Recipes from John Crophill's Commonplace Book - 59 Charlet Aforce

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

This manuscript is dated before 1485.

The 69 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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[59.] Charlet Aforce
Tak cow melk & eyren & swenge hem to gidre & colour it with saffron tak freysch pork hew it smal do it ther to kast it in a panne boyle it wel & stire it vyn & with ale set it don than ley it on a canwas presse out the wyth tak almaunde melk colour it with saffron lye it with [f.28r] amydon force it with poudre of ginger & galingale.

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While there are a number of versions of this recipe in other sources, the closest match is from Noble.

To mak charlet forced tak cowe mylk and yolks of eggs draw throughe a stren and bet it to gedur then tak freshe pork smalle hewene and cast all to gedure in a pan and colour it with saffrone and let it boile till it be on a crud then take it up and lay it on a clothe upon a bord and presse out the whey then tak the mylk of almondes or cow creme and sett it on the fyere put ther to sugur and colour it depe with saffrone then leshe out the crud and couche it in dishes and pour out the ceripe and cast on sugur and canelle and serve it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]