Steampunk Cookbook (long term project!)

[Miss Calendula Malmesbury]

Hello all,

I am embarking upon a (possibly very) long term project of writing a steampunk cookbook, possibly to publish, possibly not.  I love to cook and my mother who will be ably assisting me is a chef so at least one of us will know what they are doing!

I was thinking along the lines of some tasty, stalwart Victorian recipes a-la-Mrs Beeton alongside a chapter on nice picnic food, a chapter on food based around some of the Victorian novels (Frankensteins Monster's Berry Sundae?) and a chapter specifically devoted to steampunk flair, party food and fun stuff (think dry ice and possible taxidermy!).

Do folks like the idea of it and is there anything that people would like to see included/excluded?

Any thoughts gratefully recieved.
Miss C
x

P.S. Not sure if this should be in Anatomical or Textual but as it's a book, I went for Textual!  Sorry if it's wrong!

P.P.S. If anyone is writing/has written such a thing before I don't want to tread on any toes, I just love to cook and write and do steampunk stuff and this seemed an ideal opportunity to combine the two!

[Nuaie]

Sounds like an awesome to idea, though I have nothing to contribute except enthusiasm.

[Miss Calendula Malmesbury]

Just knowing that people are interested is enough! 

[Velkan]

The best i can suggest off the top of my head is cog shaped biscuits

[Kittybriton]

Thinking about it, a palatable recipe for ship's biscuits might be a useful thing for those of us inclined to engage in long treks (as well as those of us who just sit in a comfortable armchair beside a cosy fire, reading the memoirs of great explorers).

[yaghish]

First.
Let there be tea. For the sake of the gods, please do add a recipe for the perfect tea. People don't know how to brew a proper tea nowadays. Maybe add instructions for the use of a samovar.

Second.
Please specify the realm you are in. Victorian cooking is fine, but there is more than British cooking. For example, there is a good Russian cookbook from the 19th century. What I remember from that is "Take 12 litres of Vodka..." It's by Jelena Ivanovna Molochovets, but probably the English transliteration of the name is different.
Those who are into the more colonial style of steampunk might like traditional recipes from the colonies. India, Insulinde, perhaps something African (crocodile can be replaced with chicken anytime, except when attacking).
In Holland, recipes from the colonies, especially Indië (now: Indonesia) became popular. I got this information from Twintig eeuwen koken en eten by L. Kruyff & J. Schuyf. it is also emphasised there were no fridges at the time, so the food tasted different due to the method of conservation.

Third.
The nineteenth century was a time of inventions and taking them a step further into the future. The pressure-cooker (steam-cooker) was one of them, even when invented earlier. Canned food was something new. Like home-canning (known as Weck elsewhere).
The introduction of gas and electricity for cooking also altered the styles of cooking.

Forth.
If you want to stay with a more traditional style of cooking, or cooking "slow food", you might want to read up un "Aga"-cooking. Leaving food for ages in or on the stove.

Fifth.
The idea of steaming food in a microwave oven might get you into some new ideas of cooking.

[Miss Calendula Malmesbury]

Thanks for your replies!

Tea is not a problem, I shall make a note about a tea making section and can even cover various varieties if you like?

In terms of location, I was going to stick to Britain/Empire as that is my comfort zone for now.  Other places may be for later! (Hence Mrs Beeton and some creations of my own).  The book isn't intended as an 'authentic' Victorian cookery book but rather steampunk themed recipes for cooks in a modern kitchen and adapted for such.

Ship's biscuits, good idea!  How about 'Airship's Biscuits'? 

[yaghish]

In terms of location, I was going to stick to Britain/Empire as that is my comfort zone for now.

Well, that used to be... half of the world or something the like?

[Miss Calendula Malmesbury]

In terms of location, I was going to stick to Britain/Empire as that is my comfort zone for now.

Well, that used to be... half of the world or something the like?

Well, apparently the sun never set on it!
The majority of the things will be British I think with some Indian themed dishes.  I must confess though that I am no expert on African themed cookery, nor Australian bush tucker.  Maybe it's something for me to read up on for the next one!?   

That said, I do intend on including some Martian recipes and perhaps some troglodyte delicacies from the centre of the Earth...

[Angus A Fitziron]

I recall there being a similar thread when I first joined this forum http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6844.0. Also the early part of the stickied Food! Food! Food! The Good, Bad, Ugly, and Tasty steampunk treats and drinks  contained some basic work towards a recipe book.

If it was me, I would have sections on cooking methods and suitable equipment - for example, slow cooking of tough cuts of meat makes them delicious and edible. This is a modern spin on the austerity methods of Victorian times. Suitable equipment would be Dutch oven ~ Le Creuset style pots over here; smokers and slow cookers. Spending time cooking is a suitable anachronistic reaction to the modern ping cookery.

