Baronial 12th Night - Brawn with Mustard- Pork with Mustard The good husvvifes ievvell, 1587

Brawn with Mustard- pork with mustard The good husvvifes ievvell, 1587

To sowce a Pigge. TAke white Wine and a litle sweete broth, and halfe a score Nutmegs cut in quarters, then take Rosemarie, Baies,Time, and sweete margerum, and let them boyle altogether, skum them verie cleane, and when they be boyled, put them into an earthen pan, and the syrop also, and when yee serue them, a quarter in a dish, and the Bayes, and nutmegs on the top.

To Souse (pickle) a Pig. - Take white wine and a little sweet broth, and half a score nutmegs cut in quarters, then take rosemary, bay, thyme and sweet marjoram, and let them boil together, and skim them verie clean, and when they are boiled, put them into an earthen pan, and the syrup also, and when you serve them, a quarter in a dish, and the bay and nutmeg on the top. 

Interesting note: A score is 20, so the recipe above called for ten quartered nutmegs!

To Pickle Pork

2 cups water
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tbsp. sugar

I combined a couple of different recipes to create the pork dish that I served. Because I knew I wasn't going to use the wine I prepared a brine to pickle the pork before cooking it. I created a very basic brine by heating all of the ingredients below, adding about a cup full of ice to quickly cool it and then putting it and the pork which I had sliced into pieces into ziplock bags and placing them in the fridge for about 24 hours. This created a very light pickle on the pork. I have also done this in the past using a combination of the spices called for David Friedman's "Lord's Salt" recipe (it's delicious).

Brawn with Mustard

1 ½ to 2 pounds pork (I used shoulder roast with bone in)
2 cups dry white wine (I subbed chicken stock and ginger ale)
Fresh Rosemary, thyme and marjoram (ok, another confession--I used a 3/4 ounce package of thyme, rosemary and parsley mix, putting the parsley in the beef, and the rosemary and thyme in the pork and then added about 2 tsp. dried marjoram)
4 fresh bay leaves
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ tsp. salt

Rinse the pork very well after you have brined it. Place the pork in the pot with the remainder of the ingredients. You may even wish to forego the salt because the pork should be plenty salty already, and cook until tender. I froze this and then thawed and warmed it the day of the event, and serve it with my favorite mustard (slightly out of period).

To Make Mustard of Dijon The Accomplisht Cook, Robert May

The seed being cleansed, stamp it in a mortar, with vinegar and honey, then take eight ounces of seed, two ounces of cinnamon, two of hone, and vinegar as much will serve, good mustard not too think, and keep it close covered in little oyster barrels.

To Make Mustard

1 cup mustard seeds
1 ½ cups mustard powder
¼ cup cinnamon
¼ cup honey
½ cup vinegar
1 ½ cups water

Grind the mustard seeds for a few seconds in a spice or coffee grinder, or by hand if you wish using a mortar and pestle just enough to crack. Pour the seeds, mustard powder, honey and cinnamon into a bowl and then add cold vinegar and water. Wait at least 12 hours before using.

What I have learned with this particular mustard is that you really need to make it long before you plan to serve it. The longer it sits, the better it gets, so this is one of the first things I made for the event after I made the sugar candies. It sat for about two weeks prior to the event in my fridge with a post-it note advising anyone who thought about using it they would be in trouble. To be honest, I've made it once and have since purchased stone ground mustard and a whole grain mustard and mixed them together, adding the honey and the cinnamon to them.

Baronial 12th Night - Beef-y-stewed –Stewed Beef Harl. MS 279, 1430

              

 

.vj. Beef y-Stywyd.—Take fayre beef of þe rybbys of þe fore quarterys, an smyte in fayre pecys, an wasche þe beef in-to a fayre potte; þan take þe water þat þe beef was soþin yn, an strayne it þorw a straynowr, an sethe þe same water and beef in a potte, an let hem boyle to-gederys; þan take canel, clowes, maces, graynys of parise, quibibes, and oynons y-mynced, perceli, an sawge, an caste þer-to, an let hem boyle to-gederys; an þan take a lof of brede, an stepe it with brothe an venegre, an þan draw it þorw a straynoure, and let it be stylle; an whan it is nere y-now, caste þe lycour þer-to, but nowt to moche, an þan let boyle onys, an cast safroun þer-to a quantyte; þan take salt an venegre, and cast þer-to, an loke þat it be poynaunt y-now, & serue forth.

