GTOD VIGIL RECIPE - Käeßsuppen - Cheese Spread (not soup) - Marx Rumpolt, Ein New Kochbuch, c. 1581

Original Recipe:

Nimm ein neuwen Käeß/ der vber Nacht gemacht ist/ vnd rüer jhn ab mit saurem Rahm/ thu frische Butter darein/ vnd laß darmit auffsieden/ so zergehet der Käeß. Vnnd wenn du wilt anrichten/ so nimm gebeht Schnitten Brot/ oder von Weck/ vnd geuß die Brüeh darüeber/ so ist es ein gute Vngerische Käeßsuppen. 

46 Take a new cheese/ that (was) made overnight/ and stir it up with soured cream/ put fresh butter therein/ and let (it) come to a boil therewith/ so the cheese breaks down. And when you want to prepare it (serve it)/ so take sliced bread/ or from a loaf. And pour the broth over (it)/ so is a good Hungarian cheese soup. 

This recipe reminds me of Sir Kenelm Digby's Savoury Tostyde which is absolutely out of this world delicious. 

We will start with similar proportions as those given by Digby, which creates a very delicious "cheese goo", that can be made ahead and heated day of.  

1/2 lb butter 
1/2 lb cream cheese - Sub sour cream 
1/8 lb new cheese

**1/4 t white pepper (to taste)

**Salt to taste

YUM

Day 2: What is a "New Cheese" 

The recipe specifies "a new cheese / that was made overnight"  so it is assumed that while this "soup" is supposed to be flavorful, it is to be a mild flavor.  Fortunately, we don't have to look very far for instructions on how to make a "New Cheese".  The " Nyeuwen cooc boeck by Gheeraert Vorselman" supplies the following recipe: 

2.198 Om plattekaas te maken

Neem wat stremsel, doe het in room of melk en laat dat een nacht staan bezinken. Doe het dan in de [kaas]mandjes. Leg [eerst] in de mandjes schone doekjes, en giet de gestremde melk erin. Belast het met een steen en laat het dan uitlekken. Doe er dikke room over.

2.198 To make fresh (soft) cheese

Take some rennet, add it to cream or milk and let it set for a night. Then put it in [cheese] baskets. [First] put clean cloth in the baskets, then pour in the curds. Weigh it down with a stone and then let it drain. Pour fat cream over it.

Rennet

Milk

**Salt

I have not worked with rennet to make cheese before.  I am very familar with the cheese made from adding an acid agent to it.  In order to better learn how to do this, I visited one of my favorite blogs-Grow, Forage, Cook, Ferment, who has a very well written set of instructions for making a simple rennet cheese.

Third Day - Test Recipe

The test recipe was made using 2 tbsp. large curd cottage cheese, 2 tbsp. sour cream and 1 tbsp. butter, pinch of white pepper. I chose cottage cheese because it is similar to fresh made acidic cheese (the process is the same) and appears to resemble the simple rennet cheese from previous research.  There are four kinds of  ready made fresh cheeses that can be purchased; the most period appropriate (for this event)  is quark followed by cream or cottage cheeses. Since the cheese is not specified as acid or rennet created, only new, I chose cottage cheese for it's overall availability.

First impression - not bad but it could be better.  This creats a tangy soup with lumps of cheese curd in it.  I was hoping the cottage cheese would break down a bit more, but instead it firmed up and became chewy which I did not care for.  This may change if using something like "quark", and I know it will be smooth using "cream cheese".

Instead of using a "new cheese" I might opt for something along the lines of a Gouda or Muenster or a mix of the two.  Both Gouda and Munster enjoy a long history. Gouda is dated to around 1184 and is a Dutch cheese.  Munster is a French cheese, not to be confused with Muenster, which is an American made cheese that imitates the French style of cheese. 

The advantages of using these two semi-soft cheeses is that they are a little more flavorful then cottage cheese, and will stand up better to the sour cream which overpowered the cottage cheese.  Additionally, I am hoping for a creamier smoother soup, vs a creamy soup with the occasional lump.  Personal preference. 

Alternatively, cream cheese could be used with a little bit of "another cheese" for color and flavor.  We will see. 

Fourth Day

This recipe really bother's me. So I'm doing more research. On to my favorite site for research "Medieval Cookery" hosted by Dan Myers, where I did a search on "cheese". I found another recipe from a similar time period and same region for brouet (brodittum) of cheese in the Registrum Coquine hosted by Volker Bach! WIN!

Thus make a brouet (brodittum) of cheese. Take fresh cheese mixed with eggs, and add saffron with other sweet spices. After that, take fat broth and put it in, and do not stir (moveas) it until you wish to eat it. Then put into (serving) dishes as much as you wish, and put the spices on top. And this will be for Frenchmen and Englishmen.

This seems to be a more workable recipe and more familiar to modern tastes then the previous and therefore this *might* be what I will work with.  

Ingredients

Cheese (fresh)

Eggs

Saffron

"other sweet spices"

Broth

This has a close resemblence to my interpretation of  "Arbolettys" which creates a very cheesy comforting soup flavored with sage.  It is delicious. 

