Recipes from John Crophill's Commonplace Book - 24 Crane

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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[24.] Crane
Loke thu have good broth & cler & good blaunched almondys grynd hem & tempre hem up with thin broth & drawe it hulle it wel & do it on the fyer charge it wel with amydon or with flour of rys do ther to qwyth ginger & aperty canel sugre qwybibes & clowes aperty gres & salt.

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In spite of the title of this recipe, it doesn't appear to have anything to do with cranes, nor does it even remotely resemble crane recipes from other sources. The title could be a copyist error for "cream" though, and there are other recipes for "cream of almond milk" that appear at least vaguely related.

Crem of almonde mylk. Take almonde mylke, and boyle hit, and when hit is boylet take hit from the fyre, and springe theron a lytel vynegur; then take and cast hit on a clothe, and cast theron sugur, and when hit is colde gedur hit together, and leche hit in dysshes, and serve hit forthe.  [Ancient Cookery (England, 1425)]

Creme Of Almaundes. XX.IIII. V. Take Almaundes blaunched, grynde hem and drawe hem up thykke, set hem ouer the fyre & boile hem. set hem adoun and spryng hem wicii Vyneger, cast hem abrode uppon a cloth and cast uppon hem sugur. whan it is colde gadre it togydre and leshe it in dysshes.  [Forme of Cury (England, 1390)]

Another possibility is that the recipe is mistitled, as the recipe also appears similar to the following from Liber and Noble.

Caudel dalmone. Take almondes unblanchyd and hom þou bray. Drawe hom up with wyn, I dar wele say. Þer to do pouder of good gyngere And sugur, and boyle alle þese in fere, And coloure hit with safron and salt hit wele, And serve hit forthe Sir at þo mele.  [Liber cure cocorum (England, 1430)]

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)]