Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 / edited by Thomas Austin

RECIPES FROM DOUCE MS. 55,
Ab. 1450 AD.

CONTENTS.

• Oyle Soppes … lxiij. PAGE 115
• Capon en Counfyt … Cij. 115
• Cokentrice … Ciij. 115
• Crane roste … Cvij. 116
• Fesaunt rost … Cviij. 116
• Heron rost … Cx. 116
• Bitore roste … Cxj. 116
• Egrett rost … Cxij. 116
• Plouer rost … Cxix. 117
• Snyte rost … Cxx. 117
• Sturgeon buille ou turbutt … Cxlvj. 117
• Charlette … Clxxviij. 117

¶ Oyle Soppes. Capitulum lxiiij.—Take and buille mylke, and take yolkes of eyren̛ tryed fro the white, and draw hem; then cast to the milke and hete it, butt lete it nat buille, & [leaf 34b.] styrre it weƚƚ tiƚƚ it be summe-whate thikke: then cast ther-to sugre and salte, and cutt feyre paynemayne in soppes, & cast the soppes there-on, & serue it fortℏ in maner of potage.

¶ Capon̛ en Counfyt. ¶ Capitulum cij.—Take fressℏ broth, and wyn̛, & persely, & saverey, and a liteƚƚ sauge, and lete buille to-gedrys: and crome ther-to herde [leaf 47b.] yolkes of eyren̛ tyƚƚ it be weƚƚ thykke, and kest ther-to pouudre of gyngeuere y-nogℏ, & vertious, and salt, and saffron̛; and take a good rosted capon̛, & ley hym in a chargeur, & ryse the legges and the wynges, butt set ham nott fro the body; and kest on the capon̛ the licour aƚƚ hotte, & serue it fortℏ.

¶ Cokentrice. ¶ Capitulum ciij.—Scalde a capon̛ clen̛, & smyte hem in-to the wast oueretwarde, and scaude a pygge, and draw hym, & smyte hym in the same maner; and then sewe the forthyr parte of the capon̛ and the hyndyr parte of the pygge to-gedrys, and the forther parte of the pygge [leaf 48.] and the hynder parte of the capon̛ to-gedyr: then draw the whyte & the yolkes of eyren̛, and cast ther-to, and svette of a schepe, and saffron̛, & salt, and pouudre of gyngeuere, and grated brede; and medle aƚƚ to-gedre witℏ thyn̄

honde, and putt it in the cokentrice, and putt it on a spite, and roste hem; and endore hem with yolkes of eyren̛, and pouudre of gyngeuere, and saffron̛, & ioissℏ of persely or malves, & draw hem, and endore hem aƚƚ abowte in euery perty of hym̛.

¶ Crane roste. Capitulum c.vij.—Take a crane, and cutt hym in the rofe of the mouth, and lete him blede to deth: and cast a-wey the blode, and schalde hym, & draw hym vndyr the wynge or att the vent, & folde vpp hys legges att the kneys vndir the thye; & cutt of the wyngys next iunte the body, [i.e. cut off the wings at the joint next to the body. ] and lete hym haue hys heuede & hys necke on; saue take awey the wesyng, [leaf 50.] and wynde the necke a-boute the spyte, and bynde hit, & putt the bille in the body and the golett; and reyse the wynges and the legges as of a gose; and yiff þou schalt sauce hym, mynce hym fyrst, and sauce hym withe pouudre of pepyr, and gyngeuere & mustarde, vynegre & salt, and serue hym fortℏ.

¶ Fesaunt rost. Capitulum cviij.—Lete a fesaunt blode in the mouth, and lete hym blede to deth; & pulle hym, and draw hym, & kutt a-wey the necke by the body, & the legges by the kne, & perbuille hym, & larde hym, and putt the knese in the vent: and rost hym, & reise hym vpp, hys legges & hys wynges, [leaf 50b.] as off an henne; & no sauce butt salt.

Heron̛ rost. ¶ Capitulum c.x.—Take an heron̛, & lete hym blode in the moutℏ as an crane, & scalde hym & draw hym att the vent as a crane; and cutt awey the boon̛ of the necke, & folde the necke a-boute the [leaf 51.] spite, and putt the hede ynne att the golet as a crane; & breke awey the boon̛ fro the kne to the fote, and lete the skyn be stille, and cutt the wyng att the Joynte next the body, and putt hem on a spite: and bynde hys legges to the spyte with the skynne of the legges, & lete rost, & reyse the legges and the wynges as of a crane, and sauce hym with vynegre, and mustard, and pouudre of gyngeuere, & sett hym fortℏ.

¶ Bitore roste. Capitulum cxj.—Slee a bytour in the moutℏ as an heron̛, & draw hym as an henne, and fold vppe hys legges as a crane; & lete the wynges be on, & take the boon̛ of the [leaf 51b.] necke aƚƚ awey as of an heron̛: & putt the hedde in the golet or in the shuldre, and rost hym; and ryse the legges & the wynges as þou dost of an heron, & no sauce butt salt: & sett hym fortℏ.

Egrett rost. Capitulum cxij.—Breke an egrettes nekke, or cut the rofe

of hys moutℏ, as of a crane, & scalde hym, and draw hym as an henne; & cutt of hys wynges by the body, and the heued & the necke by the body, & folde hys legges as a bitore, & rost hym: & no sauce butt salt.

¶ Plouer rost. ¶ Capitulum Cxix.—Breke the skulle of a plouere, & pull hym drye, and draw hym as a chike, and cutte the legges and the wynges by the body, and the heued and necke aƚƚ-so, & roste hym, and reyse the legges and wynges as an henne: and no sauce butt salt.

¶ Snyte rost. ¶ Capitulum Cxx.—Slee a snyte as a plouere, & lete hys necke be hole saue the [leaf 53b.] wesyng; and lete hys heuede be on, and putt it in the schuldre, and folde vppe his legges as a crane, & cutt his wynges and roste hym, & reyse hys legges and wynges as an henne; & no sauce butt salt.

[leaf 60b.]

¶ Sturgeon̛ buille ou turbutt. ¶ Capitulum Cxlvj. Draw a turbutt or a sturgeon̛, and chyn̛ hym, & cutt them̛ in brode pecis; and buille hem in water and salt y-nogh, and serue hym fortℏ colde, a pece or too in a dissℏ with vert sauce: and cast persely leves wette in vynegre on hym.

¶ Charlete. ¶ Capitulum Clxxviij.—Setℏ melke yn a pott and cast ther-to salt and saffron̛; & hew feyre buttes of calues or of porke smaƚƚ, and cast ther-to: and draw the white & yolkes of eyren̛, and cast to the licour when it builleth, and a liteƚƚ ale, and stirre it tiƚƚ it crudde. and yiffe þou wilt haue it forced, hete milke scaldyng hoote, and cast ther-to rawe yolkes of eyren̛ and poudre of gyngeuere, and sugre & clowes & maces, & lete natt fully buille; and press the cruddes in feyre [leaf 76.] lenyn̛ cloth, & lessℏ it, & ley too or thre lesshes in a dissℏ: & cast the farsyng ther-on, & serue it forth hote.