Kitchen Adventures – Chardewardon - Pear Custard (Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430))

Chardewardon or Pear Custard

Chardewardon is one of several pear recipes that can be found in 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. It is quite simple to make and has the texture of a velvety applesauce when completed. One of my taste testers said it reminded him vaguely of pumpkin pie in texture and suggested that perhaps it would be delicious in a tart.  Several recipes published online have layered this dish with another medieval dish, snowe, which I imagine is very delicious as snowe resembles whipped cream flavored lightly with rose water. 

.xxxiv. Chardewardon.—Take Pere Wardonys, an sethe hem in Wyne or in fayre water; þan take an grynd in a morter, an drawe hem þorwe a straynoure wyth-owte ony lycoure, an put hem in a potte with Sugre and clarifiyd hony, an Canel y-now, an lete hem boyle; þan take it fro þe fyre, an let kele, an caste þer-to ȝolkys of Raw eyroun, tylle it be þikke; & caste þer-to pouder Gyngere y-now, an serue it in manere of Fysshe;*. [For Rys; see Douce MS. No. 53, and the end of this recipe. A. also reads fische. ] an ȝif if it be in lente, lef þe ȝolkys of Eyroun, & lat þe remenaunt boyle so longe tylle it be þikke, as þow it had be temperyd wyth þe ȝolkys, in þe maner of charde quynce; an so serue hem in maner of Rys.

xxxiv - Chardewardon. Take Pere Wardonys, an sethe hem in Wyne or in fayre water; than take an grynd in a morter, an drawe hem thorwe a straynoure wyth-owte ony lycoure, an put hem in a potte with Sugre and clarifiyd hony, an Canel y-now, an lete hem boyle; than take it fro the fyre, an let kele, an caste ther-to 3olkys of Raw eyroun, tylle it be thikke; and caste ther-to pouder Gyngere y-now, an serue it in manere of Fysshe; (Note: For Rys; see Douce MS. No. 53, and the end of this recipe. A. also reads fische) an 3if if it be in lente, lef the 3olkys of Eyroun, and lat the remenaunt boyle so longe tylle it be thikke, as thow it had be temperyd wyth the 3olkys, in the maner of charde quynce; an so serue hem in maner of Rys

34. Chardewardon. Take Warden Pears, and cook them in wine or in fair water; then take and grind in a mortar and draw them through a strainer without any liquid, and put them in a pot with sugar and clarified honey, and cinnamon enough, and let them boil: then take it from the fire and let cool, and caste there-to yolks of raw egg, till it be thick, and caste there-to powder ginger enough, and serve it in manner of fish [For rice: see Douce MS. No. 53, and the end of this recipe. A. also reads fish] and if it be in lent, leave the yolks of eggs, and let the remains boil so long until it be thick, as though tempered with the yolks, in the manner of charde quince, and so serve them in manner of Rys.

Interpreted Recipe                                                                                     Serves 1 as main, 2 as side

2 pears, peeled, cored, and cut into pieces
Water or wine to cover pears (I used water)
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. sugar
1 stick of cinnamon
1 egg or 2 egg yolks
1/4 tsp. ginger

Cook pears and the cinnamon together in enough water or wine to cover until soft. This is where you cheat--remove the cinnamon stick and place the pears into a food processor and process into a smooth paste. Strain the pears through a strainer into the pot--this is a crucial step to remove any large pieces of pear from the mixture. Place over a double boiler and add sugar, honey, cinnamon, let cook until sugar and honey have dissolved. Add egg yolks and ginger, and stir until the pears have thickened to the consistency of applesauce. Strain before serving.

There was a bit of a squabble amongst the taste testers when this dish made it to the table. It was declared "lick your plate" good and I was asked (well....begged would be a better term) to make more immediately when the last of it was eaten. I will be making this dish again in the future.

