Recipes from John Crophill's Commonplace Book - 17 Cherise

Recipes from John Crophill's Commonplace Book (Harley MS 1735)

This manuscript is dated before 1485.

The 68 recipes in John Crophill's Commonplace Book are on pages 16v through 28v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the British 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 © 2015 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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[17.] Cherise
Tak ripe cherise do out the stonis bray hem in amorter ryth wel tak thykke almounde melk & tempre it up with al draw it thorw abultel lye it with amydon or with flour of rye flerysch it with ginger or galingale canel qwybibys & maces colour it with saffron seson it with wyn & sugre.

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While there are no recipes for Cherise in Liber or Noble, there are two different versions in Forme of Cury and one in Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books.

XVIII - FOR TO MAKE CHIRESEYE. Tak Chiryes at the Fest of Seynt John the Baptist and do away the stonys grynd hem in a morter and after frot hem wel in a seve so that the Jus be wel comyng owt and do than in a pot and do ther'in feyr gres or Boter and bred of wastrel ymyid and of sugur a god party and a porcioun of wyn and wan it is wel ysodyn and ydressyd in Dyschis stik ther'in clowis of Gilofr' and strew ther'on sugur.  [Forme of Cury (England, 1390)]

Chyryse XX.II. XVIII. Take Almandes unblanched, waisshe hem, grynde hem, drawe hem up with gode broth. do þerto thridde part of chiryse. þe stones. take oute and grynde hem smale, make a layour of gode brede an powdour and salt and do þerto. colour it with sandres so that it may be stondyng, and florish it with aneys and with cheweryes, and strawe þeruppon and serue it forth.  [Forme of Cury (England, 1390)]

Cxxiiij - Chyryoun. Take Chyryis, and pike out the stonys, waysshe hem clene in wyne, than wryng hem thorw a clothe, and do it on a potte, and do ther-to whyte grece a quantyte, and a partye of Floure of Rys, and make it chargeaunt; do ther-to hwyte Hony or Sugre, poynte it with Venegre; A-force it with stronge pouder of Canelle and of Galyngale, and a-lye it with a grete porcyoun of ȝolkys of Eyroun; coloure it with Safroun or Saunderys; and whan thou seruyste in, plante it with Chyrioun, and serue forth. [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]

The degree of variation in the recipes shows that there were a number of ways to make this dish, and also suggests that there was no strongly preferred method.