Molding Sweetness

So for Christmas/Chanukah's I received a cookie mold of a Pelican in Piety. I was very excited, now I could make this beautiful cookie mold for friends who are on vigil for a the Pelican award (SCA award), because I love subtleties.

So are wood carved cookie molds period? ABSOLUTELY!

There are simple molding forms that date back to 3000 BC (older than the 1st documentation of massage therapy, which is 2000 BC). The oldest evidence of sweet cakes (cookies) was found in the Indus Valley dating back to 2500 BC.

Molds were made form clay, wood, wax.

The Roman Empire helped spread much of the arts and food sources, the ginger, sugar and other spices all came from the Far East. The most artistic bakers of Old Europe were those of Italy, Germany, Prussia, Bohemia, Czechoslovkia, and France.

The molds could tell stories for those that could not read (most of the populace) So the Royalty made great use out of the mold carvers and the Bakers, who were baking Gingerbread. The depiction during the Middle Ages were often religious.

Gingerbread bakers, first mentioned in 1335, had their own guild by 1415. In 1419, Prague had 18 gingerbread bakers, the wealthiest inheritance papers had over 500 gingerbread molds! the wood carvers established their own guild in the 15th century. The Gingerbread bakers were often families, fathers teaching sons the trades.

SO having learned all these wonderful details about gingerbread and woodmolds, I am happy to have made gingerbread pelican cookies. Now I have yet to determine if the particular mold I have has any historical meaning. I know the Pelican-in-her-Piety is an allegorical depiction of Jesus Christ an image of self sacrifice, from the 13th Century onwards.

But in the reference of using subtleties to tell stories, or to honor someone and the way we use the pelican in her piety today, my cookie mold is very appropriate.

I have only begun to look for a "period" gingerbread recipe. Although I do not believe that my ingredients would be very far off. They most likely did not use refined wheat flour as we do today.

Gingerbread - Pelican in Piety mold

Chocolate Shortbread - Thistle Mold

Subtle Indecisions...

So I had every of intention of creating a sublty for Mudthaw, but as I will not be able to attend I am reconsidering.
What is a Sugar Subtlies?
Sugar subtlies were often served in between course, they were recreations of just about anything, if it was a feast day it may reflect that, perhaps a subtle joke from the Lord of the House. However the bigger more elaborate subtley you recieved the higher honor you were receiving.

So I am tryign to decide if i will have the time to do one since I will not be attending.

we shall see keep ya posted!

Updates to Bellringers!

So my dayboard went over very well. I was very pleased both with it's reception and the ease of turning out that day. I had help with Diana, Gemma and Ty which was extremely convenient!

Now that the awards are given out I can share one I couldn't post earlier. Lady Amy Webbe's scroll. She did the most amazing blackwork coif, "motifs are tranferred from the 1632 edition of Richard Shorlayker's "A Schole-House for the Needle", except for the spider webs and spiders, which are a creation of the artist" that is from her blog, so I incorporated all that into her scroll.

Welcome Lady Amy Webbe to the order of the sable bell!

Calligraphy

A quick follow up to my previous post. I need to work my calligraphy, I am out of practice. I also need to get a C5 & C6 nibs as they are what works best for me. I have a C4 but it's on the larger size, that I don't like. Until the ones I want come into the store (sold out) I am using a calligraphy pen, where as the pen is nice because you do not have to dip and it is easy for almost any user, it lacks crispness.

There is also something fundamentally zen about dipping the nib into an ink well and blotting. You can almost feel a connection through the years to a monk or nun that was also sitting and dipping their pens into their ink wells.

That is all I have on calligraphy for now :)

Life intervenes, so cram everything into 1 month

Well I have not been able to much in the past few months, as my first semester of grad school took up a whole lot of time.

So in the last month I have been rather busy. I decided our Barony should give out scrolls when their Excellencies award the honour of inducting someone to the Order of the Sable Bell. I am not one to say "yea someone should..." So I created 4 scrolls for their Excellencies use, showed them to yesterday and they were pleased. Yea! So now I will be doing scrolls for the Barony. See images below, I did them in pen and ink in honor of the "Sable" bell.

what else am I doing? Well Dayboard for Bellringers, the Barony's Birthday, what am I making I think very yummy food, we shall see what the verdict is...this is my first attempt at food for the masses at an event.

Menu
Fruited Brisket: onions garlic, pomegranate juice (replaced wine), brown sugar, crystallized ginger, ginger, flour, salt, pepper, dried fruits.

Tart on Ember Day: onions cheese, currants, sugar, ginger, parsley, cinnamon, egg,

Hard Boil Eggs

Vegetable soup: tomato juice, water, broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, onions, garlic, oregano, carrots, celery

Sallat: Turnips, parsnips, beets, almonds, filberts, cabbage, prunes, dates, raisins, pear, apricots, plums and mustard dressing

Bread with honey butter, and thinking I need a savory herb butter as well.

Lavender Vanilla biscuits: Lavender, vanilla, butter, flour, powered sugar

Mulled hot cider & iced tea

So that is the menu and my busy life, the menu is actually a vegetarians dream.