[This is an article from Cariadoc's Miscellany. The Miscellany is Copyright (c) by David Friedman and Elizabeth Cook, 1988, 1990, 1992. For copying details, see the Miscellany Introduction.]

Meat, Cheese and Egg Pies

Chawettys

Two Fifteenth Century p. 48/62

Take buttys of Vele, and mynce hem smal, or Porke, and put on a potte; take Wyne, and caste + er-to pouder of Gyngere, Pepir, and Safroun, and Salt, and a lytel ver+ ous, and do hem in a cofyn with yolks of Eyroun, and kutte Datys and Roysonys of Coraunce, Clowys, Maces, and + en ceuere + in cofyn, and lat it bake tyl it be y-now.

3 cups chopped pork or veal (about 18 oz)
3/4 c red wine
5 threads saffron
3/4 t ginger
3/4 t pepper
3/4 t salt
1 t wine vinegar
9 egg yolks
3/8 c dates
3/8 c currants
1/4 t cloves
1/2 t mace
double 9" pie crust

Cut the meat up fine (1/2" cubes or so). Simmer it in a cup and a half of water for about 20 minutes. Make pie crust, fill with meat, chopped dates and currents. Mix spices, wine, vinegar and egg yolks and pour over. Put on a top crust. Bake in a 350deg. oven for 50 minutes, then 400deg. for 20 minutes or until the crust looks done.

Pork Doucetty

Two Fifteenth Century p. 55/64 (GOOD)

Take pork, and hack it small, and eyroun y-mellyd together, and a little milk, and melle him together with honey and pepper, and bake him in a coffin, and serve forth.

1/2 to 2/3 lb of pork chops
6 eggs
3 T milk
2 t honey
pinch of pepper
1 9" pie crust

Cook pork in the oven or boil it about 20 minutes. Make a pie crust, prick it, and put it in a 400deg. degree oven for about 10 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients. Cut pork into small pieces and add to mixture. Put it in the pie crust and bake at 350deg. for about 40 minutes.

Koken van Honer

Grewe 13th century

One should make a pastry shell of dough, and cut up into it a chicken, and add bacon (speck), cut as peas, pepper and cumin and egg yolks well beaten with saffron, and take the shell and bake it in an oven. It is called "koken van honer."

1/2 chicken: 1 1/2 lb or 3/4 lb boned
3 pieces of bacon
6 egg yolks
4 threads saffron
1/4 t cumin
1/8 pepper
9" pie shell

Bone and cut up chicken, put in pie shell; add bacon cut small; sprinkle on spices. Beat egg yolks with saffron and pour over. Bake 45 minutes at 350deg.

Herbelade

Two Fifteenth Century p. 54/64 (GOOD)

Take Buttes of Porke, and smyte hem in pecys, and sette it ouer the fyre; and sethe hem in fayre Watere; and whan it is y-sothe y-now, ley it on a fayre bord, and pyke owt alle the bonys, and hew it smal, and put it in a fayre bolle; than take ysope, Sawge, Percely a gode quantite, and hew it smal, and putte it in a fayre vesselle; than take a lytel of the brothe, that the porke was sothin in, and draw thorw a straynoure, and caste to the Erbys, and gif it a boyle; thenne take owt the Erbys with a Skymoure fro the brothe, and caste hem to the porke in the bolle; than mynce Datys smal, and caste hem ther-to, and Roysonys of Coraunce, and pynes, and drawe thorw a straynoure yolkes of Eyroun ther-to, and Sugre, and pouder Gyngere, and Salt, and coloure it a lytel with Safroune; and toyle yt with thin hond al thes to-gederys; than make fayre round cofyns, and harde hem a lytel in the ovyn; than take hem owt, and with a dysshe in thin hond, fylle hem fulle of the Stuffe; than sette hem ther-in a-gen; and lat hem bake y-now, and serue forth.

3 pork chops
3 c chopped fresh parsley
1 t dried leaf sage
2 T hyssop
1/2 c chopped dates
1/2 c currants
1/3 c pine nuts
1/2 t powdered ginger
1/2 t salt
1 T sugar
5 egg yolks
1 9" pastry shell

Boil pork chops until cooked (20 minutes?), take out, remove the bones and cut up the meat. Boil herbs in the pork broth. Mix pork, cooked herbs, and remaining ingredients in bowl. Make pie crust and bake 10 minutes to harden. Put filling in the pie crust. Bake 30 minutes at 375deg. .

