Lorna J. Sass

I'm a fan of historical cookery, and I stayed up way too late last night reading all these recipes. I want to make them all!

I think, though, that one Christmas feast per year is about all I can manage (OK,in addition to the usually Christmas day stuff that's traditional in our family).

So! This year I am hoping to do "Saturnalia" between Christmas and New Year's, assuming people can come- it's a busy time of year, of course, but a belated Saturnalia would be better than none at all!

And in the next 4 years, the next 4 feasts.

The recipes all look do-able for a modern cook, though sometimes there are multiple things that need the oven at the same time but at different temps. Also, some new insight into cooking can help with that scheduling problem.

Please do note that if we had a Roman or a Victorian or whatever come- after cooking the whole feast- they'd probably wonder if we were poor! Standards have changed; we no longer have a kitchen staff, plus we tend to curate meals. I think this cookbook gives fascinating ways of providing a Christmas feast that is evocative of the period, but actually possible for us moderns.

I can hardly wait for Saturnalia!

While i think this would work best for a fairly experienced cook- especially if one is trying to do the whole feast- the individual recipes are very manageable and look enticing.… (altro)

OK, I have not yet cooked anything from this book. But come next Christmas season, I WILL, and base a dinner party on one of the menus.

This book has 5 historically-based Christmas menus, ranging from a Roman Saturnalia through a Victorian, and including a medieval. I would love to cook any one of these! The recipes look tasty, well-thought-out, and are unsual enough for something really special, at least if one's guests are curious and/or adventurous.

I'm giving it 4 stars now since i haven't yet cooked from it. Once i do- or maybe make a Saturnaia feast next Yule season- I can be more rigorous.

Still- I LOVE the concept! What fun!!!! especially since the recipes look very achievable.… (altro)