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fruit-pies-msg - 10/10/08

 

Period fruit pies. Recipes. Baking pies.

 

NOTE: See also the files: pies-msg, meat-pies-msg, fruits-msg, apples-msg, fruit-pears-msg, fruit-quinces-msg, pastries-msg, tarts-msg, figs-msg, berries-msg.

 

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NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I  have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I  have done  a limited amount  of  editing. Messages having to do  with separate topics  were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the  message IDs  were removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make  no claims  as  to the accuracy  of  the information  given by the individual authors.

 

Please  respect the time  and  efforts of  those who have written  these messages. The  copyright status  of these messages  is  unclear at this time. If  information  is  published  from  these  messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

 

Thank you,

    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous

                                          Stefan at florilegium.org

************************************************************************

 

From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>

Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 15:27:55 -0700 (PDT)

Subject: Re: SC - Roasted apples!

 

At 8:48 AM +0000 5/26/97, Jessica Tiffin wrote:

>I've just tracked down and devoured a copy of the Goodman of Paris

>(wonderful stuff).  He refers to "roasted apples" in many of his

>feast menus.  I'm assuming that this is a standard sort of baked

>apple - would anyone know precisely how they were cooked in period?

>

>Melesine

 

There is a recipe for baked quinces in Chiquart's cookbook (15th c. French,

as opposed to the Goodman's late 14th c.) and roughly the same recipe for

quinces or pears ("wardons") in Two Fifteenth Century Cookery Books

(English).  You have a bottom crust, core your quinces or whatever from the

top without breaking through the bottom, put them on the crust, fill with

sugar (and in the English, ginger; or honey with pepper and ginger) and put

on a top crust.  Bake.  Very good, but the pie looks decidedly lumpy.

 

Elizabeth

 

 

Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 07:38:35 -0500

From: dangilsp at intrepid.net (Dan Gillespie)

Subject: SC - Apricot pie-IP recipe

 

Cap lxxxiij De tortada de orejones.

 

Una tortada grande y buena de orejones, ha de llevar una libra, los quales

se lavaran con agua calie(n)te, y despues de bien lavados, echalos en un

cao, co(n) una libra de aucar; ha se de dexar un poco para encima, y se

les echara un poco de vino blanco, y canela, y sazonala, y pondraslo a la

lumbre; de suerte que no se queme, porque ellos de suyo son bla(n)dos, y

estando conservados, se quitaran, y po(n)dranse en la tortada, y se les

echara aucar, y canela por encima; despues de bie(n) conservados tambien se

les puede echar miel en lugar al aucar; pero ha de ser buena, y se pondran

en la tortada coziendo a poca lumbre, porque todas las cosas dulces se

queman facilmente.

 

Chap 83 On a pie of dry apricot or peach halves

 

A large & good pie of dry apricots, bring a pound of them, those which are

washed with hot water, & after they are well washed, cast them in a pot,

with a pound of sugar; leave a little for on top, & cast to them

white wine, & cinnamon, & season it, & set it on the fire; be sure that it

does not burn, because they are delicate, & being conserved, remove them & &

put them in the pie, & cast to them sugar & cinnamon on top; after they are

well conserved you also may cast honey in place on the sugar; but let it be

good, & put the

pie cooking on a small fire, because all the sweet dishes burn easily.

 

Apricot Pie

 

- -12 oz package of dry apricots

- -12 oz white sugar, or 1.5 cups

- -1 c. white wine (red or rose also works fine)

- -1 tsp cinnamon

- -1 tsp ginger

- -a double crust pie pastry

 

Cut the apricots in half to make thin halves.  Cover them with boiling water

& let them soak for 10 minutes.  LEt them drain.  Put the sugar, wine &

spices in a heavy pan on medium high heat.  Let this boil & reduce heat to

medium.  Add the apricots & cook 30 minutes, or so. The fruit should look a

bit translucent & the syrup should be reduced & thickened.  Roll out the pie

dough & put all the fruit & as much of the syrup in the pie shell as looks

right to you.  YOu don't want the excess syrup to bubble out of the shell &

burn in the oven.  Cover with top layer of pie dough. Sprinkle sugar &

cinnamon on top.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes & reduce the heat to

325 for 30 minutes or til pastry looks golden brown.  I sometimes make

cookie cut-outs of the extra dough & put them on top for decoration.