Don't do original Victorian recipes, they rarely taste as good as we would hope. Instead, a steampunk cookbook should take 19thC menus which are wholesome and use good, readily available ingredients, and then adapt the recipe to make it palatable to modern tastes. I recently wrote on this on the subject of a Victorian (and older) breakfast favourite "Devilled Kidneys".

I think it is key, that to make it steampunk and not Victorian Kitchen Re-enactment, is to modernise everything - taste, technique, ingredients, presentation, whilst retaining Victorian description. A guide to how this might be done is to look at Lobscouse and Spotted Dog

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

"First catch your Air Kraken, now if fresh Air Kraken is unavailable, squid makes a tasty and nutritious alternative, which won't cost you an arm and a leg. Literally."

You need recipes which utilise fantastic steampunk ingredients or tools, but for which you can suggest a readily available alternative. The above could be a calamari recipe for example.

Or

"Dodo's are both delicious and plentiful, but this recipe can be undertaken using the more pedestrian chicken."

Or

"place the resulting mixture at the centre of your Tesla Coil array for 15 minutes, zapping it at full power,  alternatively you can place this in a conventional oven at gas mark 5 for  40 minutes."

[yaghish]

Spending time cooking is a suitable anachronistic reaction to the modern ping cookery.

I don't agree. People who actually like cooking, and are willing to read a cookbook, already do take plenty of time to cook. Slow food with healthy ingredients is already trending in mainstream. I'd say steampunk with its technological background would be ideal for fast food, made of canned ingredients. At least you can take canned food with you on your trek to Mars.
Any steampowered vehicle has somewhere a source of heat that can be used when cooking.

Don't do original Victorian recipes, they rarely taste as good as we would hope.

Same with any other kitchen we are not familiar with.
A problem here might be that the ingredients have changed taste over the years, especially the last 25 years. Food is much more sweet than it used to be, like carrots and apples.

[Miss Calendula Malmesbury]

Ingredients have definitely changed since the Victorian period in terms of things like sugar/water content, shelf life and even appearance and so a modern rendition of a Victorian recipe using regular supermarket ingredients would likely not taste anything like the original product. That said, I do intend to include some originals as they are really rather nice and I cook them regularly at home myself. 

I am working on a medieval cookbook which is an altogether more serious affair and deals with archaic veg and is all referenced and academic but this is not what I wish this potential book to be; I want it to be splendid and fun, just like the steampunks who will hopefully make the recipes!  Peter Harrow has hit the nail right on the head and that is exactly the sort of thing that I have in mind! (I already have an Air Kraken recipe in the works!).  Incidentally, I now have a Twitter account (as of this morning) under the name of @SteamCook if you fancy a gander?

Thanks so much again for all your input, it is really appreciated and I shall take it all on board!

[Augustus Longeye]

Just a note from your original post; "(think dry ice and possible taxidermy!)" I request that taxidermy goes nowhere near food. Not because of hygiene, but because there's something rather morbid about eating an animal whilst another one watches you....
In all seriousness; tea should have a section (possible point out what teas go with what things?) and possibly a vegetarian section? I'm not one myself, but for those that are?
~Longeye~

[Miss Calendula Malmesbury]

I don't know Augustus, nothing cheers a lonely diner more than the presence of a stuffed badger on the dinner table...

The tea section is now a definite and as for vegetarians, I was hoping that the book could be quite a nice egalitarian mix of meaty and veggie dishes without a specific veggie section.

"First Catch Your Air Kraken"... Now there's a fabulous title!

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

All ideas from me are free to use. 

The vegetarian section should be "First Catch Your Vegetarian...." a Triffid Crumble would be nice, but if Triffid is out of season Rhubarb would do at a pinch, (it can be just as poisonous and a bit of info on that would be fun) and you use the vegetarian as bait for your Triffid.

The point is it should be fun for non-cooks, as well as providing inspiration and guidance for cooks.

Taxidermy is what you do AFTER you have taken the edible parts, waste not, want not. Helpful housekeeping tips with the leftover bits should also be included. I have a very large number of biological specimens from just such an attitude.

[yaghish]

Ingredients have definitely changed since the Victorian period

In The Netherlands, there is a garden "Vergeten Eten" (Forgotten Food) that grows back original fruit, vegetables and the likes: http://www.vergeteneten.nl . Maybe there is something similar where you live?

I want it to be splendid and fun, just like the steampunks who will hopefully make the recipes!

