snow-msg – 10/3/10

“Snow”, a period confection often served with wafers usually composed of a stiff-whipped mixture of egg whites and heavy cream, sweetened with sugar and flavored with rosewater.

NOTE: See also the files: wafers-msg, sugar-msg, almond-cream-msg, custards-msg, flavord-sugars-msg, Sugar-Icing-art, sotelties-msg, eggs-msg, dairy-prod-msg.

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    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous
                                          Stefan at florilegium.org
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Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 20:04:15 EST
From: ChannonM at aol.com
Subject: SC - Re: Dishe of Snowe, LONG

As I had a few requests for the recipe, I'll post it here for anyone who 
would like it.

Hauviette

The 'main work' herein after referred to is:  A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye, 
16 Century, edited by Catherine Frances Frere, Cambridge; W. Heffer & Sons 
Ltd, 1913, Found in Cariadoc's Miscellany

Sixth dish:A Dish of  Snowe with French Wafers

Original Recipe- Main work page 25
To Make a Dyschefull of Snowe 
Take a pottel of swete thycke creame and the whytes of eyghte egges, and 
beate them altogether wyth a spone, then putte them in youre creame and a 
saucerfull of Rosewater, and a dyshe full of Suger wyth all, then take a 
stycke and make it cleane, and then cutte it in the ende foure square, and 
therwith beate all the aforesayde thynges together and ever as it ryseth take 
it of and put it into a Collaunder, this done take one apple and set it in 
the myddes of it and a thicke bushe of Rosemary, and set it inn the  myddes 
of the platter, then cast your Snowe uppon the Rosemarye and fyll your 
platter therewith. And yf you have wafers caste some in wyth all and thus 
serve them forthe.

Redacted Recipe
 take 2 quarts of cream, 8 egg whites, a 1/4 cup of rosewater, 1 cup of sugar
and beat the cream with a wisk and the eggs, rose water and sugar.Mix them 
with the cream. Place an apple and a sprig of rosemary in the centre of a 
platter and surround with the mixture. If you have wafers, place some in the 
dish and serve.

Modern Version : Serves 8
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 egg white 
2 tsp rosewater
1/4 cup sugar

Beat the egg white and slowly add the sugar until stiff peaks form. Beat the 
whipping cream and rose water until stiff. Blend the two gently with a 
folding motion. Refridgerate until used.


Date: Tue, 18 May 2004 15:0:29 -0400
From: Daniel Myers <edouard at medievalcookery.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Meringues?
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

On May 18, 2004, at 2:04 PM, a5foil wrote:
> You know you're in the SCA when ... your 15-year-old daughter decides to
> translate and redact recipes from Taillevent for her French II final
> project.
>
> She just asked me if meringes are period. She has lots of egg whites left
> over from making Tostees Dorrees and is looking for a way to use them.
> This is out of my area of expertise, so I thought I'd ask.

She could use some to make "Snow".

I've got Dame Aoife Finn's recipe online:
	http://www.medievalcookery.com/recipes/strawberries.html

Source [Gloning, 16th cent. A Proper Neue Book of Cokery]: To make
dyschefull of Snowe: Take a pottel of swete thycke creame and the
whytes of eyghte egges, and beate them altogether wyth  spone, then
putte them in youre creame and a saucerful of Rosewater, and a dyshe
full of Suger wyth all, then take a stick and make it cleane, and than
cutte it in the ende foure squsre, and therwith beate all the
aforesayde thynges together, and as everit ryseth takeit of and put it
into a Collaunder, this done take one apple and set it in the myddes of
it, and a thick bushe of Rosemary, and set it in the myddes of the
platter, then cast your Snowe uppon the Rosemary and fyll your platter
therwith. And f you have wafers cast some in wyth all and thus serve
them forthe.

- Doc
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
   Edouard Halidai  (Daniel Myers)
   http://www.medievalcookery.com/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-


Date: 18 May 2004 18:22:53 -0000
From: "Volker Bach" <bachv at paganet.de>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Meringues?
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

On Tue, 18 May 2004 14:04:33 -0400, "a5foil" <a5foil at ix.netcom.com> 
wrote :
> You know you're in the SCA when ... your 15-year-old daughter decides to
> translate and redact recipes fromTaillevent for her French II final
> project.
>
> She just asked me if meringues are period. She has lots of egg whites left
> over from making Tostees Dorrees and is looking for a way to use them. This
> is out of my area of expertise, so I thought I' ask.

