Thursday, June 28, 2012

Hedgehogs

This hedgehog has a sweet almond paste body with slivered blanched almonds for the spikes.  The original receipt from Hannah Glasse, 1777 and my modern interpretation is below.  Also a description of hedgehogs as "timid, shy and stupid" and yet it was their attacker who became "fatigued with fruitless attempts to annoy it" and left. 1822

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Rumford Roasters and Reip Ovens

Not all metal ovens are Rumford Roasters.  Count Rumford (Benjamin Thompson, 1753 - 1814) and his Roasters, pictured left, are certainly the most well known, but other iron and tin ovens inserted into the side of the hearth were used in Europe and the United States such as the Reip Oven and Roaster of Maryland, patented in 1825.