 

Dan Gillespie

dangilsp at intrepid.net

 

 

Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 22:20:48 EDT

From: LrdRas at aol.com

Subject: SC - Tartys in Applis-NEW recipe-enjoy

 

This recipe would be good for a vegeterian or fast day feast also    It is

recommended for experienced cooks.

 

                          *  Exported from  MasterCook  *

 

                      Tartys in Applis (Apple Tarts)

 

Recipe By     : L. J. Spencer, Jr. (copywrite 1998)

Serving Size  : 8    Preparation Time :0:00

Categories    : English                          Fruit

                Pies & Pastry

 

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method

- --------  ------------  --------------------------------

   3                    apples, peeled -- cored, chopped fine

   2                    pears, peeled -- cored, chopped fine

     1/2  cup           figs, dried -- chopped fine

     1/2  cup           Zante currants, dried -- chopped fine

     1/4  teaspoon      black pepper -- ground

   2      teaspoons     cinnamon -- ground

     1/2  teaspoon      nutmeg -- ground

     1/4  teaspoon      mace -- ground

     1/4  teaspoon      cloves -- ground

   1                    pie shell

                        sugar -- for garnish

 

Mix fruits and spices together thoroughly.  Spread the mixture evenly in the

bottom of a pastry shell.  Bake  at  450 deg F for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to

360 deg F for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is

bubbling.  Serve at room temperature.  Garnish with granulated sugar if

desired.

 

                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

NOTES: Original: Tartys in Applies- Tak gode applys & gode spycis & figs &

reysons & perys, & wan they arn wel brayed colour wyth safroun wel & do yt in

a cofyn, & do yt forth to bake wel. -  Curye on Inglish

 

Although the original recipe doesn't specify seasonings, I chose to do so

based on a comparison to other tart/pastry type recipes from this manuscript.

I feel that this recipe was meant to convey the main ingredient of the tart

and was written for the pastry cook rather than any of the other myriad

specialty cooks available at the residence

 

The spices I used are typical of this sort of dish and provide depths of

flavor that literally lifts the original out of the depths of insipidity.  The

spice mixture that I created is well within the acceptable range of other

similar mixtures that are listed in COE.  Sprinkling a rounded tablespoon of

granulated sugar over the top after about a half hour out of the oven makes a

nice garnish.

 

Mincemeat-like recipes appear to have been very popular during the middle ages

and remained so right up until the end of the Victorian era with very little

change in ingredients or method of preparation.  The popularity of mincemeat

dishes dropped dramatically throughout the first part of the 20th century C.E.

The economy of W.W.II brought about a major decline in availability of

ingredients as well as a major change in cooking styles, tools, utensils and

major product additions. Mincemeat dishes were reduced to the level the old

fashioned novelty that they are today.

 

This is a good recipe for the creative period cook because of it's obvious

resemblance to similar mincemeat-like recipes. The addition of 1/4 cup finely

diced suet and 6 ounces of finely chopped raw venison to the main ingredients

would make this tart substantial enough to serve as a first course. More

importantly, IMO, it would be as period as any thing we know about and with

appropriate documentation could be entered into A & S displays or competitions

without fear of 'being out of period'. :-)

 

Enjoy!

 

al-Sayyid A'aql ibn Ras al-Zib, AoA, OSyc

Guildmaster (The Guild of St. Martha)

Kingdom of Aethelmearc

Shire of Abhain Ciach Ghlas

Mountain Confederation

Clan Ravenstar

 

 

Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 07:05:54 -0500

From: vjarmstrong at aristotle.net (Valoise Armstrong)

Subject: Re: SC - Tartys in Applis-NEW recipe-enjoy

 

Tyrca wrote:

>Very interesting, Ras, and it brings up a question that I have had for

>some time, about mincemeat.  I grew up with mincemeat pies for

>Christmas as something with _meat_ in them.  My mother usually used

>leftover roast beef or venison, put it through a hand grinder, and

>added the apples and raisins, and canned the filling to use for the

>holidays.  It is my father's favorite.  As I grew older, and went more

>out into the world, I discovered that other people I talked to had

>never heard of meat in mince pies.  They thought I was crazy.