This interpretation is to be enjoyed with a large grain of salt, but:

59. Nimm Zucker der gestossen und fein weiß ist / auch das weiß von einem
frischen Ey / stoß in einem Moersel / nimm einen tropffen oder vier
Rosenwasser darunter / und Coriandr / und wenn du es hast darunter
gerueret / so nimm ein Oblat / und legs auff ein saubers Papier / thu den
Teig herauß mit einem hoeltzern Loeffel auff das Oblat / und machs eins
Fingers lang / scheub es flugs in einen warmen Ofen / so wirt es fein
auffluffen / und wenns kalt wirt / so ist es also muerb / daß einem im
Maul zergehet. Und man nennet es von lauter Zucker Piscoten. Und wenn du
sie wilt braun haben / so nimm gestossenen Zimmet darunter. Du kanst auch
wol solche Piscoten machen von lauter Eyedottern / so seind sie auch gut
und muerb. Und wenn du es wilt viel braun machen / so weich es in das weiß
von Eyern / sonderlich wenn du es stoessest mit schoenem weissen Zucker.

Take sugar that is ground finely and white and the white of a fresh egg. Pound that in a mortar with a drop or four of rosewater and coriander, if
you have any. When you have stirred it, take a weafer, place it onm clean
paper, and drop the dough on it with a wooden spoon, about the lenth of one
finger. Put it into a cool oen quickly, so that it does not flow off the
wafer, and it will riase nicely. When it is cold, it becomes so crumbly
that it melts in your mouth. This is called rusks of pure sugar. If you
want them brown, you can mix ground cinnamon among them. You can also make
them with egg yolks, and those also will be good and crumbly. If you want
to make them very brown, soak them in the whites of eggs, especially that
which you pound with much good white sugar.
(Marx Rumpoldt, 1581)

Redaction:

4 egg whites (or 8 egg yolks)
200 g powdered sugar
1/4 tsp rosewater
coriander
wafers

Beat the egg whites till stiff (or the yolks till foamy and white) with the
rosewater and a pinch of coriander. Add the powdered sugar by the spoonful,
beating after each addition, unil a thick paste results. Arrange wafers on
a cookie sheet (preferably lined with baking paper) and pour a
tablespoonful on each. Quickly transfer to a preheated oven and dry at 125°
C for 30 minutes, then at 75°C until completely dried out.

Giano


Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 17:36:00 EDT
From: KristiWhyKelly at aol.com
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] To Garnish and Present Med/Ren Food
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

I have seen a recipe for Snow that calls for it to be mounded with an  
Apple in the center, Rosemary and wafers strewn about.

Here it is below.  I done this and substituted strawberry pudding for   
The apple, not the same I know but tasted great!

Grace

To make a dissh full of  Snow
PERIOD: England, 1545 | SOURCE:  A Propre new booke of Cokery | CLASS: Authentic
DESCRIPTION: A dish of whipped cream that resembles a tree blanketed  
With snow
_________________________________
To make a dissh full of Snow.
Take a potell of swete thicke creame and the whites of eight egges & beate
them al togider with a spone / then put them in youre creame and a saucer  full
of Rosewater and a disshe full of Suger with all / than take a sticke & make
it cleane / and than cutte it in the ende foure square / and there with
heate all the aforesayde thinges togither / & ever as it ryseth take it of  and
put it into a Collander / this done / take one apple and set it in the myddes
of it and a thicke busshe of Rosemary and set it in the middes of the plater /
then cast your Snow upon the Rosemary & fyll your platter  therewith.  And if
you have wafers cast some in with all and thus serue them  forth.

____________________________________
To make a dish full of Snow.
Take a half gallon of sweet thick cream and the whites of eight eggs & beat
them all together with a spoon / then put them in your cream and a saucer
full of Rosewater and a dish full of Sugar with all / then take a stick & make
it clean / and then cut it in the end four square / and therewith heat all the
aforesaid things together / & ever as it rises take if off and put it into a
Collander / this done / take one apple and set it in the midst of it and a
thick bush of Rosemary and set it in the middle of the platter / then cast
your Snow upon the Rosemary & fill your platter therewith. And if you have
wafers cast some in with all and thus serve them forth.


Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2009 01:49:45 -0800 (PST)
From: Huette von Ahrens <ahrenshav at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] What to do with 55 egg whites?
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org, lilinah at earthlink.net

I am really surprised that no one suggested "To Make a Dissh Full of Snow"

To make a dissh full of Snow 
From "A Propre New Booke of Cokery" 1545.

Take a potell of swete thicke creame and the whites of eight egges & beate them al togider with a spone / then put them in youre creame and a saucer full of Rosewater and a disshe full of Suger with all / than take a sticke & make it cleane / and than cutte it in the ende foure square / and there with heate all the aforesayde thinges togither / & ever as it ryseth take it of and put it into a Collander / this done / take one apple and set it in the myddes of it and a thicke busshe of Rosemary and set it in the middes of the plater / then cast your Snow upon the Rosemary & fyll your platter therewith. And if you have wafers cast some in with all and thus serue them forth. 

When I made this years and years ago, I did a ratio of one egg white to one cup of whipping cream to 1 tablespoon of sugar to 1 tablespoon of rosewater.
Any more sugar and it became cloyingly sweet.  Any more rosewater and it tasted like soap.  I beat the egg whites with the sugar until stiff.  I beat the cream with the rosewater until it peaked.  I then folded them together.  I had intended to replace the apples with strawberries because I was serving 300 people.  Unfortunately, the strawberries I so carefully froze when they were fresh, turned to mush. So instead of serving a dish full of snow, I served strawberry mousse.  Everyone gobbled it up and nothing returned to the kitchen.  I learned that day, that no matter what the books say, no matter how carefully you freeze your strawberries, you will never get anything but mushy strawberries when they are defrosted.

Huette


Date: Mon, 6 Apr 2009 05:38:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: Louise Smithson <helewyse at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Honey Butter
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

There are examples of neve (snow) being served in the Italian feasts in Scappi in the last course from the credenza, ricotta or butter sprinkled with sugar is served in the first course and "heads of cream" are also referenced (think clotted cream).  I'd have to go and double check for references to latte mele.  As far as diary recipes Scappi itself has only one and that is for heads of cream, essentially cream is heated slowly and the skin that forms on the top is lifted off and this is repeated, it is served with sugar.  The one recipe for "latte mele" I did find was in another source entirely. The transcription and translation can be found here: 
http://www.geocities.com/helewyse/cheeseinstructions.html
    Vinc. Che modo tenete voi nel fare si delicato il
latte mele? 
    Scal. Posta la panna con acqua rosa in una bacia,
? altro vaso con modo si sbatte, & si rivolge con le bacchettine
legate per quanto si tengono in mano, & le cime bene sparse, riducendola
in schiuma, la quale si vlevando col mescolo forato di mano in mano, secondo
che si f? (ponendovi sopra del zucchero bene spolverizato) &
si mette ne i piatti, seguitando pure a rivolgere, fin ch?? finita
di ridurre in schiuma. 
    Vinc. Which way do you use to make the delicate
honeyed milk. 
    Scal. Put the cream with rose water in a basin or
other vessel in order to beat it, and one turns it with bundled wand (split
sticks) as much as one can hold in your hand, with the shoots well
spread, and one reduces it to foam, the which one lifts out with a holed
spoon a bit at a time, after it is made (put above well powdered
sugar) and put in plates, continue to mix until all is reduced to foam. 

<<< On plate 4 of Scappi- Dairy Products, there is a gentleman at a churn and
the description under it says "Latte mele si fa" (To make honey milk).
Does anyone know if there are descriptions, either in the menus or the
recipes for sweetened milk products or honey butter?

Eduardo >>>


Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:54:39 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] A couple of questions-

On Dec 12, 2009, at 5:55 PM, Stephanie Yokom wrote:
<<< Is "whipped cream" period? Is "alfredo sauce" period?

