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.

Poached Eggs in Sweet Ginger Sauce – Cj. Eyron en Poche (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430)

Poached Eggs in Sweet Ginger Sauce – Cj. Eyron en Poche (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430)

.Cj. Eyron en poche. - Eggs Poached

This is one of the first recipes I’ve found in Harleian MS. 279 (c.1430) that specifies to “poach” the food. Poaching is a moist-heat cooking method with ancient roots, mentioned as early as De Re Coquinaria and formalized further in cookbooks like Le Viandier de Taillevent. While poaching became popular in the 17th century, here we see it clearly practiced over a century earlier.

My grandmother taught me to poach eggs using a whirlpool method and a dash of vinegar to set the whites—exactly how I approached this recipe. The final dish is delicate and beautiful, the egg nestled in a sweet milk-thickened sauce with saffron and ginger. It looks like a fried egg but surprises with subtle sweetness and savory warmth. Ideal for a luncheon or medieval dayboard!

Opinions varied: one tester wanted it sweeter, another preferred savory, but I enjoyed the balance. I’m tempted to riff on it with cumin or mustard—more like Hennys in Gauncelye.

🍳 Medieval Breakfast Spotlight: Poached Eggs in Ginger Milk Sauce

This early 15th-century dish offers a delicate twist on breakfast eggs. Poached gently and served in a sweet milk sauce seasoned with ginger and saffron, it blends savory and sweet in a surprisingly modern way. Try it with toast soldiers or crisped manchet bread.

Original Text – Harleian MS 279

.Cj. Eyron en poche.
Take Eyroun, breke hem, an sethe hem in hot Water; þan take hem Vppe as hole as þou may; þan take flowre, an melle with Mylke, & caste þer-to Sugre or Hony, & a lytel pouder Gyngere, an boyle alle y-fere, & coloure with Safroun; an ley þin Eyroun in dysshys, & caste þe Sewe a-boue, & caste on pouder y-now. Blawnche pouder ys best.

Modern Translation

Take eggs, break them, and cook them in hot water; then take them up as whole as you may; mix flour with milk, add sugar or honey and a little ginger, and boil all together. Color with saffron. Lay your eggs in dishes and pour the sauce above. Sprinkle with white powder (blanche powder).

Interpreted Recipe (Serves 8)

For the Eggs

• 8 eggs
• Water
• 1 tbsp white vinegar

For the Sauce

• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tsp sugar or honey
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of saffron
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Poach eggs using your preferred method. I bring water to a boil, add vinegar, lower to a simmer, create a whirlpool, and gently drop in the egg. Turn off heat, cover, and let sit 5 minutes. Don’t touch it—trust me.
2. While the eggs cook, make a slurry with flour and milk. Whisk until smooth. Add remaining milk, sugar or honey, ginger, saffron, and bring to a simmer. Stir until thickened.
3. Place each poached egg in a dish and spoon sauce around. Finish with a dusting of white powder (optional).

Similar Recipe

Fourme of Curye [Rylands MS 7] (England, 1390):
.lxxxviij. Pochee. Tak ayroun & breke hem in scaldyng hote water, & whanne they ben soden ynowgh, take hem up, & tak yolkes of ayroun & rawe mylke & swyng hem to gyder, & do therto poudour ginger, safroun & salt...

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🍽 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 »

Venison in Broth with Frumenty – Harleian MS. 279 (c. 1430)

Venison in Broth with Frumenty (Harleian MS. 279, c. 1430)

Venyson in Broth with Furmenty

Historical Breakfast Note: While a bowl of frumenty—creamy, grain-based, and nourishing—would have been a familiar early meal in period, pairing it with venison makes this dish a bit more luxurious than the average medieval breakfast. Meat was often reserved for feast days, convalescents, or the noble class. Still, both components reflect the idea of “breaking the fast” in the morning: hearty grains to sustain the day, and warming broth for strength and comfort.

What is Frumenty?

Frumenty was a staple hot grain porridge—often served during feasts alongside meats like venison or fish. The word comes from Latin frumentum, meaning "grain." It can be considered a luxurious cousin to modern mashed potatoes or risotto—especially when enriched with milk and saffron.

I used Kamut, an ancient wheat variety with large, nutty grains. Its creamy texture after cooking made this a perfect historical choice. While some modern versions use Cream of Wheat, whole grains give far better results.

Original Recipe – Venyson with Furmenty

Take whete and pyke it clene, and do it in a morter, an caste a lytel water þer-on; an stampe with a pestel tyl it hole; þan fan owt þe holys, an put it in a potte, an let sethe tyl it breke; þan set yt douun, an sone after set it ouer þe fyre, an stere it wyl; an whan þow hast sothyn it wyl, put þer-inne swete mylke, an seþe it y-fere, an stere it wyl; and whan it is y-now, coloure it wyth safron, an salt it euene, and dresse it forth, & þin venyson in a-nother dyshe with fayre hot water.