>

>Did they really use meat in mincemeat pies in period? Or is my family

>just an abberation?  Any recipes?  Anyone?

 

Fruit in medieval meat pies was a very common occurance.

 

Actually, until the second half of the fifteenth century recipes for meat

pies with fruit seem to be much more common than for fruit pies without

meat. Many meat pies were baked in a heavy flour and water crust that

served mostly as a container for the ingredients and could stand up under

long cooking times. Some writer's have claimed that the innovation of a

lighter and more edible pie crust and suggested that this new pie crust

made the fruit pies (which needed shorter cooking times) much more popular.

 

This is all supposition on the part of the historians so I set out to see

if I could verify it by scanning a number of cookbooks for recipes for

fruit pies that did not include meat. Out of about twenty English, French

and German cookbooks from the 14th to 16th century one percent or fewer

recipes were for fruit pies in the earlier two centuries while twelve

percent of all the 16th century recipes were for fruit only pies.

 

These are imperfect statistics since most of my 16th C. sources were German

- - so it might be a regional fad.

 

Valoise

 

 

Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1998 17:25:33 -0800

From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Tartys in Applis-NEW recipe-enjoy

 

Ras gave his worked-out version of the following 14th-c recipe:

 

>NOTES: Original: Tartys in Applies- Tak gode applys & gode spycis & figs &

>reysons & perys, & wan they arn wel brayed colour wyth safroun wel & do yt in

>a cofyn, & do yt forth to bake wel. -  Curye on Inglish

 

For comparison, here is a richer version from a different source, with eggs

and cream and butter, but with the same ground apples and/or pears and

dried fruit as yours; it is 15th c. English and, unlike yours, specifies

the spicing.  It does specify sprinkling on the sugar at the end--in this

case, cinnamon sugar.

 

A Flaune of Almayne

Ancient Cookery p. 452/39

 

First take raisins of Courance, or else other fresh raisins, and good ripe

pears, or else good apples, and pick out the cores of them, and pare them,

and grind them, and the raisins in a mortar, and do then to them a little

sweet cream of milk, and strain them through a clean strainer, and take ten

eggs, or as many more as will suffice, and beat them well together, both

the white and the yolk, and draw it through a strainer, and grate fair

white bread, and do thereto a good quantity, and more sweet cream, and do

thereto, and all this together; and take saffron, and powder of ginger, and

canel, and do thereto, and a little salt, and a quantity of fair, sweet

butter, and make a fair coffin or two, or as many as needs, and bake them a

little in an oven, and do this batter in them, and bake them as you would

bake flaunes, or crustades, and when they are baked enough, sprinkle with

canel and white sugar. This is a good manner of Crustade. [end of original;

spelling modernized]

 

2/3 c raisins   pinch of saffron        1/2 c whipping cream

3 pears or apples       1/2 t salt      5 T butter

1/2 t cinnamon  3 eggs (large)  9" pie crust

1/4 t ginger    4 T breadcrumbs 1 T cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on at the end

 

A blender works well as a substitute for a mortar to mash the apples and

raisins; mix the liquids in with the apples and raisins before blending.

Bake at 375 for about an hour.

 

Elizabeth/Betty Cook (only a week behind the list, now)

 

 

Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 17:01:18 -0700

From: varmstro at zipcon.net (Valoise Armstrong)

Subject: Re: SC - period fruit pastries

 

timorra asked

>is there a period fruit pastry out there? like pasties?

>i have a friend who is serving a dish and was wondering if it was period

 

If by pastry you mean a pie, you might check out Das Kochbuch der Sabina

Welserin. It has a couple of dozen fruit pies. Duke Cariadoc has graciously

given it a place on his web page at:

http://www.best.com/~ddfr/Medieval/Cookbooks/Sabrina_Welserin.html

 

Valoise

 

 

Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 08:22:41 -0400

From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

Subject: Re: SC - period fruit pastries

 

Mouuze at aol.com wrote:

> is there a period fruit pastry out there? like pasties?

