Foxhunt I - 2005

Event Theme - Generic Medieval Hunting Feast
4 Removes

Grain bread and fresh herb lemon cheese, honey
Grapes
Cold Meat Pie with onions

Roast Venison with apples
Salat of greens and herbs
Lentil Pottage with dried fruit

Fresh Fowl stuffed with grapes
Oat Pilaf with forest mushrooms and leeks
Carrot Fritters with ginger cream 

Marzipan filled dates
Claret Pears

This was my first feast cooked in this Kingdom. Nothing was researched or documented besides seasonality of ingredients and period possible foods/cooking techniques. At the time, I had just graduated from culinary school and was completing an internship in upper Michigan. I specifically drove down for the weekend to cook at the event and then had to be back to work Monday morning. This facility was a fairground, with no actual kitchen. Everything was cooked in counter top roasters, propane fryers, and camp stoves, or prepared ahead of time. The lemon cheese was prepared on site by adding lemon juice to whole milk over a fire until reaching the appropriate temperature cooling, straining, and hanging 4 hours prior to serving.
The "Fresh Fowl" was a combination of freshly hunted Michigan geese, as well as purchased pheasant, quail, and capons. For the head table, the goose was presented with the preserved and oven-sanitized wings, stretched to seem 'in flight.' Was a very dramatic and well received presentation. This was the first appearnce of my soon to become, infamous, carrot fritters. This experience set me on the path toward wanting to improve my knowledge of period cooking, techniques, ingredients, as well as feast design and execution. The limitations of the facility I found particularly challenging and enjoyed having to work with would I had to the best of my abilities. That is something I still enjoy and have actual become someone to consult during feast planning when other feast stewards encounter logistical problems.