A comparison between arbolettys and the brouet of cheese ingredients yields the following differences: 

Milk instead of broth
No Butter
Herbs in addition to spices (parsley & sage)

A comparison of the brouet of cheese to the original recipe for  Käeßsuppen yields the following differences: 

No eggs

No Saffron

Sour cream instead of broth

No spices or herbs

I will be testing the brouet of cheese later today.  Here are my thoughts on the recipe which should be enough to create a single serving of soup. 

Test Recipe

1 cup broth (chicken)
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup or to taste cottage cheese mixed (it's what I have)

2 eggs

Similar Recipes: 

Fourme of Curye [Rylands MS 7] - .lxxxlx. Brewet of ayroun.

Gentyll manly Cokere (MS Pepys 1047) - Egges yn brewte.

Something to look forward too for LUNCH!! 

Day 5--AARGHS!!

Armed with the original recipe's ingrdients I've spent the past several days researching.  I think, it's not a soup.  I think it's a sop, that is, something that goes on top of bread.  This is why.

With the exception of seasoning, the original recipes ingredients are directly identical to modern day Pfälzer Spundekäs, a spread that is regionally associated with North Rhein Westphalia and Rhineland Palatinate. It is a cheese paste, typically served on toasted bread or with pretzels. 

Here is the recipe--note, butter is missing in favor of onion, garlic, pepper, salt and paprika.  I was correct in the assumption that this resembles Digby's cheese goo.  So do I want to serve a spread on toasty bread or a soup in a bread bowl? 

Ingredients

4 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces Quark cheese
1/2 cup sour cream (100 ml)

4 tbsp. butter

1/2 onion
garlic
pepper
salt
2 teaspoons paprika

Instructions

Mix the cream cheese, quark and sour cream together in a bowl and beat until creamy. Dice the onions finely and add to the mixture. Season with pressed garlic, paprika, salt and pepper and allow to sit for 3 hours in a refrigerator.

Final Decision -- There is no soup at this feast, there will however be great slabs of the pastry flavored with fennel and bacon and made with a mixture of wheat and rye, assorted cured meats and/sausages, the mustard pickled vegetables, and the pears in syrup for the first course.  YUM!!

I will include the salt and pepper for modern taste, but none of the other spices in the modern recipe.  I do plan on serving an onion relish though, that should make up for any loss of flavor by not including the garlic, onion, pepper or paprika.  

Recipe

1 cup quark or cottage cheese
4 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream

Note: Although not period to make a smoother sauce add 1/2 tsp. baking soda if you are using cottage cheese. 

Mix all ingredients, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place for 1 hour.

Then put it into a heavy bottomed pan (or double broiler) and simmer over low heat stirring  with a wisk until cheese has started to melt and everything has blended to a smooth consistency. Can be made ahead of time and heated day of. 

Homemade Quark - Instapot recipe

1/2 gallon whole milk
1 quart butter milk
Cheese cloth

Put the milk and buttermilk in Instant Pot and set for Yogurt. Put the lid on and press ‘YOGURT’ then ‘ADJUST.’ Hold the adjust button until it says ‘BOIL.’ Then after it beeps press ‘YOGURT ‘ and set time for 13 hours (overnight). Once done put cheese cloth in a strainer over large bowl and pour out, reserving the liquid (whey). I used that later for the ricotta. Put in fridge for another six hours in cheese cloth over a bowl to continue to drain. Then use as desired.

 

To Make a Made Dish of Curds, The Accomplisht Cook, Robert May

To Make a Made Dish of Curds

Take some tender curds, wring the whey from them very well, then put to them two raw eggs, currans, sweet butter, rose-water, cinamon, sugar, and mingle all together, then make a fine paste with flour, yolks of egs, rose-water, & other water, sugar, saffron, and butter, wrought up cold, bake it either in this paste or in puff-paste, being baked ice it with rose-water, sugar, and butter.

Interpreted Recipe

1 cup cream
1 ½ cups cottage cheese or fresh made cheese
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp. rosewater
1 tbsp. lemon juice
¼ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. currants

Beat eggs, sugar, rosewater, lemon juice, spices, salt and cream together in a bowl. Add cheese and currants and pour into your puff pastry shell. Bake 350 degrees until cooked through, and serve.

Baronial 12th Night - Cheese & Nuts

Cheese & Nuts 

While researching dietary theory, specifically 15th century England, and brainstorming ways that the theory could be applied to modern day feasts specifically for SCA events, I learned that it was customary to serve later in the meal ripened or hardened cheeses (especially after meat) and nuts (after fish). Since I had served both at this event, I put together a "dessert" plate of cheeses, dried fruits and nuts.

For the nuts I used a mixture of walnut, almond, hazel and pistachio nuts. The cheeses included mild cheddar in slices, white cheddar curds, gouda, blue cheese and brie. I also added dried fruit to the tray including raisins and currants mixed together, dried cherries, dried apricots, dates and figs.

Five Sweet, Savory and Fried Custards found in Harleian MS 279 (~1430)

Some of my earliest adventures in attempting to interpret recipes from "Two fifteenth-century cookery-books. Harleian ms. 279 (ab. 1430), & Harl. ms. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole ms. 1429, Laud ms. 553, & Douce ms. 55" by Thomas Austin were one of my favorite childhood treats, custards. Today I present to you a selection of my favorite interpretations.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

xxix Milke Rostys- Roasted Milk -- Hard custards are a thing of the past, but this recipe has returned them to my life. Custard is set like cheese, sliced and fried in grease (roste it on a Greddelle). This was my very first interpreted recipe, and is a favorite, served cold, room temperature or hot off the griddle. 

