Apple & Curd Pancakes (1682) — A Fryed Meate in Haste for the Second Course

A Fryed Meate (Pancakes) in Haste for the Second Course (The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected, 1682)

A Fryed Meate in Haste for the Second Course — apple & curd pancakes finished with sugar.

Originally published 10/29/2017 - updated 9/17/2025

 In late 17th-century English cookery, “meat” can simply mean food/dish, not specifically animal flesh. This recipe from The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected (1682) makes quick, delicate apple-and-curd pancakes scented with rosewater, sack (fortified wine), cinnamon, and nutmeg. It’s a natural fit for a brunch or as a sweet course between heavier roasts. I originally made these for our Curia Regis Brunch set—now updated to my modern format.

Source: The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected (1682) — “A Fryed Meate (Pancakes) in Haste for the Second Course.”

Original Text (1682)

Take a pint of curds made tender of morning milk, pressed clean from the Whey, put to them one handful of flour, six eggs, casting away three whites, a little rosewater, sack, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, salt, and two pippins minced small, beat this all together into a thick batter, so that it may not run abroad; if you want wherewith to temper it add cream; when they are fried, scrape on sugar and send them up; if this curd be made with sack, as it may as well as with rennet, you may make a pudding with the whey thereof.

Notes: “Pippins” = firm cooking apples. “Sack” ≈ fortified white wine (e.g., dry sherry). “Curds” today map neatly to drained cottage cheese or farmer’s cheese.

Modern Recipe — Apple & Curd Pancakes (makes ~12 small)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (225 g) cottage cheese, well drained and pressed through a sieve (or farmer’s cheese/ricotta, drained)
• 1 large tart apple (e.g., Granny Smith), peeled and finely minced or coarsely grated
• 3 egg yolks + 1 egg white
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar (plus more to finish)
• 1 tsp dry sherry (or other sack-style fortified wine)
• 1 tsp rosewater
• ⅛ tsp each salt, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup (30 g) flour (spooned & leveled)
• Butter or neutral fat for frying
• Optional: 1–3 Tbsp cream to adjust batter thickness

Method

1. Prep the curd: Press cottage cheese through a fine sieve for a smooth curd. Pat dry if very wet.
2. Mix the batter: In a bowl, whisk yolks and white with sugar, sherry, rosewater, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir in curd, apple, and flour to make a thick batter that holds its shape; add a splash of cream only if needed.
3. Fry: Heat a lightly buttered griddle or skillet (medium). Drop oval spoonfuls (~4 in / 10 cm). Cook until golden and set, ~2–3 min; turn carefully and brown the second side.
4. Finish: Transfer to a warm dish and generously scrape/sprinkle on sugar. Serve at once.

Texture key: Batter should be thick so it “will not run abroad” (spread). If it spreads too much, add a teaspoon or two of flour.

🌾 Ingredient Note: Flour

Seventeenth-century recipes often assumed white wheat flour, though it was coarser than modern all-purpose. For a more authentic texture, try:

• Stoneground Wheat Flour – closer to period “manchet” flour, with more flavor and rustic texture.
• Spelt Flour – an ancient grain with nutty flavor; blend 50/50 with wheat for authentic results.

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What is a “Second Course”?

In 17th-century dining, the second course was not dessert-only. It mixed sweet and savory dishes — pancakes, custards, fritters, fruits, even light meats. These were meant to refresh and delight after heavier roasts. Serving apple-and-curd pancakes in this spot reflects that balance.

📖 About the Cookbook

The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected (London, 1682) was an anonymous printed cookbook, part of a trend of “complete bodies” of cookery in the Restoration. Less famous than Robert May’s Accomplisht Cook or Hannah Woolley’s Queen-like Closet, it drew on earlier printed sources and fashionable household practice. Pancakes, banqueting dishes, and stewed meats filled its pages.

Ingredients Then & Now

• Curds: Fresh curdled milk; today best swapped with well-drained cottage cheese or farmer’s cheese.
• Pippins: Firm tart apples such as Granny Smith or Winesap.
• Sack: A Spanish fortified wine, ancestor of sherry; dry sherry is a perfect substitute.
• Rosewater & spices: Once everyday, now exotic in pancakes — adding fragrance and warmth.

Humoral Balance

Period cooks still thought in terms of the four humors. Curds and apples were considered cold and moist; sack and spices were warming and drying. By blending them, the dish was believed to comfort the stomach and restore balance — as well as impress with sweetness and perfume.

“Meat” Means “Food”

Here “meat” is used in the older sense of food or dish, not specifically animal flesh. Pancakes, fritters, and fruit could all be called “meats” in early modern English sources.

🥕 Dietary & Substitution Notes

• Vegetarian: As written.
• Gluten-free: Swap flour for a 1:1 GF blend; test a small pancake and adjust thickness.
• Alcohol-free: Replace sack/sherry with apple juice or milk; keep the rosewater.
• Vegan-leaning test: Use thick unsweetened plant yogurt + soft tofu in place of curd, 3–4 Tbsp aquafaba for eggs, and a GF flour blend. Flavor stays lovely, texture becomes more fritter-like.
• Camp-kitchen: Mix dry goods in a jar. Pack sieve-drained ricotta in a cooler. Fry in cast iron; finish with coarse sugar.
• Allergens: Contains dairy, egg, wheat. See swaps above.

Serve & Pair

• Fantastic alongside other sweet second-course dishes like multicolored jellies or entremet selections.
• For another curd-forward sweet, see Confections & Dessert.

Sources

• The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected (1682). Library of Congress. Call no. 44028918.