Modern Redaction – Frumenty (Serves 8)

• 1 cup Kamut (soaked overnight)
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Pinch of saffron
• 1 cup milk (or almond milk)

Cook soaked Kamut with salt and saffron until water is absorbed. Stir in milk and cook until creamy.

Original Recipe – Venyson in Broth

Take Rybbys of Venysoun, and wasshe hem clene in fayre water, an strayne þe same water þorw a straynoure in-to a potte, an caste þer-to Venysoun, also Percely, Sawge, powder Pepyr, Clowys, Maces, Vynegre, and a lytyl Red wyne caste þere-to; an þanne latte it boyle tyl it be y-now, & serue forth.

Modern Redaction – Venison Broth (Serves 2–4)

• 1/4 lb venison (or stew beef)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves
• 1/8 tsp mace
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp red wine

Simmer all ingredients until the venison is tender and infused with spice. Great for roaster ovens or slow cookers.

Medieval Breakfast Spotlight: This savory pairing may have been served during late-morning meals or feast days. Frumenty offered sustaining grains while the spiced broth warmed the stomach—a noble start to a hardworking day.

Similar Dishes

• Beef y-Stywyd – Harleian MS. 279
• Frumenty with Purpaysse (porpoise) or salmon – see alternate versions in Harleian MS. 279

• 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 »

Tags: venison, frumenty, medieval breakfast, Harleian MS 279, grain dishes, noble table, historical food, kamut, medieval recipes 🍽 Explore More Medieval Breakfast Recipes:

Lyode Soppes – An Early Bread Pudding

Lyode Soppes – Early custard-style bread pudding

Lyode Sops

This is probably one of my very favorite breakfast recipes.

Dan Myers, of Medieval Cookery, once made a comment about the dish Boylede Creme, wondering how it might taste if bread were added. That thought inspired me to dig deeper into the history and origins of bread pudding. If you’re a medieval food enthusiast, a budding cook, or simply curious about what people ate in the Middle Ages, I strongly encourage a visit to his site—it's full of historical detail and beautifully interpreted recipes.

While researching bread pudding, I repeatedly came across the claim that it "probably originated in the early 11th or 12th centuries" and was invented by "frugal cooks looking to use up stale bread." Unfortunately, these often-cited facts were rarely backed up with strong historical sources. However, this recipe from “Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery Books” (Harleian MS. 279, ab. 1430) offers actual documentation of bread in custard well before most modern references begin.

Lyode Soppes is literally a sop of bread floating in a pool of beautifully thick and sweet custard. It’s also the last of the milk-based pottages I worked with that week, and I believe it may represent one of the earliest true recipes for what we would recognize as “bread pudding.”

What Makes This Dish Different?

Lyode Soppes lacks many of the elements we associate with modern bread pudding—there are no raisins, no cinnamon, no creamy baked texture, and notably, it’s not made in the oven at all. Instead, the star here is the custard. Like Papyns and Creme Boylede, the custard is made from milk and egg yolks, sweetened with sugar, and lightly salted before being thickened gently over heat.

Custards go way back. According to C. Anne Wilson, the Romans “borrowed from the Greeks the idea of combining eggs with milk to form a custard mixture... The ‘flathons’ (flans), ‘crustards’ and other open tarts of medieval cookery again recall the old ‘patinae,’ with the shallow open dish of the Romans replaced by an open pastry crust.”

Original Text

.xxix. Lyode Soppes.—Take Mylke an boyle it, an þanne take ȝolkys of eyroun y-tryid fro þe whyte, an draw hem þorwe A straynoure, an caste hem in-to þe mylke, an sette it on þe fyre an hete it, but let it nowt boyle; an stere it wyl tyl it be somwhat þikke; þenne caste þer-to Salt & Sugre, an kytte fayre paynemaynnys in round soppys, an caste þe soppys þer-on, an serue it forth for a potage.

Modern Translation

Take milk and bring it just to a boil. Separate egg yolks from the whites, pass the yolks through a strainer, and stir them into the hot milk. Return to the fire, but do not let it boil. Stir until thickened. Add salt and sugar. Cut fine white bread into rounds, place them in a dish, and pour the custard over. Serve as a pottage.

Interpreted Recipe (Serves 8)

• 6 cups milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 8 eggs or 16 egg yolks
• 1/2 to 1 cup sugar (to taste)
• 2 teaspoons salt (scant)
• 8 rounds of bread (I used Rastons)

Instructions

1. Mix the cream and milk in a large pot. Add sugar, salt, and eggs. Stir well.
2. Cook gently over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Do not boil.
3. Place 8 bread rounds into a large serving bowl or individual dishes.
4. Strain the thickened custard over the bread.
5. Let sit for 5–10 minutes to allow bread to absorb the custard. Serve warm.

