Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 139 Caudell of Almondys

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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139. Caudell of Almondys
Grynd almondys blaunchyd & temper hem up with wyne or with ale & draw hit thorow a streynour do hit in a pott & do to sigure or hony claryfyd & safron & set hit on the fyre stere hit well as sone as hit be gynneth to boyle take hit of & serve hit forth & yf thu wilt cast a lytyll poudyr if gynger.

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Caudle recipes are fairly common in medieval cookbooks, including two in A Noble Boke off Cookry, but none are a close match for this version.

To mak cawdelle dalmond tak unblanched almondes and bray them and draw them with wyne put ther to pouder of guinger and sugur and boile all to gedur and colore it with saffron and salt it and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

To mak a cawdelle of almondes tak blanched almondes and draw them up with wyne put ther to saffron and salt and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

Cawdelle de Almaunde. Take Raw Almaundys, and grynde hem, an temper hem vp with gode ale, and a lytil Water, and draw it thorw a straynoure in-to a fayre potte, and late it boyle a whyle: and caste ther-to Safroun, Sugre, and Salt, and than serue it forth al hotte in maner of potage.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

Caudell de Almondes. Take rawe almondes, and grinde hem, And temper hem with goode ale and a litul water; and drawe hem thorgh a streynour into a faire potte, and lete hit boyle awhile; And cast there-to saffron, Sugur and salt, and serue hit forth hote.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 138 A Colde Bakyn Mete

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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138. A Colde Bakyn Mete
Grynd reysons & yf thu wilte thu may boyle fegys & grynd hem ther with & temper hem up ther with sewte wyne as chargeaunt as thu may do ther to clovys macys pynes corauns datys mynsyd sygure & salt set hit on the fyre stere hit well when hit boyleth take hit of have small cofyns with low brerdys bakyn by fore & endore the brerdys with & fyll hem with safron & syryp & florych hit with anneys in confite & yf thu wilte thu may take cornels of walchnotys pike of thy skyn make hem as clene as thu may and as white he in a lytyll safron watyr set a pyn or a nedyll in hem & hold hem upryght in thy hond let not hem be to wete & ley goldfayle with that othir hond with a thyng made ther fore & blow ther on esyly with thy mouth & that shall make thy gold to a byde & so thu may gylt ovir & florich thy bakyn mete ther [f.72v] with and so thu may florich eny colde mete that ys bakyn & thu may make hit in a potage yf thu wilt that ys colde.

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I could not find any recipes similar to this one.  What's more, the detailed instructions for using gold leaf are unique among the cookbooks I've worked with.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 137 A Bakyn Mete Opyn

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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137. A Bakyn Mete Opyn
Take the kedneys of a calfe with the swet & some dele of the flesch with all tendyr sodyn hew hit small do hit in a vessell coyle hit with creme of cow mylke sygure & good poudres & poudres of clovis safron & salt & do hit in small cofyns & bake hit as thu dedyst flathons.

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The title of this recipe was appended to the body of the previous one in the manuscript, which makes it easy to miss.

This is an odd little recipe with no close match in contemporary cookbooks.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 136 Bakyn Mete on Fisch Dayes

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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136. Bakyn Mete on Fisch Dayes
Take lamprons strip hem well with a lynyn cloth so that they be clene boyle hem in watyr salt venyger that they be ynow & taylle hem  well in watyr & [?] salt & ley hem in the cofyn take a thike mylke of almondys drawn up with fayre watyr or with broth of fysch do to poudyr folyes of percelley salt & venyger set hem in the oven & fil hem up ther with.

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This recipe is a match for recipe 76 from A Noble Boke off Cookry.

To mak bak metes on fysshe days tak lamprons and strip them with a cloth till they be clene and boile them in watur salt and venegar and labur hem welle in pouder and salt and lay them in coffins then tak a thyk mylk of almonds and draw it up with faire watir or with the brothe of fisshe put ther to pouder sugur and foilis of padley venegar and salt and set them in the ovene and fill them up ther with and serue them.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

While there are many other recipes for baked lampreys, none of them are as short and simple as these.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 135 Leche fryed

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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135. Leche fryed
Take tendyr chese cut hit in shivers do hit in hote skallyng watyr when hit rennyth & yelleth to gedyr do a wey the watyr as clene as thu may & do ther ro claryfydd buttur al hote a grete dele & claryfyed hony & tayl hit well to gadyr with yolkes of eyron have cofyns with low bredrreys as thin as thu may draw hem put yn some stuf that the botom be helyd & let hem bake esyly & serve hem forth.