Sabra >>>

You do see creams as here:

To make a dish of snow from A Book of Cookrye 1591

Take a pottle of sweet thick Cream, and the white of eight Egs, and  
beate them altogither with a spooone, then put them into your Creme  
with a dish full of Rosewater and a dish full of Sugar withall, then  
take a stick and make it clean, and then cut it in the end four  
square, and therwith beat all the aforesaid things togither, and ever  
as it ariseth, take it off, and put it into a Cullender, this doon,  
take a platter and set an Apple in the midst of it, and stick a thick  
bush of Rosemary in the Apple. Then cast your Snow upon the Rosemary &  
fill your platter therwith, and if you have wafers, cast some withall,  
and so serve them foorth.

Cream is beaten and not whipped.

------

Alfredo sauce was popularized in the 20th century.

Johnnae


Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:02:33 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] A bit more about Whipped and Beaten Creams

I suppose this is one of these questions that revolves around
what one means by whipped cream. Was it whipped or beaten or eaten  
clouted in a sillabub?

I did some searching tonight.

OED lists the relevant definition under cream
3. Confectionery, etc. Beaten into a froth: see whip v. 7[ see below].

Hence in figurative expressions denoting something `frothy', flimsy,  
or unsubstantial.
1673 Dryden Marr. ? la Mode iv. iii, The dull French Poetry,..so thin,  
that it is the very Leaf-gold of Wit, the very Wafers and whip'd Cream  
of sense.
1691 Shadwell Scourers ii. i, To make clouted cream, and whipt  
Sillabubs.
Under Whip definition 7.
a. Confectionery, etc. To beat up into a froth (cream, eggs, etc.)  
with a fork, spoon, or other instrument; to prepare (a fancy dish) in  
this way; also fig.
Then it lists the 1673 and 1691 quotations seen above.

Under
whipped cream, etc.: see clouted.

It becomes clear that it becomes connected with the making of and the  
growth of sillabub and syllabub making.
 Again OED--

  c1537 Thersytes (1848) 79 You and I..Muste walke to him and eate a  
solybubbe.

1628 WITHER Brit. Rememb. IV. 1186 Some, Sulli-bibs among the Milk- 
maids, making.

1668 SEDLEY Mulberry Gard. IV. Wks. 1778 II. 52 Then they must..have  
the Sullabubs and Tarts brought into the Coach to 'em.

1570 in J. J. Cartwright Chapters Hist. Yks. (1872) 55 They brough  
this examynent a selybube to drynk.

1584 COGAN Haven Health cc. (1636) 190 A posset or Selibub made of  
Verjuice, is good to coole a cholerick stomacke.

1601 HOLLAND Pliny I. 348 They vsed to thicken their milk into a kind  
of pleasant soure curd in manner of a Sellibub.

1591-2 NASHE Prognostication Wks. (Grosart) II. 165 Maides this  
quarter shall make sillyebubbes for their Louers.

To make a sillibub appearing in The Cook?s Guide of 1664 calls for   
cream and whites of eggs whipped to a froth.

In EEBO-TCP,  comes this quotation
"are a sort of people that would be good at the putting off of whipp'd  
Cream and Syllibubs"

from  Scarron's novels ... rendred into English, with some additions,  
by John Davies ...

By Monsieur Scarron, 1610-1660.   London : Printed for Thomas  
Dring ..., 1665. This is earlier again than the quotation offered by  
OED.

Whipped cream also turns up in Digby.

My Lord of S. Alban's Cresme Fouettee.
Put as much as you please to make, of sweet thick cream into a dish,  
and whip it with a bundle of white hard rushes, (of such as they make  
whisks to brush cloaks) tyed together, till it come to be very thick,  
and near a buttery substance. If you whip it too long, it will become  
butter. About a good hour will serve in winter. In summer it will  
require an hour and a half. Do not put in the dish, you will serve it  
up in, till it be almost time to set it upon the table. Then strew  
some poudered fine sugar in the bottom of the dish it is to go in, and  
with a broad spatule lay your cream upon it: when half is laid in,  
strew some more fine sugar upon it, and then lay in the rest of the  
Cream (leaving behinde some whey that will be in the bottom) and strew  
more sugar upon that. You should have the sugar-box by you, to strew  
on sugar from time to time, as you eat off the superficies, that is  
strewed over with sugar.