Crustade

Two Fifteenth Century p. 50/63 (GOOD)

Take veal, and smite in little pieces into a pot, and wash it fair; then take fair water, and let it boil together with parsley, sage, savory, and hyssop small enough and hew; and when it is on boiling, take powder pepper, canel, cloves, maces, saffron, and let them boil together, and a good deal of wine therewith. When the flesh is y-boiled, take it from the broth all clean, and let the broth cool; and when it is cold, take eyroun, the white and the yolks, and cast through a strainer, and put them into the broth, so many that the broth be stiff enough; then make fair coffins, and couch 3 pieces or 4 of the flesh in a coffin; then take dates, and cut them, and cast thereto; then take powder ginger, and a little verjuice, and put into the broth and salt; and than put the broth on the coffins, bake a little with the flesh ere thou put thyne liquor thereon, and let all bake together till it be enough; then take it out, and serve them forth.

2 lb veal
1 T parsley (or more)
1/2 t sage
1/2 t hyssop
1/2 t savory
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t mace
1 T cinnamon
1/2 t cloves
a pinch of saffron
1/2 c wine
eggs
1 lb of dates
about 1 T verjuice or dilute vinegar
about 1/2 t salt
2 9" pie crusts

Boil veal and herbs for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Boil spices with wine. Let the veal broth cool; separate it from the meat. Add beaten eggs to about 1 c of the broth to stiffen it. Make two pie crusts. Put in meat. Cut up dates and put them in. Add ginger and verjuice to broth, also salt. Bake until it hardens. Add wine with spices and eggs. Bake about 30 minutes at 325deg. .

Flampoyntes Bake

Two Fifteenth Century p. 53

Take fayre Buttes of Porke, and se+ e hem in fayre Watere, and clene pyke a-way + e bonys and + e Synewes, and hew hem and grynd hem in a mortere, and temper with + e Whyte of Eyroun, and Sugre, and pouder of Pepir, and Gyngere, and Salt; + an take neyssche Cruddis [soft curds], grynd hem, and draw + orw a straynoure; and caste + er-to Aneys, Salt, pouder Gyngere, Sugre; and + an take + e Stuffe of + e Porke, and putte it on euelong cofyn of fayre past; and take a fe+ er, and endore + e Stuffe in + e cofyn with + e cruddys; and whan it is bake, take Pynes, and clowys, and plante + e cofyn a-boue, a rew of on, and rew of a-nother; and + an serue forth.

2 lbs pork chops (weight w/ bone)
7 egg whites
4 t sugar
1/4 t pepper
3/4-1 t ginger
3/8 t salt
1 c cottage cheese
1/2 t anise seed
1/8 t salt
1/4 t ginger
1 1/2 t sugar
1 9" pie crust
2 T pine nuts (for top)
1 T whole cloves (for top)

Bring one quart water to a boil, add meat, boil 15 minutes covered. Drain and let meat cool. Cut the meat up, removing bones and fat. Chop fine and grind in food processor. Add egg whites, sugar, pepper, ginger, salt, mix well. Blend cheese in food processor and put into separate bowl; grind anise seed in mortar and add anise, salt, ginger and sugar to cheese. Put meat in unbaked pie crust, spread cheese mixture above it. Decorate with cloves and pine nuts. Bake at 350deg. 50 minutes to 1 hour. Note that 1 t of ginger in the meat is liked by some people and considered too much by others; adjust to your taste.

Another Crust with Tame Creatures

Platina book 6

If you want to put pigeons and any other birds in a crust, first let them boil; when they are almost cooked, take them out of the pot. Then cut them into nice pieces and fry them in a pan with a goodly amount of lard. Next put them in a deep dish or an earthen pot that has been well greased, and where a crust has been rolled out on the bottom. To this dish you may add plums and cherries or sour fruit without going wrong. Then take verjuice and eight eggs, more or less depending on the number of guests, if there are a few, with a little juice, beaten with a spoon; to this add parsley, marjoram, and finely cut mint, which can be blended after being cut up, and put all this near the fire, but far from the flame. It must be a slow heat so that this does not boil over. All the while, it should be stirred with a spoon until it sticks to the spoon because of its thickness. Finally pour this sauce into the pastry crust and put it near the fire and when it seems to have cooked enough, serve it to your guests.

