Professor Butter Beard and the “Dyson Perrins Apocalypse”
“Into the woods and down the dell,
The path is straight, I know it well.
Into the woods, and who can tell
What's waiting on the journey?”
- Little Red Riding Hood, “Into the Woods,” Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Yesterday was a two-journey day. Nellie and I strolled into the woods as the sun whispered “good morning” through the shimmering leaves. She was in her prime – sneaking up (as only Nellie loudly can) on a delightful family of sleeping deer, two hippity-hoppity rabbits who courageously attempted her stare her down, frantic squirrels who had already learned their lesson days ago, and a lady fox who successfully gave me some seriously creepy vibes. Then later that evening, I joyfully journeyed into Sondheim’s “Woods,” striding alongside a doe-eyed white cow, a couple of truly charming princes, a very “mysterious man,” a glamorously disturbing witch and a husband and wife giant team – literally giants.
One never knows what “beasts” are going to join your delicious journey into the woods – especially when you travel through the eyes of the illuminators of medieval manuscripts. One reason for the proliferation of creatures in medieval books is that animals played such a dominant role in everyday life. In the Middle Ages, animals formed the backbone of daily life in a primarily farm-based economy. They provided meat and dairy products, supplied wool and leather for clothing and shoes, contributed the brute strength needed to till the land, were the sole means of rapid transit, and even afforded the resources necessary for the creation of books - such as bird-quill pens and the animal-skin parchment used as writing surfaces.
The creatures medieval people encountered in daily life and saw as symbols in the world around them were supplemented by the vast assortment of fantastic animals that inhabited the “realm of the unknown.” In a time when most people never left the confines of their immediate town, the possibilities of what lay beyond the known world could be exhilarating and sometimes frightening.
Elizabeth Morrison, Associate Director of Manuscripts at the Getty Museum writes, “Tales of giant creatures with elongated noses called elephants in the far-off land of India must have seem as incredible to those in medieval Europe as stories of the sirens who could lure sailors to a watery death by their distractingly beautiful songs.”
The realms of “hell,” continued Dr. Morrison, also haunted those in the Middle Ages as a real place whose terrible beasts could only be dimly envisioned, while the horrors awaiting those witnessing the end of the world were graphically described in the Christian Bible’s book of Revelation, with its scorpion-tailed locusts, seven-headed beasts, and fire-breathing horses.
The book of Revelation, also called the Apocalypse, is the last book of the Bible, describing Saint John’s vision of the events leading to the returning of Christ at the end of time. One of the most stunning medieval examples is the “Dyson Perrins Apocalypse,” created in 13th century London and named after a previous owner of the manuscript. The main text of the book is written in black ink but also contains a bold running commentary written by a monk named Berengaudus in red ink. The unknown illuminator included Saint John in every miniature as he experiences his vision, lending authority and a sense of immediacy to the images. As a truly effective result, the reader vicariously witnesses the horrific and awesome events unfolding in the Apocalypse alongside the saint.
In my absolute favorite folio (page) of the Perrins Apocalypse, St. John writes, “And I saw [come out] from the mouth of the dragon, and the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.” The illuminator’s depiction of the great red dragon and the leopard-like beast is based on actual details provided in the text. But the artist takes liberties representing the false prophet, whose physical appearance is not described, creating for him a beaked nose, an ape-like body, cloven hooves, and diabolical-looking red talons. With splay-legged frogs leaping from their mouths, these three grotesque creatures directly confront Saint John. He raises his left arm in defense while with his right hand he pulls on his forehead, as if he must physically force his eyes wide open to witness the terrors that have come to the earth as part of the Last Judgment.
This is not a threesome Nellie and I would enjoy encountering in the woods – especially before coffee. Nor could I imagine Sondheim writing a song for the outrageous trio. Although they might add a delightful twist as bebop background singers for the wolf. Anywhoooo, they did inspire me to create a version of my macarons as a congratulations gift to last night’s actors. My wild mint forest-green meringue cookies are sandwiched together with a dark chocolate “dirt” filling spiced with espresso, chilies and ground cinnamon bark. Perfect for a journey into the woods, where may there always be “big tall terrible awesome scary wonderful Giants in the sky!”
“Into The Woods” Macarons
Makes roughly three dozen finished cookies
Macaron paste:
3 large egg whites
2 ¾ cup almond flour (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill)
2 ¾ cup confectionary sugar
Swiss meringue:
3 large egg whites
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp peppermint extract
A few drops of green food coloring (I prefer color gels)
Spiced dark chocolate filling:
1 ¼ cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp chili powder
10 ounces dark chocolate morsels
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1) Make your chocolate filling. In a medium saucepan, stir together the heavy cream, espresso powder, cinnamon and chili powder. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring often. Put all the chocolate in a medium glass bowl and when the cream is ready, pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Stir with a whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy and then add the butter and continue to stir until it has melted and fully incorporated into the chocolate. Set the mix aside to cool and firm.
2) Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and draw your macaron template. The circles should be 1 ¾” in diameter and leaving at least ½” gap between the circles. I actually prefer to use Silpat macaroon templates – now available everywhere!
3) For the macaron paste, put the three egg whites in a large glass bowl, and mix in the almond flour with a spatula or dough scraper. Sift the confectionary sugar over and mix in thoroughly. This will form a very, very thick paste. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside while you make the Swiss meringue.
4) For the meringue, put the three egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stirring constantly with a whisk, bring the mixture up to 150 degrees (to fully melt the sugar into the egg whites). Transfer the mixture into the bowl of a standing mixer and use the whisk attachment on high to create a stiff, glossy meringue. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
5) Gently fold the meringue mixture, one large spoonful at a time, into the macaron paste. Once all the meringue is folded in, fold in the peppermint extract and then a few drops of green food coloring to reach your desired color.
6) Pipe the mixture evenly over the marked circles on your template. Leave the pans to stand, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes to dry the skins. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
7) Bake the macarons for 10-12 minutes until risen and set. Leave to cool completely on the baking sheets before assembling. When the cookies are cool, pipe a bit of the chocolate filling on half of the macaron disks and sandwich with the remaining discs.