.xxix. Lyode Soppes- an early bread pudding -  literally a sop of bread floating in a pool of beautifully thick and sweet custard, this dish is one of the earliest recipes for "bread pudding." It lacks many of the characteristics that now define a bread pudding, additional fruit, spices, and being baked in the oven.  I was unsure how this dish would be received by my bevy of taste testers, and they received it much better than I expected they would. There were a few surprised looks as they tested this dish. The general consensus amongst the tasters is "it was good but not something they would want to try again"--and they have.

lxxiiij - Arbolettys - Cheese Soup - A luxuriously velvety cheese soup worthy to be served to any king! Simple ingredients of milk, butter, cheese and eggs flavored with sage, parsley, ginger and galingale. Delicious! Caveat: My interpretation is very different from many of my contemporaries who interpret this dish as a scrambled egg dish. Being in the center of a series of dishes that should be cooked in pots, and not being instructions to let the eggs curd let to my unusual interpretation.

xx. Papyns.- When noble women of this period would choose not to breastfeed, or were unable to, and a wet nurse was not available, a mixture of broth, water, milk, grain, flour or bread, sweetened with honey or diluted wine would be fed to infants through a small horn with a hole drilled into it, or via a rag soaked in the liquid. This same pap was also fed to the elderly who were unable to chew any longer. When given to older children, or in addition to breast milk, papyns provided additional nutrition. This particular recipe adds eggs to the milk and flour as an additional thickener.

.xiij. Creme Boylede. I was delighted to interpret this recipe for an unusual custard that starts by soaking bread in cream or milk. It is a very thrifty dish for the medieval cook, because it most likely made use of bread that had gone stale and it was a way to preserve milk that would otherwise have gone bad, or may have been put to other use. This blog post includes a bonus recipe--Constance Hieatt's boiled cream custard, from a similar interpretation that can be made in the microwave and is my "go to" feast custard when I cater.

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.  

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - .Cxv. Quynade. - Almond Milk Cream Cheese with Quince Puree

 Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - .Cxv. Quynade. - Almond milk cream cheese with quince puree

When I first came across this recipe in  Full text of "Two fifteenth-century cookery-books. Harleian ms. 279 (ab. 1430), & Harl. ms. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole ms. 1429, Laud ms. 553, & Douce ms. 55", I knew that I *had* to make it, the difficulty was in waiting until quinces were in season.  Last year I missed the season and I nearly missed it again this year--the ability to purchase quince is only a few weeks where I live. It is a shame, because I could see this becoming a regular spread in addition to butter, marmalade's or preserves at any event.  This is a delicious spread that would go well on bread or to be used as a substitute for butter.  The picture cannot do justice to how pretty the slight yellow of the almond "cream cheese" studded with bright golden quince is. I wish I had silver or gold leaf to jazz it up. 

The taste testers raved about it. It also keeps very well, and is an alternative for those who are lactose intolerant and vegan. Do not get stressed about the ambiguity of the directions "to taste".  I wanted to taste more of the fruit and the almond and so was light with the seasonings.  Just be sure that you use equal amounts of sugar to the other seasonings you use.  For example, 1 1/2 tsp. of mixed spices +1 1/2 tsp. of sugar.  Also, note that I used a spice powder that contained cinnamon that was not called for in the original instructions.

The almond cheese is very easy to make despite the complex directions.  It is very similar to making fresh cheese from milk on your stove top.  I caution you though to be careful of getting the milk too hot.  You only want it to come to a simmer, not boil, however, if you do get the almond milk too hot (boiling), just turn off the heat and let it cool, before adding your acid--you want the enzymes to work, not destroy them.

.Cxv. Quynade.—Take Quynces, & pare hem clene, caste hem on a potte, & caste þer-to water of Rosys; do it ouer þe fyre, & hele*. [Cover. ] it faste, & let it boyle a gode whyle tyl þey ben neysshe; & ȝif þey wol not ben neysshe, bray hem in a Morter smal, draw hem þorw a straynoure; take gode Mylke of Almandys, & caste in a potte & boyle it; take whyte Wyne & Vynegre, an caste þer-to þe Mylke, & let it stonde a whyle; take þan a clene canvas, & caste þe mylke vppe-on̛, & with a platere [leaf 21 bk.] stryke it of þe cloþe, & caste it on þe potte; gedyr vppe þe quynces, & caste to þe creme, & do it ouer þe fyre, & lat boyle; take a porcyon of pouder of Clowys, of Gyngere, of Graynys of Perys, of Euery a porcyon; take Sugre y-now, with Salt, & a party of Safroun, & alle menge to-gederys; & when þou dressyst forth, plante it with foyle of Syluer.

115. Quynade/Quinade- Take quinces and pare them clean, cast them on a pot and caste there-to water of roses; do it over the fire and cover it fast, and let it boil a good while till they be soft; and if they will not be soft, bray them in a mortar small, draw them through a strainer; take good milk of almonds and caste in a pot and boil it; take white wine and vinegar, and caste there-to the milk, and let it stand a while; take than a clean canvas, & caste the milk upon, and with a platter strike it of the cloth, & cast it on the pot; gather up the quinces & caste to the cream, and do it over the fire, and let boil; take a portion of powder of cloves, of ginger, of grains of paradise, of every portion, take sugar enough, with salt & a party of saffron, and all mingle together; and when you dress it forth, plant it with foil of silver.

