Desserts for East Kingdom 12th Night (recipes)

I was asked to make the dessert course for East Kingdom 12th Night. For those of you who had stayed and were able to enjoy the feast and end your evening with the dessert, here are the recipes for each part.

Honey Mousse
Makes about 4-5 cups of mousse

1 1/4 cup honey
4 eggs

Separate all eggs. Gradually beat the yolks and the honey together. Once blended, cook over a slow fire, stirring constantly, until they are thick. Put yolks aside. Beat egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry. Gently and gradually fold the whites into the yolk mixture a little at a time until fully blended. Chill until firm.


Pyramid Cakes (From the El Cid cookbook and documented to: Gran, Mark. Roman Cookery. London: Serif Cookery, 1999. 43. Print.)
Makes about 40 small pyramids

1 cup water
1 cup honey
2 cups semolina flour
3 sticks of butter - room temperature
1 tablespoon coriander

In a small pot, bring the honey and water to a slow boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and set aside. Put semolina flour in a large skillet over medium heat and toast it, stirring often, until it changes color. Add the butter and continue stirring, sautéing the semolina until it is golden brown in color. Add the syrup to the semolina and stir until well mixed (you can use a food processor if necessary). Heat everything over medium heat until it sets up and becomes like a firm cookie dough. Remove from heat and press into molds. Chill and remove. Freezes excellently. Serve at room temperature.


Apple Kisses (Toomre, Joyce. Classic Russian Cooking: Elena Molokhovets' A Gift to Young Housewives. Indiana University Press, Bloomington & Indianapolis: page 393.)
Makes about 40 cookies

5 apples
3/4lbs of sugar
1 egg white

Bake apples until they are no longer firm and press them through a fine sieve. Add to the strained apples the sugar and egg white. Mix in a bowl surrounded by ice or snow, stirring for 2 hours until thick and a spoon stands up straight in it (I used my kitchen aide with a whip attachment and the volumes I was working with took about 20 minutes). Spoon heaps onto paper and bake in a low oven (200 degrees for 3 hours, until fully dry).


Honey Apples (Savelli, Mary. Tastes of Anglo-Saxon England. Anglo Saxon Books, Norfolk, England: 2002. page 52.)
Serves 9

6 slices wheat bread
1 cup milk
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 tsp clove
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
1 cup raisins
1 medium apple

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cube the bread and then let it soak in the milk and cider for about 15 minutes. Peel, core, and chop apple and mix that, and all remaining ingredients together. Add the apples to the bread and mix. Place everything into a pan set inside a larger pan with an inch of water in it. Bake for 45 minutes.