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This recipe is clearly related to recipe 75 from A Noble Boke off Cookry.

To mak lesche freey tak and cutt tenches in sshevers and put it in hot skaldinge watur and when it rynnyth and yeldithe to gedure ye may do away the watir clene and and put it to clarified buttur hot a gret dele and hony clarified and toile them to gedur with yolks of eggs then tak brod coffyns with lowe lidds as thyn as ye may dryf them and fill them with the stuf and bak them and serue them.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

The most notable difference between the two is that where Wagstaff calls for cheese, Noble has a type of fish (tench). The use of cheese in the recipe is supported by another version from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books.

Lese fryes. Take nessh chese, and pare it clene, and grinde hit in a morter small, and drawe yolkes and white of egges thorgh a streynour, and cast there-to, and grinde hem togidre; then cast thereto Sugur, butter and salt, and put al togidre in a coffyn of faire paast, And lete bake ynowe, and then serue it forthe.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

It is likely that the difference between the Wagstaff and Noble versions is a copying error where "neshchese" was taken as "tenches". It is also possible that it is a transcription error on the part of Ms. Napier when transcribed Noble back in 1882.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 134 Harbelet opyn

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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134. Harbelet opyn
Smyte buttes of pork in pecys boyle hem in fayre watyr that they be ynowghe then do hem on a borde & do awey the skyn & the bonys hew hit small do hit in a fayre boll take ysope sage & percelly a grete quantite pike hit hew hit do hit in a vessell take fat of the same broth & do ther to boyle hit a lytyll & do to the flesch mynsyd datys clovis macys reysons of corauns pynes poudyr of gynger safron & salt & draw yolkes of eyron thorow a streynour put to sugure cull hem well to gedyr make rownd cofyns hardyn hem a lytyll in the oven then take hem out fill hem with a dysch full of the stuf set hem in the oven all opynly let hem bake thorow & serve hem forth.

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This recipe is a match for recipe 74 from A Noble Boke off Cookry.

To mak hairblad opyne tak Buttes of pork and smyt them to peces boille them in faire water till they be enough do it on a bord and put away the skyne and the bones and hewe it small and put it in a fair bolle then tak parsly ysope and saige and hewe it smale and put it in a bolle do ther to fat of the brothe and boile them and put ther to the fleshe mynced dates clowes mace raissins of corans saffron salt pouder of guinger yolks of eggs and draw them throughe a strener and labour it to gedure welle and mak round coffins and hardyn them in an oven then tak them up and fill them with a dysshe with the stuf and set them in the ovene all opyne and let them bak and serue them.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

There are also two recipes from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books that are very similar.

xxxj - Herbelade. 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 on 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 3if 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 Pyne3, and drawe thorw a straynoure 3olkys 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 wyth a dyssche in thin hond, fylle hem fulle of the Stuffe; than sette hem ther-in a-3en; and lat hem bake y-now, and serue forth.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

Herbe-blade. Take buttes of Porke, and smyte hem in peces, and sette hit on the fire, and seth it in faire water; And whan hit is soden y-nogh, take it oute, and baude hit, and pike oute the bones, and hewe it small, and putte hit in a faire boll. And take Isop, Sauge, and parcelly a goode quantite; pike hit, and hewe hit small, And put hit in faire vessellez; And take a litul of the broth that the porke was soden yn, and drawe hit thorgh a streynour, and caste to the erbeblade, and yef hit a boyle; then take oute the herbes with a Skymour fro the broth, And cast hem into the porke in the bolle; And then myce faire dates small, And caste hem there-to, And reysons of coraunce, and pynes; And draw rawe yolkes of egges thorgh a straynour, and caste thereto Sugur, powder of Ginger, salt; colour hit with a litull saffron; And trull hit with thi honde, al this togidur in the bolle; And then make faire rownde cofyns, and put hem in the oven, and hard hem a litull, and take hem oute ayen, and with a dissh in thi honde, fil hem full of the stuffe, and sette hem ayen in the oven al open, And let hem bake ynowe. And thenne serue hit forth.  [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]