GToD Shoot for Your Breakfast Dishes - May Cake - Eggs with Parsley & Hanoney - Eggs with Onions

It came up in conversation recently that in my area, very few  "within period" breakfasts are offered at events.  It also came up that we also host very few winter events where outside garb is needed, mostly because we are located in Ohio, and that means snow spits at us and teases us until late January early February, and then it's just ugly.  One of these things I can help with, the other, not so much. 

In regards to breakfast, there are many, many, many egg dishes found in period that can be used for recreating period breakfasts.  Dining in the Middle ages was different then what we associate with breakfast today.  According to P. W. Hammond, author of  "Food & Feast in Medieval England"

Most commonly only two meals were eaten in a day. Normally the first meal of the day was the major meal. This was dinner. It must originally have been prepared to fit into a late-morning pause after the initial activities of one's daily routine. Because this meal required so much preparation, particularly in affluent households, it could not usually be available much before noon, the sixth hour of the day. By that time half of the day's work - or play - could very well be done. To conclude one's active day a second meal was more easily prepared and served some six or eight hours later, at or just after dusk. Because the original basis for this meal was soup, or sops, it became known as supper. This meal too was subject to elaboration at the hands of professional cooks, but universally it remained a somewhat simpler meal than the midday dinner. According to Platina in the second half of the fifteenth century, at supper 'we must eat food which our stomach can digest easily; however, we must eat rather sparingly, and especially those of melancholy humour whose ills usually are increased by nighttime dampness and food weighing them down with discomfort.

The first dish I chose was Hanoney from HARLEIAN MS. 4016 (ab. 1450 A.D). It is a very simple dish of eggs cooked with butter and onions that have been carmelized. 

Hanoney. ¶ Take eyren̄, and drawe the yolkes and white thorgℏ a  streynour; And take oynons, And Shrede hem smaƚƚ; And take faire butter or grece, and vnnetℏ ouere-couer the pan̄ therewitℏ; And fry the oynons togidre; then̄ late hem fry to-gidre a lite while; And take hem vppe, And serue hem forthe so, al to-broke yn̄ a dissℏ.

xlix - Hanoney. Take an draw the Whyte and the 3olkys of the Eyroun thorw a straynoure; than take Oynonys, and schrede hem smal; than take fayre Boter or grece, and vnnethe kyuer the panne ther-with, an frye the Oynonys, and than caste the Eyroun in the panne, and breke the Eyrouns and the Oynonys to-gederys; an than lat hem frye to-gederys a litel whyle; than take hem vp, an serue forth alle to-broke to-gederys on a fayre dyssche.

Interpretation  (serves 2)

1 small onion chopped

4 eggs

butter for frying

salt and pepper (opt. for modern taste)

Slowly cook onion in butter until translucent.  Add beaten eggs and season with salt and pepper.  For the event, I coated an aluminum pan with olive oil, placed the onions in the bottom and poured the beaten eggs over the top.  I baked it in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.  

If using a pan, I imagine this would be similar to an omelette (for a lovely presentation), or a dish of scrambled eggs with onion in haste and need ;-)

The second recipe I chose to do was inspired by Volker Bach's translation from the original German.  This dish is equally simple, eggs flavored with parsley, salt and pepper. 

34 A dish of a cake

If you would make a good May cake for a lordly dish, take up ten eggs and beat them well and add parsley to it and stir it together. Set a mortar on the coals, put in a spoonful of fat and let it get hot. Pour in the eggs and let then cook at a low temperature (kwl packen). And serve it whole in a serving bowl. - Heidelberg Cod Pal Germ 551

18 A dish of infidel cake (heidenyschen kuchen)

Item if you would make an infidel cake for a lordly dish, take ten eggs and beat them well and take parsley with it and stir it in. Set a mortar on the coals, put in a spoonful of fat and let it get hot. Pour in the eggs and let it fry at a low temperature (kull pachen). Serve it whole on a serving dish. - Heidelberg Cod Pal Germ 551

Interpretation  (serves 2)

2 eggs

Butter or oil

Parsley, Salt and Pepper to taste

See above for instructions

Both of these dishes would make excellent appetizers or camp breakfast dishes. If you are feeling particularly cheeky, they could be made with powdered egg, powdered butter and seasonings to take with you on a hike.  I hope you enjoy. 

