Dormouse any good recipes

Subject: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Shiplap Structure3
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 09:04 AM

I couldnt help but chuckle at the dormouse scene in the new Roman drama
How do you cook your dormice

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Les from Hull
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 09:09 AM

If I remember my Lewis Carroll, I think the correct cooking vessel is a teapot.

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 09:09 AM

Quickly sauteed in butter for colour then gently poached in a white wine & cream sauce garnished with sauteed almond flakes and a sprinkling of chopped parsley

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Shiplap Structure3
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 09:10 AM

Sounds tasty tails on or off?

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 09:14 AM

Did anybody see Bill Oddie on BBC2 on sunday? He was interviewing a chap who was handling a dormouse, then in all seriousness he turned to the camera and solemnly announced that the dormouse was fine, because this man had a LICENCE TO HANDLE DORMOUSE!!! Yes, it's bloody true!! It is illegal in Nannyland to handle dormice without a licence!!

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 09:24 AM

Tails on if frying (use as handles)
Tails off if stewed (enhancing the presentation appearance)
Tails optional if roasted (formal/informal meal)
Tails soaked first in water if grilled (so they don't burn)

~S~

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 09:37 AM

I believe the Romans ate them braised, with a honey sauce. Perhaps the "honey dijon" dipping sauce served at McDonalds might do in a pinch?

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Shiplap Structure3
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 09:40 AM

Do McDonalds only do them on Toga nights?

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Emma B
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 10:15 AM

This is a recipe from Apicius for cooking "meat pieces" - presumably dormouse size..........

a pinch each of the following -
pepper, lovage, cyperus ,cumin
1tsp Liquamen *
3tbls passum - a sweet wine

* Liquamen
prepared as follows - the entrails of fish are thrown into a vessal and salted. Take small fish, salt altogether and leave out in the sun shaking frquently. When it has become dry from heat extract the garum from it as follows ; take a fine meshed basket and place it in the middle of the vessal with the above mentioned fish and in this way the liquamen put through the basket can be taken up.
If you wish to use the garum at once do not expose to the sun but boil it and make in the following manner.
Take brine and test its strength by throwing an egg into it to try if it floats; if it sinks the brine does not contain enough salt. Put the fish into the brine in a new earthenware pot, add origan, put on a good fire till it boils ......let it cool and strain it over two or three times until clear, seal and store away.

The best garum is made by taking the entrails of tunny fish and its gills, juice and blood, and add suffcient salt. Leave it in a vessal for two months then pierce the vessal and the garum will flow out.....

Recipe........you really want to continue?
Pound the spices in a mortar and blend with the liquamen an passum. Put the meat in a pan with this sauce and simmer gently until cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve without the sauce.

pass me the ketchup someone......

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 10:18 AM

Oh, Asian fish sauce. Yum.

~S~

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: GUEST,General at work
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 10:19 AM

Clay baked is good....Same as hedgepigs!

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Lancashire Lad
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 10:21 AM

it certainly is ilegal to handle a doormouse in UK. They are a VERY endangered species....Now as for voles, shrews and any other scurrying rodents, you can interfere withem without a license!! (no, don't go down that path)

Cheers
LL

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 10:46 AM

I am sorry to shatter anyone's illusions but the Dormouse (Muscardinus arvellanarius), and the Edible dormouse (Glis glis} are different species.

Dormouse

Edible dormouse

The second link also gives info on other UK protected wildlife.

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: GUEST,General at work
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 10:57 AM

So you can shoot them, but otherwise you need a licence..Bet they're a b***** to hit!

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 11:09 AM

Don't mention the Sellotape...

DtG

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: MMario
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 11:15 AM

basically any rabbit recipe will do.

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Rapparee
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 11:24 AM

Gut 'em, skin 'em, season 'em, wrap 'em in wet clay, bake in the campfire embers until the clay turns brick-like. Decide at that point whether or not to break open the clay and eat them or simply throw the whole thing away and open the Corn Flakes.

(If you decide for the latter, why did you start in the first place?)

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Pied Piper
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 11:25 AM

Try the Ask Karen thread

PP

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: Raedwulf
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 11:37 AM

On the subject of liquamen/garum sauce, a challenge that I once issued resulted in the creation of a "something-like" being made (much to my surprise, since the mention of garum sauce was incidental to the main topic). I have to say that the garum sauce (made, IIRC, from shellfish, rather than rotted fish guts) was actually surprisingly tasty! Most people couldn't be persuaded to taste it, but being the cause, I couldn't exactly refuse!

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: MMario
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 11:44 AM

garum was essentially the roman version of thai fish sauce or vitnamese Nunc mam (spelling?) - there were versions from both shellfish and fish, and also mixes. Not surprising - it's a concept that has re-occurred in several societies. and of course "rotted fish guts" would be more properly referred to as "fermented"

Which is why there is anchovy paste in several popular sauces of western culture - but they put it into teensy tiny print or list it as "additional natural flavours"

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 11:45 AM

My tiny little Moggy (name of Lulu) thinks both Dormice and edible Dormice are quite fun to catch and kill and she's not applied for a licence to my knowledge, having said that with her attitude she'd probably tell the magistrate to put his licence where the sun don't shine

Subject: RE: Dormouse any good recipes
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Nov 05 - 11:59 AM

Karen passed on Dormouse already. (See Ask Karen thread.)

~S~