Interpreted Recipe                                                                    Serves 4-8 

To make Almond Cream Cheese: 

1 cup almond flour
2 cups water (Hot)
Pinch of saffron
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
1 tbsp. or more of sugar to taste
1 1/2 tsp. each (or equivalent of 1 tbsp) white wine and/or white wine vinegar --can substitute lemon juice

To make quince:

4 quinces pared and chopped small
Rosewater to taste (I used 1 tsp. rose water and 1 tsp. lemon juice)
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. mixed spice powder (I used Le Menagier's fine powder of spices and added 1/8 tsp. cloves to it--yes I know, this adds cinnamon that is not used in the recipe) or to taste

To make the almond milk: Put first five ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Place almond milk in a pot and bring to a simmer.  Add the acid and turn off the heat.  It will start to curdle immediately--GENTLY stir with a spoon and allow to sit a minimum of ten minutes.  Until cool is better.

Gently turn the curds into a cloth lined colander (I use white cotton pillowcases cut in half) and allow the whey to drain.  For this I wanted a fairly loose texture so I only allowed it to drain for as long as it took me to make the quince.  For a thicker creamier cheese, allow several hours over night with a weight on top to press the whey out.  This is similar to the method I used to make Harleian MS. 279 xij. Fride Creme of Almaundys- Cream cheese made from Almond Milk.

Note: The cheese can get a bit "gritty" so several internet sites with similar instructions suggest immersion blender to make a creamier cheese. I find with a "wetter" cream, that the grit is not as notable.

To cook the quince: Put all ingredients in a pot and cook until quince is tender and water is nearly gone.  I took half of the quince and pureed it in a blender. Note that you can use as much or as little rose water as you wish.  I believe modern day preparations are much stronger then that found in the late medieval period, so I tend to be lighter in my usage of it.  I want the taste to enhance but not to overpower.

Place almond cheese and quince in a pot and cook until mixture has heated thoroughly, being sure to stir constantly so that it does not burn.  Mixture will thicken as it cools so it is better to be a bit looser at this stage for a creamier spread after it cools.  Place spread in a bowl and cool.

To serve, garnish with silver leaf.

Knowing that fruit  puree was added to the almond cream cheese in the late medieval period means that I will be experimenting with other kinds of preserves in the future and calling it "Cook's Prerogative"--can you imagine cherry preserves? Nummsss!

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

Savoury Tostyde With Toast and slices of Ham

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.

This dish has affectionately been labeled "crack cheese"--yes it is good and addicting.  As you can see from the picture, as the cheese cools it starts to harden. This does not affect the flavor, so much as the texture.  I have to confess I would eat this off of a old boot even if it was cold...ok...maybe not a boot but when I taste tested this, the bowl was licked clean ~glances at the child~ but I am not naming names. It is absolutely delicious, easy to make and easily made ahead of time and then reheated.  Note all of the variations you can use to serve it--plain, asparagus, bacon, chunks of meat, onions, anchovies or bread. I personally would serve this in a bread bowl, and then fill the remainder of the platter with goodies to dip into it.  This is the starter dish for the next "white flag feast" I do.  

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.  

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - .lviij. Let lory - Larded Milk

.lviij. Let lory - Larded Milk

Let Lory is a fun and delicious recipe from  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. Milk and eggs are cooked until they form curds that are then drained, and served with sweetened custard.  The first time I made this dish I didn't use a double boiler to heat my milk and burned it.  This recipe is an example of custard that has been cooked until it forms curds. The instructions to heat the milk until it boils ensure that it curds and doesn't form a smooth pudding. While these kinds of custards appear to be quite popular during the 15th Century, they seem to have fallen out of favor in the 16th Century and disappear completely by the 17th Century. 

What we know is that some of the earliest documentable recipes for custards can be found in  De Re Coquinaria. The dish is called "Tyropatinam", and consists of milk, eggs and honey cooked together over a gentle heat.

Similar dishes that I have previusly interpreted include xxix - Milke Rosty, .lvj. Charlette, and  lvij - Charlet a-forcyd ryally, which have enjoyed a wide variety of opinions from the taste testers and myself.  Fortunately, the taste testers enjoyed this treat, and I have been asked to make it again. It has gone on my list of "good things to serve at a feast or for a luncheon."

.lviij. Let lory.—Take Mylke, an sette it ouer þe fyre; take Salt & Safroun, an caste þer-to; take Eyroun, þe ȝolke an þe Whyte y-strainyd a lyte,*. [lyte = little.]& caste it þer-to; whan þe Mylke his skaldyng hote, caste þe stuf þer-to, an þenne stere yt tyll it crodde; and ȝif þou wolt haue it a-forsyd with lyȝt coste, Take Mylke, & make it skaldyng hote, & caste þer-to Raw ȝolkes of Eyroun, Sugre, pouder Gyngere, Clowes, Maces, an let not fully boyle; & so hote, dresse it forth, an ley it on þe crodde; & ȝif þou wolt a-forse it in maner of charlet, do it in fastyng dayis, & serue it forth.

lviij - Let lory. Take Mylke, an sette it ouer the fyre; take Salt and Safroun, an caste ther-to; take Eyroun, the 3olke an the Whyte y-strainyd a lyte, (Note: lyte = little.)and caste it ther-to; whan the Mylke his skaldyng hote, caste the stuf ther-to, an thenne stere yt tyll it crodde; and 3if thou wolt haue it a-forsyd with ly3t coste, Take Mylke, and make it skaldyng hote, and caste ther-to Raw 3olkes of Eyroun, Sugre, pouder Gyngere, Clowes, Maces, an let not fully boyle; and so hote, dresse it forth, an ley it on the crodde; and 3if thou wolt a-forse it in maner of charlet, do it in fastyng dayis, and serue it forth.