6. Beef Stewed - Take fair beef of the ribs of the fore quarters, and chop (smite) in fair pieces, and wash the beef into a fair pot; then take the water that the beef was washed (sothin) in, and strain it through a strainer, and set the same water and beef in a pot, and let them boil together; then take cinnamon, cloves, mace, grains of paradise, cubebs, and onions minced, parsley and sage, and cast thereto and let them boil together; and then take a loaf of bread, and steep it with broth and vinegar, and then draw it through a strainer, and let it be still; and when it is near enough, cast the liquor thereto, but not too much, and then let boil once, and cast saffron thereto a quantity; then take salt and vinegar and cast thereto, and look that it be sharp (sour) enough, and serve forth.

To Make Stock

Making your own stocks are very cost effective for feasts, so save your bones and your scraps of veggies! Just toss them in a ziplock bag in the freezer until you have enough to make a good stock. Make your stock and can or freeze until needed.

There are two separate ways to make stock. The first is on the stove top/slow cooker and the second is in your oven. I made the chicken and pork stock on the stove top and the beef stock in the oven. For any stock you will need: bones (preferably some with meat) if you are making a meat based stock, vegetables, aromatics, water and time--lots and lots of time.

A good stock will -always- start with cold water. During the initial boiling of the stock--skim, skim, skim. You want to remove any and all impurities that come to the surface. After the initial boiling, lower your temperature to a simmer and *never, ever!* stir the stock. Your stock should be clear and richly colored. A really good meat stock will convert to a gelatin when cold. This happens because the collagin in the bones dissolves which can only happen during a very long simmering process. If you are in a hurry, you can make a good broth, but you cannot make a good stock. A good stock has a deep, well developed flavor that is imparted through the aromatics and vegetables. I prefer to roast my bones before making any meat stock which adds an additional flavor component. If you are making a vegetable stock be sure to include mushrooms, tomatoes (if not cooking period), nori etc.--do not skip this. These vegetables create "umami", a savory or meaty flavor to your stock which is very much needed in vegetable stock.

To make the beef stock for the beef y-stewed I coated approximately 4 pounds of bones with a little bit of oil, salt and pepper and roasted in a 400 degree oven until they were brown. I used rib bones that I found on sale, along with a handful of marrow bones in addition to bones I had saved up.

My basic veggie blend for any stock includes a couple of carrots, celery and onions. I also use parsley, rosemary, thyme, bay and black pepper to the stock. If I have it, I add garlic. Wash your vegetables, roughly chop and make a bed of them for your roasted bones. A good rule of thumb to remember is that for every pound of bones you will need approximately 2 quarts of water. When making stock, be sure that the bones are covered by at least an inch. Add your aromatics, bring to a boil, skim off the scum and then lower the heat and simmer. Simmer times vary but I prefer about five hours for most stocks. Use your best judgment. If you are going to cook your stock in the oven, turn the heat down to about 275 degrees and let simmer over night.

Once you have finished cooking your stock, strain it at least once to make sure that you are removing all the bits. I do this by lining a wire strainer with a piece of muslin and pouring the stock through it. Allow your stock to cool overnight. Once my stock has cooled I remove the fat, reheat and strain it once again just to make sure that it is very clear.

.vj. Beef y-Stywyd.—Take fayre beef of þe rybbys of þe fore quarterys, an smyte in fayre pecys, an wasche þe beef in-to a fayre potte; þan take þe water þat þe beef was soþin yn, an strayne it þorw a straynowr, an sethe þe same water and beef in a potte, an let hem boyle to-gederys; þan take canel, clowes, maces, graynys of parise, quibibes, and oynons y-mynced, perceli, an sawge, an caste þer-to, an let hem boyle to-gederys; an þan take a lof of brede, an stepe it with brothe an venegre, an þan draw it þorw a straynoure, and let it be stylle; an whan it is nere y-now, caste þe lycour þer-to, but nowt to moche, an þan let boyle onys, an cast safroun þer-to a quantyte; þan take salt an venegre, and cast þer-to, an loke þat it be poynaunt y-now, & serue forth.


