I’m in the midst of planning an 8 course historical-meets-Hawai’i* Christmas Eve feast, so it seems like the perfect time to blog about some of the food we ate on our Sew & Eat Historical Retreat 2019**.
The food was so amazing, and I have so many photos, I’m breaking it into two posts: one just on our Medieval feast, and one on the rest of the food.

Nina was the mastermind of the Medieval feast: researching recipes, and orchestrating the cooking. I just contributed a few ideas and ingredients and chopped and assembled dishes and instructed. And Nina & Hvitr were responsible for the real showpiece of the night. Making it had been my idea, but I skived off and took photos while they made it (although I did make the emergency flour run to the grocery store 30ks down a small country road that made it possible).
Menu:
Mashed Peas

Asparagus
Breney (non-alcoholic version)
Wild Rabbit & Barley Salad with Caramelised Russet Apples






Purple carrots with ginger

Not based on an exact recipe, but I was inspired by the spices used in many Medieval recipes – and hey, purple carrots! So historical!***


Poached Fish on Lemons


Sambocade Cheesecake with fruit compote


Pine Nut Candy with gilding

And for the centrepiece…
(drumroll here)
Dragon Saffron Bread with a marchpane and candy hoard
Since our protein was a salad, and we wouldn’t have a big impressive bit of meat or something as a centrepiece, and we’re not quite up to stuffing peacocks, I felt our table needed a little something spectacular to finish it all off…

I suggested a dragon shaped loaf of bread, and Nina and I collaborated on the idea of a marchpane ‘hoard’ for the dragon. Nina made the saffron dough, and I meant to shape the dragon, but was off taking photographs when the dough was at the perfect rise, so Hvitr and Nina got artistic, and came up with this fabulous fire-breathing beastie!

The gold on the hoard is edible foil.

Isn’t he fabulous?
And the next morning Hvitr got to be St George and ‘slay’ him! And then we ate him for breakfast.

Nom nom nom…
Here’s to our amazing chef!

*Macadamia nuts instead of almonds in Medieval recipes, tropical greens Swiss Soup Meagre, etc.
** Here’s 2018’s post, if you want more inspiration for your own cooking.
*** OK, these are probably a modern varietal rather than an original pre-orange-carrots carrot, but probably still closer to what existed in the 14th & 15th centuries.