HFF 4.5: Centerpiece

The Challenge: Centerpiece. Pull out all the stops to make something pretty and eye-catching to adorn your table.

The Recipe: A pretty dish of oranges  from Beeton's Book of Household Management. I chose Beeton because it goes into more detail about plating than most of my usual references. I also completely forgot how badly my sugar-boiling always goes, so...

The Date/Year and Region: 1861, London

How Did You Make It: I peeled 4 oranges*, and divided them into sections. I then heated 1/2 lb of white sugar in 1/2 cup water on the stove; in the span of ~13 minutes it got to boiling, and started thickening towards the 'brittle in water' stage described in the recipe.

I meant to then dip each orange slice in the sugar syrup, then lay it along the wall of my plainest pudding mold, forming an overlapping wall of oranges that would stick to eachother. 

Instead, the sugar crystalized. So, I added more water and reheated it. Then the oranges decided (3/4 of the way through) to stop adhering to their neighbors and start falling into the dish's center. After three more attempts, including two aditonal batches of sugar when the first ones ran out, I eventuslly gave up on making the oranges pretty, and just packed them in the bottom of the dish, relying on the core of the mold to make the central cavity. I also ended up throwing a 5th orange into the bowl, just to fill space (this was a navel orange, as I ran out of the other kind). Being frustrated, I put the whole mold into the fridge overnight, in hopes the sugar would set better (and to avoid dealing with it).

The next day, I prepared the whopped cream. In a complete contrast, it turned out perfectly on the first try. I used the ingredients from the above recipe, but looked to whipped cream #1492 for proportions and technique. I placed 1.5oz granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of brandy, and 1 cup heavy cream in a bowl, then beat until fluffy. Fortunately, instead of spending an hour at this as directed, the electric mixer completed the task in ~2min. I then unmolded the oranges (a little hot water outside the mold helped), spooned whipped cream into the center, and used a pastry bag to decorate the dish with the remaining whipped cream.   

*I don't know the specific variety. They're a moderate-sized sweet orange from the local Chinese grocery store--smaller and more flavorful than navel oranges, which are the only other kind I ever see.

Time to Complete: A million years. It seemed.

Total Cost: ~$7

How Successful Was It?: Tasty, but I need a but more practice to get the 'centerpiece' part down. The oranges are slightly sweetened by the sugar syrup, but not overwhelmingly so; the whipped cream was very nicely balanced, with the brandy prominent but not excessive.

How Accurate Is It?: Electric conveniences abound, but I think it was a reasonable approximation of the dish. I do need to work on my sugar-boiling skills, and the presentation. The pastry bags were used in period: other 1860s confectionery books mention using folded paper with a cut corner to do smooth lines and dots, while metal tips were available for more complicated effects. So while I wouldn't use my bags in a period demo, I feel alright using them offstage.

Next time, I should just do a jelly...