First of all, I want to comment on the layout and content. The book is well laid-out with the dishes grouped by region. There's a good variety of entrFirst of all, I want to comment on the layout and content. The book is well laid-out with the dishes grouped by region. There's a good variety of entrees, breakfasts, drinks, vegetable dishes, and desserts from each region. The pictures are beautiful and really make everything look beautiful. The recipes are generally pretty easy, but there are more challenging ones. The authors seem very aware of what is reasonable and what is not while still catering to the enthusiasts that would like to cook a 77 course wedding feast.
What I find most enjoyable is that the authors include the mention of the food in the text and a medieval source (or at least a source for most of the recipes). It's really exciting to know that these recipes are actually like what people might have eaten.
As much as I can talk about how wonderful the set up is, it's a cookbook, so naturally some cooking must be done to truly judge it. I made the Medieval Baked Apples and they did not look as beautiful as in the picture (they were quite mushy). That certainly could have been user error, but I need to recount my experience as it happens. I've also made the crusty white bread; it looks beautiful and tastes great. The recipes I've tried are all really easy.
I still want to try a few more recipes, so my rating may be upped, but at the moment I'm going to stick with the four stars. It's really nicely put together and the recipes seem really doable for everyone.
Update 1/24/14 - I made the Modern Blueberry and Lemon Tart and it is fantastic and was very easy. I am upping this review from 4 stars to 5.
Update 5/30/14 - I have made the medieval buttered turnips (which were okay, but not worth the work) and the medieval baked apple (which were much better with the right kind of apple). The modern applecakes were delicious but a royal pain. The honeyed chicken was fantastic too and had a lovely contrast of sweet and sour flavors, but I recommend adding cornstarch to thicken the sauce (and was again, very easy). The medieval lemon cakes were a bit hard. They were better the next day, but not one I'm going to make again.
Oh! I and I almost forgot to mention! I did a variation of the Modern Blueberry Tart using raspberries! It turned out great! I used half cinnamon sugar and half regular sugar on top....more
Loading...