 

There are instances of pies either containing fruit in addition to other

ingredients (and often the fruit is dried) or occasionally fruit with a

custard mix (such as apples or cherries). I'd say the biggest influx of

what we would today call a fruit pastry in an English source is in

~1545, in "A Newe Proper Booke of Cokery", which contains a pastry

recipe and several recipes for fruit pies and tarts together in one section.

 

One problem with thinking in terms of a fruit pasty, other than that

I've never seen such a reference and the concept may violate some

unwritten law among period cooks, if you know what I mean, is that if

there _were_ textual references to fruit in pasties, we still would have

no reason to assume what was meant was anything like a Cornish pasty in

shape or pastry composition. See what I mean? All we would know is that

fruit appeared to have been eaten wrapped in pastry, and that's

something we already know.

 

> i have a friend who is serving a dish and was wondering if it was period

 

Ah. See above. ;  ) . Rather than give the standard lecture about

documentation after the fact, we can consider it given and simply say

yes, it does appear fruit in pastry was eaten in period, in one form or

another, but that half-moon-shaped turnovers filled with sweetened fruit

with the juice thickened to provide a sauce, probably were not, or at

least I'm not aware of any reason to assume so.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 00:13:44 EDT

From: ChannonM at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - Blackberry/Apple Pie

 

Since I don''t know which Celts you are talking about and what time, I'll

assume (watch it there) that they are Irish, Scottish or in that area and

most likely early period (pre 12 C).

 

I have found  success with a "crumble" type recipe utilizing honey instead of

sugar (if you are doing Celtic, sugar was not avail before 12C (I know

everyone will have a specific/different date).

 

Crumble  or fruit crisp recipes use oats, nuts (hazelnuts or filberts were

avail to the Celts ) a sweetener, butter and fruit.

 

Spices that were found in burial sites such as the Osberg Ship's burial do

not to my knowledge contain what we would typically call "pie spices" ie

cinnamon, nutmeg so on those you can infer contact with Vikings who may have

come across them . According to Anne Wilson's - Food and Drink in Britain,

the spice supply was interuppted in the 5th century and revived again in the

late 8th.  Others out there may have more detail on that.

 

Here is an adaption of a recipe that originally used sugar,  instead of

honey. Honey can be substituted for sugar at 1 cup honey:1.25 sugar (white) or

.8 of a cup to 1 cup sugar.

 

Combine 5 cups fruit (if necessary peel, core & chop/slice) with 3 Tblsp honey

Place in an oven proof dish

Separately combine,

1/2 cup regular rolled oats

1/4 cup flour ( I used 1/8 all purpose + 1/8 whole wheat)

1/2 cup honey

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped nuts (toasting them lightly in a 400degree oven brings out

their flavour)

 

Cut in 1/4 cup butter

Sprinkle topping over filling or what may be a more period manner- mix the

whole thing together as a sweet thick pottage- sounds good with some thick

cream poured over after cooking.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or till fruit is tender.

 

Hauviette

 

 

Date: Sun, 26 Sep 1999 22:42:53 -0500

From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Blackberry/Apple Pie

 

At 12:13 AM -0400 9/27/99, ChannonM at aol.com wrote:

>Since I don''t know which Celts you are talking about and what time, I'll

>assume (watch it there) that they are Irish, Scottish or in that area and

>most likely early period (pre 12 C).

 

...

 

>Here is an adaption of a recipe that originally used sugar,  instead of

>honey. Honey can be substituted for sugar at 1cup honey:1.25 sugar (white) or

> .8 of a cup to 1 cup sugar.

>

>Combine 5 cups fruit (if necessary peel, core & chop/slice) with 3 Tblsp honey

>Place in an oven proof dish

>Separately combine,

>1/2 cup regular rolled oats

 

...

