Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 11 Blaunche porre

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163)

This manuscript is dated about 1460.

The 200 (approx.) recipes in the Wagstaff miscellany are on pages 56r through 76v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the Yale University Library website.

I have done my best to provide an accurate, but readable transcription. Common abbreviations have been expanded, the letters thorn and yogh have been replaced with their modern equivalents, and some minor punctuation has been added.

Copyright © 2013 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

-=-=-

11.  Blaunche porre
Take thyke melke of almondys do yt in a potte perboyle the whyte of lekys tendour presse out the watyre hew heme smalle grynde heme temper heme with the same mylke do to gedyre withe sygure and salt boyle hit vp yf thu wilte thu mayste alay withe payndemayne othre withe cromys of white brede draw heme with the same mylke and serue hit forthe withe salte ele yf thu have hit.

-=-=-

There are many recipes for "Blaunche Porre" in medieval cookbooks, suggesting that it was a popular dish.  The following are some that are close to the one above.

Blaunche porre. Take the clene white of lekes wel wasshed, and sethe hom; and when thai byn sothen, draw oute the grene pith, that is within, and then preffe oute the water, and hak hom smal, and bray hom; and in the brayinge alay hit with thik almonde mylk; and then sethe hit, and cast therto sugre, and make hit sumqwat rennynge (rather thin) ; and when hit is sothen and dressed up in dilfches, then cast suger above, and serve hit forthe.  Arundel 334, (England, 1425)]

Take the qwyte (white) of lekes and parboyle hom, and hew hom small, and take onyons and mynse hom therewith, and do hom in a pot, and put thereto gode broth, broth, and let hit boyle, and do therto smale briddes (birds), and scth hom therewyth, and colour hit wyth saffron, and do therto pouder marchantf, and serve hit forthe.   [Arundel 334, (England, 1425)]

Blanche porrey. Take blanche almondes, And grinde hem, and drawe hem with sugur water thorgh a streynour into a good stuff mylke into a potte; and then take the white of lekes, and hew hem small, and grynde hem in a morter with brede; and then cast al to the mylke into the potte, and caste therto sugur and salt, and lete boyle; And seth feyre poudrid eles in faire water ynowe, and broile hem on a gredren; and kut hem in faire longe peces, and ley two or thre in a dissh togidre as ye do veneson with ffurmenty, And serue it forthe.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

xlv - For to make Blawnche Perrye. Take the Whyte of the lekys, an sethe hem in a potte, an presse hem vp, and hacke hem smal on a bord. An nym gode Almaunde Mylke, an a lytil of Rys, an do alle thes to-gederys, an sethe an stere it wyl, an do ther-to Sugre or hony, an dresse it yn; thanne take powderd Elys, an sethe hem in fayre Water, and broyle hem, an kytte hem in long pecys. And ley .ij. or .iij. in a dysshe, and putte thin (Note: Thine.) perrey in a-nother dysshe, an serue the to dysshys to-gederys as Venysoun with Furmenty.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]