Baronial 12th Night – Spiced Apples and Pears (Chiquart’s On Cookery, 1420)
Apples and pears, gently stewed with sugar and spice, were a familiar comfort in late medieval kitchens. This recipe is based on a technique from Chiquart’s Du fait de cuisine (1420), one of the most detailed early 15th-century cookbooks. While Chiquart’s original method called for baking pears in a sealed clay pot among the coals, this modern version keeps the spirit of the dish while adapting it for the home kitchen.
“Again, pears cooked without coals or water...” To instruct the person who will be cooking them, he should get a good new earthenware pot, then get the number of pears he will be wanting to cook and put them into that pot; when they are in it, stop it up with clean little sticks of wood in such a way that when the pot is upside down on the hot coals it does not touch them at all; then turn it upside down on the hot coals and keep it covered over with coals and leave it to cook for an hour or more. When they are cooked, put them out into fine silver dishes; then they are borne to the sick person.
– Chiquart, Du fait de cuisine, 1420
About Medieval Apples and Pears
Apples and pears were staple fruits in medieval Europe, though the varieties differed from what we commonly find today. Period apples were often smaller, more tart, and sometimes used primarily for cooking or cider rather than fresh eating. Pears ranged from firm and cooking-friendly to soft and juicy. Popular varieties in the 14th–15th centuries included costard apples and warden pears.
Modern substitutions:
- For apples: Try Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Jonathan for tartness, or Honeycrisp or Gala for sweetness.
- For pears: Use Bosc or Anjou for a firm texture that holds up well to stewing.
Spiced Apples and Pears – Modern Redaction
- 2 lbs apples and pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp anise seeds (optional)
- ¼ cup water
Instructions: Mix fruit slices with sugar and spices and place into a baking dish. Add water and cover lightly. Bake at 400°F for 40–45 minutes, or until tender. Alternatively, place ingredients into a crockpot and cook on low overnight for a more intensified flavor.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
This dish would have been served warm to the ill, the elderly, or simply those desiring something soft and comforting. In a feast setting, it pairs beautifully with crème bastarde, warm bread, or even cheese. It also makes a lovely medieval breakfast or dessert.
Breakfast in the Middle Ages: Stewed fruits were often served warm in the morning — easy to digest, lightly sweetened, and seasonally appropriate.
- Rastons – Egg-enriched bread for soaking in broth
- Soupes Dorye – Toasted bread in spiced almond milk
- Lyode Soppes – Early custard-style bread pudding
- Soupes Jamberlayne – Bread soaked in mulled wine
- Egges yn Brewte – Poached eggs in spiced broth
- Eyron en Poche – Poached eggs with herbs in sauce
- Pressmetzen zu Ostern – Spiced Lenten breakfast bread
- Spiced Apples and Pears – Stewed fruit with wine and spice
- Fennel and Bacon Bread – Rustic loaf with herbs and meat
- Frumenty and Venyson – Cracked wheat porridge with game
☕ Looking for even more morning inspiration?
Don’t miss the original article: Breakfast: Five Medieval Banquet Dishes »
