Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 89 Brawn ryal brawn sypres brawn bruse

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 © 2014 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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89. Brawn ryal brawn sypres brawn bruse
Take fresh brawn boyle hit in fayre watyr till hit be tendour blanche almondys grynd hem draw hem up with the same broth & a perty of wyn as hote as thu may than make thu milke hote & do thy brawn in a streynour hot & draw hit with the mylke hott do ther to sygure a grete dele venyger set hit on the fyre boyle hit salt hit do hit in a vessel when hit ys cold yf thu nowte have hit out of the vessel with out hote watyr or a ghenst the fyre ley a cloth on a bord & turne the vessell upsodowne ther on & schake the vessell that hit falle oute cut ther in the lech & serve hit forthe iij or iiij in a dysch & strew on poudyr of gynger or paryd gynger [f.66r] mynsyd with anneyce clovys macys & annys in confite yf thu wilt thu may draw som ther of with the same broth & with a perty of wyne with out mylke colourd as bryght as lambur with any colour safr saffron hem when hit ys cold & floresch that othir ther with or els thu mayst cut that othir hit in leches as thu doste that othir & serve hit forth in same maner or thy may turne hit in othir colour yf thu wilt have a grene draw hit with mylke of almonds in to a morter & safron ther with or els put safron when hit ys growndyn muche or lytyll aftur thu wylt make thi colour & colour hit ther with when thu takysthit from the fyre & do ther with as thu dedyst with the todyr and yf thy wile thu may do ther yn poudres or thu may put ther yn a grete quantyte of canell & of gynger & of sawndres to make hit brown & serve hit forthe in the same maner or yf thu wilt thu may take tursele & wesch hit & grynd hit well in wyn that thu sesonyste hit up withe and when hit ys boylyd coloure hit up with bloure sangueyn whethir thu wilt & do ther with as thu dedist with the tothyr or thu may yf thu wilt when thu takyst hit fro the fyre & have al seson hit have brawn sodyn tendyr & when hit ys cold cut hit in leches or dyse hit & cast hit in the pott & stere hit to gedyr & put hit in to that othyr pott vessell when hit ys cold lech hit & do ther with as thu dodyst with that othir & serve hit forth.

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This recipe is actually several recipes combined, and is by far one of the longest I've seen in a medieval cookbook.  It appears to be a slightly wordier version of recipe 177 from A Noble Boke off Cookry.

To mak braun rialle tak and boille freche braun in faire water till it be som dele tender then tak blanched almondes and grind them and draw them up with som of the sam brothe and apart of wyne as hoot as ye may then mak the mylk hot and do the braun in the strener hot and drawe it with the mylk het, put ther to grece and venyger and set it on the fyere to boile and salt it and put it in a vesselle and when it is cold take it out or chauf the vesselle with out with hoote water or againste the fyere and when ye haue it out cutt it in thyn shyves and lay iij lesks in a disshe aftur the quantite and tak pouder of guinger or pared guinger mynced with annes in comfettes and ye may draw it with som of the same with a parte of the wyne or els thou may cutt it in lesks and serue it furthe, or els ye may tak it into another colour what ye wille, and ye will haue it grene draw it with mylk of almondes and grind leke leves in a mortair and put ther to saffron and when it is ground myche or litille coloure it ther with, when ye tak it from the fyere and do as ye did the tother tym and ye may do ther to a quantite of canelle guinger or sanders and mak it broun and serue it furthe, or els ye may tak turn sole and wesshe it and wringe it well in wyn that ye sesson it up with, and when it is boiled colour it up blew or sangwene whedur ye wille and do ther with as ye did be for, or when ye tak it from the fyer and hath bene sessoned then tak freche braune sodyn tender and cutt it in thyn lesks or dice smalle and cast it into the pot and stirre it welle to gedure then put it unto another vesselle and when it is cold leshe it and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]