Similar Recipes

Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)

Chare de Wardone. Take peer Wardons, and seth hem in wine or water; And then take hem vppe, and grinde hem in a morter, and drawe hem thorgh a streynoure with the licour; (Note: Douce MS. with-out eny licour) And put hem in a potte with Sugur, or elle3 with clarefiede hony and canell ynowe, And lete hem boile; And then take hit from the fire, And lete kele, and caste there-to rawe yolkes of eyren, til hit be thik, and caste thereto powder of ginger ynowe; And serue hit forth in maner of Ryse. And if hit be in lenton tyme, leve the yolkes of eyren, And lete the remnaunt boyle so longe, til it be so thikk as though hit were y-tempered withyolkes of eyren, in maner as A man setheth charge de quyns; And then serue hit forth in maner of Rys.

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak chard wardene tak wardens and bak them in an oven then tak them out and paire them and grind them in a mortair and streyne them smothe throwghe a streyner then put them in an erthene pot and put ther to sugur till they be douced as ye think best and put ther to pouder of notmeggs guinger and granes and let the pouder be farcede put ther to powder of sanders tille it be coloured and stirr it with a pot stik and set yt on a soft fyere and let it boile till yt be stiff as leche lombard and ye put amydon or rise it is bettere and when it is cold lay it fair abrod in the coffyn and let it stond ij dais and ye liste strawe senymom upon it and a day aftur thebred is out of the ovene then set it ther in and it shalle en be hard and then ye shall mak chardquynce.

A modern interpretation of this recipe can be found at Dan Myer's website Medieval Cookery: Chardewardon

Kitchen Adventures – Perys en Composte - Pears in Compote (Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430))

Perys en Composte

There are several recipes in 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 which feature pears that have been stewed in wine, sweetened with sugar or honey, and flavored with cinnamon and other varied spices.  

I prepared this dish for the Coronation of Cadagan and AnnMarie approximately two weeks prior to the event. I canned it and kept it in the fridge.  This is an excellent dish which can be made ahead for any event. The longer the pears are kept the deeper the color of the wine they absorb and the fuller the flavor. This is on my "make again" list and will most likely end up being a go to dish prepared when pears are in season.

.xxxv. Perys en Composte.—Take Wyne an Canel, & a gret dele of Whyte Sugre, an set it on þe fyre & hete it hote, but let it nowt boyle, an draw it þorwe a straynoure; þan take fayre Datys, an pyke owt þe stonys, an leche hem alle þinne, an caste þer-to; þanne take Wardonys, an pare hem and sethe hem an leche hem alle þinne, & caste þer-to in-to þe Syryppe: þanne take a lytil Sawnderys, and caste þer-to, an sette it on þe fyre; an ȝif þow hast charde quynce, caste þer-to in þe boyling, an loke þat it stonde wyl with Sugre, an wyl lyid wyth Canel, an caste Salt þer-to, an let it boyle; an þan caste yt on a treen vessel, & lat it kele, & serue forth.

xxxv - Perys en Composte. Take Wyne an Canel, and a gret dele of Whyte Sugre, an set it on the fyre and hete it hote, but let it nowt boyle, an draw it thorwe a straynoure; than take fayre Datys, an pyke owt the stonys, an leche hem alle thinne, an caste ther-to; thanne take Wardonys, an pare hem and sethe hem, an leche hem alle thinne, and caste ther-to in-to the Syryppe: thanne take a lytil Sawnderys, and caste ther-to, an sette it on the fyre; an 3if thow hast charde quynce, caste ther-to in the boyling, an loke that it stonde wyl with Sugre, an wyl lyid wyth Canel, an caste Salt ther-to, an let it boyle; an than caste yt on a treen vessel, and lat it kele, and serue forth [correction; sic = f].

35 - Pears in Compost. - Take wine and cinnamon, and a great deal of white sugar, and set it on the fire and heat it hot, but let it not boil, and draw it through a strainer; then take fair dates, and pick out the stones, and slice them all thin, and cast there-to; then take Wardens (pears), and pare them and boil them, and slice them all thin, and caste there-to into the syrup; then take a little sandalwood, and caste thereto, and set it on the fire, and if you have charde-quince, caste there-to in the boiling, and look that it stand well with sugar, and well-seasoned (lyid) with cinnamon, and caste salt there-to, and let it boil; and then cast it on a wooden vessel, and let it cool and serve forth.

