Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - .Cxxxv. Applade Ryalle - Apple Royal

.Cxxxv. Applade Ryalle
Prepared for Nede, Flesshe Day and Fysshe Day
Today's adventure in cooking from from the "Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 by Thomas Austin" was Applade Ryalle, loosely interpreted as "Royal Apple" or "Apple Royal". It includes instructions for producing three vastly different flavored soups using the same base. The soups are made with beef broth (for a flesh day), almond milk (for a fish day) and "in need" with a broth made of wine and honey. The base of the soup is quite simple, apples that have been boiled until tender (read falling apart) and then strained through a strainer. 

I made all three of the soups today and the taste testers (God bless them) tried each of them. We all agreed that the soup "in need" and the soup for a fish day were the better of the recipes. The house smelled like fall, with the ginger, cinnamon, apples, and wine scenting the air. Of the apple recipes I have interpreted this is by far my favorite. Creating a variety of soups fit for a king! Huzzah!

The applade ryalle for a flesh (meat) day, was pleasant and if I had cooked just this I think the testers opinions would have been a bit different. I, being unsure if I would like it, cooked it last--my mistake. The flavor of the apples was sharpened by the beef broth, so that I was reminded of eating a sour apple candy (which I like). This soup was good, but all of us decided that this might fall under the category of "too period to serve." Don't get me wrong, it was flavorful and you should try it. However the taste won't be for everyone and the testers were put off by the smell of the apples and beef broth. Once they ate the first spoonful it was a race to see who finished first.

The applade ryalle for a fish day received rave reviews. The soup was creamy and mild and delicious. What most of the taste testers remarked on first was that they could taste the spices used, and that the almond milk enhanced that, and then they tasted a hint of the apple and a hint of the almonds. It was really good and has made it on my list of things to serve more often in the house yes; it will become something I will serve to my non-SCA friends. This was voted best dish of the day, but I disagree...because my favorite was the next dish!

The applade ryalle in need is a lovely soup with a base of wine and honey. The wine and the apples explode in your mouth on the first spoonful, and then the honey peeks through along with the spices. It was decided that this goes to the "must be served at a future event" list, alongside some good crusty bread, cheese and smoked pork. Have I mentioned I have great taste testers???

.Cxxxv. Applade Ryalle.—Take Applys, & seþe hem tylle þey ben tendyr, & þan lat hem kele; þen draw hem þorw a straynour; & on flesshe day caste þer-to gode fatte broþe of freysshe beef, an whyte grece, & Sugre, & Safroun, & gode pouder; & in a Fysshe day, take Almaunde mylke, & oyle of Olyff, & draw þer-vppe with-al a gode pouder, & serue forth. An for nede, draw it vppe with Wyne, & a lytil hony put þer-to for to make it þan dowcet; & serue it forth.

Cxxxv - Applade Ryalle. Take Applys, and sethe hem tylle they ben tendyr, and than lat hem kele; then draw hem thorw a straynour; and on flesshe day caste ther-to gode fatte brothe of freysshe beef, an whyte grece, and Sugre, and Safroun, and gode pouder; and in a Fysshe day, take Almaunde mylke, and oyle of Olyff, and draw ther-vppe with-al a gode pouder, and serue forth. An for nede, draw it vppe with Wyne, and a lytil hony put ther-to for to make it than dowcet; and serue it forth.

135. Apple Royal - Take apples and seeth them until they be tender and then let them cool; then draw them through a strainer; and on flesh day cast thereto good fat broth of fresh beef and white grease, and sugar and saffron, and good powder; and on a fish day, take almond milk, and olive oil, and draw there up with a good powder and serve forth. And for need, draw it up with wine, and a little honey put there to for to make it than sweet and serve it forth.

Interpreted Recipe                                                                    Serves 1 as main, 2 as side

2-3 apples
water to cover
1 cup broth, wine or almond milk
1-2 tbsp. sugar or honey, or to taste
1 tsp. good powder (I used pouder douce)
1 tbsp. butter (for flesh or fish day recipe)
pinch of saffron

Today I cut the apples into large chunks and placed them into the pot--I did not core or peel them. I covered with water and allowed to boil until the apples were tender and the water was almost gone. I then put the apples into the food processor (yay for modern technology) and pureed them. After which I strained them into a bowl. I used my last seven orchard picked apples today to make this. If you are going to skip this step, you will want to use approximately 3/4 of a cup of apple sauce to 1 cup of broth, wine or almond milk. I added the powder douce to the apples while they were hot and mixed it in, rather than cooking it in the broth base. I ommitted the saffron.

For each of the soups I heated the broth with the sugar or honey where it was appropriate (honey for in need, sugar for flesh and fish days). I also added the "grease", in this case butter to both of the flesh and fish day recipes, and then added the pureed and spiced apple mixture. I cooked these together until the soup had reduced to the consistency I wanted, and then served.

You would think that the soups would be a bit too thin and that you might need to add a thickener, it is my guess that leaving the apples whole allowed the pectin to remain with the soup and that is part of what gave each of these soups a velvety texture. If however, you find your soup too thin, you could thicken it with one of the period thickeners, bread crumbs, rice flour or egg. Make sure to strain it before serving.

Similar Recipes

MS Royal 12.C.xii (England/France, 1340 - D. Myers, trans.)

Poumes ammolee. Wine, eggs, wheat flour, apples fortified thereon, sugar to cut the strenght of the wine.

Ancient Cookery [Arundel 334]
(England, 1425)

Appeluns for a lorde, in opyntide. Take appuls cut of tweyne or of foure (cut in two or three pieces), and fethe hom, and bray hom in a morter, and then streyne hom ; and when thai byn streyned, do hom in a pot, and let hom fethe tyl the joust (juice) and the water be sothen oute, and put then therto a lytel vernage, or other swetewyrie, and cast therto sugre; and when hit is sothen in the fettynge doune of the pot, put therto a few zolkes of eyren beten and streyned, and set up the potage, stondyng, and put therto a lytel water of euerose, and stere hit wel togeder, and dresse hit up stondynge on leches in dishes, and straw aboven blomes of qwerdelynges (qu. codlings) or of other gode frute; and serve hit forthe.

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak an appillinose, tak appelles and sethe them and lett them kelle ,then fret them throughe an heryn syff on fisshe dais take almonde mylk and oile olyf ther to. and on flesshe days tak freche brothe and whit grece and sugur and put them in a pot and boile it and colour it with saffron and cast on pouders and serue it.

The Neapolitan recipe collection (Italy, 15th c - T. Scully, trans.)

Applesauce. Get almonds, grind them thoroughly and make milk; then get ten or twelve cooked apples, grind them up and sieve them, mix them with the almondmilk and a little rosewater and sugar, and cook the mixture until it is thick; then take it off the fire and make up dishes of it.





No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment on this blog. Please note blatant advertisements will be marked as spam and deleted during the review.

Anonymous posting is discouraged.

Happy Cooking!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.