Ingredients

For 12

100 g Butter
2 kilo hare
900 g washed and trimmed leeks
8 cloves garlic, chopped finely
350 g pot barley
1.8 l water
6 generous TBS of red or white wine vinegar
4 bay leaves, salt, pepper
30 fresh, roughly chopped sage leaves or 2 TBS dried sage
(Note:  1.0 kilo of hare is about ½ a hare).

Directions:

Melt the butter in a heavy pan and fry the meat (Cook's note - best to brown the meat before adding the leeks) with the leeks and garlic until the vegetables are lightly softened and the meat lightly browned.  Add the barley, water, vinegar, bay leaves and seasoning.  Bring the pot to the boil, cover it and simmer gently for 1-1/2 hours or till the meat is really tender and ready to fall from the bone.  Add the sage and continue to cook for several minutes.  Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve in bowls - the barley will serve as a vegetable.

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Almond Milk

Harlein MS.  4016

109  Froyte de almondes.  Take blak sugur and colde water, and cast the sugur and the water in a potte; and lete hem boile togidre, and salt, and skeme hem clene, and let hit kele; and then take Almondes, and blanche he clene, and stampe hem in a morter al smal, and drawe hem thik ynowe thorgh a streynour with sugur water, into a faire vessell.  And if hit so be that the mylke be not swete, take whit sugur and cast thereto; And serue hit forth in maner of potage, And namly in lenton tyme.
 
 

 Ingredients

Makes 3 cups
1 cup blanched almonds
2 cups water, wine or broth
1 TBS dark brown sugar
white sugar to taste

Directions:

Grind the almonds coarsely with 1 or 2 tsp.  cold water and place them in a large bowl.  Put the water, sugar and salt in an iron pot and bring to a boil.  Pour the boiling water over the ground almonds and let sit for 10-15 mins.  Cool completely and serve as a pottage or soupy dish.  If it is not sweet enough, add the white sugar, a teaspoon at a time, until the mixture is satisfactory.
 
 

Alt: from Le Viandier de Taillevent, p.  315:

1 cup ground almonds
2 cups boiling water    (as above)
 

Combine almonds and water.  Steep for 5 mins., stirring occasionally.  Sieve the mixture or blend in an electric blender until the grains are absorbed.  Makes 2 cups almond milk.
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Almond Milk Fruit Pie
 

Leche frys in lentoun.  Drawe a thik almaunde mylke with water.  Take dates and pyke hem clene with apples and peeres, & mynce hem with prunes damysyns; take out the stones out of the prunes & kerue the prunes a two.  Do thereto raisouns, coraunce, sugur, flour of canel, hoole macys and clowes, gode powdours & salt; colour hem vp with saundres.  Meng thise with oile.  Make a coffyn as thou didest bifore & do this fars therein, & bake it wel, and serue it forth.
 

 Ingredients

Makes 1 pie
2 cups extra thick Almond milk
1/4 cup chopped dates
2 medium apples, peeled, cored & diced
2 medium pears, peeled, cored & diced
1/2 cup pitted prunes, sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup currants
sugar to taste, up to 1/4 cup
1/2 tsp.  each cinnamon, mace & cloves
1/4 tsp.  good powers: ginger, nutmeg, white pepper, etc.  (NB: due to allergies, galingale is substituted for ginger).
sandlewood (or red food colouring)
2 TBS olive oil
1 9 inch pre-baked pie shell (we made the shortcrust from scratch, as it is a LOT cheaper, and more accurate than buying premades)
 
 
 

Directions:

Mix together well the Almond Milk, sugar, spices, oil and food colouring.  The colour should be a brilliant red; the mixture should be thick but runny.  In a separate bowl, mix together the fruits.  Add the Almond Milk mixture and thoroughly blend.  Place this filling in the pie shell and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until the filling is set and the top has slightly browned.  Remove from oven; allow to completely cool before serving.  Serves 6-8.
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Buttered Wortes
 

Buttered Wortes.  Take al manor of good herbes that thou may gete, and do bi ham as is foresaid; putte hem on the fire with faire water; put there-to clarefied butter a grete quantite.  Whan thei ben boyled ynough, salt hem; late none oatmele come there-in.  Dise brede small in disshes, and powre on the wortes, and serue him forth.
 
 

 Ingredients

For 10
10 cups of any combination of spinach, cabbage, beet greens, onion, leeks, parsley,etc.

In this instance we are using:

500 g.  spinach
1 leek
1 onion (possibly omit?)
1/2 head cabbage
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 lb.  butter =  125 grams
1 cup diced bread or unseasoned croutons

Directions:

Cover greens with water; add butter and bring to a boil; add salt.  Reduce heat & Cook until vegetables are tender; drain.  Place bread or croutons into serving bowls and cover with cooked greens.

Wortes were vegetable greens and members of the onion family, such as cabbage leaves, spinach, beet greens, leeks, etc., as well as the plants used for seasonings and spices:  borage, parsley, sage and so forth.
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Prinz Bisket
 

Prince-Bisket (Hugh Platt p.14/94):  Take one pound of very fine flower, one pound of find sugar, and eight egges, and two sponfuls of Rose water, and one ounce of Carroway seeds, and beat it all to batter one whole houre; for the more you beat it, the better your bread is:  then bake it in coffins, of white plate, being based with a little butter before you put in your batter, and so keep it.