Something like this, but then more steampunk? http://youtu.be/iHB3ImRoZAA

[Miss Calendula Malmesbury]

Mr Harrow, you are reading my mind sir, damn your innovative contraptions! (And I wondered why that urchin on the street corner asked me to put that colander on my head as well...) Seriously though, what you said is exactly what I had in mind; a fun read for a non-foodie with nice recipes intermingled with the mayhem!  I may now include tips for big game hunting vegetarians...Hmmm...

And rhubarb is a species of triffid, why do you think it has to be kept confined for part of the year? People think it's to force it but it's actually to stop it from eating the postman.

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

You have the great Rhubard Triangle in West Yorkshire, definitely worthy of a mention. Never be afraid to put in an actual fact which sounds as though it is made up.

I would suggest the classic tri-bird roast, which is of course much more difficult if one does not have access to a matter transporter to teleport one bird within another, and of course the proper hanging of game, which is much easier if one has a time machine, otherwise you have to rely on forward planning, instead of hindsight

Real fairy cakes are a bit of a problem since the Cottingly fairies were found to be a fraud, and psameead's whilst a perfectly adequate substitute are a bit gritty.


 

[Angus A Fitziron]

Mimmoth on a stick - prepared as you would chicken satay, in fact you can use chicken or turkey if you can't get mimmoth.

Steamed sheep - shoulder of lamb, browned in a large Le Creuset or similar iron pot. Take out meat, put 2 halved carrots, 2 halved onions, couple sticks celery, some garlic, in the pan and lightly fry until just taking on a gold edge, return meat to lay on vegies, add good glass of red wine. Bring to simmer and hold there for 3 minutes. Put lid on and put in an oven at around 100^o C. Go and do something excellent for 4 hours. Take it out of the oven and leave it for 30 minutes to an hour whilst you do all the trimmings. For example use all the stuff in the bottom of the pan to make gravy / sauce. Works for me!

Griffin Eggs - hard boil large eggs (cover eggs in cold water - bring to the boil then simmer for 9 minutes. Take off of the heat and cool eggs. When cool (the egg, not you...), halve eggs, remove yolks and beat them up with mayonnaise and mustard, some worcester sauce, maybe a bit of chili... Pipe yolk cream back into egg white halves and chill. Serve with a sprinkle of smoked paprika as an appetiser or party snack. (Eggs Mimosa)

Dodo Omelette - duck eggs can be substituted. Maybe a sprinkle of Martian herbs and some crumbled goat cheese - nothing else.

Brown shrimp - well, brown shrimps really - they will take forever to peel enough but the flavour is out of this world. Serve with white pepper and malt vinegar.

Other suggestions:

Dinosaur ribs
Martian Curry
Spotted Dick - with real

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

spots

Nautilus Pie

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

Mimmoth on a stick, you would require the Foglio's blessing for that, but they are in Cambridge this August at Congenial (see UK Child board).

An egg boiling chart is a necessary showing the times for Soft, medium and hard boiling Tyranosaur, Moa, Ostrich, dodo, goose, haggis, duck, chicken and plovers eggs pictures of the various eggs and occupants, and suggested recipes involving hard blooded egg.

Haggis you say? An extremely delicious extinct Scottish Cryptid, whose interiors were eaten and exteriors used to make bagpipes. A monotreme (the only northern hemisphere), modern haggis is a substitute, as are Scotch Eggs for the delicious eggs. Scotching actually comes from putting sausage meat around an object see Fornum an Masons website.

[Angus A Fitziron]

Yep, egg chart is a great idea - include Roc egg (giant Roc of Madagascar), Moa and Elephant Bird.

My pedantry of 9 minutes from boiling will give hard boiled yokes without the unsightly blue/green discolouring.

[Miss Calendula Malmesbury]

I love the egg boiling chart idea!  I don't have any Mimmoth recipes lined up, but I do have something brewing involving Mastodon. 

Loving your suggestions very much and scribbling them down :-)

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

You do need a section on Gentlemans essentials including the boiling of an egg, proper making of tea, the principles of toasting bread products or opening a can of corned beef, eg do not try to shoot the can open with a raygun, the can will explode from super heated steam build up. Imagine cooking for Bertie Wooster, without Jeeves, this would provide the utmost essential basic guidance for the most lame brained and cackhanded male.

[Miss Calendula Malmesbury]

Mr Harrow, my first thought was of Bertie Wooster trying to make a cup of tea after Jeeves left him!  I may then include a survival guide for gentlemen who find themselves minus a gentleman's gentleman due to unforseen circumstances.  This is becoming less of a cookery book and more of a survival guide. Lives could be saved!