Breakfast? Five Medieval Banquet Dishes that Can be Served for Breakfast

Looking to add a late Medieval flare to your breakfast?  These five hearty recipes will do just that.  Just click on the link and you will be taken to the post.  I hope you enjoy.

  A Fryed Meate (Pancakes) in Haste for the Second Course (The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected, 1682) - cottage cheese and apples combined with warm and sweet spices create a delicate pancake. Traditionally served in the second course, this dish would make a lovely camp breakfast. A bit late for Medieval, yes, delicious and to be tried all the same. 

Gammon of Bacon (A Book of Cookrye, 1591) - This is a delicious savory tidbit that creates a lovely hand pie which tastes like a holiday in a pie crust. Gammon, like ham, comes from the hind leg of a pig. Unlike ham, gammon is cured like bacon and sold raw. For this recipe I used a heritage cured ham, seasoned with pepper, cloves and mace, cut into thin slices and stuffed with parsley, sage and hardboiled egg yolks, cut to fit into the pie crust, dotted with butter and baked. A wonderful interpretation of our past, a must try for any foodie, food historian or hungry cook!

Egges yn Brewte - Poached eggs with Cheese - Gentyll Manly Cokere, MS Pepys 1047, C. 1490 - A beautifully simple dish of eggs, poached in milk and water flavored with pepper, ginger and colored with saffron, topped with cheese. Served over toast this would be a lovely perfectly period meal.

Soupes dorye - Almond Milk Toast -an absolutely decadent spin on milk toast.  Lightly toasted bread, served with a wine sweetened almond milk and warmed spices.  Comforting, delicious and fit for a king. 

Gaylede - Rice Porridge with figs and honey -Ginger and galingale are the perfect compliment to the figs and honey that accompany this simply sweetened porridge made of rice flour and almond milk.  Pretty and pink, a perfect "fairy breakfast" for that special someone if you use saunders to color as specified.  

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

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

1 cup creamed cottage cheese drained and slightly pressed
1 large, tart cooking apple
3 egg yolks
1 egg white
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. white wine
1 tsp. rosewater
1/8 tsp. each salt, nutmeg, cinnamon
¼ cup flour
Butter to fry in
Additional sugar to sprinkle on

Drain the liquid from the cheese and press it through a sieve, quarter, core, and peel the apple, then mince or grate it through the large holes of a grater. Beat together all the ingredients except the butter into a thick batter.

Heat a large skillet or griddle until a drop of water sizzles when dropped on it, and then melt the butter on it. Drop spoonful's of the batter onto the griddle, forming oval shaped pancakes about four inches long. Cook over medium heat until brown on the underside, then turn the pancakes carefully – they break easily—and brown the other side.

As they are baked, transfer the pancakes to a warmed serving dish to keep warm. Sprinkle brown sugar over them and then serve immediately.

Egges yn Brewte - Poached eggs with Cheese- Gentyll Manly Cokere, MS Pepys 1047, C. 1490

Egges yn Brewte 

This is another recipe from Curia Regis brunch. It is a beautifully simple, perfectly period recipe for poached eggs served with a surprisingly simple pan sauce of milk, flavored with saffron, pepper and ginger and then topped with cheese.

Egges yn Brewte (Gentyll Manly Cokere, MS Pepys 1047, c. 1490) Take water and seethe it. In the same water break your eggs and cast therein ginger, pepper and saffron, then temper it up with sweet milk and boil it. And then carve cheese and caste thereto small cut. And when it is enough serve it forth.

Eggs in broth - Take water and boil it. In the same water break your eggs and caste therein ginger, pepper and saffron, then temper it up with sweet milk and boil it. And then carve cheese and caste thereto small cut. And when it is enough serve forth.

Interpretation

Eggs
Water
1/4 cup of milk per egg
1/8 tsp. ginger and pepper
1-2 threads of saffron or to taste
Cheese

I used Butterkäse cheese for this recipe.  If you have not tried this cheese, please take time to do so.  It is delicious, creamy, buttery, sweet, slightly salty and mild in flavor with just a touch of acidity.  It  was a perfect accompaniment to the eggs.