Interpreted Recipe                                                                            Serves 1 as main, 2 as side

1 pear, peeled, cored and cut in slices
1 cup wine
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup sugar
2 dates cut in 8ths
Sandalwood - Optional (I didn't use)
Pinch salt

If you are choosing to use the sandalwood to color your wine, heat it and the wine together in a pot along with the cinnamon and sugar.  Do not let it boil.  Let the sandalwood steep in the wine until the desired color is reached and then strain. I used a red wine, so chose not to do this step. Meanwhile peel, core and slice your pear into 8 slices, along with your dates.  Strain the wine, and return it to the pot adding a pinch of salt, pears and dates.  Bring to a boil and cook until the pears have softened.  I returned the cinnamon stick to the pot and cooked it with the pears. 

Similar Recipes

Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)

Peris in compost. Take Wyne, canell, And a grete dele of white Sugur, And sette hit ouer the fire, And hete hit but a litull, and no3t boyle; And drawe hit thorgh a streynour; And then take faire dates, and y-take oute the stones, and leche hem in faire gobettes al thyn, and cast there-to; And then take pere Wardones, and pare hem, And seth hem, And leche hem in faire gobettes, and pike oute the core, and cast hem to the Syryppe; And take a litull Saundres, and caste there-to in the boylyng, And loke that hit stonde well, with Gynger, Sugur, And well aley hit with canell, and cast salt thereto, and lete boyle; And then caste it oute in a treyn (Note: treyne is treen, wooden) vesse [correction; sic = MS. vesselle vesselle] ll, And lete kele; And then pare clene rasinges (Note: shavings, parings) of ginger, and temper hem ij. or iij. daies, in wyne, And after, ley hem in clarefied hony colde, all a day or a night; And then take the rasons4 oute of the hony, And caste hem to theperes in composte; And then serue hit forth with sirippe, all colde, And nought hote.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (England, 1460)

Perys in composte. Take wyn & a grete dele of canell with sygure set hit on the fyre lat hit not boylyng draw hit thorow a streynour leche datys thyn & do ther to in a panne or in a pott aley hem with chard quyns & salt loke hit be doucet & chargeaunt do hit out of that vessell in to a trene vessell & let it kele pare smal reysons take trydd gyngour paryd & temper hym ij days or iij in wyne & aftyr ward ley hym in claryfyd hony cold a day and nexte than take the reysons out of the hony & cast ther to perys in composte & serve hit forth with the syrip al cold.

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak peres in composte tak a good quantite of canelle and sugur and set it on the fyer to boile and draw yt throughe a stren then lesk dates thyn and put them ther to in a pot and boille wardens and pair them and put them in the ceripe put ther to sanders and boile them and alay them up with chardwins and salt it and mak yt doucet and chargaunt and put it out of the vesselle in to a treene vesselle and let it boille then pare smalle raisins and tried guinger and temper it ij dais or ij nyghtes with wyne then lay it in clarified hony cold a day and nyght then tak the raisins out of the hony and cast ther to peres in composte and serue it furthe with a cold ceripe.

Kitchen Adventures – Rede Rose - Rose Custard (Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430))

Rede Rose: A Medieval Rose Custard

This recipe is drawn from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, where flowers were often featured in sweet pottages, thickened with rice flour or egg yolk, and flavored with almond milk. This interpretation of “Cxxvj. Rede Rose” results in a custard that's velvety, floral, and deeply rooted in medieval dining tradition.

Original:
.Cxxvj. Rede Rose.—Take þe same, saue a-lye it with þe ȝolkys of eyroun, & forþer-more as vyolet.

Modern Interpretation (8 servings):

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup or more rose petals (culinary, unsprayed)
• 3 egg yolks
• 1–2 tbsp sugar

Blend all ingredients briefly to break up the petals. Cook gently over a double boiler until thickened. Chill or serve warm.