Tasting Notes

I was unsure how this dish would be received by my bevy of taste testers, and they received it much better than I expected. There were a few surprised looks as they tested this dish. The general consensus: “It was good, but not something they would want to try again.” It’s unusual and might fall into the category of “too period to serve at feast.” I liked it—but I can say that it was not to everyone's taste. Use your best judgment.

Custards are fussy dishes that require your attention. I would serve this as a small luncheon or breakfast. To make it more familiar to modern palates, consider adding a bit of sweet powder before serving or garnishing with fruit.

Related Recipes

• Papyns – A Medieval Custard
• Creme Boylede
• Rastons – Medieval White Bread

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🍽 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 »

Rastons: A Medieval Pastry Disguised as Bread (Harleian MS 279)

Rastons: A Medieval Pastry Disguised as Bread

A loaf baked and sliced into “sops.”

This month I’m focusing on sops and pottages from Harleian MS 279. In medieval cuisine, sops were thick slices of bread soaked in broth and served at the start of a meal—think of the bread on top of French onion soup. Pottages were simple soups or stews, common fare for all classes, yet rarely highlighted in SCA feast menus.

To complement these dishes, I recreated a historical recipe for Rastons—a small, enriched round loaf found in 15th-century manuscripts. Traditionally, the top was cut from the bread like a crown, the crumb scooped and mixed with clarified butter, and then baked again. For my purposes, I simplified this process and sliced the loaf into sops instead.

Wondering how this fits into a medieval day? Rastons can be served in the early morning hours as a sop—bread meant to soak up warm broth, milk, or wine. Learn more in my post on What Did People Eat for Breakfast in the Middle Ages?

Original Recipe – Harleian MS 279:

.xxv. Rastons.—Take fayre Flowre, & the whyte of Eyroun, & the ȝolke, a lytel; þan take Warme Berme, & putte al þes to-gederys, & bete hem to-gederys with þin hond tyl it be schort & þikke y-now, & caste Sugre y-now þer-to, & þenne lat reste a whyle; þan kaste in a fayre place in þe oven, & late bake y-now; & þen with a knyf cutte yt round a-boue in maner of a crowne, & kepe þe cruste þat þou kyttyst; & þan pyke al þe cromys withynne to-gederys, an pike hem smal with þin knyf, & saue þe sydys & al þe cruste hole with-owte; & þan caste þer-in clarifiyd Boter, & Mille (mix) þe cromeȝ & þe botere to-gedereȝ, & keuere it a-ȝen with þe cruste, þat þou kyttest a-way; þan putte it in þe ovyn aȝen a lytil tyme; & þan take it out, & serue it forth.

Modern Interpretation by Dan Myers at Medieval Cookery:

Take fair flour, egg whites and a little yolk, warm barm (or yeast in ale), and beat them together until thick. Add sugar and let rest. Shape and bake. Cut a crown from the top, crumble the inside, mix with clarified butter, refill, replace crown, and bake again briefly. Serve warm.

My Adaptation:

• 3–4 cups flour (3:1 white to whole wheat)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup warm ale (Brown Barrel Bomber, bourbon barrel aged)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 packet dry yeast

To simulate ale barm, I dissolved dry yeast into warm ale. I then created a sponge by mixing ½ cup flour with the ale, sugar, and eggs, and allowed it to ferment for 20 minutes.

Sponge after proofing 20 minutes

I combined the sponge with the rest of the flour and kneaded it into a soft dough, which I shaped into a round loaf and allowed to rise until doubled. Then I baked it at 450°F for 20 minutes until hollow-sounding and golden.

Soft, tender crumb with a good crust—perfect for slicing into sops.

This bread—er, pastry—was a hit! The crust was crisp, the inside soft and flavorful from the ale. I preferred it even to my usual Manchet or French loaves.

Is Rastons Bread or Pastry?

Jim Chevallier, a noted food historian, points out that Rastons are not technically bread—the addition of eggs classifies them closer to pastry. The term “ratons” in French supports this classification. So while we often treat them like bread, they likely occupied a distinct place in medieval baking.

“CECI N'EST PAS UN PAIN... These were NOT breads. The recipe in question includes egg whites and yolks, reflecting the fact that a raton was a PASTRY.”

🔗 Related Links:

• Baronial 12th Night Feast Menu
• Medieval Cookery by Dan Myers

🍞 Curious About Medieval Bread?

If you’re wondering how Rastons compare to common breads of the Middle Ages, check out my earlier post: On the Making of Bread. It explores what everyday bread looked like, how it was made, and how Rastons fit into the broader medieval baking tradition.

Next Up: I’ll be using these Rastons in a series of posts about medieval sops and pottages. Stay tuned!

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🍽 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 »

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