Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 72 Blanke desyre

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

-=-=-

72. Blanke desyre
Take yolkes of eyron sodyn hard & safron & bred growndyn with cow milke boyl do ther to white of eyron cut smal & spyndez of porke corven ther to aley hit a lytyll with raw yolkes of eyron.

-=-=-

While there is a recipe for "Blanc Desire" in A Noble Boke off Cookry, that one has different ingredients (e.g. poultry instead of pork) and doesn't really seem to be the same dish.

To mak blank de fire tak ryse and wesshe it and grind it small and temper it up with almond mylk and boile it then tak the braun of capon or henne and hew it small and grind it with myed bred and sesson it with sugur and florishe it with almondes and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

There's a recipe in Forme of Cury that is much closer, but even it has some significant differences.

XIX - FOR TO MAKE BLANK DE SUR. Tak the zolkys of Eggs sodyn and temper it wyth mylk of a kow and do ther'to Comyn and Safroun and flowr' of ris or wastel bred mycd and grynd in a morter and temper it up wyth the milk and mak it boyle and do ther'to wit of Egg' corvyn smale and tak fat chese and kerf ther'to wan the licour is boylyd and serve it forth.  [Forme of Cury (England, 1390)]

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 71 Chikeney

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

-=-=-

71. Chikeney
Do almonde mylke yne a poot take cornels of okekornes rostyde grynde heme draw heme withe wyne or ale do ther to a grete porcyone of sigure saundres & safrone & othire poudrs & sesone hit up withe poudres & the schelles & set a bovyne.

-=-=-

This is one of a very small number of medieval recipes that call for acorns, and the only one I have found that uses them to make a sort of sauce or soup.  Despite the title, the recipe doesn't actually include any chicken.  It is possible that the last instruction, "& set a bovyne", is a suggestion to serve over roasted poultry.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 70 Blaunche Doucet

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

-=-=-

70. Blaunche Doucet
Take brawne of capons groundyne & drawyne up withe wyne & do hit in a pot withe a lytylle hony or sygure and aley hit withe almonds & poudyre of gynger & couche ther one yolkes of eyrone and one fysche dayes take perche pyke or haddok or othir goode fysche worche hit up in the same maner & make pelett of past & put ther one as thu dost yolkes of eyrone.

-=-=-

This recipe is odd in that, while it seems similar to a large number of recipes in other sources, doesn't seem to closely match any of them.  The ingredients are similar to those in "Blanch Mortrews" or "Blanc Desire", both of which appear in A Noble Boke off Cookry, but there are aspects of the recipe that don't appear in either.  The use of egg yolks as a garnish (replaced with dough in the fish-day version) is particularly unusual.

To mak blanched mortrus tak and sethe hennes and freche pork to gedur then bray unblanched almondes and temper them with clene brothe and alay the fleshe small ground ther to put ther to flour of rise and do all to gedur and cast in pouder of guingere and sugur and luk it be not thyn salt it and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

To mak blank de fire tak ryse and wesshe it and grind it small and temper it up with almond mylk and boile it then tak the braun of capon or henne and hew it small and grind it with myed bred and sesson it with sugur and florishe it with almondes and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)] 

It may be that this is a bastardized version of one of these or some other recipe, or that it was meant exactly as presented.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 69 Blaw maungere

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

-=-=-

69. Blaw maungere
Take a thike mylke of almonde blaunchede & drawyne up withe fayre watyre grynde ryce draw heme withe the milke take brawne of capons fesauntes or of pertrysche sodyne tendyr & tesyde smalle put ther to sygure & salt loke hit be stondyne & dresse hit forthe as ryse cut almondes in lenye frye heme a lytylle & medylle heme withe sygure & plant clovys a bovyne and one fysche dayes take pyke or haddoke welle sodyne & pyke the fysche for the bones & rubbe hit in a streyner withe youre honde that hit be [f.64r] smalle and do hit in the stede of fyshe.

-=-=-

"Blancmanger" is by far the most common recipe appearing in medieval cookbooks.  There are two versions in A Noble Boke off Cookry, but only one is a meat-day recipe and both of them merged don't quite match the Wagstaff version.

To mak blanche mange of flesshe tak ryse and wesshe it and draw it throughe a stren and temper it with almond mylk then teese the braun of capon or henn small and put the rise to the mylke and boile it and charge it with the tosed flesshe sesson it with sugur and florisshe it with almonds and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

To mak blank mang of fisshe tak a pound of rise and sethe it and bray it till it brests and cast it to almond mylk then tak a tenche or a lampry and cast ther to and sethe them to gedure and serwe it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)] 

Even if the fish-day instructions are left out of both the Noble and Wagstaff recipes, they still don't quite match up.  Nor does the Wagstaff version quite match any of the other blancmanger recipes I've found.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 68 Blaunche de sorre

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

-=-=-

68. Blaunche de sorre
Blaunche almonds grynde heme draw heme withe swete brothe make a thike mylke take brawne of capons tendyre sodyn hewyne smalle & groundene & temper hit up withe sume of the mylke & put ther to sygure y nowghe & boyle hit as mortrus take sume of thy milke boyle hit & cast hit one a clothe as creme & have out clene the watyr & putt hit in to that othire & a ley hit up ther with put ther to a cupfulle of swete wyne loke that hit be salt & serve hit forthe and one fische days take pyke or haddocke wel sodyne or codlynge & do awey the skyne & the bones & make hit in the same maner as thu dedyst the othire & draw thy mylke withe the brothe of fresche congure.

