Recipes from John Crophill's Commonplace Book - 33 Counses

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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[33.] Counses
Tak capouns & dysch hem to the fyer & qwan thei ben soden tak bred & grynd it ther with & tempre it than do in spices and saffron sethe eyren hard & tak the qwyte & mynce it & do it in let it wellen take the yelkys of eyren & seson it ther with do to gres & salt & qwan it sal ben served do the yelkys of the eyren in the disch.

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This recipe is a clear match with the recipes for "capons in councys" found in other sources, including Liber and Noble.

Capons in Covisye. Take capons and sethe hom wele, And hew hom smalle ilkadele. Take peper and brede, and grynde hit smalle, And temper hit up with capon alle. Take why3te of eyren harde soþun þo, And hake hom smalle and do þerto, And boyle þe capon and coloure hit þenne With safrone, and do as I kenne. Þo 3olkes of eggus, I telle þe, Alle hole þou put in disshe so fre.  [Liber cure cocorum (England, 1430)]

To mak capons in couns tak a capon and sethe it and hew it then grind pepper and bred and temper it with the capon then tak the whit of egg herd sodene and hew them small and boile the capons and colour it with saffron and lay yolks of eggs in the disshe hole and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

Capouns In Councys. XXII. Take Capons and rost hem right hoot þat þey be not half y nouhz and hewe hem to gobettes and cast hem in a pot, do þerto clene broth, seeþ hem þat þey be tendre. take brede and þe self broth and drawe it up yferer, take strong Powdour and Safroun and Salt and cast þer to. take ayrenn and seeþ hem harde. take out the zolkes and hewe the whyte þerinne, take the Pot fro þe fyre and cast the whyte þerinne. messe the disshes þerwith and lay the zolkes hool and flour it with clowes.  [Forme of Cury (England, 1390)]

There is also a recipe in Wagstaff that is clearly related to the above.

Capons yne conceps. Take capons halfe rostyde do hem yn a pott put ther to swete broth & a perty of rede wyne stew hit up to gedyr that hit be ynowghe trye the brothe yf thu wylte thu may do ther to a lytyll lyoure of payndemayn take eyron sodyn harde hew the white do ther to sigure safron & salt set hit on the fyre when hit boyles a lay hit up withe yolkes of eyron loke hit be rennyng sesyn hit up withe poudyr of gynger & vergeys a rese the thyys & the whyngez & the brestz of the capons loke that they honge by ley hem yn disches plante hem withe hard yolkes of eyron and poudyr & the sewe a bovyn.  [Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (England, 1460)]