 Ingredients

Makes about 60 cookies (eg., for 10 people)
4 c flour (1 lb)
4 tsp  caraway seeds
2 c sugar
5 large eggs
2 tsp rosewater

Beat all ingredients together one whole hour (less is ok, but the result is not as nice).  Spoon out onto a greased cookie sheet as 3" biscuits and bake about 20 minutes at 325 degrees.  I made them smaller, in TBS drop size; baked 15 mins.
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French Pork Pie

Torta Francescha Bona E Optima (Libro Per Cuoco)

Toy la carne del porcho de la cossa che sia magra e grassa e pestala ben con cortello e mitige specie dolche e forte e distempera con ova e fa la torta, e mitige de zafarano de spora e fala ben coxere.

Best French Torta

Take rump of port with both lean and fat and mince finely with a knife and add mild and strong spices and mix with eggs and prepare the torta, and add saffron on top and cook well.
 

 Ingredients

Makes 1 pie
Shortcrust pasty made with 1 cup flour, 60 g.  lard, pinch salt and a little cold water
400 grams pork loin, with some fat
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 small pinch cloves
1 egg
saffron, dissolved in water, for basting the top of the pie (this is in original recipe, not in redaction)

Make the pastry in the usual way, and allow to rest while preparing filling.  Preheat over to 190 cel.  (375 F)

Cut pork into largish pieces, and mince it in a food processor (it should be a fairly fine mince, but do not over-process into a fine past).  Add salt and spices, and blend in the beaten egg.  Check seasoning and adjust as necessary; the mixture should be fairly highly seasoned.

Roll out pastry to fit a shallow 20cm (8 inch) tart tin; and spread pork mixture evenly over pastry.  Brush with the dissolved saffron to give it a nice yellow glow).  Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, until lightly browned on top.  The tart will shrink slightly during cooking.
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Benes Yryed

Take benes and steep him almost til they bersten, take and wryng out the water clene.  Do thereto Onyons ysode and ymynced, and garlec thw.  Frye hem i grece, and do thereto powdo douce and sue it forth.
 

 Ingredients

For 10
1 lb dry garbanzo beans (475 grams)
1 large onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup
2 TBS butter
2-4 cloves garlic
1 TBS sugar
salt/pepper to taste

Powdered Douce:  mix of sweet spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves - in original, not redaction but used here
1 tsp

Pick over the beans, removing any stones or other debris.  Place in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil for 10 minutes.  Pour off the water, then add more water to cover along with 1 tsp of salt and a TBS of sugar.  Cook, covered or open for 3 hours, until the beans are very tender.  Pour off the water.  Chop the onion and saute in the butter or margarine.  Add the beans, olive oil and the desired quantity of chopped garlic and other spices.  Heat for 20 mins.  or so.  Add a small amount of water to the pan if desired.  Better the next day; also freezes well.
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Venison Furmenty
 

Furmenty with venyson.  take faire whete, and kerve it in a morter, And vanne a-wey clene the duste, and wassh it in faire watere and lete it boile till hit breke; then do awey the water clene, and caste there-to swete mylke, and sette it ouer the fire, And lete boile til it be thik ynogh, And caste there-to a goode quantite of tryed rawe yolkes of egges, and caste thereto Sapheron, sugur, and salt; but late it boile no more then, but sette it on fewe coles, lest the licoure wax colde.  And then take fressh venyson, and water hit; seth hit and bawde hit; And if hit be salt, water hi, seth hit, and leche hit as hit shall be serued forth, and put hit [in a vessell with feyre water, and buille it]* ayen; and as hit boylethy, blowe a-wey the grece, and serue it forth with ffurmenty, And a litul fo the broth in the Dissh all hote with the flessh.  *Added by T.A. from Douce.

 Ingredients

For 10
2  kilos venison
seasoning to boil venison - parsley, sage, pepper, cloves, mace, vinegar and salt and a little red wine
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
pinch saffron
4 TBS cream of wheat (semolina)
6 beaten egg yolks
sugar to taste

For cooking the venison:
Bring the venison to a slow boil with water enough to cover.  I've chosen to use the seasonings described in the Venison in Broth recipe (page 187 vol.  2), to give the venison a better flavour.  The red wine also helps make a lovely sauce for over the meat and furmenty.  Cook the venison until tender (about 6 hours).  Slice the meat when done (Cook's note - slice the meat, and return to boil for about half an hour, as the meat is better steeped and it keeps it nice and hot) and serve hot with furmenty and broth.

For the Furmenty

Bring milk, saffron and salt to a boil in a covered pot.  Add cream of wheat and stir until thickened slightly, about 4+ minutes.  Remove from heat and cool.  Add beaten egg yolks and return to low heat.  Stir until thickened.  Add sugar to taste.