Poaching eggs can be tricky.  The method I use is explained in a previous post .Cj. Eyron en poche. I do diverge from Pepy's instructions. Using this method I discovered made it impossible for me to achieve the "pan gravy" I wanted for the eggs, so I simmered the milk with the spices in a separate pan, cooked the eggs till they had set and then gently placed them in the warm milk, cutting a few slices of the cheese on top.  When the cheese had melted I served it to the taste testers on toast.

Why isn't there toast in the picture? Soggy toast is a very sad thing to see and I was unable to take a picture with the eggs sitting prettily on the toast.  Eventually I gave up and just placed the eggs on the dish by themselves.

This dish received rave reviews from taste testers and brunch participants alike.  It would be a lovely dish to serve to a small crowd or on a special occasion if you wish to follow the directions as given by Pepys.  For large crowd I would recommend oven baking the dish.  

Curia Regis 9/10/17

Curia Regis Brunch Menu

Today I had the opportunity to cook brunch for Curia Regis of the Midrealm, which incuded the Royal Family and the great officers of state and serves as the official advisory board. I am truly honored and humbled that I was asked to do this and it was my pleasure to provide a mostly period breakfast for them. As usual, I did NOT take pictures of the spread.


Egges yn Brewte (Gentyll Manly Cokere, MS Pepys 1047, C. 1490)
Savoury Tostyde (TheCloset of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie, Kt, Opened, C. 1669)
Gammon of Bacon (A Book of Cookrye,1591)
Eisands with Oatmeale Groats (A Book of Cookrye, 1591)
To Stew Shrimps being taken out of their shells (The Accomplisht Cook, c. 1660 - To stew Cockles being taken out of the shells.)
A Fryed Meate (Pancakes) in Haste for the Second Course (The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected, 1682)
Funges (The Forme of Cury, c. 1390)
Chawatteys (Harleian MS 279, c. 1430)
Compost (The Forme of Cury, c. 1390)

Assorted Banqueting Dishes

To Dry Peaches - The Queen-like Closet (1675) CCXV. To dry Apricocks – peaches, sugar
Orange Marmalade - The Queen-like Closet (1675) - LXXXVI. To make the best Orange Marmalade. - Orange Marmalade-orange, apple, sugar, water, lemon
Rose Conserve - The Queen-like Closet (1675) – LXXXVIII. To make Conserve of red Roses.- roses, sugar
Comfits of Anise, Caraway and Fennel Delightes for Ladies, 1609 – sugar, anise, fennel or caraway, water
Succades of Lemons and Oranges - - The Treasurie ofCommodius Conceites and Hidden Secrets by John Partridge, 1573 Lemon or oranges, water, sugar
To Make Quidinia of Quinces (Quince Paste) (Delights for Ladies, Sir Hugh Platt, 1600)
– quince, sugar, honey, apples, pears

Egges yn Brewte (Gentyll Manly Cokere, MS Pepys 1047, c. 1490) Take water and seethe it. In the same water break your eggs and cast therein ginger, pepper and saffron, then temper it up with sweet milk and boil it. And then carve cheese and caste thereto small cut. And when it is enough serve it forth.

Rather than attempt to poach 50 eggs, I baked these in the oven using the following method. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter ramekins, add approximately 1 tbsp. cream or milk to each ramekin, break in two eggs, and add a small amount of cream on top along with spices. Transfer ramekins to a baking dish and pour hot water into the dish to come up to 2/3 sides of ramekin. Bake approximately 9-15 minutes until the white is set and the yolk is jiggly.

Savoury Tostyde (The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelme Digbie, Kt, Opened (1669)

– Recipe Courtesy of David Friedman and Elizabeth Cook

Cut pieces of quick, fat, rich, well tasted cheese, (as the best of Brye, Cheshire, &c. or sharp thick Cream-Cheese) into a dish of thick beaten melted Butter, that hath served for Sparages or the like, or pease, or other boiled Sallet, or ragout of meat, or gravy of Mutton: and, if you will, Chop some of the Asparages among it, or slices of Gambon of Bacon, or fresh-collops, or Onions, or Sibboulets, or Anchovis, and set all this to melt upon a Chafing-dish of Coals, and stir all well together, to Incorporate them; and when all is of an equal consistence, strew some gross White-Pepper on it, and eat it with tosts or crusts of White-bread. You may scorch it at the top with a hot Fire-Shovel.