Kitchen Notes:
I cheated quite a bit with this recipe. I placed the almond milk, egg yolks, rose petals and sugar into the blender and pulsed for a few seconds, just enough to break up the petals. I then poured the mixture into a double boiler and cooked until it became thick. I garnished this with a red rose before serving.

Three taste testers and I fought with spoons for this custard—velvety, sweet, and just a hint of roses. I wish the picture would have done it more justice. The bits of rose petal floating in the custard were beautiful. It couldn't have been simpler to make, requiring only a watchful eye on the custard once it started to thicken. This would be very lovely as a dessert dish at an event, or, if not thickened completely, as a boiled cream to be poured over berries and served. Definitely on the "must serve" at feast list.

Historical Context

Recipes similar to Rede Rose appear across medieval texts:

• Forme of Cury (1390): Almond milk, rose petals, rice flour, sugar, spices, and dates.
• Liber cure cocorum (1430): With meat, alkanet or sandalwood coloring, and almond milk.
• A Noble Boke off Cookry (1468): A broth of almond and primrose flowers, seasoned with saffron and shaped into standing pottage.

Medicinal & Culinary Notes

Rose petals were prized for their cooling, moist properties. In Paradisi in Sole (1629), John Parkinson writes:

“The chiefest flower for beauty, smell and use... the conserve of the red rose is of much use among the gentlewomen.”

Related Dishes in the Manuscript

• Cviij. Prymerose – Rice flour, primrose flowers, almond milk, saffron, and ginger
• Cxxvij. Prymerose – Made “as vyolet”
• Cxxviij. Flowrys of Hawþorn – Also “as vyolet”

Additional Resource: Medieval Edible Flowers Table

Agnes deLanvallei’s 2005 chart (archived) outlines common medieval flowers considered safe and culinary. Especially useful for SCA cooks and gardeners.

Common Name	Scientific Name	Family	Notes / Uses
Borage	Borago officinalis	Boraginaceae	Raw or cooked flowers & leaves; uplifting
Calendula	Calendula officinalis	Asteraceae	Used in broths, as coloring
Carnation / Gillyflower	Dianthus spp.	Caryophyllaceae	Fragrant edible petals
Lavender	Lavandula officinalis	Lamiaceae	Used in syrups, conserves
Rose	Rosa spp.	Rosaceae	Petals used in custards and preserves
Violet	Viola odorata	Violaceae	Delicate, fragrant; great in possets

Source: Agnes deLanvallei, “Medieval Herbs We Grow Chiefly as Flowers” (archived 2016) — View original table

🌼 See Also: Flavors of the Flower: 5 Medieval Recipes Using Edible Blooms

Kitchen Adventures – Pumpes - Meatballs in Almond Milk (Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430))

Pumpes - Meatballs in Almond Milk

Here is another meatball 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.  This is very pretty to look at, but without salt or pepper the dish is a bit on the bland side.  My guess is that the majority of the seasoning would come from whatever seasonings might have been used in the pork when it was cooked.  I used ground raw pork to make the meatballs, and would highly suggest that you add additional seasoning then just clove and mace (I did).  

.Cxxxviij. Pumpes.—Take an sethe a gode gobet of Porke, & noȝt to lene, as tendyr as þou may; þan take hem vppe & choppe hem as smal as þou may; þan take clowes & Maces, & choppe forth with-alle, & Also choppe forth with Roysonys of coraunce; þan take hem & rolle hem as round as þou may, lyke to smale pelettys, a .ij. inches a-bowte, þan ley hem on a dysshe be hem selue; þan make a gode Almaunde mylke, & a lye it with floure of Rys, & lat it boyle wyl, but loke þat it be clene rennyng; & at þe dressoure, ley .v. pompys in a dysshe, & pore þin potage þer-on. An ȝif þou wolt, sette on euery pompe a flos campy*. [? field-flower. ] flour, & a-boue straw on Sugre y-now, & Maces: & serue hem forth. And sum men make þe pellettys of vele or Beeff, but porke ys beste & fayrest.

