Archive for July, 2011

Enjoy this classic meal at the faire!

With Renaissance Faire season under way, some vendors are looking to provide authentic recipes for people to try while attending these types of events. One recipe that you can consider having at your stand is Beef Bourguignon. This is a traditional French recipe that started off as a peasant dish that worked its way into a high-quality meal. Therefore, if you are looking to feature it at your booth, you can still wear your Renaissance serving wench outfit as the dish has its roots in the peasantry.

Ingredients:

–        ¼ cup flour

–        1 Teaspoon salt

–        1 Teaspoon ground black pepper

–        4 Tablespoons butter

–        2 lbs cubed stew meat

–        1 Red pepper, diced

–        1 Onion, chopped

–        1 lb White pearl onion, peeled

–        3 Garlic cloves, minced

–        1 lb Button mushrooms

–        4 Carrots, peeled and sliced into ½ inch pieces

–        2 Cups red wine, preferably Burgundy

–        3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

–        1 Teaspoon dried thyme

–        1 Bay leaf

Procedure:

1.      Put the flour, salt, and ground black pepper together in small bowl

2.      Place the beef cubes in to the bowl and cover them in this mixture

3.      Allow the butter to melt, over medium heat, in a cast iron pan

4.      Place the beef in the pan and allow it to brown well on all sides

5.      Once brown, add the onion, red pepper, garlic, mushrooms, and carrots

6.      Saute this mixture for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the onion is tender

7.      Next add the bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and red wine

8.      Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 2 ½ hours

9.      Remove the cover and bake the mixture for another 30 minutes

10.  More wine, chicken broth, or water may be added if needed

11.  Garnish the dish with parsley

Enjoy!

Learn about the history of this noble order

Have you ever seen this Hospitaller tunic on our website and wonder what exactly this group of knights was all about? We have all heard of other groups around the same time period such as the Templars, but this specific group operated under a different creed than that of its contemporary counterparts.

The Knights Hospitaller were a religious group of men dedicated to the maintenance and operation of a hospital in Jerusalem during the turbulent era of the Crusades. After arriving in the Holy City, the Hospitallers pledged to take offer medical aid to those pilgrims to the Holy Land who were injured, sick, or poor.

During the First Crusade, the Christian forces made significant pushes into Muslin lands and gained quite a hold. It was during this time that the Hospitallers founded their own charter and became an official religious and military organization whose chief concern was to protect and care for the Holy Land.

The order still is in existence today in a modern form as the Roman Catholic Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Stay hidden in these cloaks

If you are a LARPer looking in the Medieval cloaks section, that means one of two things.

One: You want to stay warm and dry.

Two: You’re playing a rogue.

Although the darker Medieval cloaks you can find at Pearsons are very adept at helping you hide in the darkness, that doesn’t mean you are all in the clear. If you don’t practice other stealthy actions, people will be alerting the night watchman. Here are some tips you can use while you are out at the LARP to try to remain hidden while you are sneaking around.

-Stick the edge of fields. If you have no other choice but moving through a field, don’t walk through the middle of it, stick to the edges. At night, peoples eyes play tricks with them and staying near the edge of field, especially if it is wooded, helps play into this. The dark background of the forest will help obscure you so long as you move carefully.

-Look for big trees.  If you must move through the woods move slowly and carefully. Quick movements will always draw attention. Try to plot your path from big tree to big tree. If someone happens by, you can try to use your cloak to help you blend into to the dark or into the tree. If there is a source of light, make sure to stay to the opposite side of it so you don’t end up being highlighted.

-Watch where you step. If you can find a softer surface to walk on, you’ll make less noise. Branches, dry leaves, and heavy gravel are all poor choices. Pine needles, dirt paths, grass patches, and minimal gravel are better choices. If you aren’t sure, ease your weight on to the surface to see if any noise will be made before you use your full weight.

With these tips, hopefully you will remain invisible to your enemies.

What could happen next?

The “monk” finally came to. At first he was quite resistent to our questioning. Then Grantiere began his interrogation. He can be quick, persuasive, especially when he uses his chain mail gauntlets to do the talking.

The prisoner informed us that he was called Von Ottenhiem, and that he was on a very special mission for his employer. Von Ottenhiem stated that he had no information about his employer, which must be true because he looked like he could no longer take Grantiere’s interrogation.

All he was willing to divulge was that the person who hired him promised a lucrative sum of coin if he and his band were able to retrieve the stone from the Baron’s daughter. They took the guise of monks to gain the audience they required. Now we are going off of Von Ottenhiem’s directions and Josephus’ tracking abilities to attempt to find the small cavern this band of thieves uses as a hideout.

My instinct tells me this is a trap.