sustainable. Still a bit sad though.
With that in mind, here's a bonus Beltane Resolution Recipe.
Read more... )

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