6. Beef Stewed - Take fair beef of the ribs of the fore quarters, and chop (smite) in fair pieces, and wash the beef into a fair pot; then take the water that the beef was washed (sothin) in, and strain it through a strainer, and set the same water and beef in a pot, and let them boil together; then take cinnamon, cloves, mace, grains of paradise, cubebs, and onions minced, parsley and sage, and cast thereto and let them boil together; and then take a loaf of bread, and steep it with broth and vinegar, and then draw it through a strainer, and let it be still; and when it is near enough, cast the liquor thereto, but not too much, and then let boil once, and cast saffron thereto a quantity; then take salt and vinegar and cast thereto, and look that it be sharp (sour) enough, and serve forth.


Beef-y-stewed –stewed beef Harl. MS 279, 1430

2 pounds stew beef
6 cups stock (you can sub plain water, water w/beef bouillon cubes, or broth)
1/2 tsp. each cinnamon and mace
1/4 tsp. each clove, cubebs and grains of paradise
1 bag pearl onions, or, one medium onion sliced
1 tbsp. parsley
1/2 tbsp. dried sage
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
pinch of saffron
1 tsp. salt or to taste
1/4 tsp. pepper or poudre forte
1/2 to 1 cup breadcrumbs depending on preference

Place onions in a pot and bring to a boil, let them cook approximately five minutes or until they start to become transparent and then drain. Place remainder of ingredients with the exception of the bread crumbs into your pot along with your onions and cook until the beef is tender, approximately an hour. Spoon out about 2 cups of broth, add them to your bread crumbs (I have a confession to make, I honestly have no idea how much broth I added to the bread crumbs, I wanted to make it juicy enough--so 2 cups is a guess), place in the food processor and pulse or grind until you make a slurry. Return this mixture back to your stew and cook until mixture has thickened.

As an alternative and in deference to modern tastes, you could flour and season your beef ahead of time and cook in oil before stewing.

Baronial 12th Night Recipes - Rastons Harl. MS 279, 1430

Rastons? Is it a bread or a pastry? My most educated guess is "yes"-- all breads are a kind of pastry, but not all pastries are bread.  There have been several very lively discussions about this particular bit of history and whether or not the end product constitutes a pastry or a bread. 

This particular recipe takes flour and eggs, mixes it with a leavening agent ( þan take Warme Berme), and then instructs you to let it rest ( & þenne lat reste a whyle), the end result being a product that is not unlike modern day bread. 

I will leave it to you to continue the debate. 

Rastons Harl. MS 279, 1430 

.xxv. Rastons.—Take fayre Flowre, & þe whyte of Eyroun, & þe 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*. [melle A. (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 fortℏ.

25. Rastons- take fair flour, and the white of eggs, and the yolk, a little; then take Warm Barm, and put all these together, and beat them thereto, and then let rest a while: then caste in a fair place in the oven, and let bake enough: and then with a knife cut it round above in the manner of a crown, and keep the crust that thou cut; & then pick all the crumbs within together, and pick them small with thine knife, and save the sides and all the crust whole without; and then cast therein clarified butter and mix the crumbs and butter together, and cover it again with the crust, that thou cuttest away; then put in the oven again a little time; and then take it out and serve it forth.

Rastons

1 cup lukewarm milk

1 cup lukewarm water

1 egg beaten
1 tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. Yeast (not quick acting)

Bread Flour

This recipe creates a great loaf of bread that can be frozen. I replaced the ale called for in the original recipe with milk and water. I also chose to use unbleached bread flour instead of a mixture of white/wheat I had used previously. I had originally meant to freeze the dough and cook the bread on site day of. Research indicated that in order to freeze dough you needed to increase the amount of yeast to compensate for the yeast that would die during the freezing process, so I also increased the amount of yeast. Also, due to a bought of "foggy head syndrome" I forgot to add the salt to the tweaked recipe, ergo, no salt. If you prefer sweeter bread, no salt is needed, however, if you prefer your bread not so sweet, be sure to add salt to the dough.

I wish I had gotten pictures of this bread--it was beautiful. The recipe above creates two round loaves of soft crusted bread with a good crumb.

