Custard Tart
|
½ cup wine | 1 Tbsp. butter |
½ cup broth | 1½ cups cream |
¼ tsp. ground cloves | 4 egg yolks |
¼ tsp. ground mace | 1 cup minced dates |
¼ tsp. powdered ginger | 1 cup minced strawberries (optional) |
8 threads of saffron | 1 pastry recipe (see recipe for Paest Royall) |
Combine wine, broth, and spices into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and let cool. Make single serving size tart shells of the pastry recipe. Prick the shell, and evenly distribute the minced dates and strawberries amongst the shells and bake at 425°F for 10-15 minutes (until the shells start to turn brown). In separate bowl, beat together cream and egg yolks. Once the wine mixture has cooled to a warm temperature combine with the cream and egg mixture, the evenly distribute this mixture into the shells and bake at 425° F for 20-25 minutes (until a toothpick inserted comes out clean).
Notes:
The recipe doesn't specify if the cloves and the mace should be whole or ground. I get the impression from later on in the recipe that they should be whole since you are to "pour the liquid that the marrow was seethed in". However, I chose to use ground cloves and ground mace for I see it as a more frugal method, and should have little impact on the overall product.
I substituted butter for marrow in this recipe. I prefer the taste
of butter over marrow. Although the type of broth is not specified in
the recipe, I chose to use a vegetable broth. I also chose to use white
wine in this recipe so as to let the color of the saffron be more apparent.
Sources:
- Austin, Thomas, comp. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. N.p.: Early English Text Society, 1888. Google Books. Web. 21 June 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?id=t0Te8MaCmpoC>
Friedman, David D., ed. A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks. S.l.: S.n., 1991. Print.compiled by Duke Cariadoc of the Bow and Duchessa Diana Alena
Renfrow, Cindy. Take a Thousand Eggs or More: A Translation of Medieval Recipes from Harleian MS. 279, Harleian MS. 4016, and Extracts of Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, and Douce MS. 55, with More than 100 Recipes Adapted for Modern Cookery. Unionville, NY: Royal Fireworks, 1997. Print.
Curye on Inglysch (Middle English Recipes) (Early English Text Society Supplementary Series) [Hardcover]. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. <http://books.google.com/books?id=aHptQgAACAAJ>. Curye on Inglysch contains the four earliest collections of culinary recipes to be found in English.
Hieatt, Constance B., and Sharon Butler, eds. Pleyn Delit Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1996. Print.