58. Let Lory - Take milk and set it over the fire; then take salt and saffron, and caste there-to; take eggs, the yolk and the white strained a little, and caste it there-to; when the milk is scalding hot, caste the stuff there-to, and then stir it till it curd; and if you will have it reinforced for little cost, Take milk, and make it scalding hot, and caste there-to raw yolks of egg, sugar, powder ginger, cloves, mace, and let not full boil; and so hot, dress it forth, and ley it on the curd; and if you will reinforce it in manner of charlet, do it in fasting days, and serve it forth.

Interpreted Recipe                                                                              Serves 1 as main, 2 or more as side

3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
Pinch of saffron

Bring milk, salt and saffron to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan. Add the beaten eggs and stir, curds will begin to form after a few minutes. As an alternative, you can add a half tsp. of vinegar or wine to the mix which will make it curd up faster. Remove from heat when curds have formed and allow to cool completely. Place several layers of cheesecloth in a strainer and place strainer over a large bowl. Spoon the cheese mixture into the cheesecloth and allow to drain. Lift the cheesecloth bag without spilling the contents and squeeze gently until all whey has been removed.

Egg Sauce

1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. sugar
2 beaten egg yolks
1/4 tsp ginger (or to taste)
1/8 tsp. each clove and mace

Heat milk and spices to a simmer and remove from the heat, temper the beaten eggs with a bit of the milk and then add the eggs to the milk. Return to heat and simmer gently until the sauce reaches the desired thickness. Before serving spoon over the curds, and serve warm.

Similar Recipes

Le Viandier de Taillevent (France, ca. 1380 - James Prescott, trans.)

Larded milk. Take some [cow's] milk, boil it on the fire, lift it down from the fire, put it on a few coals, and thread in beaten egg yolks. If you wish it for a meat day, take lardons, cut them into two or three bits, and throw them into the milk to boil. If you wish it for a fish day, do not add lardons, but throw in some wine and verjuice to curdle it before you lift it down. Remove it from the fire, put it in a white cloth, let it drain, wrap it in 2 or 3 layers of the cloth, and press it until it is as firm as beef liver. Put it on a table, slice it into strips the size of a full palm or three fingers, button them with whole cloves, fry them until they are browned, set them out, and throw some sugar on top.

Forme of Cury (England, 1390)

Letelorye. XX.IIII. I. Take Ayrenn and wryng hem thurgh a styunour and do þerto cowe mylke with butter and safroun and salt and seeþ it wel. leshe it. and loke þat it be stondyng. and serue it forth.

Le Menagier de Paris (France, 1393 - Janet Hinson, trans.)

LARDY MILK. Take milk of cows or ewes and put to boil in the fire, and throw in bits of bacon and some saffron: and have eggs, that is both white and yolk, well-beaten and throw in all at once, without stirring, and make it all boil together, and then take it off the fire and leave it to turn; or without eggs, use verjuice to turn it. And when it is cool, tie it up stoutly in a piece of cloth or net and give it whatever shape you wish, flat or long, and weighted with a large rock let it cool on a side-board all night, and the next day release it and fry it alone without added grease, or with grease if you wish; and it is placed on plates or in bowls like slices of bacon and stuck with cloves and pignon nuts. And if you want to make it green, use turnsole.

Liber cure cocorum [Sloane MS 1986] (England, 1430)

Lede lardes. Take eyren and swete mylke of a cow, Swyng hom togedur, as I byd now. Take larde of fresshe porke with alle, Sethe hit and schere hit on peses smalle. Cast þer in and boyle hit, þenne Styr hit wele, as I þe kenne, Tyl hit be gedered on crud harde. Leche hit, and rost hit afterwarde Apone a gredel, þen serve þou may Hit forthe, with spit, as I þe say.

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak ledlardes of one coloure tak eggs and cow mylk and swinge them to gedur then sethe it and hew it in small peces and boile it and stirre it till be ron upon a herd curde then lesshe it and rost it upon a gredirn and serue it

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Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - lxxiiij - Arbolettys - Cheese Soup

lxxiiij - Arbolettys - Cheese Soup

It was snowing out today, grey and dreary, but a perfect day to cook up comfort food and what could be more comforting than something cheesy and warm? Again I veered off course from the planned dishes I had posted I was going to make to try another one that caught my interest from 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.  This dish is usually interpreted as a kind of a scrambled egg dish, and there are numerous interpretations posted online.  However, I chose to use the same interpretation as I did for Papyns, and instead created a luxuriously velvety cheese soup worthy to be served to any king. 