-=-=-

"Blanc de Syrie" is one of the more popular dishes in medieval cookbooks.  It is usually a dish of capon meat in a sauce of almond milk or rice, thickened to the point that it can be sliced.  There are two versions of this recipe in A Noble Boke off Cookry, but neither one seems to be the source for the recipe above.

To mak bland sorre tak the mylk of almondes blanched mad with capon brothe then tak the braun of a capon and bet it in a mortair and mele the fishe and the mylk to gedur in the mortair with the pestelle and thik it with flour of rise and boile it put ther to sugur or hony and mak it stondinge then lesk it in dyshes and diaper it with turnsole and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

To mak blank de fire tak ryse and wesshe it and grind it small and temper it up with almond mylk and boile it then tak the braun of capon or henne and hew it small and grind it with myed bred and sesson it with sugur and florishe it with almondes and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)] 

The closest match appears to be the following recipe from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books.  It has a bit more detail, which makes it easier to understand the instructions in the Wagstaff version.

xxj - Blandissorye. Take almaundys, an blawnche hem, an grynde hem in a morter, an tempere hem with freysshe brothe of capoun or of beef, an swete wyne; an 3if it be lente or fyssday, take brothe of the freysshe fysshe, an swete wyne, an boyle hem to-gederys a goode whyle; thenne take it up, an caste it on a fayre lynen clothe that is clene an drye, an draw under the clothe, wyth a ladel, alle the water that thow may fynde, ryth as thow makyst cold creme; thanne take owt of the potte, an caste it in-to a fayre potte, an let it boyle; an thanne take brawn of Capoun, an tese it smal an bray it ina morter: or ellys on a fyssday take Pyke or Elys, Codlyng or Haddok, an temper it with almaun mylke, an caste Sugre y-now ther-to; An than caste hem in-to the potte and lete hem boyle to-gederys a goode whyle: thenne take it owt of the potte alle hote, an dresse it in a dysshe, as meni don cold creme, an sette ther-on Red Anys in comfyte, or ellys Allemaundys blaunchid, an thanne serue it forth for a goode potage.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 67 Tayle

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

-=-=-

67. Tayle
Take a lytylle milke of almonde drawyne up withe wyne & do hit in a pott do ther to figes reysens & datys cut and sygure & good pondys boyle hit up coloure hit withe safrone & messe hit forthe.

-=-=-

There are a number of recipes in medieval cookbooks for "Tayles", or almond-milk jelly slices, but nothing that quite matches in A Noble Boke off Cookry.  One of the closest to the Wagstaff version is the following recipe from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books.

xlviij - Tayloures. Take a gode mylke of Almaundys y-draw with Wyne an Water, an caste hym in-to a potte, and caste gret Roysouns of corauns, Also mencyd Datys, Clowes, Maces, Pouder Pepir, Canel, Safroun, and a gode dele Salt, and let boyle a whyle; than take it and ly it wyth Flowre of Rys, or ellys with Brede y-gratyd, and caste ther-to Sugre, and serue forth lyke Mortrewys, and caste pouder of Gyngere a-boue y-now.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 66 Leche Lumbarde

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

-=-=-

66. Leche Lumbarde
Boyle datys in swete wyne grynde heme draw heme withe the same wyne as chargeaunt as ye may do hem yne a pott withe sygure boyle hit put ther to poudour of gynger & canelle a grete dele stere hit welle to gedyr yf be nowghte styfe ynowghe put ther to harde yolkes of eyrone or gratyde bredde or els thu may boyle brawne & draw hit thorow a streynoure withe out any lycoure in the boylyng do hit to gedyr also thu may do withe al maner of leche lumbarde that thu makyste ande yne lentyne tyme thu may have of sundez of stockfische whene hit ys boylede take out of the pott do hit one a borde presse hit to gedyre whene hit ys colde cut hit in brede leches & serve hit forthe a leche or ij in a dysche & poudyre a lytylle clarre abovene.

-=-=-

There is a similarly titled recipe in A Noble Boke off Cookry, recipe 22, but it appears to be incomplete.  This could have been a copy or transcription error, or one introduced when Robina Napier transcribed the text back in 1882.  The fact that the rest of the recipe doesn't at all resemble the Wagstaff version leads me to think they're not the same recipe.

Boile gadur of the skome and set it to the fyere agayne put ther to pouder of pepper canelle and grated bred and stirre it well to gedur colour it withe saffron and sanders and in the settinge doun do ther to a litill venygar mellid with pouder of guinger and stirr it and let it be stif then gadur it up in a clothe and splat it some dele abrod and couer it with the same clothe till it be colde and lay ij or iij lesks in a dyshe and straw ther on pouder of guinger mellid with sugur and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

Most of the other recipes for Leche Lumbard start with instructions for preparing raw meat - usually pork.  There is one version from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books though that starts with dates.

Leche lumbarde. Take Dates, and do awey the stones; and seth hem in swete wyne; and take hem vppe, and grinde hem in a morter, and drawe hem thorgh a streynour with a litull swete wyne and sugur; and caste hem in a potte, and lete boyle til it be stiff; and then take hem vppe, and ley hem vp apon a borde; and then take pouder ginger, Canell, and wyn, and melle al togidre in thi honde, and make it so stiff that hit woll be leched; And if hit be not stiff ynowe, take hard yolkes of eyren and creme thereon, or elles grated brede, and make it thik ynogh; take Clarey, and caste thereto in maner of sirippe, whan thou shall serue hit forthe.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]