3 chicken leg quarters (about 1 lb)
3 T shortening or lard
one 9" pie crust
1/3 lb plums (or sour cherries)
1 T wine vinegar, 2 T water
5 eggs
1/2 t salt
1/4 c chicken broth ("juice")
4 T parsley
1/2 t marjoram
2 t finely chopped mint

Boil chicken 20 minutes. Cut the meat off the bones and fry for 5 minutes. Cut the plums up finely and put in the crust with the meat. Cook the egg combination at a low heat for about 10 minutes (until thick) and add. Platina comments elsewhere that he doesn't always bother to mention salt, so we have added it here. When it is all assembled, bake at 400deg. for 15 minutes, then at 350deg. for 25 minutes.

Malaches Whyte

Curye on Inglysch p. 133 (Form of Cury no. 160)

Take ayren and wryng hem thurgh a cloth. Take powdour fort, brede igrated, & saffron, & cast + erto a gode quantite of buttur with a litull salt. Medle all yfere. Make a foyle in a trap & bake it wel + erinne, and serue it forth.

5 eggs
1 1/2 t powder fort (see p. 5)
1 c bread crumbs
8 threads saffron
1/2 c butter
1/4 - 1/2 t salt

pie crust:
1/4 t salt
3/4 c white flour
3/8 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c water

Grind the saffron with a few of the bread crumbs in a mortar. Mix that with the rest of the bread crumbs, salt, powder fort and melted butter. In another bowl, force eggs through cheese cloth, then add them to the bread crumb mix. Make a pie crust by mixing flours and salt, stirring in water and kneading smooth. Roll it out and put it in a 9" pie shell, put in the filling, bake about 30 minutes at 350deg. .

With 1/2 t of salt in the filling some people liked it, some found it a little too salty. Forcing the eggs through the cheese cloth producing something like very slightly beaten eggs; the white and the yolk are not as well mixed as if you applied an egg beater for thirty seconds.

Malaches of Pork

Curye on Inglysch p. 134 (Form of Cury no. 162)

Hewe pork al to pecys and medle it with ayren & chese igrated. Do + erto powdour fort, safroun & pynes with salt. Make a crust in a trap; bake it wel + erinne, and serue it forth.

.8 lb boneless pork
3 eggs
1/2 lb parmesan cheese
3/4 t powder fort (see p. 5)
8 threads saffron
1/4 c pine nuts
1/2 t salt

Cut up the pork raw into 1/2"-1/4" cubes. Grate cheese and mix with eggs in a bowl. Crush saffron into a teaspoon or so of water. Combine everything. Make a 9" pie crust, prebake about 10 minutes at 350deg. . Put filling in crust and bake at 350deg. for 45-50 minutes.

We have also used mozzarella and cheddar for the cheese, but parmesan is better.

Tart on Ember Day

Ancient Cookery p. 448/38 (Good)

Parboil onions, and sage, and parsley and hew them small, then take good fat cheese, and bray it, and do thereto eggs, and temper it up therewith, and do thereto butter and sugar, and raisyngs of corince, and powder of ginger, and of canel, medel all this well together, and do it in a coffin, and bake it uncovered, and serve it forth.

7 ounces cheese
4 medium onions = 1 lb
1/3 c parsley
2 T fresh sage or 1 1/2 t dried
3 T butter
4 eggs
1 T sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
4 T currants
9 " pie crust

Chop the onions and boil 10 minutes, drain. Grate cheese. Mix everything and put in pie crust. We used Meunster; a more strongly flavored cheese might be better.

Spinach Tart

Goodman p. 278/23 -"A Tart" (GOOD)

To make a tart, take four handfuls of beet leaves, two handfuls of parsley, a handful of chervil, a sprig of fennel and two handful of spinach, and pick them over and wash them in cold water, then cut them up very small; then bray with two sorts of cheese, to wit a hard and a medium, and then add eggs thereto, yolks and whites, and bray them in the cheese; then put the herbs into the mortar and bray all together and also put therein some fine powder. Or instead of this have ready brayed in the mortar two heads of ginger and onto this bray your cheese, eggs and herbs and then cast old cheese scraped or grated onto the herbs and take it to the oven and then have your tart made and eat it hot.