.lxxiiij. Arbolettys.—Take Milke, Boter an Chese, & boyle in fere; þen take eyroun, & cast þer-to; þan take Percely & Sawge & hacke it smal, & take pouder Gyngere & Galyngale, and caste it þer-to, and þan serue it forth.

lxxiiij - Arbolettys. Take Milke, Boter an Chese, and boyle in fere; then take eyroun, and cast ther-to; than take Percely and Sawge and hacke it smal, and take pouder Gyngere and Galyngale, and caste it ther-to, and than serue it forth.

74 - Arbolettys. - Take milk, butter and cheese, and boil in together: then take eggs, and caste there-to; than take parsley and sage and hack it small, and take powder ginger and galingale, and caste it there-to, and then serve it forth. 

Interpreted Recipe                                                         Serves 1 as main, 2 as side

1 cup milk

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup or to taste cheese (I used a mixture of sharp and mild cheddar. Other period appropriate cheeses include; brie, camembert, cottage, emmenthal, gruyére, mozzarella; parmesan and ricotta)

2 eggs

1 tsp. each parsley and sage

1/8 tsp. ginger and galingale

**Salt and Pepper to taste - while not called for in the original instructions, modern tastes will appreciate the addition

As I have learned when cooking with milk based dishes it is always best to use a double broiler to prevent the milk from burning.  Add milk and butter to a double broiler and heat until the milk begins to simmer, add the cheese and stir constantly while the cheese melts into the milk and butter mixture.  Beat the eggs with the herbs and spices, temper with a little bit of the cheese mixture and return to the pan.  Cook until the soup has thickened to your desired consistency. 

One of my taste testers is a friend who very seldom says "This is delicious!" when it comes to testing food from this era.  Not only did I get that high praise, I also received instructions that this *MUST* be served at an event in the future. No fears there, I will be serving this again.  It was easy to put together and delicious.  Another taste tester has promised not to include this in the book he plans on writing on "How I Survived Being a Taste Tester". None of my teens were available--nobody complained it meant more soup for the adults.

I know that my interpretation is very different then what you will find if you research other interpretations.  Why? Because of the instructions themselves-we are told to boil together milk, butter and cheese and then to add eggs.  It does NOT specify how the eggs are to be added.  However, looking at similar recipes for papyns and cream boiled from the same manuscript led me to conclude that the end dish should resemble custard and not scrambled eggs. 

Papyns, which creates a sweet custard instructs us to "take the yolks of eggs drawn through a strainer and caste thereto" into a mixture of milk and flour that had been brought to a boil, and then allowed to cool. Similar instructions are found in the boiled cream recipe.  My conclusion then is that these three recipes should all yield similar consistencies with different flavors.  

20. Papyns - Take fair milk and flour, an draw through a strainer, an set it over the fire, an let it boil awhile: than take it out an let it cool: then take yolks of eggs drawn through a strainer and caste thereto; than take sugar a good quantity, an cast there-to, an a little salt an set it on the fire till it be somewhat thick, but let it not boil fully, an stir it well, an put it on a dish all broad, and serve forth running. 

13. Cream Boiled - Take cream or milk and bread of pandemain, or else of tender bread, an break it on the cream, or else in the milk, an set it on the fire till it be warm hot; and through a strainer throw it, and put into a fair pot, an set it on the fire, an stir evermore: an when it is almost boiled, take fair yolks of eggs, and draw them through a strainer, and cast them there-to, and let them stand over the fire till it boil almost, an till it be skillfully (reasonably) thick; than cast a ladle full, or more or less, of butter there-to, and a good quantity of white sugar, and a little salt, and then dress it on a dish in manner of mortrews. 

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - .l. A potage on fysshday - Sweet Curds and Whey

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - .l. A potage on fysshday 

I came across an unusual recipe from 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 Thomas Austin called "A potage on fysshday".  I confess I was hesitant to try this dish because I was uncertain of what the final results would be.  I asked two chef friends of mine what they thought it should be like.  There was a general agreement that the acidic qualities of the ale and the wine would make this a kind of cheese, so all that remained was to try it.  I should know by now not to doubt those long ago chef's, as the final results were good. 

I would not recommend this dish for any large gathering of people but it would be a very cool and period thing to perhaps enter into an SCA competition, or to serve with a gathering of close friends, or even a small luncheon.  The result was a sweet broth made from the wine and the whey, with the curds of cheese (in my case similar to small curd cottage cheese) floating in the broth. Originally, I tried to serve this dryer rather than wetter, and in the humble opinions of all of the taste testers this really needs the broth, the wetter the better!

Possets were very popular dishes to eat, and I can understand why.  Without a way to refrigerate milk, you needed to change it in some way that would extend its life.  I was unable to locate directions on how to make a medieval posset.  I did find instructions from Sir Kenelm Digby.

"A Plain Ordinary Posset: Put a pint of good Milk to boil; as soon as it doth so, take it from the fire, to let the great heat of it cool a little; for doing so, the curd will be the tenderer, and the whole of a more uniform consistence. When it is prettily cooled, pour it into your pot, wherein is about two spoonfuls of Sack and four of Ale, with sufficient Sugar dissolved in them. So let it stand a while near the fire, till you eat it." -- from "The Closet of the Eminently Learned Sir Kenelm Digby, Knight, Opened" (ca 1669)"

One of my chef friends was able to point me to two recipes from the mid 1800's for possets.  This has very little variation from Digby's recipe. I have to confess, there were a lot of remarks about "Little Miss Muffet" and how I had just created medieval curds and whey. That is exactly what this dish is.  The taste testers and I enjoyed it. I believe this is a dish that would do well room temperature as well as hot.  There wasn't any left over to test if it would be good cold.  I would definitely serve this as an alternate soup to vegetarians at an event provided they eat milk, when serving a meat based soup. It is thrifty and cost effective but a bit labor intensive.