Cxxxviij - Pumpes. Take an sethe a gode gobet of Porke, and no3t to lene, as tendyr as thou may; than take hem vppe and choppe hem as smal as thou may; than take clowes and Maces, and choppe forth with-alle, and Also choppe forth with Roysonys of coraunce; than take hem and rolle hem as round as thou may, lyke to smale pelettys, a .ij. inches a-bowte, than ley hem on a dysshe be hem selue; than make a gode Almaunde mylke, and a lye it with floure of Rys, and lat it boyle wyl, but loke that it be clene rennyng; and at the dressoure, ley .v. pompys in a dysshe, and pore thin potage ther-on. An 3if thou wolt, sette on euery pompe a flos campy (Note: ? field-flower) flour, and a-boue straw on Sugre y-now, and Maces: and serue hem forth. And sum men make the pellettys of vele or Beeff, but porkeys beste and fayrest.

38. Pumpes - Take and boil a good piece of pork, and not to lean, as tender as you may; then take them up and chop them as small as you may; then take cloves and maces, and chop forth with all, and also chop forth with raisins of Corance; then take them and roll them as round as you may, like to small pellets, a 2 inches about, then lay them on a dish by themselves; then make a good almond milk, and mix it with flour of rice, and let it boil well but look that it be clean running; and when you go to serve lay five meatballs in a dish and pour your broth thereon. And if you will, set on every meatball a field flower (wild campion - a small red flower), and above strew on sugar enough and maces; and serve them forth.  And some men make the pellets of veal or beef, but pork best and fairest.

The Middle English Dictionary, Volume 6 by Hans Kurath defines the flos campy flour as "a special flour and hath that name for he groweth by himself in places that be nought tilled...and is a litil flour with a small talk and the flour is reed as blood." 

Interpreted Recipe Serves                                                                                1 as main, 2 as side

1/4 pound ground pork
1/8 tsp. clove and mace
1 tbsp. raisins
1 c. almond milk
2 tbsp. rice flour
Small red flowers (I used red dianthus (known as clove gillyflower in period))
Pinch of sugar and mace to garnish

Mix together pork, clove, mace, raisins (and any additional seasoning you may wish), and then shape the meat into a ball. I did add an egg to bind it together. Drop the meatballs into a pan of cool water and bring to boil. Cook until they are cooked thoroughly. While the meatballs are cooking bring the almond milk and rice to boil and let thicken. I like thicker gravy, so I made this with 2 tbsp. of rice flour. When the milk has thickened and the meatballs are cooked, place them into a bowl and garnish with small red flowers. Before serving sprinkle with a pinch of sugar and mace. The flowers will wilt very quickly so do not place them until you are ready to serve the dish.

As I stated above, this was a very bland dish, additional seasoning is required, at the very least salt and pepper to make it better for the modern pallet. This would have been very good if the same seasoning that had been used in the lvj. Poumes recipe had been used. As written, this was one of the more disappointing, albeit pretty dishes that I have made to date. I would very much like to hear if someone else tries this, what seasonings they may have used. I will most likely try this again, using the same seasoning mix as Poumes. This was such an easy and simple dish to prepare that I would like to see it at a future feast.

Similar Recipes:

153. Pumpes - Take beef, pork or veal, one of them and raw, all together chop it then grind them in a mortar as small as you may, then cast thereto raw yolks of eggs, wine, and a little white sugar: caste also thereto powder pepper and mace, cloves, cubebs, powder cinnamon and salt and a little saffron; then take and make small pellets round enough, and look that you have a fair pot of fresh broth of beef or of capon and ever throw them thereon and let them seethe till they be enough; then take and draw up a thrifty milk of almonds, with cold fresh broth of beef, veal, mutton or capon, and thicken it with rice flour and with spices; and at the table, lay the pellets five or six in a dish and then pour the syrup on it and serve it, or else, make a good syrup and lay the pellet thereon and good service

Pumpes - Dan Myers' Recipe at Medieval Cookery