Third Course (Soteltie/Entremet, Dessert, Issue de Table & Send-Off)

The term “dessert” comes from the French desservir meaning to clear the table, indicating to the diner that they had come to the end of their meal. The first recorded usage of the term desservir was in 1539. At the conclusion of the meal, there would be served a series of dishes that could be either savory or sweet. The modern diner expects a completely sweet course, and it is in this progression of the dishes a resurgence of dry and warm spices and hot and moist sugar is prevalent.

After diners had finished dessert they would be invited to withdraw from the table and enter into another room, where they received the Issue de Table, an offering that could be as narrow as wafers and hypocras or as broad as a selection of light pastries, wafers, juice, or wine.

The last part of a meal in the 14th and 15th century was the boute hor’s, or send-off. Diners received wine and épices de chambre (chamber spices), fruit candied in sugar or honey, candied nuts and fruit pastes. Not only did these items have the benefit of serving to further close the stomach, they also freshened the breath.

When recreating the feel of a feast today, an elaborate third course composed of all manner of sweet or savory dishes should be used to signal the ending of the meal. A modern medieval cook may choose to end their meal with a variety of dishes such as a custard tart, stewed fruits, wafers with snow, fruit pastes, manus christi, and spices in comfit. Other items for consideration include sweet dishes made with honey and sugar, glazed dishes, crepes, fruit rissoles, puddings, custards, and light cakes.

At many modern feasts, the Issue de Table is not observed, but suggestions to invoke the spirit of the Issue include the addition of candied fruits, spices and nuts, along with candied ginger, fruit pastes and other sweetmeats served with spiced fruit juice or wine.

Here you will find an index of recipes that would be appropriate for those dishes you would find on the table as desserts, issue and send-off for a four course medieval dinner (assuming that you are serving a meal that consists of appetizers, two courses and a dessert).

Index of Recipes 

A far morselletti Romaneschi - To make Roman style morsels

Bolas - Spiced pears and plums in wine – a beautiful and flavorful fruit dish from Harleian MS 279

Bryndons - Crispy Fried Dough with a Sweet and Fruity Sauce

Callishones - Marzipan Flavored with Coriander

Comfits - Candied Anise, Fennel, Caraway, Cinnamon, etc. seeds

Coriander Flavored Marzipan - A Daily Exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen, 1621

Creme Bastarde - Cream Bastarde

Fig, Walnut and Candied Ginger Fruit Paste - A rift on Rapeye

Fruit Paste

Gyngerbrede - Gingerbread

How to cover all kinds of Seeds, or little pieces of Spices, or Orange or Limon Pill, with Sugar for Comfits

How to Make Chardequince, Chardewardon, Chardecrab and Chardedate - Fruit Paste or Fruit Cheese

Insalata di arance tagliate a fette - Sliced orange salad with rosewater and sugar

Jellied Ypocras - Spiced wine jelly

Marchpane - Almond Paste Cookie

Mell Violatum (Voilet Honey)

Okashi - Japanese Sweet Dishes

Oyl of Violets

Quince and Rosewater Jelly and Quince Paste

Spiced apples and pears - Chiquart's 'On Cookery’, 1420

Sugar and Gum Arabic Preserved Flowers

Sugar Plate and Manus Christi - Medieval Candy

Trayne Roste - Dried Fruit and Nuts Roasted with Batter

To candy any roote, fruite or flower

To Make Candied Orange Peel - Le Menagier de Paris, 1393

To Make Marmalade of Damsins or Prunes - The Treasurie of Commodius Conceits, 1573

To Make Muscadines - Kissing Comfits

To Make Manus Christi - A Closet for Ladies and Gentlewomen, 1602

To Make Syrupe of Violets

To preserve Oranges - After the Portugal fashion, 1609

Violet Syrup

Vyolette (Violet Pottage)