14th Century Recipes

SAMBOCADE

(Elderflower cheesecake)

Sambocade. Take and make a crust in a trap & take cruddes and wryng out þe wheyze and draw hem þurgh a straynour and put hit in þe crust. Do þereto sugur, the thridde part, & somdel whyte of ayren, & shake þerein blomes of elren; & bake it up with eurose and messe it forth.

(Forme of Cury 179)

9-inch uncooked pie pastry

3 Tablespoons dried elderflowers

4 Tablespoons double cream

1/3 cup sugar

½ pound cottage cheese

½ pound ricotta cheese

2 teaspoons dry breadcrumbs

6 egg whites, beaten until stiff but not dry

1 Tablespoonful rosewater (optional)

Bake pie pastry at 425º for 10 minutes. Let cool. Soak elderflowers in double cream for about 10 minutes. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Push cheeses through a strainer with the back of a tablespoon. Combine cheeses with elderflower-cream mixture. Add breadcrumbs. Blend thoroughly. Fold in stiff egg whites. Add rosewater if you wish. Pour mixture into pastry crust. Bake at 375º about 50 minutes or until firm but not dry. Turn off heat and allow to cool in oven with door open about 15 minutes.

The name sambocade is derived from the Latin word for elderflowers: sambucus

Serves 8

PAYN RAGOUN

(Pine nut and crumb candy)

Payn ragoun. Take hony and sugur cipre and clarifie it togydre, and boile it with esy fyre, and kepe it wel fro brennyng. And whan it hath yboiled a while, take vp a drope þerof wiþ þy fyngur and do it in a litel water, and loke if it hong togydre; and take it fro the fyre and do þerto pynes the thriddendele & powdour gyngeuer, and stere it togyder til it bigynne to thik, and cast, and cast it on a wete table; lesh it and serue it forth with fryed mete, on flesh dayes or on fisshe dayes.

(Forme of Cury 68)

200 g/7 oz fine white sugar

2 Tablespoons clear honey

125 ml/4 fl oz/ ½ cup water

1 heaped Tablespoon pine nut kernels, chopped small or ground

100 g/ 3 ½ oz fine soft white breadcrumbs

½ - 1 teaspoon ground ginger

This recipe contains a ‘mystery’ ingredient, the thriddendele, or third item, which seems to have been used to give the sweetmeat a bread-like texture. You can use more pine nuts and fewer breadcrumbs in the recipe if cost allows.

Put the sugar, honey and water in a deep pan and cook over low heat until a sugar thermometer placed in it registers 110ºC/230ºF. At once, turn the syrup into a chilled bowl and beat it hard for 2-3 minutes; then beat in the remaining ingredients. Turn the mixture into a wetted shallow tin and leave to harden. Cut into small pieces to serve.