 

Rolled oats are a modern invention. Would the recipe work with whole oats

or oatmeal in the old sense?

 

Also, can you think of any period recipes that are reasonably similar to

this? Taking a modern recipe and substituting period ingredients isn't a

very reliable way of getting a period recipe, since lots of things other

than ingredients change over time.

 

David/Cariadoc

http://www.best.com/~ddfr/

 

 

Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 00:13:44 EDT

From: ChannonM at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - Blackberry/Apple Pie

 

Since I don''t know which Celts you are talking about and what time, I'll

assume (watch it there) that they are Irish, Scottish or in that area and

most likely early period (pre 12 C).

 

I have found  success with a "crumble" type recipe utilizing honey instead of

sugar (if you are doing Celtic, sugar was not avail before 12C (I know

everyone will have a specific/different date).

 

Crumble  or fruit crisp recipes use oats, nuts (hazelnuts or filberts were

avail to the Celts ) a sweetener, butter and fruit.

 

Spices that were found in burial sites such as the Osberg Ship's burial do

not to my knowledge contain what we would typically call "pie spices" ie

cinnamon, nutmeg so on those you can infer contact with Vikings who may have

come across them . According to Anne Wilson's - Food and Drink in Britain,

the spice supply was interuppted in the 5th century and revived again in the

late 8th.  Others out there may have more detail on that.

 

Here is an adaption of a recipe that originally used sugar,  instead of

honey. Honey can be substituted for sugar at 1 cup honey:1.25 sugar (white) or

.8 of a cup to 1 cup sugar.

 

Combine 5 cups fruit (if necessary peel, core & chop/slice) with 3 Tblsp honey

Place in an oven proof dish

Separately combine,

1/2 cup regular rolled oats

1/4 cup flour ( I used 1/8 all purpose + 1/8 whole wheat)

1/2 cup honey

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped nuts (toasting them lightly in a 400degree oven brings out

their flavour)

 

Cut in 1/4 cup butter

Sprinkle topping over filling or what may be a more period manner- mix the

whole thing together as a sweet thick pottage- sounds good with some thick

cream poured over after cooking.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or till fruit is tender.

 

Hauviette

 

 

Date: Sun, 26 Sep 1999 22:42:53 -0500

From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Blackberry/Apple Pie

 

At 12:13 AM -0400 9/27/99, ChannonM at aol.com wrote:

>Since I don''t know which Celts you are talking about and what time, I'll

>assume (watch it there) that they are Irish, Scottish or in that area and

>most likely early period (pre 12 C).

 

...

 

>Here is an adaption of a recipe that originally used sugar,  instead of

>honey. Honey can be substituted for sugar at 1cup honey:1.25 sugar (white) or

> .8 of a cup to 1 cup sugar.

>

>Combine 5 cups fruit (if necessary peel, core & chop/slice) with 3 Tblsp honey

>Place in an oven proof dish

>Separately combine,

>1/2 cup regular rolled oats

 

...

 

Rolled oats are a modern invention. Would the recipe work with whole oats

or oatmeal in the old sense?

 

Also, can you think of any period recipes that are reasonably similar to

this? Taking a modern recipe and substituting period ingredients isn't a

very reliable way of getting a period recipe, since lots of things other

than ingredients change over time.

 

David/Cariadoc

http://www.best.com/~ddfr/

 

 

Date: Thu, 25 Nov 1999 13:37:01 -0500

From: "Daniel Phelps" <phelpsd at gate.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Thanksgiving

 

I wrote:

><<  I'm pretty proud of

> the apple fig raisin so I will be posting the recipe later for anyone who

> wants it. >>

 

Was reply:

>I would love to have the recipe, Daniel.  Sounds scrumptious.

>

>Juliana/Iu'liana

 

Just took one out of the oven with a little Triskel on the crust.