.l. A potage on fysshday.—Take an Make a styf Poshote of Milke an Ale; þan take & draw þe croddys þorw a straynoure wyth whyte Swete Wyne, or ellys Rochelle Wyne, & make it sum-what rennyng an sum-what stondyng, & put Sugre a gode quantyte þer-to, or hony, but nowt to moche; þan hete it a lytil, & serue it forth al a-brode in þe dysshys; an straw on Canel, & Gyngere, and ȝif þou [supplied by ed.] haue Blank powder, straw on and kepe it as whyte as yt may be, & þan serue forth.

l - A potage on fysshday. Take an Make a styf Poshote of Milke an Ale; than take and draw the croddys thorw a straynoure wyth [correction; sic = MS. with wyth .] whyte Swete Wyne, or ellys Rochelle Wyne, and make it sum-what rennyng an sum-what stondyng, and put Sugre a gode quantyte ther-to, or hony, but nowt to moche; than hete it a lytil, and serue it forth al a-brode in the dysshys; an straw on Canel, and Gyngere, and 3if thou haue Blank powder, straw on and kepe it as [correction; sic = a] whyte as yt may be, and than serue forth [correction; sic = f].

50 A Potage on Fish Day - Take and make a stiff posset of milk and ale; then take and draw the curds through a strainer with white sweet wine, or else Rochelle wine (a favored kind of white wine in the middle ages), and make it somewhat running and somewhat standing, and put sugar, a good quantity there-to or honey, but not too much; then heat it a little and serve it forth all abroad in the dish; and strew on cinnamon and ginger, if you have white powder, strew on and keep it as white as it may be, and then serve forth.

Interpreted Recipe                                              Serves 1 as a main, 2 or more as a side

2 cups whole milk (I used Fairlife whole milk)
4 tbsp.  ale
2 tbsp. white wine
1-2 tbsp. honey or sugar or to taste

Bring the milk and the honey to a boil and remove it from the heat.  Allow to sit five minutes to cool, and add the Ale and white wine.  Return to heat and simmer for approximately ten minutes stirring constantly.  You can strain the whey from the curds if you like, otherwise add ginger, cinnamon or pouder douce to taste, and serve.

Harleian MS. 279 xij. Fride Creme of Almaundys- Cream cheese made from Almond Milk, .lxxvij. Crem de Coloure Colored Almond Cream & & .lxxviij. Colouryd Sew with-owt fyre. - Colored Soup without Fire (Revised)

Fride Creme of Almaundys - Cold Cream of Almonds

Almond milk cream cheese? Yes, yes, yes! This dish is definitely being added to my repertoire of things to make at feast.  Despite the fact the instructions sound forbiddingly difficult, this dish is very easy to make.  It starts with my quick and dirty almond milk recipe and ends with a sweet, creamy Lenten substitute for cheese or butter.

.xij. Fride Creme of Almaundys. — Take almaundys, an sta?«pe hem, an draw it vp wyth a fyne thykke mylke, y-temperyd wyth clene water; throw hem on, an sette hem in fe fyre, an let boyle onys : fan tak hem a-down,an caste salt )7er-on, an let hem reste a forlongwey ^ or to, an caste a lytyl sugre Jier-to ; an J^an caste it on a fayre lynen clothe, fayre y-wasche an drye, an caste it al a-brode on fe clothe with a fayre ladel : an let J^e clothe ben holdyn a-brode, an late all j^e water vnder-nethe fe clothe be had a-way, an panne gadere alle fe kreme in fe clothe, an let hongy on an pyn, and let fe water droppe owt to' or .iij. owrys ; )7an take it of J^e pyn, an put it on a bolle of tre, and caste whyte sugre y-now ]7er-to, an a lytil salt ; and ^if it Tvexe J^ikke, take swete wyn an put ]jer-to 'pat it be nojt sene : and whan it is I-dressid in the maner of mortrewys, take red anys in comfyte, or ]'e leuys of borage, an sette hem on J^e dysshe, an serue forth.

Recipe can be found here: Full text of "Two fifteenth-century cookery-books. Harleian ms. 279 (ab. 1430), & Harl. ms. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole ms. 1429, Laud ms. 553, & Douce ms. 55"

For more information on this and similar recipes, please vist Dan Myers "Medieval Cookery" by clicking the link below.

xij - Fride Creme of Almaundys. Take almaundys, an stampe hem, an draw it vp wyth a fyne thykke mylke, y-temperyd wyth clene water; throw hem on, an sette hem in the fyre, an let boyle onys: than tak hem a-down, an caste salt ther-on, an let hem reste a forlongwey (Note: Other MS. forlange.) or to, an caste a lytyl sugrether-to; an than caste it on a fayre lynen clothe, fayre y-wasche an drye, an caste it al a-brode on the clothe with a fayre ladel: an let the clothe ben holdyn a-brode, an late all the water vnder-nethe the clothe be had a-way, an thanne gadere alle the kreme in the clothe, an let hongy on an pyn, and let the water droppe owt to (Note: two.) or .iij. owrys; than take it of the pyn, an put it on a bolle of tre, and caste whyte sugre y-now ther-to, an a lytil salt; and 3if it wexe thikke, take swetewyn an put ther-to that it be no3t sene: and whan it is I-dressid in the maner of mortrewys, take red anys in comfyte, or the leuys of borage, an sette hem on the dysshe, an serue forth.

