For to Make a Penche of Eggs

From The Forme of Cury, c.1390 English manuscript modernized in 1780 by Samuel Pegg:

Tak water and do it in a panne to the fyre and lat yt sethe and after
tak eggs and brek hem and cast hem in the water and after tak a chese
and kerf yt on fowr partins and cast in the water and wanne the chese
and the eggys ben wel sodyn tak hem owt of the water and wasch hem in
clene water and tak wastel breed and temper yt wyth mylk of a kow.
and after do yt over the fyre and after forsy yt wyth gyngener and
wyth cornyn and colowr yt wyth safroun and lye yt wyth eggys and oyle
the sewe wyth Boter and kep wel the chese owt and dresse the sewe and
dymo eggys thereon al ful and kerf thy chese in lytyl schyms and
do hem in the sewe wyth eggys and serve yt for the.

My Redaction:

7 poached eggs

1/2 C grated queso fresco

3/4 C bread, crumbed

3/4 C milk

1 T butter

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ginger

pinch saffron

salt to taste

Simmer all ingredients except poached eggs in a saucepan until a thick sauce is formed. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve over poached eggs in ramekins.

How to Make Allows of Beef

From Liber Cure Cocorum, c.1430 English manuscript written in verse:

For syrup. [Allows of beef.]
Take beef and slice it fair and thin,
Of the loins without or else within;
Take minced onions, and powder also
Of pepper, and suet and beef thereto
And cast thereon, roll it well,
Spit it across, so have you bliss;
And roast it brown as I teach you,
And take broth of fresh flesh then,
And mix it with bread ere you do more,
And minced onions you cast thereto,
With powder of pepper and cloves together;
Boil all together, as I teach you,
Then boiled blood you shall take;
Strain it through cloth, color it withal;
Then take your roast, and slice it clean
In the length of a finger; boil it anon
In the same broth; serve it you may
In a dish together I say.

My Redaction:

About 2.25 lbs shoulder steak

1 lg onion, minced fine

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp clove powder

1 C beef broth

1/2 C bread, crumbled

Trim fat from steak and fry it on low heat until it is rendered to suet. Remove solids.

Cut steak into thin strips, about 1/2" thick. Cover a counter top in plastic wrap and lay strips out with space between them.  Cover with an additional layer of plastic wrap, and pound flat with a mallet or empty bottle. Mix onion, suet, 1/2 tsp pepper, and salt, and spread on beef. Roll up into roulades and roast in a pan under a low broiler until browned (they may be rare in the center still - if that is not desired cook longer either under the broiler or switched to a high temp oven). Cook other ingredients together in saucepan until incorporated; sprinkle over roulades as a sauce.

How to Cook Leeks and Funges

From The Forme of Cury, c.1390 English manuscript modernized in 1780 by Samuel Pegg:

Take Funges and pare hem clere and dyce hem. take leke and shred
hym small and do hym to seeth in gode broth. colour it with safron and
do ther inne powdour fort.

My Redaction:

1.5 lbs mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

8 leek stalks, split lengthwise and thoroughly rinsed, then sliced thinly

1 C water

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp galangal

Cook all ingredients in a pot over medium heat, decreasing to low as leeks and mushrooms cook down. It's done when there is no excess liquid or very little. Spicing is to taste.

(Poudre Fort varies in composition, but pepper, ginger, nutmeg, and galangal are fairly typical ingredients.)

How to Make Frumente with Candies

From Liber Cure Cocorum, c.1430 English manuscript written in verse:

Take wete and pyke hit fayre [and clene]
And do hit in a morter shene;
Bray hit a lytelle, with water hit spryng
Tyl hit hulle, with-oute lesyng.
Þen wyndo hit wele, nede þou mot;
Wasshe hit fayre, put hit in pot;
Boyle hit tylle hit brest, þen
Let hit doun, as I þe kenne.
Take know mylke, and play hit up
To hit be thykkerede to sup.
Lye hit up with 3olkes of eyren,
And kepe hit wele, lest hit berne.
Coloure hit with safron and salt hit wele,
And servyd hit forthe, Syr, at þe mele;
With sugur candy, þou may hit dowce,
If hit be served in grete lordys howce.
Take black sugur for mener menne;
Be ware þer with, for hit wylle brerne.

My Redaction:

CANDIES:

1/4 C water

1/4 C brown sugar

1/4 C molasses

Simmer down slowly until it holds its shape when dropped on parchment paper (do not use wax paper). Remove from heat and drop thumbprint-sized blobs on paper. Set aside to cool.

FRUMENTE:

1 1/2 C bulgur wheat

3 1/2 C almond milk

1 tsp salt or to taste

pinch saffron

2 egg yolks

Simmer all but egg until incorporated, remove from heat, mix in egg, serve sprinkled with brown sugar candies.

How to Cook Chyches

From The Forme of Cury, c.1390 English manuscript modernized in 1780 by Samuel Pegg:

Take chiches and wry hem in ashes all nyzt, o˛er lay hem in hoot
aymers, at morrowe, waisshe hem in clene water and do hem
ouer the fire with clene water. see˛ hem up and do ˛erto oyle,
garlec, hole safroun. powdour fort and salt, see˛ it and messe it
forth.

My Redaction:

2 29oz cans chickpeas drained

1 C water

3 T olive oil

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp galangal

8 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

pinch saffron (optional)

Put all ingredients in crock pot, cook on high or low until soft but not completely disintegrated, stirring occasionally and spicing to taste. Add more water if it seems dry.

(Poudre Fort varies in composition, but pepper, ginger, nutmeg, and galangal are fairly typical ingredients.)