 

Can't take any real credit for the reciepe as I used the filling for fruit

Rissoles on page 278 of "Early French Cooking" by Scully and Scully.  It's

their redaction from Menagier de Paris (The Goodman of Paris)

 

3-4 medium cooking apples (I used 5 smallish Granny Smiths. I tried Red

delicious once and they didn't do as well)

8 figs ( I used 10 this time as they seemed a bit small as well)

1 cup rasins (black raisins, I intend to use golden raisins next time to see

if it makes a difference)

1 cup water

1/2 cup white wine ( used half and half water and wine, 1.5 cups of each)

 

Peel and clice apples, chop figs small (cut off stems and throw them away).

Simmer fruit in water/wine several minutes until fruit is soft but not

mushy.  Do not over cook. (Check the apples of doneness if they are done so

is the rest of the fruit.)

 

1/2 cup of sugar (I used some ginger flavored sugar I had left over from

making candied ginger)

1 tsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp grain of paradise (optional according to Scully but I use it if I

have it on hand)

1/3 cup pinenuts or chpped walnuts (I have made it with walnuts and without.

This time I left them out as one of the people eating has an extreme food

allergy to nuts.  In truth it does not seem to make a difference to me.)

 

Combine sugar and spices.  Add fruit (Add with a slotted spoon as you do not

want the mixture to be to moist.)  If mixture is to dry, stir in white wine

by the teaspoonful tpo correct.  (I add in a bit of the drained mixture.)

Taste; adjust spices to taste.  (Go light on the cloves as it is very easy

to go over board.)

 

Stir in nuts.

 

I prebaked a deep dish 9 inch pie shell and added in the filling.  I put a

pastry shell on top, the other pie shell unbaked, and baked in a preheated

oven at 375 F for about 25 minutes.  Check the pie at 20 minutes to see if

the crust is done.  I wouldn't leave it in over 30 minutes.

 

This is one of Scully's suggested cooking variations.

 

Daniel Raoul

 

 

Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 23:33:18 -0800

From: Maggie MacDonald <maggie5 at home.com>

Subject: SC - Requested Recipes- Pork Roast/Warden Pie-LONG!!

 

I mentioned some recipes we used at the Maison deSteele Thanksgiving, and

got requests for the recipes, sources, etc. THL Gillian of Lynnhaven

provided me with the all of those tonight. Let me see if I can get them to

look as pretty here as she has on the paper that she gave me.  Enjoy!

*************************************************************

 

<snip of Pork Roast with Apricot & Prune Stuffing. See roast-pork-msg>

 

Warden Pie

by THL Gillian of Lynnhaven

 

Take the fairest and best wardens*, and pare them, and take out the hard

cores on the top, and cut the sharp ends at  the bottom flat; then boil

them in white wine and sugar, until the syrup grow thick; then take the

wardens from the syrup into a clean dish, and let them cool; then set them

into the coffin, and prick cloves in the tops, with whole sticks of

cinnamon, and great store of sugar, as for pippins; then cover it, and only

reserve a vent hole, so set it in the oven and bake it: when it is baked,

draw it forth, and take the first syrup in which the wardens were boiled,

and taste it, and if it be not sweet enough, then put in more sugar and

some rose-water, and boil it again a little, then pour it in at a the vent

hole, and shake the pie well; then take sweet butter and rose-water melted,

and with it anoint the pie lid all over, and strew upon it store of sugar,

and so set into the oven again a little space, and then serve it up. And in

this manner you may also bake quinces*.  "The English Housewife", Gervase

Markham, Edited by Michael R. Best, McGill-Queen's University Press,

Canada,  1986, p. 104,  #130

 

3 hard Pears

1 cup white Port **

1 cup Water

1 cup Sugar

9 whole Cloves

2 whole sticks Cinnamon

1 tsp. Rosewater

2 Tbs. Butter, melted

2 pie crusts

1 pie pan

egg wash - 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 Tsp. Water

 

Peel and cut the pears in half and remove the core. Combine in a saucepan,

the water, sugar and wine, with one stick of cinnamon and three cloves.

Heat until boiling then reduce the heat until the syrup simmers. Add the

pears to the syrup. Cook until the pears are just tender. Do not overcook.

