Medieval and Renaissance Wedding Feasts
The Wedding Feast of Ammabelle and
Rhuadhagan,
June 5, 1993
For this wedding, the bride
and groom were both medieval enthusiasts,
but wanted food that their non-medieval friends and family would
appreciate.
The menu was therefore a mixture of authentic, semi-authentic, and
modern
foods, with hearts and cherubs as a motif. The bride herself chose many
of the items, including most of the hors d'ouvres and the subtleties
(the
desserts). The bride also made a beautiful wedding cake decorated with
fresh flowers; champagne & wine were served throughout the dinner.
-
Hors d'Ouvres
-
Pandemayn and Butter - freshly baked white bread
with bowls of
whipped butter, presented on a cutting board for guests to serve
themselves.
-
Sugared Almonds - this recipe is found HERE.
-
Cucumber Hearts - large cucumbers were peeled,
then sliced into
thin rounds. Each slice was cut into a heart-shape using a cookie
cutter.
A dab of creme fraische was placed in the center of each.
-
Honey-Mustard Eggs - hard-boiled eggs, cut in
half, with the
yolks removed. The yolks were blended with honey & French mustard
and
then were decoratively piped back into the hollow of the egg halves.
-
Puff Pastry Cheese Straws - puff pastry was
blended with freshly
grated Romano & Parmesan cheeses, then rolled out & cut into
long
strips. Each strip was twisted cork-screw fashion, then baked.
-
Scones and Spiced Jelly - a traditional recipe
for scones was
used, and were served with bowls of various spiced jellies.
-
Second Course
-
Chilled Fruit Soup - this recipe is found HERE.
-
Sallet - this recipe is found HERE.
-
Pickled Carrots and Pears - this recipe is found HERE.
-
Rys of Mousserounes - this was a simple dish of
rice cooked in
broth, along with sliced sautéed mushrooms, and colored a golden
yellow with with Turmeric.
-
Egurduce (Sweet & Sour Chicken) - this recipe
is found
HERE,
substituting chicken for rabbit.
-
Cherry Hearts - small, heart-shaped tarts, filled
with cherry
sauce. The top of the tarts had a small, heart-shaped opening in the
center
which revealed the red cherry sauce within.
-
Subtleties
-
Rolled Pizzelles - this recipe is found HERE.
As soon as the pizzelles were removed from the iron, they were rolled
around
the handle of a wooden spoon to create a hollow tube, then were allowed
to cool & harden in that position. Just before serving they were
stuffed
with whipped cream.
-
Fresh Fruits - strawberries, grapes, etc.
-
Chocolate Hearts - large heart-shaped cookies
made with extra
rich baker's cocoa.
-
Croquembouche - the traditional French dessert;
small cream puffs
filled with lemon cream were arranged into a tall cone-shape and then
glazed
with caramel. The final product was decorated with cherubs made of
sugar
paste.
-
Mock Swan - a swan was crafted out of an
oval-shaped loaf of
bread and a S-shaped loaf of bread; the oval shape had the top cut off
and the inside was hollowed out. The S-shape was was cut, fitted, &
positioned against the oval to be the long neck and head. The top part
of the oval loaf was cut lengthwise to make wings. The body was filled
with strawberries in a sugar sauce and the wings were placed on top so
that it appeared that the swan had its wings open. A beak was made from
a quartered-lemon peel and held in place on the "head" with large
cloves.
The entire bird was decorated with "feathers" made by piping on white
icing
in decorative patterns & swirls.
-
Chocolates and Sugar Paste - various romantic
shapes, such as
cherubs, hearts, flowers, etc., were made out of chocolate and sugar
paste
and were used liberally to decorate the tables.
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