12. Cold Cream of Almonds. Take almonds, and stamp them, and draw it up with a fine thick milk, tempered with clean water, throw them on, and set them on the fire, and let boil once: then take them down, and cast salt thereon, an let them rest a furlongway or two, and cast a little sugar thereto; and then caste it on a fair linen cloth, fair washed and dried, and cast it all above on the cloth with a fair ladle: an let the cloth be held above and let all the water underneath the cloth be had away, an than gather all the cream in the cloth, and let hang on a pin, and let the water drop out two or three hours; then take off the pin and put it in a bowl of wood, and caste white sugar thereto that it is not seen: and when it is dressed in the manner of mortrewys, take read anise in comfit, or the petals of borage, and set them on the dish, and serve it forth.

Interpreted Recipe  Makes approximately quarter of a pound of "cheese"

2 cups thick almond milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. red wine vinegar*
Sugar to taste
**Pouder Douce

Once you have made the almond milk, you will need to strain the mixture through a sieve to remove as much of the almond bits as you can.  Put the strained almond milk and salt into a pot and heat to boiling being careful not to overheat or to burn it.

Almond milk beginning to curdle.

Note: Saffron can be added to the almond milk to make it yellow like butter at this stage.  I did that and I was impressed with the results.

Heat for five minutes and then add a dash of wine or vinegar to your almond milk. It will immediately thicken and start to curdle. You can also add a dash of wine to the mixture instead of vinegar. Continue to cook for another five minutes or so stirring so that the milk doesn't burn.

Remove from heat and strain through a cheesecloth for several hours or overnight.  When the dripping has stopped, remove the almond mixture from the cloth and place it in a bowl.  Unlike making cheese from dairy, the liquid that is produced from the almonds can be discarded.  The whey from cheese making is full of whey protein and can be used in smoothies or baking.

Add sugar to taste in the bowl.  If the mixture is a bit too dry or crumbly wine can be added as well.  I used approximately 2 tablespoons of sugar and then I added 2 teaspoons of the pouder douce to this.  I did not need to add wine because the addition of the sugar made the almond "cheese" very smooth, similar to cream cheese. At this point I imagine you would be able to caste it into molds, or serve it in bowls garnished with comfits, or flowers if you see fit.

.lxxvij. Crem de Coloure.—Take an make þicke Milke of Almaundys, & do it in a potte, & sethe it ouer þe fyre; þan take a fayre Canvas, an put it þer-on, & late renne out þe Water; þen take þe halfyndele, & put it in a pot of erþe; þen take the oþer halfyndele, & parte it in [supplied by ed.] to,*. [Two. ] & make þe half ȝelow, & do þer-yn Wyn, Sugre, Clowes, Maces, powder of Canelle; take [gap: reason: blank in MS.] & grynd a lytel in a morter; [leaf 16 bk.] þan temper it vppe wyth almaunde mylke, & do euery of hem in a potte, an loke þat it be y-like chargeaunt, & sette it ouer þe fyre, an boyle it a lytyl, an serue forth.

77. Cream of Color -- Take and make thick milk of almonds, and do it in a pot, and cook it over the fire; then take a fair canvas, and put it there-on & run out the water; then take the half (halfyndele), and put it in a pot of earth; then take the other half (halfyndele), and part it in two and make the half yellow, and do there-in wine, sugar, cloves, maces, powder of cinnamon; take and grind a little in a morter, then temper it up with almond milk, and do every of them in a pot, and look that it be like thick and set it over the fire and boil it a little and serve forth.

.lxxviij. Colouryd Sew with-owt fyre.—Take fowre pounde of Almaundys, & ley in Water ouer eue, an blanche hem, and on þe morwe grynde hem ryth wyl, an draw þer-of a þicke mylke; þan take Rys, and wasshem clene, an grynd hem wyl, & draw hem vppe wyth þe Mylke þorw a straynoure, an do it on a bolle, & parte it in þe vesselle, an do in al whyte Sugre, an euery vesselle Clowes, Maces, Quybibes, & pouder Canelle; An lete þat on party ben whyte, þat oþer ȝelow, & þat oþer grene with Percely; And ley of euery a leche*. [a strip.] in a dysshe, an loke þat Mylke be temperyd wyth wyne, an þatoþer with Rede wyn.

78. Colored Soup (Stew) without fire - Take four pound of almonds, and lay in water overnight (ouer eue), and blanch them, and on the morrow grind them right well, and draw there-of a thick milk; then take rice and wash them clean, and grind them well, and draw them up with the milk through a strainer, and do it on a bowl, and part it in the vessel, and do in all white sugar, and every vessel, cloves, mace, cubebs and powder cinnamon; and let that on part be white, that other yellow, and that other green with parsley, and lay of every a slice in a dish, and look that milk be tempered with wine, and that other with red wine.

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