For serving, put the furmenty on the base of the bowl/tray, arrange the meat on top and glaze with the sauce.
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Oil Sops
 

Oyle Soppys.  Take a gode quantyte of Oynonys, and mynse hem not to smale, and sethe in fayre Water:  Than take hem vp, and take a gode quantite of Stale Ale, as .iij.  galouns, and there-to take a pynte of Oyle fryid, and caste the Oynonys there-to, and let boyle alle to-gederys a gode whyle; then caste there-to Safroune, powder Pepry, Sure, and Salt, and serue forth alle hote as tostes, as in the same manner for a Mawlard & of a capon, & hoc quaere.

 Ingredients

For 10
6 onions
olive oil for frying
2 cups beer
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of saffron
lots of ground pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
Bread, toasted and sliced -  1/2 loaf of bread

Cook's Note:  This is my own redaction.  Wish me luck.

Mince the onion and parboil them for about 3 minutes.  Heat the olive oil and add the onions and fry until golden, but not too brown.  In a large pot, put in the beer, water, and add the onions.  Add the  salt, pepper and sugar.  Let it cook for about an hour, then add the saffron.  To serve, put the toast in the bowls, and cover it with the onion mix.
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Creme Bastarde

Take the whyte of Eyround a grete hepe, & putte it on a panne ful of Mylke, & let yt boyle; then sesyn it so with Salt and hony a lytel, then lat hit kele, & draw it throw a straynoure, and take fayre Cowe mylke and draw yt with-all, & seson it with Sugre, & loke that it be poynant & doucet:  & serue it forth for a potage, or for a gode Bakyn mete, wheder that thou wolt.

 Ingredients

For 10
12 egg whites
3/4 cup + 6 TBS milk (1 cup)
dash salt
3 tsp honey
3 TBS sugar

Cook's Note:  I trebled the original recipe - that only made 3/4 cup of pudding.

Put egg whites and 3/4 milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring.  Add a dash of salt and the honey.  Remove pan from heat as son as the mixture solidifies; it should resemble tapioca pudding.  Allow the mixture to cool.  Add the 6 TBS milk to the egg mixture and press it all through a strainer into a bowl.  Add 3 TBS sugar and stir.  Pour into serving dish and serve warm or cold.

Makes about 3 cups.

Optional:  garnish with currants. (This was done)
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Roasted Duck & Pickle for the Mallard

Sorcell rosted.  Take a Sorcell or a tele, and breke his necke, and pul him dry, And draw him as a chekon, and kutte off his fete and winges by te body and the nekke, and roste him, and reise his winges and his legges as a heron, and if he be a Sorcell; And no sauce but salt.

Pikkyll pour le Mallard.  Take oynons, and hewe hem small, and fry hem in fressh grece, and caste hem into a potte, And fressh broth of beef, Wyne & powder of peper, canel, and dropping of the mallard/ And lete hem boile togidur awhile; And take hit fro the fyre, and caste thereto mustard a litul, And pouder of ginger, And lete hit boile no more, and salt hit, And seue it forthe with the Mallard.

Ingredients

For 10
1 5-6 pound duck - for  this recipe, a 2 kilo duck is used

For Pikkyll pour le Mallard: (per duck)

3 medium onions
2 TBS oil
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS melted duck fat
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp ginger (* galingale used for the Baron)
1 tsp salt

FOR THE DUCK: Rinse the duck; cut off the wing tips and sprinkle the duck inside and out with salt.  Slash the skin downward from the breastbone in a chevron pattern every 1/2 inch - do not pierce the meat under the skin.  Tie the feet together with twine.  Roast the duck breast side up on a roasting rack that has been placed inside a roasting pan.  (The duck will lose about 2 Cups of fat).  Bake at 375 degrees for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours or until done.  Reserve the grease for Pikkyll pour le Mallard.  Remove the duck to a serving platter and serve hot.

FOR THE PIKKLE:  Chop the onions in small pieces.  Fry them in the oil in a large skillet until transparent.  Add beef broth, wine, pepper, cinnamon, and duck fat and let the mixture boil until the flavours as mixed, about 10 minutes.  Add mustard, ginger (galingale), and salt; reduce heat.  Serve hot with the duck.
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Peas

Take grene pesyn, and boile hem in a potte; And whan they ben y-broke, drawe the broth a good quantite thorgh a streynour into a potte, And sitte hit on the fire; and take oynons and parcelly, and hewe hem small togidre, And caste thereto, and lete boile; And take vynegur and pouder of ginger, and caste thereto; And then take Saffron and salte, a litull quantite, and caste thereto; And take faire peces of paynmain, or elles of such tendur brede, and kutte hityn fere mosselles, and caste there-to; And then serue hit so forth.
 

 Ingredients

For 10

5 cups peas
2 medium onions - finely chopped
2 TBS finely chopped parsley
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp ginger (use galingale)
pinch saffron & salt

toast for croutons

Cook's Note:  once again, my own redaction.

Cook the peas in water (just covered) until soft.  Put the mixture through a strainer to mash; then add in the chopped onion and parsley.  Add the spices and heat well.  To serve, top with the croutons.