Remove the pears with a slotted spoon to a bowl and cool. Prepare the pie

pan with the bottom crust.  Lay the pear half into the pie pan. Place one

clove into each pear half. Break the cinnamon stick into pieces and spread

over the pears. Roll out the top crust leaving a one inch hole in the

center for a vent. Cover the pears with the top crust, pinch the edges and

brush it lightly with the egg wash. Decorate the crust as desired. Bake in

the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden

brown.  Remove the pie from the oven.

 

Continue to simmer the syrup until it is reduced in volume by half. Add the

rosewater to the syrup and remove it from the stove. Spoon the hot syrup

into the vent of the pie until it is moist but not overflowing. To the

melted butter add a couple of drops of rosewater and brush the mixture over

the top of the pie. Sprinkle the top of the pie with sugar, and return the

pie to the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes to glaze the top.

 

Serve warm with whipped cream.  Serves 6 to 8

 

*Wardens refer to a hard and slightly sour type of pear. Choose a pear that

is solid and slightly unripe to use in this recipe. It would also work with

quinces, which are sour uneatable fruits until they are cooked.

 

**If white port cannot be found, use as sweet a white wine as can be gotten

and increase the amount of sugar. The syrup should be very sweet and fragrant.

 

 

Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 10:17:56 -0800

From: Valoise Armstrong <varmstro at zipcon.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Cherry tarts? - Question to the list. (long)

 

Just got back from Wash DC and found an amazing number of digests to

wade through, but glancing through the subject headings, it doesn't

look like anyone has replied to this. Following are a couple of cherry

pie recipes from Sabina Welserin, only one of them redacted. I'm sure

there are more in other cookbooks, but these are the only ones I've

got translated and on my hard drive.

 

Valoise

 

123 To make a very good sour cherry tart

 

Take a pound of sour cherries and remove all of the pits. Afterwards take a

half pound of sugar and a half ounce of finely ground cinnamon sticks and

mix the sugar with it. Next mix the cherries with it and put it after that

in the pie shell made of good flour and let it bake in the tart pan.

 

130 To make a sour cherry tart

 

Take the sour cherries, take out the stones and make a pastry crust as for

the other tarts. Take bread crumbs from grated white bread and fry them in

fat. Pour them on the crust, sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top, Put the

sour cherries in it, leaving their juice in the bowl, sprinkle it well with

sugar and with cinnamon, make a crust on top of it, let it bake, as it is

customary.

 

Pastry for a two-crust pie

1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs

1/4 cup butter or lard

3 cups pitted sour cherries (fresh or frozen, canned in water as a

last resort)

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Drain cherries. Melt butter in pan. Add bread crumbs and brown lightly. Set

aside to cool. Arrange bottom crust in pie pan. Add bread crumbs and sprinkle

with a third of the cinnamon and sugar. Add remaining sugar and cinnamon to

drained cherries and place on top of bread crumbs. Cover with remaining pie crust.  Trim and flute edges and cut vent holes. Bake in preheated oven 450

degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

and bake until brown (Approximately 35 more minutes).

 

 

Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 13:19:00 -0600

From: Magdalena <magdlena at earthlink.net>

Subject: SC - sour cherry pie

 

Someone asked for a cherry tart recipe a while back.  I

don't think this is what she? had in mind, but I thought I'd

post it.

 

Platina 8.40

 

40.  Sour Cherry Pie

 

    Pound in a mortar pitted sour cherries which can be

called 'merendae'.  When they are pounded, mix into them

well cut up roses, a little fresh  cheese, and ground aged

cheese, a bit of pepper, a little ginger, a little more

sugar, and four beaten eggs.  When they are mixed, cook in a

well-greased pan with a lower crust on a slow fire.  When

they are taken off the fore, pour sugar and rosewater over

them.  This does not differ much from the above in force and

pleasantness.

 

(the above is millet pie)

 

- -Magdalena

 

 

Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 02:44:51 +0100

From: Thomas Gloning <gloning at Mailer.Uni-Marburg.DE>

Subject: SC - cherry tarts & A tarte to provoke courage"

 

To make a good tart of Cheries.