1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb cream cheese
1/8 lb Brie or other strongly flavored cheese
1/4 t white pepper

Melt the butter. Cut up the cheese and stir it into the butter over low heat. You will probably want to use a whisk to blend the two together and keep the sauce from separating (which it is very much inclined to do). When you have a uniform, creamy sauce you are done. You may serve it over asparagus or other vegetables, or over toast; if you want to brown the top, put it under the broiling unit in your stove for a minute or so. Experiment with some of the variations suggested in the original.

Gammon of Bacon (A Book of Cookrye, 1591) – Ham and Bacon -To bake a gammon of Bacon. Take your Bacon and boyle it, and stuffe it with Parcely and Sage, and yolks of hard Egges, and when it is boyled, stuffe it and let it boyle againe, season it with Pepper, cloves and mace, whole cloves stick fast in, so then lay it in your paste with salt butter.

-Recipe Courtesy of Dan Meyers

2 lbs. bacon, unsliced <--I used Ham
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
6 egg yolks, hard boiled
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. mace

Remove skin from bacon and discard. Place the bacon in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Cover, bring to a boil, and cook for 30 minutes. Put parsley, sage, egg yolks, and spices into a bowl and mix well. Remove bacon from pot, cut open, and stuff with mixture. Wrap in pastry and bake at 350°F until done - about 1 hour.

Eisands withOatmeale Groats (A Book of Cookrye, 1591) Take a pinte of Creame and seethe it, and when it is hot, put therto a pinte of Otemeale grotes, and let them soke in it all night, and put therto viii. yolks of egs, and a little Pepper, Cloves, mace, and saffron, and a good deale of Suet of beefe, and small Raisins and Dates, and a little Sugar.

1 pint cream or milk
2 cups oat groats or steel cut oats
¼ cup suet or butter
1/3 cup dates
¼ cup currants or raisins
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp. fine spice powder (pepper, cinnamon, cloves, mace and ginger)
Pinch of saffron
¼ cup sugar

Heat cream or milk and pour over oatmeal and let soak overnight or until cool. Add remaining ingredients. Fill two pots of water ¾ full and bring to a boil. Put oatmeal mixture into a large cloth and shape, tie up the ends several times leaving one long and loose. Tie loose end in the middle of a wooden spoon to support the pudding. Once water is boiling lower the bag into the mixture till it is completely submerged. Turn heat down to medium and cook. **Do not let pudding touch side or bottom of pot or it will burn. Every hour or so check water levels and add more water as needed. Boil for four hours, remove from pot and place in a bowl to drain. When pudding is cool to touch it can be cut and served.

To Stew Shrimps being taken out of their shells (The Accomplisht Cook, c. 1660) To stew Cockles being taken out of the shells.

Wash them well with vinegar, broil or broth them before you take them out of the shells, then put them in a dish with a little claret, vinegar, a handful of capers, mace, pepper, a little grated bread, minced tyme, salt, and the yolks of two or three hard eggs minced, stew all together till you think them enough; then put in a good piece of butter, shake them well together, heat the dish, rub it with a clove of garlick, and put two or three toasts of white bread in the bottom, laying the meat on them. Craw-fish, prawns, or shrimps, are excellent good the same way being taken out of their shells, and make variety of garnish with the shells.

2 pounds of shrimp
¼ cup white wine
1 tbsp. wine vinegar
1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 tbsp. bread crumbs
2-3 egg yolks
¼ cup butter
1 tbsp. capers
¼ tsp. mace
1-2 cloves garlic minced

Place all ingredients into a pot and stew until shrimps are cooked.

A Fryed Meate (Pancakes) in Haste for the Second Course (The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected, 16820 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 fryed, 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.

1 cup creamed cottage cheese drained and slightly pressed
1 large, tart cooking apple
3 egg yolks
1 egg white
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. white wine
1 tsp. rosewater
1/8 tsp. each salt, nutmeg, cinnamon
¼ cup flour
Butter to fry in
Additional sugar to sprinkle on

Drain the liquid from the cheese and press it through a sieve, quarter, core, and peel the apple, then mince or grate it through the large holes of a grater. Beat together all the ingredients except the butter into a thick batter.

Heat a large skillet or griddle until a drop of water sizzles when dropped on it, and then melt the butter on it. Drop spoonful's of the batter onto the griddle, forming oval shaped pancakes about four inches long. Cook over medium heat until brown on the underside, then turn the pancakes carefully – they break easily—and brown the other side.