1/3 lb spinach, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 T dried or 1/4 c fresh chervil
1 or 2 leaves fresh fennel, or 1 t fennel seed, ground in a mortar
5 eggs
2/5 lb each of cheddar and mozzarella cheese
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t salt
9" pie crust

Chop or grate greens and cheese and mix filling in a bowl. Make pie crust and bake at 400deg. for about 10 minutes. Put filling in crust and bake about 40 minutes at 350deg. . We usually substitute spinach for beet leaves, dried chervil for fresh, and fennel seed for fresh fennel leaves because of availability.

To Make a Tarte of Beans

A Proper Newe Book of Cookery p. 37/C11

Take beanes and boyle them tender in fayre water, then take theym oute and breake them in a morter and strayne them with the yolckes of foure egges, curde made of mylke, then ceason it up with suger and halfe a dysche of butter and a lytle synamon and bake it.

To make short paest for tarte

A Proper Newe Book p. 37/C10

Take fyne floure and a curscy of fayre water and a dysche of swete butter and a lyttel saffron, and the yolkes of two egges and make it thynne and as tender as ye maye.

1/2 lb (1 1/4 c) dry fava beans
4 egg yolks
1/2 c curds (cottage cheese)
4 T sugar
6 T butter
4 t cinnamon

Crust:

6 threads saffron crushed in 1 t cool water
1 c flour
5-6 T very soft butter
2 egg yolks

Put beans in 2 1/2 c of water, bring to boil and let sit, covered, 70 minutes. Add another cup of water, boil about 50 minutes, until soft. Drain beans and mush in food processor. Cool bean paste so yolks won't cook. Mix in yolks; add cottage cheese (do not drain); add sugar, butter (soft or in small bits), and cinnamon and mush. Will be a thick liquid.

To make crust, mix saffron water into flour; add egg yolks and mix well (will be crumbly). Add 4 T butter and mix well; add enough of remaining butter to make a smooth paste. (Amount used depends upon softness of butter and warmth of kitchen; at second trial used a bit over 6 T.) Roll smooth and place in 9" pie plate. Crimp edge. Pour into raw crust and bake at 350deg. for about 50 minutes (top cracks). Cool before eating.

Mushroom Pastries

Menagier p. M-25

Mushrooms of one night are the best, and are small and red inside, closed above; and they should be peeled, then wash in hot water and parboil; if you wish to put them in pastry add oil, cheese, and powdered spices.

Fine Powder of Spices

Menagier p. M-40

Take an ounce and a drachm of white ginger, a quarter-ounce of hand-picked cinnamon, half a quarter-ounce each of grains and cloves, and a quarter-ounce of rock sugar, and grind to powder.

1 lb mushrooms
9 oz cheese (parmesan)
1 T olive oil

spice powder:
1 t ginger
1/4 t cinnamon
1/8 t cloves
1/8 t grains of paradise
1/4 t sugar

Slice mushrooms and parboil (put into boiling water and cook two minutes); drain. Grate or chop cheese. Grind grains of paradise and mix up spices. Mix mushrooms, 2/3 of cheese, spices and oil. Put mixture into crust, put remaining cheese over. Makes scant 9" pie. Bake about 20-25 minutes at 350deg. .

For Tarts owte of Lente

Pepys 1047 p. 27

Take nesche chese and pare hit and grynd hit yn a morter and breke egges and do therto and then put yn butter and creme and mess all well to gethur put not to moche buttr ther yn if the chese be fatte make a coffyn of dowe and close ht above with dowe and collor hit above with the yolkes of eggs and bake hit well and sue hit furth.

7 1/2 oz soft cheese (Havarti)
3 eggs
1 T butter
1 c cream
dough: double 9" pie crust
1 egg yolk

Bake 45 minutes at 375deg.; allow to cool before serving.

Nourroys Pies

(or Lorez Pies?)

Taillevant

Take meat well cooked and hashed fine, pine nuts, currants and cottage cheese chopped fine, and a little sugar and a little salt.

To make little Lorez pies, like great pies or those above, and fry them, and don't let them be too large, and whoever wishes to make "lettuces" or "little ears," must make rounds of pastry, the one larger than the other, and fry in deep fat until they are as hard as if cooked on the hearth; and if you wish, gild them with gold leaf or silver leaf or saffron.

3 c chopped cooked pork
2 T pine nuts
1 1/2 c currants
"cottage cheese": 4 oz farmer's cheese
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
double 9" pastry

Used 2 crust pie, baked 45 minutes at 350deg. , 10 minutes at 400deg. .


Webbed by Gregory Blount of Isenfir