If you would have your whippedcream light and frothy, that hath but  
little substance in the eating, make it of onely plain milk; and if  
you would have it of a consistence between both, mingle cream and milk.

The closet of the eminently learned Sir Kenelme Digbie Kt. Opened. 1669.

Holme in the Academy of Armory of 1688  defines whiptcream as
WhiptCream, it is beaten thick with a Whisk, then eaten with Cream and  
Sugar.

 and again we have those snow recipes as in

To make Snow.

Take the whites of fiue or sixe egs, a handfull of fine sugar, and as  
much rose water, and put them in a pottle of cream of the thikest that  
you can get, beat them all together, as the snow riseth, take it off  
with a spoone, you must beat it with a sticke clouen in foure, then  
must you take a loafe of bread and cut away the crust, and set it  
vpright in a platter, then set a faire rosemarie branch in the loafe,  
and cast your snow vpon it with a spoone.

A closet for ladies and gentlevvomen. 1608

OR this one that doesn't include egg whites----

Source [Das Kuchbuch der Sabina Welserin, V. Armstrong (trans.)]: 55  
To make snow. Dilute cream and put it in a pot. And take an eggbeater  
and stir it thoroughly, until it forms snowy foam on top. And toast a  
Semmel and lay it in a bowl and sprinkle sugar over it and put the  
foam on the bread, then it is ready.

Oh and Markham takes cream and beats it well for a number of his  
recipes.

Johnnae


Date: Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:33:57 -0500
From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] A couple of questions-

On Dec 12, 2009, at 5:55 PM, Stephanie Yokom wrote:
<<< Is "whipped cream" period? >>>

Some recipes contain descriptions of making a whip-like tool by splitting a stick, which suggests it wasn't a standard tool in most kitchens.

The most common opinion seems to be that what modern Americans call whipped cream, which is sweetened and lightly flavored with vanilla or another flavoring essence, is what used to be known as Creme Chantilly, which probably dates from the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.

<<< Is "alfredo sauce" period? >>>

There is no such thing as Alfredo Sauce, therefore it cannot be period ;-).

Fettucine Alfredo, which is a pasta dish, is modern, apparently dating from the 1920's.

Adamantius (who also disavows the existence of Caesar Salad Dressing for similar reasons)


Date: Sun, 23 May 2010 14:53:16 -0400
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] egg whites

<<< Does anyone have a medieval recipe that uses large quantities of egg  
whites?

--Ursula Georges >>>

There's always Snow.
This is just one recipe for it.
This is an excerpt from Ouverture de Cuisine
(France, 1604 - Daniel Myers, trans.)
The original source can be found at MedievalCookery.com

For dry snow. Take six egg whites well beaten a quarter hour long that  
it makes thick scum: then take the scum out, & beat the top until you  
have it all out: then take a pound of white sugar, & melt it with rose  
water, & let boil to perfection, until it falls with scattering like  
snow: then take two grains of musk with a little ground ginger, & mix  
well with the melted sugar: then take all the scum of egg whites, &  
mix well together with sugar, until you see that it becomes thick like  
cream, & put on plates, & serve so.

Johnnae


Date: Sun, 23 May 2010 21:51:25 -0700 (PDT)
From: Huette von Ahrens <ahrenshav at yahoo.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] egg whites

From "A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye", 1575 [according to Madge Lorwin, although Boke of Good Cookery website says 1545 and Medieval Cookery says that it is 1550.]

To make a dyschefull of Snowe.

Take a pottell of swete thycke creame and the whytes of eyghte egges, and beate them altogether wyth a spone, then putte them in youre creame and a saucerfull of Rosewater, and a dyshe full of Suger wyth all, then take a stycke and make it cleane, and than cutte it in the ende foure square, and
therwith beate all the aforesayde thynges together, and ever as it ryseth take it of and put it into a Collaunder, this done take one apple and set it in the myddes of it, and a thicke bushe of Rosemary, and set it in the myddes of the platter, then cast your Snowe uppon the Rosemarye and fyll your platter therwith. And yf you have wafers caste some in wyth all and thus serve them forthe. 

Huette

<the end>
Edited by Mark S. Harris	snow-msg	10 of 10