As they are baked, transfer the pancakes to a warmed serving dish to keep warm. Sprinkle brown sugar over them and then serve immediately.

Funges (The Forme of Cury, c. 1390) - Take Funges and pare hem clere and dyce hem. take leke and shred him smal and do him to seeþ in gode broth color yt wȝt safron and do þer inne pouder fort and serve hit forth.

1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 cup vegetable broth
1 leek, finely sliced
1 tsp. Powder Fort
1 pinch saffron

Combine vegetable broth and saffron in a pot and bring to a simmer. Add mushrooms and leeks to broth, cook until tender. Stir in powder fort before serving.

Chawatteys (Harlieian MS 279, c. 1430) Take buttys of Vele, and mynce hem smal, or Porke, and put on a potte; take Wyne, and caste + er-to pouder of Gyngere, Pepir, and Safroun, and Salt, and a lytel verjus, and do hem in a cofyn with yolks of Eyroun, and kutte Datys and Roysonys of Coraunce, Clowys, Maces, and + en ceuere + in cofyn, and lat it bake tyl it be y-now.

3 cups chopped pork or veal (about 18 oz)
3/4 c red wine
5 threads saffron
3/4 t ginger
3/4 t pepper
3/4 t salt
1 t wine vinegar
9 egg yolks
3/8 c dates
3/8 c currants
1/4 t cloves
1/2 t mace
double 9" pie crust

Cut the meat up fine (1/2" cubes or so). Simmer it in a cup and a half of water for about 20 minutes. Make pie crust, fill with meat, chopped dates and currents. Mix spices, wine, vinegar and egg yolks and pour over. Put on a top crust. Bake in a 350deg. oven for 50 minutes, then 400deg. for 20 minutes or until the crust looks done.

Compost (The Forme of Cury, c. 1390) Take rote of parsel. pasternak of rasenns. scrape hem waisthe hem clene. take rapes & caboches ypared and icorne. take an erthen panne with clene water & set it on the fire. cast all þise þerinne. whan þey buth boiled cast þerto peeres & parboile hem wel. take þise thynges up & lat it kele on a fair cloth, do þerto salt whan it is colde in a vessel take vineger & powdour & safroun & do þerto. & lat alle þise thinges lye þerin al nyzt oþer al day, take wyne greke and hony clarified togider lumbarde mustard & raisouns corance al hool. & grynde powdour of canel powdour douce. & aneys hole. & fenell seed. take alle þise thynges & cast togyder in a pot of erthe. and take þerof whan þou wilt & serue forth.

-Recipe Courtesy of Daniel Myers

3 parsley roots
3 parsnips
3 carrots
10 radishes
2 turnips
1 small cabbage
1 pear
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pinch saffron, ground
1 cup greek wine (sweet Marsala)
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp. mustard
1/2 cup currants (zante raisins)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. Powder Douce
1 tsp. anise seed
1 tsp. fennel seed

Peel vegetables and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Parboil them until just tender, adding pears about halfway through cooking time. Remove from water, place on towel, sprinkle with salt, and allow to cool. Then put vegetables in large bowl and add pepper, saffron, and vinegar. Refrigerate for several hours. Then put wine and honey into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and then simmer for several minutes, removing any scum that forms on the surface. Let cool and add currants and remaining spices. Mix well and pour over vegetables. Serve cold.

Assorted Banqueting Dishes

To Dry Peaches - The Queen-like Closet (1675) CCXV. To dry Apricocks – peaches, sugar
Orange Marmalade - The Queen-like Closet (1675) - LXXXVI. To make the best Orange Marmalade. - Orange Marmalade-orange, apple, sugar, water, lemon
Rose Conserve - The Queen-like Closet (1675) – LXXXVIII. To make Conserve of red Roses.- roses, sugar
Comfits of Anise, Caraway and Fennel Delightes for Ladies, 1609 – sugar, anise, fennel or caraway, water
Succades of Lemons and Oranges - - The Treasurie ofCommodius Conceites and Hidden Secrets by John Partridge, 1573 Lemon or oranges, water, sugar
To Make Quidinia of Quinces (Quince Paste) (Delights for Ladies, Sir Hugh Platt, 1600)
– quince, sugar, honey, apples, pears