Baronial 12th Night (Spiced apples and pears Chiquart's 'On Cookery’, 1420)

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.

🍽 Explore More Medieval Breakfast Recipes:

• 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 »

Labels: Medieval Recipes, Chiquart, Spiced Fruit, 15th Century, SCA Feast, Apple Recipes, Pear Recipes, Medieval Breakfast Stewed apples and pears with cinnamon and anise, inspired by Chiquart's 1420 cookery manuscript. Perfect for breakfast or dessert.

Applade Ryalle – A Medieval Apple Soup Three Ways (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430)

.Cxxxv. Applade Ryalle — Prepared for Nede, Flesshe Day, and Fysshe Day

Today's adventure in cooking from Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) was Applade Ryalle, loosely interpreted as "Royal Apple" or "Apple Royal." It includes instructions for producing three vastly different flavored soups using the same base. The soups are made with beef broth (for a flesh day), almond milk (for a fish day), and "in need" with a broth made of wine and honey. The base of the soup is quite simple: apples that have been boiled until tender (read: falling apart) and then strained through a strainer.

🍽️ Where Could This Be Served at Feast?

Option	Reasoning	Notes
🥣 First Remove (Pottage)	Classic sweet pottage with period consistency and spice blend	Ideal with bread or savory pies
🍷 Welcome Drink	The wine/honey version mimics a warm cordial or broth	Serve in mugs or small bowls
🍽️ Entrée Companion	Adds contrast to roasted meats or cheese boards	Best served thicker, like a sauce

I made all three of the soups today and the taste testers (God bless them) tried each of them. We all agreed that the soup "in need" and the soup for a fish day were the better of the recipes. The house smelled like fall, with the ginger, cinnamon, apples, and wine scenting the air. Of the apple recipes I have interpreted, this is by far my favorite. Creating a variety of soups fit for a king! Huzzah!

The Applade Ryalle for a flesh (meat) day was pleasant, and if I had cooked just this I think the testers' opinions would have been a bit different. I, being unsure if I would like it, cooked it last—my mistake. The flavor of the apples was sharpened by the beef broth, so that I was reminded of eating a sour apple candy (which I like). This soup was good, but all of us decided that this might fall under the category of "too period to serve." Don't get me wrong—it was flavorful, and you should try it. However, the taste won't be for everyone, and the testers were put off by the smell of the apples and beef broth. Once they ate the first spoonful, it was a race to see who finished first.

The Applade Ryalle for a fish day received rave reviews. The soup was creamy and mild and delicious. What most of the taste testers remarked on first was that they could taste the spices used, and that the almond milk enhanced that, and then they tasted a hint of the apple and a hint of the almonds. It was really good and has made it onto my list of things to serve more often in the house. Yes, it will become something I will serve to my non-SCA friends. This was voted best dish of the day, but I disagree... because my favorite was the next dish!

The Applade Ryalle "in need" is a lovely soup with a base of wine and honey. The wine and the apples explode in your mouth on the first spoonful, and then the honey peeks through along with the spices. It was decided that this goes on the "must be served at a future event" list, alongside some good crusty bread, cheese, and smoked pork. Have I mentioned I have great taste testers???

.Cxxxv. Applade Ryalle.—Take Applys, & seþe hem tylle þey ben tendyr, & þan lat hem kele; þen draw hem þorw a straynour; & on flesshe day caste þer-to gode fatte broþe of freysshe beef, an whyte grece, & Sugre, & Safroun, & gode pouder; & in a Fysshe day, take Almaunde mylke, & oyle of Olyff, & draw þer-vppe with-al a gode pouder, & serue forth. An for nede, draw it vppe with Wyne, & a lytil hony put þer-to for to make it þan dowcet; & serue it forth.

Cxxxv - Applade Ryalle. Take Applys, and sethe hem tylle they ben tendyr, and than lat hem kele; then draw hem thorw a straynour; and on flesh day caste ther-to gode fatte brothe of freysshe beef, an whyte grece, and Sugre, and Safroun, and gode pouder; and in a Fysshe day, take Almaunde mylke, and oyle of Olyff, and draw ther-vppe with-al a gode pouder, and serue forth. An for nede, draw it vppe with Wyne, and a lytil hony put ther-to for to make it than dowcet; and serue it forth.

135. Apple Royal – Take apples and seethe them until they be tender and then let them cool; then draw them through a strainer; and on flesh day cast thereto good fat broth of fresh beef and white grease, and sugar and saffron, and good powder; and on a fish day, take almond milk, and olive oil, and draw there up with a good powder and serve forth. And for need, draw it up with wine, and a little honey put there to for to make it than sweet and serve it forth.

Interpreted Recipe – Serves 8

• 6–8 apples
• Water to cover
• 4 cups broth, wine, or almond milk
• 1/3 cup sugar or honey (adjust to taste)
• 1 tbsp. powder douce
• 2 tbsp. butter or olive oil (optional)
• Pinch of saffron (optional)

Today I cut the apples into large chunks and placed them into the pot—I did not core or peel them. I covered them with water and allowed them to boil until tender and the water was almost gone. I then put the apples into the food processor (yay for modern technology) and puréed them, then strained them into a bowl. I used my last seven orchard-picked apples today. If you're skipping this step, use approximately 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened applesauce per 2 cups of broth, wine, or almond milk.

I added the powder douce to the apple purée while hot and mixed it in, rather than cooking it in the liquid base. I omitted the saffron this round.

For each soup variation, I heated the liquid base with sugar or honey as appropriate (honey for "in need," sugar for flesh and fish days). I also added the "grease" — in this case, butter or olive oil — to the flesh and fish day recipes before stirring in the puréed and spiced apple. I cooked the mixtures together until they reduced to the consistency I wanted, then served them hot.

You might think these soups would be too thin and need a thickener, but I suspect that leaving the skins on allowed more pectin to remain with the soup. If your version seems too thin, period thickeners like breadcrumbs, rice flour, or egg yolks can help — just be sure to strain before serving for a smooth finish.

Similar Recipes

• MS Royal 12.C.xii (England/France, 1340): Poumes ammolee – Wine, eggs, wheat flour, and apples, thickened and sweetened.
• Ancient Cookery [Arundel 334] (England, 1425): Appeluns for a lorde – Apples boiled and puréed, with vernage wine, egg yolks, sugar, and rosewater.
• A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468): Appillinose – Apples with almond milk or broth, saffron, sugar, and spices.
• The Neapolitan Recipe Collection (Italy, 15th c.): Applesauce – Cooked apples, almond milk, rosewater, sugar, and spices, served thick.