seed cake

This recipe is a slightly modified version of a recipe I found online while looking for a "medieval" dish to bake. The original recipe called for sugar (which I think is highly unmedieval) and did not specify the type of seed to use; I love the combination of coriander, fennel, and caraway--it gives the bread a complex, licorice-y, and slightly savory flavor that intensifies as the bread ages, and the honey helps the bread stay moist even after a number of days on the counter (wrapped, of course).


1/8 cup warm water with honey or 1/8 cup warm ale
1 package yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups regular bleached or unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup honey
1 stick butter
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon caraway seed
1/2 tablespoon fennel seed
1/4 tablespoon coriander seed
dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
1/2 cup milk


Preheat oven to 350 °F.
1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (or ale).
2. Mix flour and salt along with seeds and spices.
3. Cream butter and honey together, then add eggs and beat until combined.
4. Add wet ingredients to the dry, and mix completely.
5. Pour in the yeast and mix.
6. Add the milk and stir. Batter should be a "normal" cake batter consistency. If it is still too dry, add more milk until the appropriate consistency is achieved.
7. Spread batter into a greased 9" baking dish.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for a bit and then turn it over onto a cooling rack.
If you want more sweetness, add this to the top of the cake:

1. 1/4 cup honey
2. 1 tbs lemon juice

Heat until runny, and poke holes in the top of the cake. Then pour the glaze on top of the cake and hopefully the glaze will run down into the holes, making the cake a little moister and sweeter! Sprinkle shaved or slivered almonds on top.

roasted gressingham duck with garlic, onion, and sage stuffing

Stuffing
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 14-ounce bag cubed herbed stuffing mix
1 1/2 tablespoons rubbed or ground dried sage
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
2 eggs, beaten to blend
1 cup chicken stock or canned broth

Goose
1 Gressingham duck, 7–8lbs.
1 lemon, halved
3 bacon slices

For stuffing:
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, celery and garlic and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Combine stuffing mixture, sage, salt, oregano, thyme, pepper and Italian Seasoning in large bowl. Stir in onion mixture and eggs. Add stock and mix well. Set aside.

For the duck:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Rinse duck inside and out; pat dry, using paper towel. Rub duck inside and out with halved lemon. Season goose inside and out with salt and pepper. Fill main cavity and neck cavity loosely with stuffing. Place any remaining stuffing in small buttered baking dish and cover with foil. Run fingers between breast meat and skin to loosen skin.

Place bacon slices under breast skin. Wrap goose in cheesecloth.

Place duck on rack set into large roasting pan.
Roast duck 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F. Continue roasting until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part to thigh registers 180°F., basting every 20 minutes with pan juices, about 1 hour 20 minutes. (Place stuffing in covered baking dish in oven during last 40 minutes.) Remove cheesecloth. Transfer duck to platter. Pass stuffing separately.

poire au rochefort

Ingredients:

4 pears, peeled and cored
200g Rochefort
4 Tbsp chives, chopped
4 Tbsp ground walnuts
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1/8 c. raisins
½ c. double cream


Preparation:

1. Place pears in a baking dish with 0.5 cm of water. Cover with aluminium foil. Bake at 250ºF for 15–25 minutes until soft.
2. Stuff pears with Rochefort and refrigerate.
3. In a small saucepan, heat up butter, cream, half of the raisins, flour, and remaining Rochefort until hot. Whisk constantly until hot and thickened.
4. Set each pear in the middle of a dish. Cover the pears with the creamy Rochefort sauce. Sprinkle with chives, walnuts, and the remaining raisins.
5. Picture yourself in a Parisian bistro with someone you love. Enjoy.