Heat milk and water to just above body temperature. While your water and milk are heating mix yeast and sugar with 1 cup flour. Beat egg. Add the warmed water and milk to the flour and yeast and then add beaten egg. Cover and set aside at least 20 minutes. When you return the sponge should be frothy and bubbly.

Slowly add in flour until a soft dough is formed. Shape the dough into rounds and place on your baking sheet. I usually use a little bit of oil to stick parchment paper to the pan, and then dust with a handful of flour so the bread does not stick. Cover the loaves and allow to sit until doubled in size. Spray the loaves with cooking spray if you want a browner crust, otherwise, place into a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. Or until crust is golden and bread sounds hollow when thumped.


At this point you can freeze the loaf or serve. If you wish to serve according to the instructions, cut off the top of the loaf and scoop out the crumb, like you would if you were creating a bread bowl. Mince the crumb of the bread, mix with clarified butter, replace the top and set the loaf back into the oven for several minutes before serving.

Baronial 12th Night - Let Lardes – hard custard flavored with herbs cooked in bacon grease Harl. MS 4016, 1450

Delicious appetizers on the table featuring black olives, let lardes, capers, mortrews of pork & chicken, green olives, caperberries and mortrews of fish

Let Lardes – hard custard flavored with herbs cooked in bacon grease Harl. MS 4016, 1450

Letlardes. - Take mylke scalding hote; And take eyren̄, the yolkes and the white, and drawe hem thorgh a streynour, and caste to þe mylke; And þen̄ drawe þe iuce of herbes, whicℏ that þou wiƚƚ, so þat þey ben̄ goode, and drawe hem thorgh a streynour. And whan̄ the mylke bigynnetℏ to crudde, caste þe Iuce thereto, if þou wilt haue it grene; And if þou wilt haue it rede, take Saundres, and cast to þe mylke whan̄ it croddeth, and leue þe herbes; And if þou wilt haue hit yelowe, take Saffron̄, and caste to þe mylke whan̄ hit cruddetℏ, and leve þe Saundres; And if þou wilt haue it of al þes colours, take a potte with mylke & Iuse of herbes, and anoþer potte witℏ mylke and saffron̄; And anoþer [folio 18b.] potte with mylke and saundres, and put hem al in a lynnen̄ cloþe, and presse hem al togidur; And if þou wilt haue it of one colour, take but one clotℏ,*. [Douce MS. of these. ] and streyne it in a clotℏ in þe same maner, and bete on̄ þe clothe witℏ a ladeƚƚ or a Skymour, to make sad or*. [Douce MS. and.] flatte; and leche it faire with a knyfe, and fry the leches in a pan̄ witℏ a lituƚƚ fressℏ grece; And take a lituƚƚ, and put hit in a dissℏ, and serue it forth.

.xxix. Milke Rostys.—Take swete Mylke, an do it in a panne; take Eyroun with alle þe whyte, & swenge hem, & caste þer-to; colour it with Safroun, & boyle it so þat it wexe þikke; þan draw it þorw a straynoure, & nym that leuyth,*. [Take what remains. ] & presse it: & whan it is cold, larde it, & schere on schevres,*. [Shivers; thin strips. ] & roste it on a Gredelle, & serue forth [supplied by ed.] .

Let Lardes

2 cups whole milk
3 eggs beaten
bacon fat or lard or butter
opt: saffron (to color yellow), fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley etc.)

Heat milk to scalding in a double broiler, or directly on the stove being careful not to burn. Add your coloring agents or herbs at this point. I added saffron. Beat the eggs and add them all at once to the hot milk. Stir and heat until mixture begins to boil, reduce heat and continue to stir until all of the curd has separated from the whey (liquid will appear watery). Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool.

Line a large strainer with cheesecloth (I use muslin) and strain the curds overnight if possible, otherwise till dripping has stopped. Press on your curds to try to make them as dry as possible. Weight your curds, overnight if possible, if not for several hours. Slice into 1/4" slices.

Heat the bacon fat (butter or lard) in a frying pan and fry the slices until browned on both sides. Serve hot.

Note: I served these at room temperature and they were delicious. In deference to modern taste I sprinkled with a little bit of salt.