William Brand

And another...compliments of http://www.fdcjardin.com French Sablés According to the “letters” of the Marquise de Sévigné, the biscuit was created for the first time in Sablé-sur-Sarthe in 1670. Sables, also known as a French Butter Cookie or Breton Biscuit, is a classic French cookie originating in Normandy France. The name ‘Sables’ is French for “sand”, which refers to the sandy texture of this delicate and crumbly shortbread-like cookie. The traditional shape is round with fluted edges and the tops of the cookies are usually brushed with an egg wash to give them a shiny appearance. The finishing touch, which makes them instantly recognizable, is to score a criss-cross pattern on the top of each cookie. 1 cup flour 1/3 cup unsalted butter 4 Tablespoons sugar 1 egg yolk 1 Tablespoon water Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place flour butter and 2 Tablespoons of sugar in a bowl and combine In a small bowl combine the egg yolk and water. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Mix another 5 to 10 seconds, or until the dough forms a ball. (at this point the dough can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 3 days before baking.) To bake: Roll out the sablé dough on a floured surface to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 3-inch rounds using a round form or cut into squares using a ruler and pastry wheel or knife. (This should yield at least 8 cookies.) Arrange the cut-outs on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle them with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Here is another fine bread recipe. Antoinette Hancock-French Bread, Robert May (1660), Recipe adapted Elizabeth David (1977) Toni: This recipe was adapted by an incredible English author, Elizabeth David, in her book entitled “English Bread and Yeast Cookery”. See pages 313 – 316 (Robert May’s French Bread) for the complete description of Mr. May and the early measurements and production of the bread. Ingredients: “French” Bread Elizabeth David – 1977 Robert May – 1660 flour 1 lb 2 0z 1 gallon (7 lbs) yeast/barm 1/2 oz 1 pint barm eggs 2 egg whites 6 egg whites milk/water 1/2 pint to 12 oz 3-4 pints salt 1/2 oz some butter oven 450 no temp in source time 30 min no time given in source Warm flour and salt. Pour in the yeast creamed with a little of the warmed milk and water mixture. Add the egg whites beaten until beginning to froth. Pour in the remaining milk/water mixture. Mix and leave to rise until spongy and light. 45 to 60 minutes. Break down the dough, divide and shape into 2 round loaves. Put them on a floured wooden board and cover with a light cloth to allow them to recover volume. 30 minutes should be enough. Turn the loaves right side up onto a baking sheet. Slash the tops with one slanting cut. Bake on the center shelf of a hot oven (450 degrees) for 15 minutes. Then cover the loaves with bowls to prevent the crust from getting too hard. In another 15 minutes, the loaves should be sufficiently baked.

Of course, the big question is this... ...is it a real letter of marque, faithfully obtained and endorsed by King and Country, or a carefully purchased safety net between the crew and the gallows?

Welcome aboard there, lad! I have numerous friends up near Rochester and Geneseo.

Well, if they're interested, I'm interested.

I look forward to the finish.

Done! The list needs more people! Recruit!

I meant to post this before, but illness and numerous interruptions delayed it until today. Mister Thatcher has kindly purchased this letter of marque for use by the Crew of the Mercury. It is of course another fine product from Letters of Marque in the UK and it will make a fine display piece among our other 'documents'.

Big Mike is selling this brand new Guernsey Sweater. He bought it from the UK and it will cost him too much to return. It's simply not the right size for him. It's an XL (25 inch chest from armpit to armpit). It cost him about $50 and he's asking asking $40 + shipping and handling. If interested, drop my a private Message with your email and I'll put you in touch with him.

Welcome aboard, Mate!

You're both owning those hats! You both have great expressions. Greg has that calm, seasoned 'bring it on' look while Ivan sports that 'What's that up ahead?'. Do you get questions about the Thrum?

We've passed our first event of 2013, with a great time had by all who attended at St. Augustine. I've updated the calendar to reflect changes to some upcoming events. There is a new juried 'trade fair' event at Fort de Chartres if anyone is interested. It takes place April 5th-7th and is called 'Les Plays des Illinois Colonial Trade Fair & Musket and Rifle Frolic'. Say that ten times fast. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.605725269453173&type=1

Here's another great galley image. While it does come from the Disney ship Columbia, it is fashioned beautifully after other ship galleys. The Columbia was vessel of the 1790s and when historian Ray Wallace built the replica at Disneyland he borrowed heavily from the 'Bounty'. Much of the layout in the interior was designed by chief art director Kuri. You'll note that all of the cupboards have high lips at the base to prevent anything from falling from them. There are no cupboard doors or anything that can swing wide. The lowest cupboard space is a coal bin for the fire. The kitchen is fixed with a high cross rail so when the cook is moving about with heavy pots or trays there is a brace to lean upon or catch him if he sways. The tight quarters, which come naturally with ships and the conservation of space, actually work in the favor of a cook. The shorter the distance to travel with water, kettles, pots, etc., the less likely one will be overbalanced. One simply turns in place to work. Cookware is at a bare minimum. The problems of storing dishes are easily maintained, because each sailor keeps his own bowl, spoon, fork etc. It looks like iron working tools and an anvil might be stationed on the opposite side of that cupboard larder. It's possible that there is a second bricked in space on the other side for limited metal working. I've never seen this setup before, but it shows pragmatism, if not accuracy. A detail of Columbia's stove. It's all brick with metal fittings and doors. The doors are not accurate for very early galleys, but the 'fish parts' stew is funny. Another shot of the cozy space with Disney himself.

Wooohoo! I recognized all the important nautical terms in the last post! She's a beautiful ship and she's really making headway.

Whether you're going for 'haunted' or 'glazed' you've got a great look!

Very nice!

You present the best kind of 'weathering'. You have the squint and the set jaw down perfectly.

While not exactly what we think of as bartering, there are accounts of 'pawning' from the Golden Age forward. The profession of Pawnbroker has been around over 300 years, and there are mentions of sailors and Captains pawning goods before and after journeys abroad. Even ship owners and men of station would pawn goods to secure a crew or buy goods against a long journey. The idea is so common place that it carries over into nautical fictional.

The question of bread probably does come down to frequency. It also comes down to the cook, and with navies, quality gives way to quantity and convenience. Bread on the high seas probably did exist in a very limited way, so that's when it becomes hard to find historically. It's more likely to be something we trip over, than something that we purposely discover. Jim's mutiny comment reminds me of a tactic my Grandfather used while living in a very poor, dangerous part of Southside Chicago years ago. He worked at a bakery all day and made certain that he baked 'extra bread' every night just before closing. Then he would carry generous portions of this fresh, delicious smelling bread on the cross town trains. He would share this bread with everyone on the train and it got to the point where if anyone bothered him at all, all the regular commuters would defend him, because he was the 'bread guy'.

That's not the topic I was looking for, but thank you! It contains the galley of the Maryland Dove, which was one I was hunting for. This is the one I'd like to build for events.

The brick stoves, hearths, etc. were extensively talked about in another thread here on the Pub, but I can't find it. Almost every example of galley from the period includes a bricked structure and huge kettles and cooking ovens made of copper. Some examples... The Susan Constant The Mayflower A copper oven inside a brick housing

Welcome aboard!

Yeah, sorry. It was mislabled on a tin kitchen I found in an image search, but it led to the dealer, so it's sixes.

I haven't found it yet, but it's also called a vasculum and you can buy one here... http://www.cg-tinsmith.com/catalog2.htm#vasculum

I've seen them during Napoleonic times. In fact, I believe they show one in Master and Commander. It stands to reason that they'd use one if they could, but I'll start looking.