 

Take your cheries and pick out the stones of them: then take raw yolks of egs, and put them into your cheries, then take sugar, Sinamon and Ginger, and Cloves, and put to your Cheries + make your Tart with all the Egges, your tart must be of an inche high, when it is made put in your cheries without any liquor, and cast Sugar, Sinamon, and ginger, upon it, and close it up, lay it on a paper, + put it in the Oven, when it is half baken draw it out, and put the liquor that you let of your cheries into the Tart: then take molten butter, and with a feather anoint your lid there with. Then take a fine beaten Sugar and cast upon it: then put your Tarte into the Oven again, and let it bake a good while, when it is baken drawe it foorth, + cast Sugar + Rosewater upon it, and serve it in."

 

(The good huswifes handmaide for the kitchen (1594?), ed. Stuart Peachey, Bristol 1992, 36f.) "To make a Tart of Cherries, when thestones be out, another waye. Seeth them in White wine or in Claret, and drain them thick: when they be sodden: then take two yolks of Egges+ thicken it withall: then season it with Synamon,Ginger, and Sugar, and bake it, and so serve it." (ib. 37.)

 

T.

 

 

Date: Fri, 2 Jun 2000 08:44:58 +1000

From: "Drake & Meliora" <meliora at macquarie.matra.com.au>

Subject: RE: SC - WANTED Period recipe for an apple & chestnut pie

 

Lorix,

> I had a really nice period recipe for an apple & chestnut pie. Alas, I

> cannot find where I saved it to ;-(

 

I'm currently way behind at Uni at the moment, so sorry if this has already

been answered.  Is this the recipe you are looking for? It is from Alia

Atlas' Ein Buch von Guter Spise.

 

Regards Mel.

Ooops, just noticed it is walnut not chestnut - sorry.

 

61. Einen krapfen (A krapfen)

So du wilt einen vasten krapfen machen von nzzen mit ganzem kern. und nim

als vil epfele dor under und snide sie wrfeleht als der kern ist und roest

sie mit ein wenig honiges und mengez mit wrtzen und tu ez uf die bleter die

do gemaht sin zu krapfen und loz ez backen und versaltz niht.

 

How you want to make a fastday krapfen of nuts with whole kernels. And take

as many apples thereunder and cut them diced, as the kernel is, and roast

them well with a little honey and mix with spices and put it on the leaves,

which you made to krapfen, and let it bake and do not oversalt.

 

Recipe 61: An Apple and Walnut Tart

copyright 1994 Alia Atlas

 

4 apples, peeled and diced. (about 2 cups) (used Granny Smith)

2 cups walnuts

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground mace

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 pie crust (made of flour, butter, water and salt)

 

Cook the apples in the honey until they are starting to become soft. (This

takes approximately 10 minutes.) Mix the cooled apples and honey with the

walnuts and spices. Roll out pie crust and put in pan. Fill crust with

mixture. Cook in the oven at 3508 F until crust is brown (approximately 30

minutes).

 

 

Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2000 22:44:40 -0400

From: "Bethany Public Library" <betpulib at ptdprolog.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Just checking whether you are the Aoife who sent this message

 

Hallo Lorix! Yep, that's me, from Home (I now use my work address). I don't

recall how this recipe came out, precisely at the moment. Sorry! It would

make something very like modern mincemeat, except the ingredients are

layered rather than mixed and pre-cooked (which means that this recipe is

probably older than the date of the cookbook, since pre-mixed pie

ingredients seem to have begun coming into fashion in the late 1500s, early

1600s). But the Cordecidron is a a citrus fruit (most likely the candied

peel) and you can safely substitute candied lemon peel. I would tend to make

my own: thinly peel the rind from lemons, making sure there is no pith

(white). gently boil in 3-4 changes of water (helps to keep 2 pans boiling

at all times---the process is quicker that way) to remove bitterness, then

simmer in a simple syrup of one part sugar to one part water, for 10

minutes. Remove, dip into granulated sugar, and allow to somewhat dry. You

can do the same with the porange peel, which is also probably candied. That

amount of grated raw peel might be overwhelming, thus the surmise about

preserved peel.

 

And yes, in this case (a recipe f