Syllabub; Outlander Style

Ever since my friend Iwona got me totally obsessed with Outlander, a full decade after my twin sister Cathy and my friend Laura tried to, I fell very hard into the arms of Claire and Jamie Fraser. After discovering a lovely local website called Outlander Kitchen (http://outlanderkitchen.com/) where the owner/creator has worked very hard to create recipes based on the food mentioned in the books, I got inspired to try one myself. By the way, I have made quite a few of the recipes from Theresa’s website and they were all great! I consulted with Theresa on a dessert mentioned in The Fiery Cross called Syllabub but she had not yet developed one. After searching around online for recipes, I found many but one in particular stood out to me. It is on a website called historicfood.com. This recipe is from 1674 and about as vague as you can get, but I figured if I cross-checked with some modern versions I could figure it out. Here is the original recipe:

To make a very fine Sillibub

Take one Quart of Cream, one Pint and an half of Wine or Sack, the Juice of two Limons with some of the Pill, and a Branch of Rosemary, sweeten it very well, then put a little of this Liquor, and a little of the Cream into a Basin, beat them till it froth, put that Froth into the Sillibub pot, and so do till the Cream and Wine be done, then cover it close, and set it in a cool Cellar for twelve hours, then eat it. ~ From Hannah Wooley The Queen-like Closet (London:1674)

It took some research to find out a few things, such as “what is sack?” Sack, as it turns out, is a fortified wine. I settled on using Lillet, a lovely French aperitif that is delicious and already somewhat “herbal”. Here is my version of the recipe:

• 1 quart/litre (approx. 4 cups) heavy/whipping cream (pick the freshest possible)
• 1.5 pints/700 ml (approx. 3 cups) Lillet Blanc aperitif wine
• 2 lemons, juiced
• Zest of half a lemon
• One sprig of Rosemary
• 4 - 6 tsp./20-30 ml powdered sugar (icing sugar)

I decided to infuse the wine for a few days in the absence of any real guidance. In a smoothie shaker bottle or jar, add the wine, Rosemary, lemon juice and zest and place in fridge. Over the next three to four days, shake the mixture gently when you think of it. Take the time to taste it to make sure the Rosemary does not overpower it.

The day before you require the dessert, place a metal or freezer safe ceramic bowl in the freezer for around 10-15 minutes. The dessert is made in small batches. Remove the wine mix from the fridge and discard the Rosemary. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a bowl with a hand mixer, place 1 tsp. (5 ml) powdered sugar, 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the wine mixture and one cup (250 ml) of cream. Beat/whip until it is like regular whipped cream. Remove the bowl from the freezer and add mix to bowl. Place in the fridge, covered. Repeat this method three more times, incorporating each batch into the bowl with a gentle stir. (Out of curiosity, I decided to embrace the era and whip a bowl of it by hand to see how long it took. Answer: FOREVER) I started with 1 tsp. of powdered sugar per batch and then switched to 2. Taste it frequently to adjust sugar. Drink any left over wine mix - yum! Keep dessert in the fridge overnight and don’t serve until needed. Try not to eat it all before then!

This recipe yields about 12 cups, which is 12-24 servings depending upon size. Adjust as necessary.

To make the best Bisket-Cakes

I have been spending a lot of time reading ancient recipes and have had the desire to try some. Today I bring you “Bisket-Cakes”, but not just any bisket-cakes, “the best”. This recipe is taken from the same recipe as the Syllabub I made, so the recipe is around 345 years old, as “The Queene-like Closet” was first published by Hannah Woolley in 1672. Here is the original recipe:

“Take four new laid Eggs, leave out two of the Whites, beat them very well, then put in two spoonfuls of Rose-water, and, beat them very well together, then put in a pound of double refin’d Sugar beaten and searced*, then beat them together one hour, then put to them one pound of fine Flower, and still beat them together a good while; then put them upon Plates rubbed over with Butter, and set them into the Oven as fast as you can, and have care you do not bake them too much.”

Here is my version:

2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks

2 teaspoons rosewater

1 pound powdered sugar (icing sugar); 454 grams or about 3 3/4 cups

1 pound all purpose flour; 454 grams or about 2 1/4 cups

Place eggs and egg yolks into stand mixer (or mixing bowl if you are using a handheld mixer) and beat on high. Add rosewater and beat until combined. Sift powdered sugar and add to the eggs. Beat on high for a lengthy time (approximately 10 minutes, not an hour!!) until the mix resembles a meringue consistency and is pale and creamy. Add in the flour and combine well.

I got a very crumbly mix out of this. Since there is no fat in the recipe, every part of me was screaming to add butter but I wanted to stay true to the recipe for this run through. I found the mixture could be pressed and shaped into biscuit type shapes so I went ahead and made a couple. I baked the first two for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees Celcius. They did puff up a little on their own. After cooling I tasted them and to my surprise they very much resemble a meringue in their texture and taste. I baked the rest for 14-15 minutes as I found them to be sticking to the silicone baking sheet and a bit gummy in the middle. This was a mistake since once they cooled, they became hockey pucks, so the above warning about over-baking is for a reason. Keep it to 10 minutes!

*Note: “Searced” means sifted. Also: rosewater is a very strong flavour and should be used sparingly. I know the English are fond of this flavouring even to this day, but the next time I make them I may try plain old vanilla or perhaps lemon extract with a little lemon zest. I believe the options are endless in this application. You could even tint these and use cookie cutters to shape them.